Dr. Richard Lathrop from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and Jeanne Herb from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy have been named co‑leaders of the Sustainable Raritan River Initiative, which is a joint program of the two schools.
A professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Dr. Lathrop is the faculty director of the Rutgers Ecological Preserve. Spanning over 350 acres, the preserve features several streams that feed into the Raritan River and numerous public hiking and biking trails. He also directs the Grant F. Walton Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis, whose mission is to promote the development and application of geospatial information science and technology to address issues in the environment, natural resources and agriculture.
Dr. Lathrop has also just been appointed for a five year term as the inaugural holder of the new Johnson Family Chair in Water Resources and Watershed Ecology. As the Johnson Family Chair, Lathrop will lead an interdisciplinary program to study how human activities in upland watersheds affect downstream aquatic ecosystems and how that knowledge can be applied to promote better stewardship of water resources. (For more information about the Johnson Family Chair and that appointment, see the related article on our website.)
Ms. Herb is the Associate Director of the Environmental Analysis and Communications Group at the Bloustein School where she leads and participates in collaborative research and applied projects that advance sound environmental and sustainability policy and practices at the state, local, and regional levels. Among other projects, Jeanne co-facilitates the New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance, a network of governmental, non-profit, and business organizations focused on advancing climate change policies and practices in New Jersey, and the New Jersey Health Impact Collaborative, a network of organizations focused on building capacity to promote health in all policies and to integrate health into decision-making at the state and local level. Jeanne has also been involved in efforts to develop solutions to advance climate change strategies and policies in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions.
Jeanne and Rick will work together to ensure that Rutgers University’s scientific, policy and technical expertise is brought to bear to address issues of critical significance to the Raritan River, its tributaries and Bay.
Links to more complete biographical information for Rick and Jeanne can be found on The Initiative tab of our website.