Watershed Butterfly Festival Spreads Its Wings With New Activities and Exhibits

Editor's Note: The following is a news release from the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association.

Where can you see more than 20 species of native New Jersey butterflies, learn how to protect clean water and the environment, and enjoy great food, music and activities for the whole family?  

At the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association’s 12th Annual Butterfly Festival of course! The festival will be held on Saturday, August 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the 930-acre Watershed Reserve in Hopewell Township. 

Attendees can explore four family-friendly “Enviro-Zones” by using their Butterfly Festival Passport (available at Admission) and discover the ways in which the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association advocates and educates in our community.

 “Individual action is the key to protecting clean water and the environment in our region,” says Executive Director Jim Waltman. “From picking up after your pet and recycling, to using phosphate-free soaps and fertilizers, to urging your state, local, and federal elected representatives to vote to protect the environment and properly maintaining your septic system, every little bit helps.”

This year’s Butterfly Festival will showcase rides in a Tesla Electric Roadster and a Nissan LEAF, sponsored by the Renew America Roadtrip (RAR).  

Also new this year is the “Bag Monster,” who visually shows the impact single-use plastic bags have on our environment.

There will also be hayrides, a hay activity, a drumming circle, insect safaris, clothesline art gallery, local food and artisans, and live music featuring Eli the Hawk and others. 

Children can also take part in a Butterfly Hat and Costume Parade. Sign up at the festival’s Membership booth between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.  The parade will begin at the Main Stage at 12:45 p.m.

Shuttle parking for the Butterfly Festival is generously provided by Bristol-Myers Squibb across the street from the Watershed Reserve (access from Titus Mill Road).  

Admission to the festival is $10 per person or $25 per carload. For discounts, please register online at www.thewatershed.org.  No smoking (due to the dry weather conditions) or pets are permitted at the festival.

Call (609) 737-3735 for handicapped access and service animal permission. Visit www.thewatershed.org to learn more about the festival.

Special thanks to Butterfly Festival corporate sponsors: Bloomberg, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton Area Community Foundation, Princeton HealthCare System, PSE&G and Tyco.

About the Watershed Association

The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, a member-supported nonprofit organization, protects the 265-square-mile region of central New Jersey drained by the Stony Brook and Millstone River – an area spanning 26 towns and five counties.

Central New Jersey’s first environmental group, the Watershed Association has been protecting clean water and the environment through conservation, advocacy, science and education since its founding in 1949.