Education & Outreach Committee

The primary goal of the Education & Outreach Committee is to develop and implement educational programs related to water safety, water quality, environmental sciences and issues, as outreach programs for NJCOLA and the general public through the following:

• To educate and enable lake residents and communities to maintain clean water quality and an environment which defines/exemplifies sustainability by understanding the relationships between individual and group actions and their effect on the bodies of water in local communities, with the objective of encouraging positive environmental behaviors.
• To educate communities and the public in water safety, to be safe in, on and around water.

Action Initiatives

I.  Education Outreach

Focused on the goal, a variety of education programs and resources are available. From presentations to interactive activities, our programs help people of all ages understand the connections between our habits and actions and the health of our watersheds, lakes, and waterways.  Through a partnership with the Clean Ocean Action (COA), we share and personalize educational resources for each community as requested.  Examples include:

• Presentations that are tailored to the age and size of the audience. The general “Pointless Pollution” Presentation includes information about:
  • Watersheds (Click here for more information about presentations)
  • “Pointless” or NonPoint Source Pollution (Click here for 10 Tips You Can Do)
  • Stormwater runoff
  • How to become the solution to lake, rivers, and ocean pollution
  • The use of an interactive Watershed/Nonpoint Source Model from EnviroScape that is correlated to the National Science and Mathematics Standards.
• “10 TIPS” Things You Can Do To Stop Pointless Pollution

The series of “10 Tips Cards” is designed to educate and motivate simple solutions for: Kids, Daily Living, Cleaning, Kitchen, Beach, Lawn and Garden, Pet Owners, Drivers, Boaters, Smokers, Personal Watercraft Operators, and Anglers. These cards teach people how they can minimize their contribution to the problem of non-point pollution or “pointless pollution”. 

II. Water Safety

Provide water safety programs to communities, schools, organizations, and the general public in order to be safe in, on and around bodies of water.

Presentations would include but not be limited to the following:

• Water Safety Presentations in preschool and elementary grades of no longer than thirty (30) minute programs inclusive of video presentations appropriate for age groups. (American Red Cross Longfellow’s Whale’s Tales)
• Basic Water Safety training for lake community, camp, recreation departments, public safety personnel and the general public. (American Red Cross Basic Water Rescue, Community and/or Personal Water Safety, Backyard Pool Safety, Water Safety Presentations)
• Water Safety and Lifeguarding certification programs for NJCOLA members. (ARC WSI, Waterfront Lifeguarding training)
• Annual Aquatic Safety Seminars to address common and current issues in water safety.
• Regulatory and legal issues related to operations of aquatic facilities. (i.e., NJ Public Recreational Bathing Code, NJ Labor Laws, MAHC, etc.)

Stay tuned for further information and services to be made available.

Prepared by Lynn Mandon, Deborah Ives and Richard Carlson

NJCOLA Education & Outreach Committee