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Penn State Master Watershed Steward Jane Cook Leads By Example In Lehigh Valley

By Kelly Jedrzejewski, Penn State News

In 2014, Jane Cook joined the second-ever training class of Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward volunteers.

She was already active in the Monocacy Creek Watershed Association, but since then, she has logged more than 1,000 volunteer hours educating the public and restoring local watersheds.

Erin Frederick, Penn State Extension’s statewide Master Watershed Steward coordinator, noted that over the years, Cook has continued to increase her expertise and grow as a leader.

“She now serves on the boards of the Monocacy Creek Watershed Association, Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley and Hanover Township Shade Tree Commission,” Frederick said. “She’s amazing!”

Rebecca Hayden, president of the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley, also has worked closely with Cook.

“Jane is a volunteer leader in the best sense — she connects with and empowers other volunteers and members of her community watershed association,” Hayden said. “Her passion and focus make a difference on the ground in her community. Leading by example, Jane has naturalized her property and carries out extensive work on naturalization with native plants across the Monocacy Creek Watershed. The Lehigh Valley Master Watershed Steward program is very fortunate to have her as a volunteer.”

Cook explained that her journey to the Master Watershed Steward program was a logical next step in support of her work with the Monocacy Creek Watershed Association.

“Since the incorporation of MCWA in 1970, the organization has had varied amounts of activity, but it’s maintained an active role in doing riparian buffer work and involving residents in projects that help protect and preserve the amazing resource of the Monocacy Creek,” she said.

The MCWA applied for and received its first grant through the Lehigh Valley Greenways in 2021 to complete work in cooperation with Northampton County at Gertrude Fox Conservation Area in Hanover Township.

“This unique park follows the creek along Biery’s Bridge Road east of Center Street in north Bethlehem,” Cook explained. “The county had done extensive stream bank restoration work along a 30-yard stretch of the creek in that area. Volunteers helped create a walking trail with informative signage and planted native shrubs, trees and wildflowers. It turned an inaccessible section of county land into an oasis of calm in the city that’s wonderful to walk in all times of the year.”

More recently, Cook and other volunteers have worked in partnership with Bath Borough in Northampton County to improve the section of the Monocacy that flows through the town.

In early October of this year, the MCWA and Bath Borough volunteers planted a large native wildflower pollinator garden as a part of a new trail being developed along the creek.

With the increase in land development in the Lehigh Valley, Cook also stressed the growing need to be vigilant about the impact on bodies of water like the Monocacy, the Lehigh River and other tributaries.

“I’ve become much more aware of the many development proposals that are popping up all over the watershed. I work to inform residents of the potential impact these can have on our water resources,” Cook said.

She explained that many municipalities have low standards in their land-use and zoning ordinances when it comes to protecting waterways.

“Developers know they only have to meet these minimum requirements to get their projects approved,” she said. “The challenge is to strengthen existing codes to make them more protective of water resources that are so vulnerable to damage by land development that increases stormwater runoff and other pollutants.”

Frederick pointed out that there is no shortage of threats to the environment.

“The Master Watershed Steward program aims to empower anyone to help protect and restore our natural ecosystems,” she said.

“This program,” Cook added, “teaches community members about the importance of protecting the most valuable resource we have — water. I encourage anyone who has even a slight interest in learning more about what’s happening in their watershed to consider becoming a Master Watershed Steward. You’ll be exposed to things you didn’t even know were happening right in your area!”

The Penn State Master Watershed Steward program provides extensive training in watershed management to volunteers who, in return, educate the community about watershed stewardship based on university research and recommendations.

The program was established to strengthen local capacity for management and protection of watersheds, streams and rivers by educating and empowering volunteers across the commonwealth.

Anyone interested in becoming a Master Watershed Steward can learn more at the program’s website.

(Reprinted from Penn State News.)

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