The project.

1 idea.

Rarely do we dedicate time and space in everyday life to talk about our meaningful experiences with water, our most vital human resource.  What would happen if we did? 

26 workshops.

We facilitated 26 public storytelling workshops throughout the state where strangers came together to publicly share their experiences, memories and feelings about New Jersey water sources (from tap water to the Atlantic Ocean).  We recorded these public conversations about meaningful New Jersey water sources for the purpose of sharing them with a broader audience.  We believe listening to watershed stories deepens our sense of place. 

1 question.

A single prompt guided each public workshop; “What New Jersey water source is meaningful to you, and why?” 

175+ answers.

From this single question, generative stories flowed.  Some workshops revolved around a single waterway, while others featured diverse types of New Jersey water sources: faucets, springs, floods, aquifers, bottles, lakes and more.  These watershed stories reveal that water is not only critical to our physical survival; places of water have great emotional significance in our individual and collective lives. 

20 watersheds.

We invite you to explore this collection of watershed stories arranged on this website within an original watercolor map.  As you move your cursor on the map, you’ll notice that the outlines of New Jersey’s 20 watershed management areas appear (What’s a watershed?).  Hover your cursor over a section of the map to learn the name and shape of the watershed; click on a pin to hear a recorded story about that location.

Ready to explore? Let’s go!