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Welcome to the newest edition of our Client Spotlight Blog Series! Each spotlight provides an inside look at our collaboration, teamwork, and accomplishments with a specific client. We value our client relationships and pride ourselves on forming strong ties with organizations that share our values of creating a better future for people and our planet.



Meet The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey (TNCNJ)



The Nature Conservancy began as a collaborative effort between leading scientists, committed citizens, and dedicated leaders who shared a vision to care for the world around them. Their priorities include finding innovative solutions to some of the planet’s biggest challenges: tackling climate change, protecting land and water, providing food and water sustainability, and building healthy cities.  Princeton Hydro has worked with TNCNJ on about a dozen projects since 2009. 











To develop this Client Spotlight, we spoke with TNCNJ’s Director of River Restoration Beth Styler Barry. Beth has over 18 years of experience in river restoration, water quality monitoring, community outreach, and project management. In addition to leading major stream restoration projects for TNCNJ, Beth also co-leads the statewide New Jersey Dam Removal Partnership. Beth has worked with Princeton Hydro on a number of projects, including the removal of the Columbia Dam, the largest dam removal in New Jersey's history. 





Q: What makes your organization unique?



The Nature Conservancy is a global organization and the largest environmental nonprofit in the United States, so we can make conservation happen at a continental scale. At the same time, we are structured into smaller business units that keep us nimble and relevant for handling ecological challenges that affect and resonate with people, wildlife, and habitats locally. Everyone who works here is very passionate about protecting nature. 



Q: What does your organization value?



Our conservation work is always guided by science. In fact, we have more than 400 scientists on staff around the world. We also have a knack for working with a wide range of partners and bringing about positive outcomes where they otherwise may not have been easily achieved. 



Q:   How long have you been working with Princeton Hydro?



I joined TNC in 2016, so about 4.5 years.



Q:   What types of services have we provided to your organization?



I have worked with Princeton Hydro on water and soil studies, engineering and design for dam removals, and oversight for the construction phase of river restoration.

















Q:  Do you have a favorite or most memorable project we’ve worked on together?



Princeton Hydro was an important partner in our effort to remove the Columbia Dam from the Paulins Kill in 2019. A study ranked the 300-foot-long, 18-foot-high structure in the top 5% of East Coast dams for removal. The impoundment of water behind the dam was unhealthy and the dam itself impeded the migration of threatened American shad for more than 100 years. With Princeton Hydro’s help, and working with a team of partners including the State of New Jersey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we succeeded in the largest dam removal in state history. Less than two weeks after the dam was completely removed, the shad were recorded ten miles upstream!



WATCH: Time-Lapse of Columbia Dam Removal
It’s been two and a half years since the removal of the Columbia Dam on the Paulins Kill in Northern New Jersey. In that time, American Shad have been discovered upstream of the former dam, a major indicator of improved water quality. The following time-lapse videos highlight the amazing efforts by the project team to reconnect...



Q:  What are some exciting things your organization is working on right now?



There are so many exciting projects! We are working on two more dam removals on the Paulins Kill, as part of a watershed-wide restoration.  As a part of that restoration work, we’re working on completing design and permitting on a 1,000-acre wetland and stream restoration project in the headwaters of the Paulins Kill.  We are also still working in New Jersey to protect and connect land for state-endangered Bobcat and other wildlife; to increase the use of nature as a way of building resiliency in communities dealing with flooding from storms and sea level rise; and to support a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 2006 levels by 2025.



Q: What drives you to want to go to work everyday?



I feel a deep connection to rivers, especially the rivers of New Jersey.  I’ve seen so many good restoration projects that it inspires me to keep pushing forward.  We owe that to our rivers.







Q:  How can Princeton Hydro support you/your organization in the future?



One thing that I enjoy about working with Princeton Hydro is that staff are always ready to really walk me through a new design idea, method, or step in the regulatory process. I like the opportunity to ask a lot of questions and fully understand the work at hand.



...



To learn more about The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey, visit their website.  And, click below to read the previous edition of our Client Spotlight blog series, which features the Musconetcong Watershed Association.



Client Spotlight: Musconetcong Watershed Association
Welcome to the latest edition of our Client Spotlight Blog Series! Each spotlight provides an inside look at our collaboration, teamwork, and accomplishments with a specific client. We value our client relationships and pride ourselves on forming strong ties with organizations that share our values of creating a better future for people and our planet....

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Struggling fish species returns to spawning grounds for the first time in over a century, just months after dam removal completed
For the first time in over a century, American Shad (Alosa sapidissima) have been discovered upstream from the former Columbia Dam site on the 42-mile long Paulins Kill river, an important tributary to the Delaware River in northwestern New Jersey. Princeton Hydro’s Senior Water Resources Engineer and avid fisherman, Dr. Clay Emerson, PE, CFM, caught an American Shad in the Paulins Kill miles above the previous dam site this past weekend.
A successful collaboration between The Nature Conservancy, American Rivers, Princeton Hydro, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife Service, resulted in the removal of the out-of-commission hydroelectric Columbia Dam just months ago. Prior to this removal, American Shad and other migratory fish could not make it past the large dam structure to swim upstream to their important breeding grounds.

“I was thrilled to feel the familiar hit and see the flash of an American Shad as I reeled the fish to shore. Being an avid shad fisherman and enthusiast, I knew the significance of seeing this beautiful fish back in a place where it's always belonged,” said Clay. “We are thrilled to witness the American Shad return upstream so quickly after the century-old Columbia dam was removed. It’s a testament to the nearly instant benefits that dam removal has on the riverine ecosystem.”
The American shad’s return is an excellent sign of the overall ecological health and diversity of the river. Historically, dams, overfishing, and pollution have caused population decline in many of the major eastern U.S. rivers. American Shad, deemed the “Mid-Atlantic salmon,” are anadromous, which means they spend much of their lives in the ocean but return to rivers and their tributaries to spawn. This long distance swimmer makes it one of the Earth's great travelers. After spawning upstream in rivers of the East Coast, American Shad migrate to their primary habitat in the Atlantic Ocean up in the Gulf of Maine. Unlike the salmon of the Pacific Ocean, American Shad may return to their spawning grounds multiple times over their lifetime. The species is a key prey species for many large fish and cetaceans like dolphins and whales in the Atlantic Ocean.
“The best indicator of river water quality improving in the Paulins Kill is the appearance of shad miles upstream from the Columbia Dam,” said Dr. Barbara Brummer, New Jersey State Director of The Nature Conservancy. “Today, we celebrate proof that with the 100-year dam impediment removed, they are once again successfully swimming up the river. I could not be happier! This is what teamwork and passion for nature can achieve. It is a great day for conservation in New Jersey, with many more great days for shad in the Paulins Kill to come.”
Princeton Hydro was contracted to investigate, design, and apply for permits for the removal of this dam as requested by American Rivers in partnership with the New Jersey chapter of The Nature Conservancy. The firm investigated, designed, and prepared the necessary permits for the dam removal. The team of engineers and ecologists studied the feasibility of removal by collecting sediment samples, performing bioassay tests, and conducting a hydraulic analysis of upstream and downstream conditions.


[caption id="attachment_2294" align="aligncenter" width="1566"] A view of the Columbia Dam at the beginning of the removal process.[/caption]
“We are proud to be a part of this collaborative project, which has had an immediate and positive impact to the ecosystem of the Delaware River Watershed and its fishery resources,” said Princeton Hydro’s President Geoffrey Goll, PE. “Re-discovering this Delaware River diadromous icon upstream of the former dam is a very promising sign that the river will once again return to a major migration route and nursery for American Shad. This is why we do what we do!”
This Columbia Dam Removal project could not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the following partner organizations: The Nature Conservancy of New Jersey, American Rivers, Princeton Hydro, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, RiverLogic Solutions, NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife Service, and SumCo EcoContracting.
Anglers are reminded, according to New Jersey fishing regulations, except for the Delaware River mainstem it is illegal to fish for shad in any fresh waters of New Jersey.
Princeton Hydro has designed, permitted, and overseen the reconstruction, repair, and removal of a dozens of small and large dams in the Northeast. To learn more about our fish passage and dam removal engineering services, visit: bit.ly/DamBarrier.
…
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Welcome to the newest edition of our Client Spotlight Blog Series! Each spotlight provides an inside look at our collaboration, teamwork, and accomplishments with a specific client. We value our client relationships and pride ourselves on forming strong ties with organizations that share our values of creating a better future for people and our planet.



Meet The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey (TNCNJ)



The Nature Conservancy began as a collaborative effort between leading scientists, committed citizens, and dedicated leaders who shared a vision to care for the world around them. Their priorities include finding innovative solutions to some of the planet’s biggest challenges: tackling climate change, protecting land and water, providing food and water sustainability, and building healthy cities.  Princeton Hydro has worked with TNCNJ on about a dozen projects since 2009. 











To develop this Client Spotlight, we spoke with TNCNJ’s Director of River Restoration Beth Styler Barry. Beth has over 18 years of experience in river restoration, water quality monitoring, community outreach, and project management. In addition to leading major stream restoration projects for TNCNJ, Beth also co-leads the statewide New Jersey Dam Removal Partnership. Beth has worked with Princeton Hydro on a number of projects, including the removal of the Columbia Dam, the largest dam removal in New Jersey's history. 





Q: What makes your organization unique?



The Nature Conservancy is a global organization and the largest environmental nonprofit in the United States, so we can make conservation happen at a continental scale. At the same time, we are structured into smaller business units that keep us nimble and relevant for handling ecological challenges that affect and resonate with people, wildlife, and habitats locally. Everyone who works here is very passionate about protecting nature. 



Q: What does your organization value?



Our conservation work is always guided by science. In fact, we have more than 400 scientists on staff around the world. We also have a knack for working with a wide range of partners and bringing about positive outcomes where they otherwise may not have been easily achieved. 



Q:   How long have you been working with Princeton Hydro?



I joined TNC in 2016, so about 4.5 years.



Q:   What types of services have we provided to your organization?



I have worked with Princeton Hydro on water and soil studies, engineering and design for dam removals, and oversight for the construction phase of river restoration.

















Q:  Do you have a favorite or most memorable project we’ve worked on together?



Princeton Hydro was an important partner in our effort to remove the Columbia Dam from the Paulins Kill in 2019. A study ranked the 300-foot-long, 18-foot-high structure in the top 5% of East Coast dams for removal. The impoundment of water behind the dam was unhealthy and the dam itself impeded the migration of threatened American shad for more than 100 years. With Princeton Hydro’s help, and working with a team of partners including the State of New Jersey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we succeeded in the largest dam removal in state history. Less than two weeks after the dam was completely removed, the shad were recorded ten miles upstream!



WATCH: Time-Lapse of Columbia Dam Removal
It’s been two and a half years since the removal of the Columbia Dam on the Paulins Kill in Northern New Jersey. In that time, American Shad have been discovered upstream of the former dam, a major indicator of improved water quality. The following time-lapse videos highlight the amazing efforts by the project team to reconnect...



Q:  What are some exciting things your organization is working on right now?



There are so many exciting projects! We are working on two more dam removals on the Paulins Kill, as part of a watershed-wide restoration.  As a part of that restoration work, we’re working on completing design and permitting on a 1,000-acre wetland and stream restoration project in the headwaters of the Paulins Kill.  We are also still working in New Jersey to protect and connect land for state-endangered Bobcat and other wildlife; to increase the use of nature as a way of building resiliency in communities dealing with flooding from storms and sea level rise; and to support a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 2006 levels by 2025.



Q: What drives you to want to go to work everyday?



I feel a deep connection to rivers, especially the rivers of New Jersey.  I’ve seen so many good restoration projects that it inspires me to keep pushing forward.  We owe that to our rivers.







Q:  How can Princeton Hydro support you/your organization in the future?



One thing that I enjoy about working with Princeton Hydro is that staff are always ready to really walk me through a new design idea, method, or step in the regulatory process. I like the opportunity to ask a lot of questions and fully understand the work at hand.



...



To learn more about The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey, visit their website.  And, click below to read the previous edition of our Client Spotlight blog series, which features the Musconetcong Watershed Association.



Client Spotlight: Musconetcong Watershed Association
Welcome to the latest edition of our Client Spotlight Blog Series! Each spotlight provides an inside look at our collaboration, teamwork, and accomplishments with a specific client. We value our client relationships and pride ourselves on forming strong ties with organizations that share our values of creating a better future for people and our planet....

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