Long-time GSWA supporters in 1999 (L-R) Julia Somers (co-founder and first Executive Director), Kathy Abbott, Abbie Fair (visionary founder), Susan Deeks, and Penny Hinkle. Photo credit: GSWA

MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY — The Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) is celebrating its 45th anniversary on March 31, 2026, marking four and a half decades of dedicated protection, preservation, education, and advocacy within the Great Swamp watershed and more recently, the Passaic River region. While the Great Swamp was notably saved from a proposed jetport in the 1960s, by the late 1970s it became clear that the 55 square miles across 10 towns surrounding the Great Swamp were still under threat from the pollution and runoff of rapid suburban development.

“Before GSWA was founded, land-use and zoning decisions were made municipality by municipality, with no one looking at the watershed as a single, shared ecosystem,” said Executive Director Bill Kibler. “As developers began to focus on the region, our founders recognized that while the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was saved, the water flowing through it was still vulnerable to this new and imposing threat.”

This growing concern prompted Green Village resident Abigail Fair to coin the rallying cry, “Saved but not safe.” She enlisted the support of her Green Village neighbor, Helen Fenske, a key figure in the jetport battle. Fenske encouraged the formation of GSWA to ensure the land she helped save remained protected from this new threat. The duo then enlisted their new neighbor, Julia Somers.

It’s noted that Green Village was the epicenter for this movement, having produced three strong, female conservation leaders. Fair, Fenske, and Somers often joked that there must have been "something in the water" that drove their shared passion for protection. They are heralded as local environmental heroes whose tireless efforts have helped preserve the integrity of water and land within the 55-square-mile Great Swamp Watershed.

The grassroots movement grew to include other concerned neighbors and a group of environmental commissioners.

On March 31, 1981, Great Swamp Watershed Association became an official member-supported environmental organization, dedicated to protecting the water resources that sustain the National Wildlife Refuge, our local communities, and the Passaic River.

For the first ten years, GSWA had no paid staff. It was a 100% volunteer operation that met monthly at the Harding Township Town Hall with a goal of advocating for intelligent and environmentally friendly land use and development.

In 1991, ten years after its founding, the board hired co-founder Julia Somers as the first Executive Director and sole staff member. Over her 16-year tenure, she was instrumental in shifting the group from purely volunteer advocacy to a staff-led organization that could handle complex scientific monitoring.

GSWA’s Conservation Management Area (CMA) on Tiger Lily Lane in Harding Township turns 30 this year. In 1996, GSWA preserved the first 18 acres. By 2017, they had strategically grown the sanctuary into a 73-acre ‘living classroom’ for thousands of students and visitors annually. Home to several threatened species, the CMA’s critical wetlands also provide flood protection by naturally storing and filtering stormwater. GSWA’s long-term commitment to stewarding this land is powered by the hundreds of volunteers who help maintain it each year.

In 2016, GSWA became the official Waterkeeper Alliance Affiliate for the Passaic River, thus expanding their mission to include the entire 90-mile Passaic River, from the headwaters in the Great Swamp Watershed to Newark Bay.

In 2017, GSWA received National Land Trust Designation, becoming the eighth organization in New Jersey to receive the prestigious Accreditation Seal.

Today, GSWA is the nonprofit member-supported environmental organization that monitors and protects water quality and investigates and participates in land use issues in the Great Swamp Watershed and Passaic River region. GSWA also provides environmental education to community groups, teachers, and students to help everyone understand the important role we each play in protecting our drinking water and preserving the natural beauty of our environment.

"Over 45 years, GSWA has achieved great things, more than living up to the expectations of its founders", said Julia Somers, GSWA’s first Executive Director and current Executive Director of New Jersey Highlands Coalition. "It's a privilege to have been associated with such a wonderful group of people working together to protect such a special and important place."

GSWA is a non-profit, community-based organization with a staff of 11 and over 1,800 members in over 40 municipalities. In addition to generous member donations, they are supported by local and national foundations, corporations, and their Board of Trustees and our Advisory Council.

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About the Great Swamp Watershed Association

Now in its 45th year, the Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the water resources of the Passaic River region, from the Great Swamp headwaters to Newark Bay, for present and future generations. Through education, advocacy, science, land preservation, and stewardship, in collaboration with partners, we work to instill our communities with an awareness of water’s effect on health and the beauty of the environment, from source to sea. The organization educates over 3,000 school children, monitors over 30 stream locations, and holds approximately 40 public events each year.

For more information about the Great Swamp Watershed Association, visit GreatSwamp.org.