Bauder and Royal Win River Friendly Awards
Two area residents received environmental awards from the Stony Brook- Millstone Watershed Association at its annual meeting on April 23rd.  The awards recognize outstanding contributions to promoting environmental protection in the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed.  The watershed encompasses 265-square miles in central New Jersey, including most of Mercer County and portions of Hunterdon, Somerset, Monmouth and Middlesex Counties.

William Bauder, a citizen-activist in Cranbury Township, received the River Friendly Citizen Award for being an outstanding     environmental activist.  Carol Weld Royal, the founder of the Trenton Material Exchange, won a River friendly Award for her innovative and entrepreneurial effort to recycle and reuse a wide range of medical, building and office materials, saving them from disposal.

"Bill Bauder has tirelessly championed the importance of protecting the environment in his community.  He and his wife Connie have patrolled local streams, encouraged their neighbors to participate, and identified several major environmental issues that need to be resolved,"  said George Hawkins, executive director of the Association.  As part of his StreamWatch patrol on the Millstone River and local tributaries, Bill identified 23 rusted barrels that may be the source of local contamination.  "Without his efforts these barrels may not have been found, allowing even more chemicals to leach into the environment.  He embodies the personal commitment that is needed to protect the environment in this busy world,"  said Hawkins.

Bauder has also been instrumental in protecting stream corridors during construction projects.  He helped persuade the Cranbury Environmental commission to assign a member to each new project to ensure that proper measures are implemented to reduce soil erosion.  Bauder also helps the association improve its monitoring program.  "Bill has been an indispensable part of our water monitoring efforts, "  said Steve Vergau, senior watershed specialist at the Watershed.  "He's been monitoring our monitors to ensure that reliable data is gathered."   continued