Heroes and Heroines of the Rahway River Watershed
The
Martine Donofrio Champion of the Rahway River Watershed Award is the
embodiment of the tireless positive spirit and relentless
determination of Martine Donofrio to make the world a better place
for both mankind and nature. As a community leader, public
figure, business owner, wife and mother from Millburn Township, the
gentle ripple effect left by Martine Donofrio's wake left others
inspired, motivated and believing that we can be a positive force
for change and good in our neighborhoods, communities and beyond.
Her passion for the environment was unequalled in her love for life.
An admired and effective leader on green issues in Millburn Township
where she was the Chairperson of their Environmental Commission, she
persuaded elected leaders, public officials and the public at large
that undertaking a deer hunt on the South Mountain Reservation was
important and necessary task to save the biodiversity of that nature
preserve. Her passion took her beyond Millburn Township and Essex
County, where she helped found in 2006, the Celebrate the Rahway
River Committee. This forum of over 60 representatives of dozens of
municipalities and several counties sought to tackle the issue of
raising public awareness and appreciation of the Rahway River and
its natural resources.
Beginning originally as a collaboration to widen river cleanups in
the Rahway River watershed, the Celebrate the Rahway River Committee
planned an even greater and more ambitious agenda.
Nearly twenty bird watching tours, nature hikes and natural history
presentations were planned and facilitated for the public at large
at widely disparate locations throughout the watershed in 2007. A
bioblitz of the Watchung Reservation was planned and
successfully implemented in the summer of 2007 with nearly 1000
organisms and plants identified. The conference to assess the
status of open space, natural resources and water quality was
planned for the near future and river cleanups themselves were
expanded to 9 towns us currently scheduled for January, 2008.
The unexpected passing of Martine Donofrio was a vivid reminder of
how fleeting life is and yet how bountiful our impact can be for
positive change when we are committed selflessly to bettering
the community we live in, preserving the nature world that sustains
us and loving life to the fullest. To commemorate the rare blend
of genuine selfless leadership, passionate commitment to preserving
our natural world and bestowing the best that we can offer to future
generations, we honor an award that embodies the spirit, values and
legacy of Martine Donofrio.
