Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Inc., or "CU", is a 501(c)(3) (nonprofit) regional watershed organization. It was founded in 1979 and incorporated in 1986.
CU received Environmental Quality Awards from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1994 and again in 2000 for their efforts to procure the federal Wild and Scenic designation for the Maurice, Menantico, Manumuskin Rivers and the Muskee Creek. In the year 2000 CU was also acknowledged by the EPA for the work on an osprey colony, their annual raptor and waterfowl survey, the film “Down Jersey” and accompanying teachers’ guide, and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act.
In 2002 Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Inc. took first place in the category of Education and Learning Institute, NJ Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Watershed Management for their PBS film “Down Jersey” and the teachers’ curriculum, “Down Jersey: Celebrating Our Sense of Place.” Over 500 teachers have taken workshops in order to teach the curriculum.
CU also co-produced a documentary with New Jersey Network for which they received a Mid-Atlantic Emmy award for Outstanding Arts Program or Special.
Mission
Their mission reads:
Citizens United is dedicated to protecting the watershed of the Maurice River and the region known as Down Jersey, thereby enabling current and future generations to enjoy the environmental, recreational, cultural, and scenic resources of this Wild & Scenic global treasure.
CU empowers individuals, organizations, and neighboring communities to promote the region’s enduring well-being and quality of life. CU invites participation and fosters responsible stewardship. CU supports education, awareness, and informed decision-making utilizing field work, research, and advocacy.
Work
CU's work in the Maurice River watershed typically begins geographically at Willow Grove Lake and continues south; the South Jersey Land and Water Trust begins its work in the vicinity of Willow Grove Lake and extends northward to the headwaters of Scotland Run.
The Maurice River watershed has a drainage of and runs south through Cumberland County, New Jersey to the Delaware Bay. The major tributaries of the Maurice River include Scotland Run, Menantico Creek, Muskee Creek, Muddy Run, and the Manumuskin River.
On December 1, 1993, President Bill Clinton signed a congressional act designating of the Maurice River, of the Menantico Creek, of the Manumuskin River, and of the Muskee Creek as Wild and Scenic.
The Delaware Bay estuary is a Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance listed site. It has also been named by The Nature Conservancy as one of the "Last Great Places on Earth".
Ecological significance
The Maurice River watershed includes a variety of habitat supporting rare wildlife and plant populations. Its vast wetland and forest complexes host wintering waterfowl and spring migratory shorebirds. A 1992 report by the National Wild and Scenic River Study states that “[t]he study area functions as critical migration-related habitat for shorebirds, songbirds, waterfowl, raptors, rails and fish. The Maurice River and its tributaries drain the Southwest portion of the Pinelands National Reserve, which is also an International Biosphere Reserve under the United Nations Man and Biosphere Program.”
The New Jersey Landscape mapping indicates the Maurice River watershed as habitat for bald eagles, waterfowl, and several other migratory birds. In addition, the area contains the world's largest population of Aeschynomene virginica, (sensitive joint vetch). Its NatureServ Conservation Status is G2, globally imperiled. The watershed also contains the state's largest expanse of wild rice marsh, within the Glades Refuge, and an old growth swamp forest, Bear Swamp, a NJ state listed Natural Heritage Priority Site.
Cultural history
The Native Americans called the Maurice River “Wahatquenack”. The river's current name is thought to be derived from the Prince Maurice, a 17th-century Dutch ship reputed to have sunk in its waters.
The river's maritime history is intertwined with the oyster harvest, commercial fishing, and shipbuilding. The AJ Meerwald, a 1928 oyster schooner that operated on the Maurice and in the Delaware Bay, dubbed “NJ’s Tall Ship” by former Governor Christie Whitman, has been restored by the Bayshore Discovery Project for educational purposes.