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Dr. Fred Lubnow, Princeton Hydro's Senior Technical Director of Ecological Services, and Jenn Rogers, Executive Director of Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space (FoHVOS), were recently featured on the Native Plants, Healthy Planet podcast to discuss the collaborative, first‑of‑its‑kind initiative to monitor Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the Delaware River Watershed using drones, spatial analysis, and community science.
The Delaware River is a lifeline for more than 14 million people, a refuge for wildlife, and a defining natural feature of the region. In recent years, HABs, once confined mostly to lakes and ponds, have expanded into streams and rivers and appearing in colder months. Understanding why this shift is happening, and how to predict it, is essential for protecting water quality, public health, and ecological resilience within the Delaware River watershed and watersheds nationwide.
The podcast, hosted by Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick of Pinelands Nursey, highlights the urgency of addressing HABs and the innovative, cross‑sector partnership driving this work forward. Listen now: Harmful Algal Blooms with Dr. Fred Lubnow and Jenn Rogers.




Stewardship and Community Leadership from FoHVOS
Jenn Rogers, Executive Director of FoHVOS, brings two decades of conservation leadership to the partnership. Her background spans naturalist education, ecological stewardship, and the development of large-scale restoration and public engagement programs. During her fourteen years with the Mercer County Park Commission, she helped establish both the Environmental Education and Stewardship Departments and oversaw the care of more than ten thousand acres of parkland.
Jenn has spent her career building programs that connect people to the landscapes around them. Her commitment to community-driven conservation make her a key partner in a project that relies on both scientific rigor and public participation. Her perspective highlights how land use, watershed health, and community stewardship are deeply interconnected.

Expertise Shaping the Future of HAB Research
Dr. Fred Lubnow serves as Princeton Hydro’s Senior Technical Director of Ecological Services and brings more than 30 years of experience in limnology, watershed restoration, and community and ecosystem ecology. His career has focused on understanding how freshwater systems respond to nutrient loading, hydrologic change, and long-term environmental pressures. He has designed and led numerous lake and watershed restoration projects, developed USEPA Nine-Element and TMDL-driven watershed plans, and created field-based cyanobacteria and cyanotoxin monitoring programs that are now used across the region.
Fred’s expertise in the taxonomy, ecology, and management of algae, particularly cyanobacteria, has made him a leading voice in the study of HABs. He currently serves on New Jersey’s HABs Advisory Team, where he helps interpret water quality data and advises on mitigation strategies. His scientific leadership guides the technical design and implementation of the Delaware River HAB monitoring initiative.




A Collaborative Approach to Understanding HABs
Now entering its second year, the Delaware River HAB monitoring initiative is expanding both its scientific scope and its community engagement efforts. Building on the foundation established in 2025, the project team is conducting multi‑season drone flights, enhanced satellite‑based surveys, and targeted on‑the‑water sampling along 73 miles of the Delaware River and 24 connected waterbodies. These efforts are designed to strengthen the project’s ability to detect and forecast HABs under a wide range of seasonal and environmental conditions.
[gallery link="none" columns="2" ids="19329,19330"]
Year two also introduces several tools and activities intended to support broader participation and more efficient data collection. This includes the launch of a new ArcSurvey123 mobile data platform to support real‑time volunteer water quality submissions, as well as expanded training opportunities for community members interested in assisting with field sampling. Data collected through these efforts will contribute to the development of advanced algorithms capable of forecasting HAB occurrence at multiple spatial scales.
Funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's (NFWF) Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund (DWCF), in partnership with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the project continues to be supported by a diverse network of partners across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including The City University of New York's (CUNY) New York City College of Technology (City Tech), Trenton Water Works, Mercer County Park Commission, The College of New Jersey, Aqua-PA, Philadelphia Water Department, Bucks County Conservation District, Turner Designs, and US Army Corps of Engineers - Philadelphia District's Blue Marsh Lake. Together, these organizations contribute technical expertise, watershed knowledge, and crucial on‑the‑ground support. This collaborative approach remains central to the initiative’s success and long‑term objective: establishing a scalable HAB‑forecasting framework that can ultimately be applied to additional watersheds across the United States.
For a deeper look at the research, partnerships, and shared commitment behind this initiative, listen to the full Native Plants, Healthy Planet podcast presented by Pinelands Nursery. Click here to learn more about the Pinelands Nursery and explore the full library of Native Plants, Healthy Planet podcasts. If you're interested in getting involved in the Delaware River HAB research initiative, the program is currently seeking volunteers for water sampling along the Delaware and select waterbodies. Contact FoHVOS Conservation Biologist Kaitlin Muccio at: kmuccio@fohvos.org for more details.
                    [post_title] => LISTEN: Native Plants, Healthy Planet Podcast Highlights HAB Science & Stewardship
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Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space (FoHVOS), in partnership with Princeton Hydro, has launched a groundbreaking initiative, “Monitoring Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the Delaware River Watershed Using Drones and Spatial Analysis,” to improve understanding and forecasting of HABs throughout the Delaware River Watershed. Funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), in partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, through the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund (DWCF), the project leverages drone technology and advanced data modeling to identify environmental conditions that contribute to HAB formation and aims to develop tools and methodologies for early detection and management.
For this innovative research project, FoHVOS, a 501(c)3 and accredited Land Trust located in Hopewell Township, NJ, has teamed with Princeton Hydro. Princeton Hydro conceptualized and designed the initiative and is leading the technical implementation, including field survey design, drone operations, data analysis, and volunteer training.
“The Delaware River is central to Hopewell Valley’s identity. It shapes our way of life, supplies drinking water to 14.2 million people, shelters wildlife like the endangered Atlantic sturgeon, and offers abundant outdoor recreation,” said Jennifer Rogers, Executive Director of FoHVOS. “HABs were once confined to ponds and lakes, but since 2018, they’ve appeared in colder months and spread to streams and rivers. Though land trusts traditionally focus on land, HABs show how land use directly affects water. These blooms often stem from excess nitrogen and phosphorus washed into waterways during storms. Protecting water means restoring land. Our partnership with Princeton Hydro aligns perfectly with our mission. Together, we’re working to better understand and safeguard the Delaware River and its tributaries in both NJ and PA.”
HABs, caused by nuisance growth of cyanobacteria, can have detrimental effects on water quality and are a growing environmental concern nationwide. These blooms deplete oxygen levels, release toxins, and disrupt ecosystems, potentially posing serious risks to drinking water supplies and the health of wildlife, pets, humans, and local economies. Despite advances in environmental monitoring, predicting when and where HABs will occur remains a challenge due to the complex interplay of nutrient loading, temperature, and hydrologic conditions that can lead to rapid bloom proliferation.
To address these challenges, this newly launched initiative integrates drone-based remote sensing, field sampling, and spatial data analysis to collect and interpret detailed environmental data over a two-year period. The study spans multiple monitoring sites along a 73-mile stretch of the Delaware River in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, focusing on near-shore sections and 23 associated waterbodies. The first survey event began in August 2025.


 
Drones equipped with multispectral imaging systems capture high-resolution spatial data that is then integrated with digital platforms to link remote-sensing with the drone data and on-the-water collected data. The field-based water quality measurements are being collected by a team of trained community volunteers who are using phycocyanin fluorometer meters to measure concentrations of the photosynthetic pigment phycocyanin, which is produced primarily by cyanobacteria. Volunteers enter the data into a customized ArcGIS mobile-friendly survey. These combined datasets will be used to develop and validate predictive algorithms for both planktonic and benthic HABs under varying seasonal and hydrologic conditions.
The following photos depict the RGB (Visual) and corresponding Thermal image from the monitoring flights over Spring Lake in New Jersey:
[gallery columns="2" link="none" size="medium" ids="18899,18900"]
“This research project represents a major step forward in how we study and manage harmful algal blooms at the watershed scale,” said Dr. Fred Lubnow, Project Lead and Senior Technical Director of Ecological Services at Princeton Hydro. “By integrating satellite data, drone imagery, and on-the-water sampling, we’re developing predictive tools that will enable us take a proactive approach to mitigate HABs, improve response time, and better support our ecosystem health.”
Project partners include New York City College of Technology – The City University of New York, which donated the drone and is supporting remote sensing and data integration; Trenton Water Works, Mercer County Park Commission, and The College of New Jersey which are providing monitoring sites and contributing volunteers for water quality data collection in New Jersey; Aqua-PA and the Philadelphia Water Department, which are providing monitoring sites and volunteers to collect watershed data in Pennsylvania; the Bucks County Conservation District, which is coordinating volunteer data collection; and Turner Designs, whose advanced phycocyanin sensors are being used to calibrate and validate drone-based monitoring data.
In the photos below, volunteers are being trained by Princeton Hydro staff on how to use phycocyanin fluorometers and Secchi disks to gather water quality data and log their findings.


[gallery link="none" size="medium" ids="18896,18895,18894,18897,18891,18892"]
This $1M project is funded through a $488,400 NFWF DWCF grant as part of the NFWF’s Research, Monitoring, & Evaluation Grant category and $513,700 in matching funds from project partners. This grant category aims to support high-performing science that is inclusive, adaptive, and innovative, with the potential to transform the Delaware River Watershed’s future through improved conservation, restoration, and public engagement.
Once complete, the project will produce a comprehensive report summarizing methods, analyses, and data-driven recommendations for practical, low-cost HAB monitoring and mitigation strategies that can be replicated across the Delaware River Watershed and beyond. Crucially, the report will identify tributaries and sources contributing to riverine HABs, enabling targeted restoration of the most affected lands and waters. Data collection will continue through Fall 2025, resume in Spring/Summer 2026, and culminate in a final report expected in 2027.


[gallery link="file" columns="2" ids="18781,18902"]
FoHVOS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit land trust dedicated to conserving the natural resources of the Hopewell Valley region and beyond. Through land preservation, ecological restoration, community engagement, and science-driven initiatives, FoHVOS works to protect and enhance open spaces for future generations. Learn more at www.fohvos.org.
Princeton Hydro is committed to improving our ecosystems, quality of life, and communities for the better. The firm was formed in 1998 with the specific mission of providing integrated ecological and engineering consulting services. Offering expertise in natural resource management, water resources engineering, geotechnical design and investigation, and regulatory compliance, their staff provide a full suite of environmental services throughout the Northeast for the public and private sectors. Project Lead, Dr. Fred Lubnow, is an expert in HAB management and has worked with dozens of lake associations and government agencies to restore lakes, manage watersheds, reduce pollutant loading, address invasive aquatic plants, and mitigate nuisance HABs. To learn more about Princeton Hydro's work to mitigate harmful algal blooms, go here.
                    [post_title] => Innovative Drone-Based Research Study to Predict HABs in the Delaware River Watershed
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Princeton Hydro is excited to announce that the Musconetcong Island Park Project received the New Jersey Future 2024 Smart Growth Award. This project, led by the Musconetcong Watershed Association (MWA), transformed a crumbling, long-abandoned laboratory into a vibrant, accessible riparian park space that provides opportunities for fishing, wading, paddling, and viewing wildlife in Bethlehem Township, NJ.

The site, which once housed a two-story concrete block laboratory used by the Asbury Graphite Mill, had become a hazard after decades of disuse. Located on a quarter-acre island in the Musconetcong River, the building was not only structurally unsound but also in the floodway of the River, posing ongoing risks to the surrounding environment. Through a collaborative, multi-year effort, the abandoned building was demolished, the area was restored, and the island was transformed into a welcoming, accessible space for public enjoyment and recreation.
The image below shows the old stairway, laboratory building, and island space with a white outline depicting the project area:


Taken in 2018 before construction:

[gallery link="none" columns="2" ids="15697,15702"]

 

Taken in 2023 after project completion (photos by MWA):

[gallery link="file" columns="2" ids="15706,15707"]
The Musconetcong Island Park Project represents a successful collaboration among numerous partners. Led by MWA, the project involved National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Township of Bethlehem, Harrington Construction, and Princeton Hydro.
Princeton Hydro provided engineering and environmental consulting services for the project. Our scientists and engineers completed all necessary permitting, designed both the conceptual and final restoration plans, and oversaw construction throughout the project.
[gallery link="none" columns="2" ids="15695,15696"]


Funding for the project was secured through three primary sources: New Jersey Green Acres Program, National Park Foundation, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund. These grants were instrumental in facilitating the transformation of an industrial relic into a thriving park space, balancing the preservation of the river's natural resources with the creation of an accessible community destination.


[caption id="attachment_15690" align="aligncenter" width="1300"] Photo courtesy of the Township of Bethlehem, NJ.[/caption]

 
The two-story concrete block building that once stood on Musconetcong Island was originally the Asbury Graphite Mill laboratory, constructed between 1925 and 1940. It was built on the foundation of a woolen factory that had been destroyed by fire in 1881. The laboratory was used for testing graphite, an inert and non-toxic mineral primarily used for lubrication and other industrial applications. Graphite refining began in Asbury in 1895, when Harry M. Riddle purchased the existing mills and converted them for this specialized purpose.
By the early 1980s, the laboratory was abandoned due to frequent flooding and a lack of modern plumbing. Despite its industrial history, the building had become a safety and environmental concern due to its floodway location and deteriorating condition. In 1999, the laboratory building was donated to the Musconetcong Watershed Association, who then initiated efforts to restore the site and transform it into a valuable public resource.
Today, the island has been transformed into a place where residents and visitors can enjoy the Musconetcong River. With improved access, new stairways, and interpretive signage sharing the history of the area, Musconetcong Island Park is a prime example of how thoughtful design can blend environmental restoration with community-focused development.


[caption id="attachment_15705" align="aligncenter" width="1074"] The Musconetcong Island Park project was completed in Spring 2023. Photo by MWA.[/caption]

 
“We are honored to have contributed to the transformation of Musconetcong Island Park and proud to see this project recognized with a New Jersey Future Smart Growth Award for its role in enhancing the Musconetcong River Watershed. It reflects our commitment to sustainable design and the power of collaboration in creating lasting, positive impacts for both the environment and the community. It’s truly a win-win — removing an obstruction from the floodway while providing public access to the river,” said Geoffrey M. Goll PE, President of Princeton Hydro.
Since 2002, the New Jersey Future Smart Growth Awards have celebrated the best examples of sustainable planning and development across the state. The Musconetcong Island Park Project exemplifies these values by enhancing public access to nature, improving resilience to flooding, and fostering sustainable recreation opportunities in the heart of Bethlehem Township. The project showcases the importance of balancing environmental restoration with community needs, creating a space where people can connect with nature while preserving and protecting it for future generations.
The 2024 New Jersey Future Smart Growth Awards recognize six outstanding projects that exemplify innovative and sustainable development. This year’s award ceremony and celebration took place yesterday at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center.


[gallery columns="2" size="medium" link="none" ids="15906,15907"]


Click here to learn more about the awards and to view the full list of 2024 Smart Growth Award recipients.
MWA is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the quality of the natural and cultural resources of the Musconetcong River and its Watershed. Members of the organization are part of a network of individuals, families, and companies that care about the Musconetcong River and its watershed, and are dedicated to improving the watershed resources through public education and awareness programs, river water quality monitoring, promotion of sustainable land management practices, and community involvement. Click here to learn more.
Princeton Hydro has been working with MWA in the areas of river restoration, dam removal, and engineering consulting since 2003. Explore how the partnership between Princeton Hydro and the MWA led to the historic return of American shad to the Musconetcong River for the first time in over 250 years, revitalizing the ecosystem—read the full story here!
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Lake Hopatcong Commission partnered with Lake Hopatcong Foundation, with in-kind contributions from the NJDEP, municipal governments, Morris and Sussex Counties, Musconetcong Watershed Association, Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum, Rutgers University, NJ Highlands Council, and Princeton Hydro, to address three priority streambank stabilization projects within the Upper Musconetcong River Watershed.







The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced that the Lake Hopatcong Commission would receive $480,650 through the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund (DWCF). The DWCF aims to conserve and restore natural areas, corridors, and waterways on public and private lands to support native migratory and resident wildlife and fish, and native plants; and to contribute to the social health and economic vitality of the communities in the Delaware River watershed. Major funding for the DWCF is provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.







“It’s great to see funding awarded to the Upper Musconetcong River Watershed at the federal level. The Commission was created to promote public health and welfare through the preservation of Lake Hopatcong for recreational and conservation purposes. These projects are consistent with our organizational goals and will enhance water quality and recreational access within the watershed,” said Ron Smith, Chairman of the Lake Hopatcong Commission.







The grant will fund the design and implementation of three streambank stabilization projects, identified as priority projects in the 2021 Upper Musconetcong River Watershed Implementation Plan as prepared by Princeton Hydro for the Lake Hopatcong Commission. They will address important stormwater issues that had been previously identified.  The projects are:





Musconetcong River Streambank Stabilization and Floodplain Enhancement in Hopatcong State Park (Roxbury Township). This portion of the Musconetcong River at Lake Hopatcong’s outlet has been identified as having serious stormwater and flooding issues. An approximate four-acre section of streambank will be restored and stabilized. As part of this effort, invasive species will be eradicated and the existing floodplain rehabilitated through the establishment of native vegetation.
Glen Brook Streambank Stabilization in Memorial Park (Borough of Mount Arlington). Glen Brook is a major stream entering Lake Hopatcong at Mount Arlington Beach. It is a significant source of stormwater runoff and has been identified as having a negative impact on water quality. Approximately 75 linear feet of Glen Brook immediately downstream of Memorial Pond will be regraded and vegetated to naturally treat runoff into the lake.
Lakefront Public Access & Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance at Witten Park (Borough of Hopatcong). Witten Park, a forgotten public area, will be restored and serious stormwater issues will be addressed. The severely eroded Sperry Spring, which feeds Lake Hopatcong, will be rehabilitated and a regenerative stormwater conveyance will be installed. This device will convey and treat stormwater runoff down a naturally occurring slope, reconnecting it to the original floodplain. 















“Environmental impacts associated with development pressure in the upper Musconetcong Watershed around Lake Hopatcong have contributed to reduced water quality. By implementing these projects, we will be able to continue our efforts to improve water quality by reducing phosphorus and sediment entering Lake Hopatcong and the Musconetcong River all while enhancing local wildlife habitat and increasing recreational access around New Jersey’s largest lake,” said Kyle Richter, Executive Director, Lake Hopatcong Foundation.







The grant application requested $480,650 from the DWCF with a combined local in-kind match of more than $489,000 from the Lake Hopatcong Commission, Lake Hopatcong Foundation, NJ Department of Environmental Protection, Borough of Hopatcong, Township of Roxbury, Mount Arlington Borough, Morris and Sussex Counties, the Musconetcong Watershed Association, Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum, Rutgers University, NJ Highlands Council, and Princeton Hydro. This is the first grant that has been awarded to the Lake Hopatcong Commission from NFWF.







“Lakes in the Upper Musconetcong Watershed, like Lake Hopatcong and Lake Musconetcong, have experienced degraded water quality and unprecedented harmful algal blooms from excessive nutrients in stormwater runoff and aging septic systems. We are proud to partner with Lake Hopatcong Commission, Lake Hopatcong Foundation, and local stakeholders on this multi-site stream stabilization project to reduce nutrient runoff, enhance wildlife habitat, and improve public access in the watershed,” said Dr. Fred Lubnow, Director of Aquatic Resources at Princeton Hydro.















To learn more about The Lake Hopatcong Commission, visit lakehopatcongcommission.org. To learn more about The Lake Hopatcong Foundation, visit lakehopatcongfoundation.org and check out our recent blog. To learn more about Princeton Hydro's natural resource management services, visit princetonhydro.com.

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The Iowa Court and South Green Living Shoreline Project in Little Egg Harbor and Tuckerton, NJ, was awarded “Best Green Project” by Engineering News-Record magazine. The project is recognized for its use of innovative techniques to install new features to restore damage from Hurricane Sandy and protect the area from future storms.
In 2012, Superstorm Sandy devastated communities throughout New Jersey and the entire eastern seaboard. Storm resilience, flood mitigation, and shoreline restoration have since become top priorities for coastal communities and low-lying areas.
The Township of Little Egg Harbor, in conjunction with local partners including the Borough of Tuckerton, was the recipient of a $2.13 million Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Competitive Grant through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for a Marsh Restoration and Replenishment project. The grant was secured by New Jersey Future. The purpose of the project was to restore and replenish local marsh, wetlands, and beaches suffering extensive erosion along the shoreline.
T&M Associates, as the Municipal Engineer of Record for the project, oversaw all aspects of the design and implementation. T&M contracted Princeton Hydro to perform sediment sampling/testing and conduct hydrographic surveys, and Arthur Chew Consulting to assist with the feasibility study and design of the dredging project.
The project, which was completed in September 2019, provides long-term protection from erosion and will restore the vegetated shoreline habitats through strategic placement of plants, stone, sand fill, and other structural and organic materials. The living shoreline will help in the areas of storm protection, flood mitigation, and combatting shoreline erosion. The project was a great success for the Little Egg Harbor and Tuckerton communities.


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Since the restoration of Iowa Court and South Green Street, this living shoreline model has received significant attention and praise, including in the American Council of Engineering Companies of New Jersey 2020 Engineering Excellence Awards; the New Jersey Society of Municipal Engineers 2019 Project of the Year Awards; and, now, this "Best Green Project" award from Engineering News-Record.
“There is growing interest in this approach from municipalities up and down the Jersey Shore. Storm and flood damage is still a pressing threat to hundreds of towns and boroughs, and it is widely accepted that storms like Sandy will only become more frequent due to the effects of climate change,” said Jason Worth, P.E., Group Manager at T&M Associates. “Thankfully, there is hope in innovation and creativity – with new approaches to living shorelines we can breathe life back into devastated beachfront communities and the natural ecosystems that support them.”
Princeton Hydro specializes in the planning, design, permitting, implementing, and maintenance of coastal rehabilitation projects. To learn more about some of our ecosystem restoration and enhancement services, visit: bit.ly/PHcoastal.


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                    [post_title] => Living Shoreline in Ocean County, NJ Voted "Best Green Project"
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Dr. Fred Lubnow, Princeton Hydro's Senior Technical Director of Ecological Services, and Jenn Rogers, Executive Director of Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space (FoHVOS), were recently featured on the Native Plants, Healthy Planet podcast to discuss the collaborative, first‑of‑its‑kind initiative to monitor Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the Delaware River Watershed using drones, spatial analysis, and community science.
The Delaware River is a lifeline for more than 14 million people, a refuge for wildlife, and a defining natural feature of the region. In recent years, HABs, once confined mostly to lakes and ponds, have expanded into streams and rivers and appearing in colder months. Understanding why this shift is happening, and how to predict it, is essential for protecting water quality, public health, and ecological resilience within the Delaware River watershed and watersheds nationwide.
The podcast, hosted by Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick of Pinelands Nursey, highlights the urgency of addressing HABs and the innovative, cross‑sector partnership driving this work forward. Listen now: Harmful Algal Blooms with Dr. Fred Lubnow and Jenn Rogers.




Stewardship and Community Leadership from FoHVOS
Jenn Rogers, Executive Director of FoHVOS, brings two decades of conservation leadership to the partnership. Her background spans naturalist education, ecological stewardship, and the development of large-scale restoration and public engagement programs. During her fourteen years with the Mercer County Park Commission, she helped establish both the Environmental Education and Stewardship Departments and oversaw the care of more than ten thousand acres of parkland.
Jenn has spent her career building programs that connect people to the landscapes around them. Her commitment to community-driven conservation make her a key partner in a project that relies on both scientific rigor and public participation. Her perspective highlights how land use, watershed health, and community stewardship are deeply interconnected.

Expertise Shaping the Future of HAB Research
Dr. Fred Lubnow serves as Princeton Hydro’s Senior Technical Director of Ecological Services and brings more than 30 years of experience in limnology, watershed restoration, and community and ecosystem ecology. His career has focused on understanding how freshwater systems respond to nutrient loading, hydrologic change, and long-term environmental pressures. He has designed and led numerous lake and watershed restoration projects, developed USEPA Nine-Element and TMDL-driven watershed plans, and created field-based cyanobacteria and cyanotoxin monitoring programs that are now used across the region.
Fred’s expertise in the taxonomy, ecology, and management of algae, particularly cyanobacteria, has made him a leading voice in the study of HABs. He currently serves on New Jersey’s HABs Advisory Team, where he helps interpret water quality data and advises on mitigation strategies. His scientific leadership guides the technical design and implementation of the Delaware River HAB monitoring initiative.




A Collaborative Approach to Understanding HABs
Now entering its second year, the Delaware River HAB monitoring initiative is expanding both its scientific scope and its community engagement efforts. Building on the foundation established in 2025, the project team is conducting multi‑season drone flights, enhanced satellite‑based surveys, and targeted on‑the‑water sampling along 73 miles of the Delaware River and 24 connected waterbodies. These efforts are designed to strengthen the project’s ability to detect and forecast HABs under a wide range of seasonal and environmental conditions.
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Year two also introduces several tools and activities intended to support broader participation and more efficient data collection. This includes the launch of a new ArcSurvey123 mobile data platform to support real‑time volunteer water quality submissions, as well as expanded training opportunities for community members interested in assisting with field sampling. Data collected through these efforts will contribute to the development of advanced algorithms capable of forecasting HAB occurrence at multiple spatial scales.
Funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's (NFWF) Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund (DWCF), in partnership with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the project continues to be supported by a diverse network of partners across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including The City University of New York's (CUNY) New York City College of Technology (City Tech), Trenton Water Works, Mercer County Park Commission, The College of New Jersey, Aqua-PA, Philadelphia Water Department, Bucks County Conservation District, Turner Designs, and US Army Corps of Engineers - Philadelphia District's Blue Marsh Lake. Together, these organizations contribute technical expertise, watershed knowledge, and crucial on‑the‑ground support. This collaborative approach remains central to the initiative’s success and long‑term objective: establishing a scalable HAB‑forecasting framework that can ultimately be applied to additional watersheds across the United States.
For a deeper look at the research, partnerships, and shared commitment behind this initiative, listen to the full Native Plants, Healthy Planet podcast presented by Pinelands Nursery. Click here to learn more about the Pinelands Nursery and explore the full library of Native Plants, Healthy Planet podcasts. If you're interested in getting involved in the Delaware River HAB research initiative, the program is currently seeking volunteers for water sampling along the Delaware and select waterbodies. Contact FoHVOS Conservation Biologist Kaitlin Muccio at: kmuccio@fohvos.org for more details.
            [post_title] => LISTEN: Native Plants, Healthy Planet Podcast Highlights HAB Science & Stewardship
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