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PEFF Tour: Princeton's Watershed

Executive Director Jim Waltman of The Watershed Institute leads an interactive walking tour of downtown Princeton’s hidden waterways.

Did you know that there used to be a large spring-fed pond and a flowing brook through downtown Princeton? Discover how to read the landscape for hints about our watery history. Learn about once large runs of migratory fish in the nearby Millstone River and how you can help restore this natural wonder. Discuss the major threats to our local waterways today and steps you can take to protect clean water in our region.

This family-friendly walk will be approximately 6/10 of a mile in downtown Princeton.

Part of the Princeton Environmental Film Festival. For the full schedule, visit the festival website.

Jim Waltman, Executive Director, The Watershed Institute
Jim Waltman has served as Executive Director of The Watershed Institute since April 2005. He has led the organization through a period of strong program expansion and accomplishment, spearheaded the broadening of its mission and a change to its name and brand. He also led the creation of the Watershed Center for Environmental Advocacy, Science & Education, a LEED-Platinum facility that has garnered several awards for sustainability and innovation.

During Jim’s tenure, The Watershed Institute has helped secure major environmental laws and regulations aimed at reducing polluted stormwater runoff and flooding; gained regulatory protection for the Stony Brook, Back Brook, and Jacob’s Creek; preserved more than 800 acres of open space that had been proposed for development; removed several dams from the Millstone and Raritan Rivers to help restore American shad and other migratory fish species; stopped the proposed PennEast gas pipeline; and created more than a dozen new programs and events including the annual New Jersey Watershed Conference.
Prior to joining the Watershed, Jim was director of wildlife programs for The Wilderness Society in Washington D.C. For 10 years he represented that organization on issues relating to endangered species, the National Wildlife Refuge System, Alaska public lands, and other wildlife matters before Congress, federal agencies, the media and the public. He spent five years as a wildlife specialist at the National Audubon Society before joining The Wilderness Society.
Jim is a founding board member of ReThink Energy NJ, a non-profit organization that seeks a rapid transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy. He also serves on the Board of the Outdoor Equity Alliance, which works to remove barriers for people of all ages, ethnicities, abilities, and income levels to enjoy and become more involved with nature and the outdoors. Between 2008 and 2023, Jim served as a member of the State Agriculture Development
Committee, which oversees New Jersey’s farmland preservation program. Jim received a biology degree from Princeton University and a Master of Environmental Studies from the Yale School of the Environment.

Part of the Princeton Environmental Film Festival

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