Sadly, after nearly three years as state coordinator for New Jersey’s Trout in the Classroom program, my new job with Trout Unlimited (Musconetcong Home River Initiative Project Coordinator) has forced me to move on from this volunteer position. The state council of TU has been hard at work with our friends and colleagues at NJ Fish & Wildlife (F&W) to identify a long term replacement for state coordinator. I am very pleased to announce that our division of F&W has stepped up in a huge way to appoint one of their own Information & Education employees, Jessica Griglak, as our new state coordinator. I will be transitioning my coordinator role over the next few weeks to Jessica and will be available to help her at any time in the future as she quickly grows into the position.
I have every confidence that the addition of Jessica as state coordinator will make this program even stronger going forward. As a full-time employee of Fish and Wildlife at our state’s Pequest Trout Hatchery in Oxford, Jessica will be focused solely on TIC (and not having a second job like I have done the past few years). She will be able to both grow the program in numbers as well as strength in ways I was unable as a part-time volunteer. Please join me in welcoming Jessica Griglak as our new Coordinator! I will contact all TIC teachers to make certain they have Jess’s contact information before we make a final change to the website contact info located here.
I also want to thank Jim Sciascia, Chief of Information & Education from F&W for his vision and help in growing TIC and for working closely with NJ Trout Unlimited to move Jessica into this role. Thanks also go out to the state council and our now 9 state-wide TU chapters for their support of this somewhat unorthodox relationship. We asked our chapters to take a leap of faith that this new relationship would be in the best interest of all parties - our students and teachers included - and they have done so in a big way. I leave the program knowing it is in a far better place than what I could have done with it in the future as a volunteer. Growing TIC in New Jersey beyond our current 64 tanks is no longer a daunting task, but a welcome one as we focus on reaching as many NJ students as possible about the need to protect our coldwater resources. Of course, many, MANY thanks to all "my" teachers for your support, understanding, patience and inspiration over the past few years! Without you this program would not be what it is today!!!
Brian Cowden - Trout Unlimited
PS - I will NOT be disappearing and can always be contacted in Jessica’s absence should you have a question or concern. I also plan to remain as a TU volunteer to deliver eggs and onion sacks, etc. Many of you will see me at the FREC on May 29th for your release day activities and many of you currently in the Musconetcong Watershed area will be seeing me in class for years to come. I would like to engage those in the Musconetcong watershed in my future projects such as riparian tree plantings, river clean-ups and other community based activities designed to protect and restore this Wild & Scenic river system.