Sunday, February 03, 2008BY FRED J. AUN
For the Star-Ledger
If you see Brian Cowden pinching himself, don’t be alarmed. He’s just making sure he’s not dreaming.
After several decades as a corrugated box salesman, the avid angler and Trout Unlimited go-getter has landed the job of his dreams: The director of Trout Unlimited’s Musconetcong Home Waters project. It’s Trout Unlimited’s first full-time, paid position in New Jersey, and it has the Mount Olive trout-lover nearly levitating with excitement.
“I’m thrilled,” said Cowden. “I feel like I’m never going to go to work another day in my life.”
During the past several years, Cowden’s passion for conservation, his organizational skills and his relentless energy were demonstrated by his efforts with TU’s Trout-in-the-Classroom (TIC) program.
Cowden was almost solely responsible for a big increase in the number of New Jersey schools participating in Trout in the Classroom. TIC grew from one program in the Sparta Middle School to more than 55 today, earning Cowden the national TU’s first annual Youth Education Leadership award.
As leader of the Musconetcong Home Waters project, Cowden will be responsible for doing everything possible to restore the Musconetcong River and its watershed and protect it from degradation. He has stepped down from his unpaid position as vice-chairman of the state TU council.
“We are already in the process of forming a loose-knit coalition,” he said. “It’s going to be comprised of like-minded conservation organizations. Our principal partner is the Musconetcong Watershed Association (MWA).”
Additionally, Cowden plans on working closely with the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, American Rivers, Inc., county and local governments.
“It will be working with municipalities on stormwater management, smart growth along the river corridor, outreach and public education and possibly extending the river’s Wild and Scenic River designation,” said Cowden.
All of the above are important if the Musconetcong is to remain a great fishery, noted Cowden. He said TU picked the river to be its first Home Waters project in New Jersey because many miles remain relatively pristine, primarily from Changewater, in Warren County, downstream to the Delaware River.
High on Cowden’s “to-do” list is pressing for the removal of unnecessary impoundments on the river. He is heavily involved in the dam-removal project about to take place near Hackettstown, the breaching of the old Gruendyke Dam.
Getting rid of old dams will allow the river to run cooler, good news for any angler who cares about coldwater fishing.
“It’s going to improve flows and cool the river down, meaning much better trout fishing in the lower section of the river,” said Cowden. “From Changewater down, the river cools (due to infusion of groundwater), but we’re hoping to have an impact all the way upstream to Lake Musconetcong.”
First on his list of targeted dams is one that spans the river in Finesville.
As he and the MWA learned with the Gruendyke project, impoundment removal efforts are usually fraught with red-tape and other headache-inducing hassle. However, it will be a lot more fulfilling than selling cardboard.
“Last year, I said to myself, ‘Brian you’re 42. Are you going to wake up one day and be 62 and have nothing but regret about your professional life?’” he said. “When I heard about Home Waters, I knew this is what I wanted to do. It was my dream job as soon as I heard about it. I’m following my passion. For me it’s a natural extension of the volunteer work I was doing.”
