Mission / Goals / DEAI

Mission

The mission of the Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership (LRWP) is to restore, enhance, and conserve, the natural resources of “New Jersey Watershed Management Area 9” (the Lower Raritan Watershed) through community based participatory science and stewardship, environmental and ecological education, and innovation.

Vision

A healthy Raritan River and Lower Raritan Watershed community, restored and sustained through collaboration, participatory science, and stewardship.

Goals

The LRWP will inspire environmental appreciation and stewardship by staging and cultivating nature-centered activities, and by helping those in our communities be more effective actors in safeguarding the future of the watershed. The LRWP will inform relevant stakeholders in the watershed by supporting community participation and collaboration in science-based watershed activities, and by building a trusted framework for the sharing of relevant data and knowledge about the watershed and its health. The LRWP will innovate to improve watershed health responsibly, through collaboration with diverse partners, by disseminating research findings, and by tracking the impacts of these efforts.

Strategic Areas of Focus

  1. Environmental/Ecological Education and Outreach
  2. Community Based Participatory Research (Civic Science)
  3. Watershed Restoration

Core Values

-Social Equity. We believe in building an equal and inclusive movement for participatory research and science policy. -Collaboration. We believe change happens through the connections, creativity and contributions of our entire community. -Responsible Innovation. We believe in a cooperative approach to improving human and environmental health, one that inspires and rewards responsible innovation. -Systems Thinking. We believe that all social-ecological systems are interconnected, and we focus on relationships and interactions when addressing environmental problems.

Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion Statement

The Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership was formed to address social justice concerns related to human health and the environment. We are guided by principles of participatory research and community engagement for environmental decision-making and policy. We are committed to supporting and expanding the principles of diversity, equity, accessibility, inclusion, and social justice through all our actions, including our administrative, educational, and human capital policies, practices, and programming; the composition of our staff, leadership, Board of Trustees, interns, and volunteers; and our advocacy and engagement with the community. Further, we are rooted in the belief that a concern with the agency of those suffering injustices requires supporting the development of community capacities for participation, public debate, and democratic practice. We recognize that in addition to being unequivocal in our stance against racism, bias, and microaggressions in all forms in our organization, we can and should do more. We view community based participatory research (cbpr) as a cornerstone practice in advancing social and Environmental Justice. We aim to provide a regional platform for focusing on challenging social and environmental issues through cbpr, and to serve as convener and engaged community advocate in addressing these challenges.