Heather Desko

Senior Watershed Protection Specialist

Email: hdesko@raritanbasin.org
Telephone: 908-730-0270 ext. 231

Heather manages the Authority’s water monitoring programs, aquatic invasive species and harmful algal bloom projects, and River-Friendly Business and School certification programs. She has a solid background in conducting biological and visual assessments on stream corridors throughout central New Jersey and has several years of experience in environmental education and public outreach. She is a member of the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS), the Mid-Atlantic Panel on Aquatic Invasive Species (MAPAIS), the Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Society (NEAPMS) (Director 2020-2023), and the New Jersey Water Monitoring Council, where she serves as the co-chair of the Decontamination Protocols Workgroup. She is also the Aquatics Station Coordinator for the New Jersey Envirothon.
 
Prior to joining the Authority, Heather served as the 2008-2009 Watershed Ambassador for the Lower Raritan, South River, and Lawrence Brook Watersheds (WMA 9) with the AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassadors Program. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Boston University with an M.A. in Energy and Environmental Analysis and a B.A. in Environmental Science. She spent a semester abroad with the Boston University Tropical Ecology Program in Ecuador. In her spare time, she chases after her two young kids with her husband. Heather enjoys nature photography, hiking, and any excuse to be outside.
 
Heather's Projects and Expertise:

  • Aquatic Invasive Species

  • New Jersey Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plan

  • Harmful Algal Blooms and Cyanobacteria

  • Spruce Run Reservoir Characterization Plan

  • Manasquan Reservoir Cyanotoxin Management Plan

  • Manasquan Watershed Source Water Protection Program

  • River-Friendly Business Program

  • River-Friendly School Program

  • Rain Gardens & Rain Barrels

  • Peters Brook Stormwater Reduction Project

  • Lockatong and Wickecheoke Creek Watersheds Restoration and Protection Plan

  • Manalapan Brook Watershed Restoration & Protection Plan