The Garden State is one of the latest additions to the expanding Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow (CoCoRaHS) Network. NJ CoCoRaHS observers provide important information about precipitation that are used by meteorologists, hydrologists, farmers, water resource managers, and your friends and neighbors. Anyone with an interest in the weather or the environment is invited to participate. For more information about how to join, visit www.cocorahs.org and click on "NJ."

Paul Faeth, director of the United Nations Foundation's Global Water Challenge, explained in a recent interview how climate change will impact water supplies and sanitation in both developing and industrialized countries over the next 25 years. The interview covers topics from water conflicts to clean water technologies for developing countries to the water "habit" of the typical U.S. citizen. This interview was conducted by the webcast program OnPoint, and can be found at www.eenews.net/tv/transcript/700.

The American Museum of Natural History in NYC is hosting an exhibition titled "Water: H20=Life" from November 3, 2007-May 26, 2008. The exhibit conveys some key messages about water, and covers a broad spectrum of topics. The facts on the exhibition website (like information on "frogsicles") are truly fascinating. The museum's kid's page is focusing on this exhibit as well...check out their "Stuff to Do," like creating a coral reef.

We encourage you to attend this event, and tell us what you learned, the impact of the exhibit, and any other thoughts.

Adding to the previous post about drinking water in New Jersey, the Courier News printed an article in a similar vein on November 11: "Experts say NJ's water could run out in 20 years." The article can be found at http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071111/NEWS/711110319. It is a very good article for anyone interested in planning for New Jersey's water future.

A recent article by the Asbury Park Press paints a bleak picture about the future of New Jersey's drinking water supplies. The article, "New Jersey drinking water running out: Supplies won't meet projected needs by 2020," covered the annual public hearing of the NJ Clean Water Council, and many of the participants presented "sobering news" about the state's drinking water situation. Speakers addressed problems ranging from aging water infrastructure to strains from population growth to issues arising from climate change.

The full article can be found at http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071024/NEWS03/710240337/1007. Is the future of drinking water in New Jersey being adequately addressed? Is the seriousness of the problem being over- or under-stated?

The National Academy of Sciences and the Global Health Education Foundation have joined with science, engineering, and medical academies from around the world to take action on the global drinking water crisis by launching the "Safe Drinking Water is Essential" website. Although developed with policy-makers in mind, the fascinating graphics and wealth of information, particularly about international drinking water issues, make it a wonderful tool for educators. Visit www.drinking-water.org and enjoy learning about safe drinking water! Once you've finished visiting, let us know what you think about what you've learned.

NJDEP has recently released a report on ‘natural capital’ in New Jersey – overall $20 billion/year. This includes both ecosystem services and ecosystem goods. It turns out that water provides a very prominent portion of the state's natural capital. For example, the report cites wetlands as providing over 90% of the value of ecosystems services, primarily from freshwater but also saltwater wetlands (about $9.4 billion/yr for freshwater and $1.2 billion/year for saltwater). Water resources are an important contributor to ecosystems goods.

To see the report for yourself, visit http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/naturalcap/

We'd like to hear your thoughts about the report itself and what it means (or should mean) to various interests - government officials, developers, academia, advocacy groups, etc.