Who Are We?
What is New Jersey Friends of Clearwater?
New Jersey Friends of Clearwater (NJFC) is a non-profit grassroots environmental group, fully run and staffed by volunteers dedicated to a cleaner environment. Since 1974, we have been actively trying to control water pollution in and around the waterways and estuaries and the landward causes on the land throughout NJ to promote human and ecological health. Our record of success against pollution has become a model for other environmental groups.
How did NJFC get started?
NJFC owes its beginning to Pete Seeger and the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater group he formed 40 years ago. Seeger and a handful of his friends built a replica of a 19th century sloop and sailed from town to town on the Hudson River, to build awareness about pollution. Impressed by the combined mission of music and nature, popular folksinger Bob Killian, formerly of Atlantic Highlands, brought the idea when he moved to Monmouth County and helped form the Monmouth County Friends of Clearwater, now NJ Friends of Clearwater over 35 years ago. Today, the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, along with its NJFC, is over 8000 strong and has a record of successful lawsuits against polluters as well as many educational programs for children and adults.
What is NJFC's Annual Festival?
The NJ Friends of Clearwater Festival is our annual open-air music and arts festival celebrating the spirit of people working and singing together for the environment. The finest in music and dance combines with environmental activism to celebrate our waterways. This year's festival is funded, in part, through grants from the Shop-Rite, the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders and many individual donors. While not a fundraising event, any proceeds benefit NJFC's environmental programs.
What does NJ Friends of Clearwater do?
Clearwater, through its volunteers, conducts environmental education, celebration and advocacy activities to protect the Hudson, Raritan, Delaware & other rivers and their estuaries including Raritan, Barnegar, and Delaware Bays, surrounding waterways and New Jersey coast. Besides festivals and other music events, our programs include clean-ups, environmental watches, political action, and education programs. We also have an exciting, hands-on Traveling Environmental Festival for schools and youth organizations.
It is the aim of New Jersey Friends of Clearwater that each member in their own way touch the people immediately surrounding them and in their community, and by word or deed convey the importance of conservation and reparation of the earth.
For more information about NJFC, including committees, click here
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ABOUT NJFC COMMITTEES:
NJFC is an organization that is made up of numerous committees. We ask our members to get involved with these listed committees. These committees provide a niche for almost everyone and are what keeps Clearwater members and the public informed and active on current issues.
ENVIRONMENTAL SAIL PROGRAM
The Environmental Sail Program has 10-15 active members who serve as skippers, skippers in training, first mates, and crew members of our garvey Adam Hyler, a 26' replica of a 17th century Tuckerton Bay design. We are actively recruiting, especially crew members. The perks include painting and scraping and varnishing and splicing lines (we teach all that) and also learning sailing all the way to skipper status if you want to go that far. And lots of sailing.
A good way to start is to just show up at one of our weekly sails (in season) or work parties. No commitment. If you like it, and us, show up again. By then you'll know when our monthly meetings and other activities happen. In season means Summer and early Fall. Out of season we meet monthly. By October we will have decided when and where for this year. In or out of season contact us. with any questions. We will be sailing on the Navesink River starting at the Oyster Point Hotel in Red Bank, NJ. Sails are free to the general public.
WEBSITE
The purpose of the website committee is to foster better communication through our NJFC Website. With the increasing use and reliance on the Web, we need not only computer literate but web-capable members to keep our members informed and up-to-date on all aspects of our efforts.
The committee is always looking for individuals who have a talent with computers, web, photography, and graphics and the know how to fit them to our needs. We need people to make sure the web information is up to date and to create posters, briefing and other media to educate, to advocate, and to bring people to action to sustain our environment. Our new website is easier than ever to manage and we are looking for an in-house webmaster to tie things to gether.
ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION
This committee deals with our hands-on programs for the environment. The varied scope of activities includes: Clean-ups of NJ streams, beaches, and bays encompassing NJ and the Atlantic Coast line; organizing protests against polluters and bad corporate and government policy; water sampling and testing; an active environmental watchdog of New Jersey's air, land and water.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
This committee deals with spreading the message of Clearwater. First and foremost is our concern for the future of our planet. Education is mandatory to change people's attitude toward our past ecological mistakes and point the way toward sensible management of our natural resources. Our Traveling Environmental Festival (TEF) is our premier educational tool [described & implemented elsewhere on our website]. We work toward our environmental education goal by: presenting TEF, setting up displays, distributing literature, speaking before groups, hosting speakers at our monthly meetings, organizing petitions and letterwriting, demonstrations, and musical events with an environmental message.
This committee is always in need of volunteers to set-up and watch our displays at the many events we travel to during the year. The displays also need continual additions, updating, and upkeep. Speakers must be located and booked for our meetings. Volunteers are needed to keep NJ Friends of Clearwater active and aware of the environmental issues anywhere in the state. We often partner with other environmental groups to on worthy causes and to strengthen each others' clout.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
This committee's purpose is to research environmental issues and presents its findings to the Board of Directors for discussion and proper action by New Jersey Friends of Clearwater. The committee must concern itself with issues such as: incineration, ocean dumping, toxic run-off, ozone depletion, global warming/climate change, environmental legislation, etc. Unfortunately there are continually new issues developing that must be addressed.
We need people who are avid readers. This committee must keep track of local, state, national and global issues. Newspapers, newsletters, local town meetings, county planning meetings and state legislative meetings are just some of the territory we must cover to keep up with the issues.
FIELD TRIPS
The single purpose of "Field Trips" is to arrange informative, sometimes eye-opening social events for members and friends. The theme of the trip can be anything from nature walks to planned visits to power, sewer or other facility that may have an impact on the environment. Historic, environmental and political themes are generally the basis for a trip.
Field trips help members learn about nature and history while creating friendships which help to make for better interactions within the group. You may have an interest in hiking, museums, nature photography, horticulture, etc. Field trips begin with someone's interest in an area that would be of interest to NJFC members. Generally one day events are planned for small groups to make transportation and coordination as simple as possible.
FINANCE
Simply put, this committee oversees the monetary workings of New Jersey Friends of Clearwater. Finance takes care of all the accounts of NJFC, both general and festival accounts. The committee works with all of NJFC's committees to prepare budgets for the year. The committee also handles the tasks of insurance coverage.
If you have a background in bookkeeping and record-keeping, your talents would be appreciated. Volunteers would always work with the supervision of the treasurer.
FUND-RAISERS
The main purpose of the committee is, of course, to raise funds for the work that Clearwater does. The ways that monies can be raised are vast and varied. Traditionally Clearwater groups are known for folk concerts. NJFC has also worked with area rock, jazz and blues artists in many different ways. Funds are also raised through T-shirts, bumper stickers, cake sales, etc.
Needs of the fund-raising committee start with enthused members who first research the possibilities of a fund-raiser. Then someone on the committee must take the responsibility of handling the logistics of the fundraiser. You may have an idea, or know of a fund-raising event that NJFC has not tried. The committee needs positive thinkers that are also good planners.
PUBLICITY
NJ Friends of Clearwater needs to "get the word out" in order to make others aware of our message. The methods used include all forms of media; our traditional and mySpace websites, newspaper, television, radio, magazine and other printed matter. "News" in the eyes of the media is highly timely. The publicity generated must be up-to-date, accurate and news worthy to be deemed usable by most news services.
The committee has many opportunities for members who would like to help spread the Clearwater message. There are three basic areas needing coverage.
- Print media, newspapers and magazines.
- Radio.
- Television and Cable.
- Websites
Each must be handled in its own way. Volunteers that can handle individual parts of the coverage are needed. Writing news releases, 30 second and 60 second radio spots; contacting reporters for coverage, etc.
MEMBERSHIP
To find new and innovative ways to bring in new members and keep present members active in NJFC. We do this by:
- Making the many opportunities available for members known through vehicles such as the membership brochure
- Actively recruiting at functions where NJFC is showing its displays
- Helping to place new members into areas they have shown an interest in
If you enjoy dealing with people then this is the perfect volunteer job for you. Some record keeping and computer skills can be helpful to keep a detailed database of talents of our membership. But the bottom line is one-on-one contact with members, new and old to keep them involved in areas they enjoy to give of their precious free time.
If you feel that you would like to join us, please visit our Membership Application page.
NEWSLETTER
Obviously the Newsletter committee has one goal - to inform the membership and others on the mailing list of the goings-on of Clearwater. This is done through "New Jersey Friends of Clearwater Newsletter". The publication not only highlights the group's activities, it also informs readers of general environmental issues and includes a variety of auxiliary topics on our living more in tune with the environment.
Help is always welcome from members in the form of news-worthy articles. The typing in of information on typewriter or computer is also a help. If you have use of a computer running web design software, you may be able to do the layout and design.
To view our monthly Newsletter online, click here.
For more information, please contact the New Jersey Friends of Clearwater