Protecting Barnegat Bay

PROTECTING BARNEGAT BAY

Barnegat Bay and You

Improving water quality in Barnegat Bay will take the cooperation of all who live and work in the watershed. There are a surprising number of actions that individuals can take. To achieve the level of change needed will require us to think differently and adjust how we live and manage our homes and gardens in the watershed. To help get the word out about how our behavior on land impacts the health of the bay and how we can be better stewards, the American Littoral Society is creating a traveling display called Barnegat Bay and You. We will partner with Jenkinson’s Aquarium in Point Pleasant Beach, who will host our display during the 2009 summer season. Installation is planned for mid July. We hope you"ll make an effort to visit the display.

In addition, Jenkinson’s will include programs focused on Barnegat Bay in its summer offering of children’s educational activities. These will be delivered by our Atlantic Coast Project Manager, Helen Henderson and aquarium staff. We hope you’ll be able to visit Jenkinson"s to learn from our display and from the many other exciting exhibits and activities on view there.

Jenkinson’s Aquarium is the perfect partner for this effort to reach large numbers of people about how they can help Barnegat Bay because the aquarium is a major destination for residents and tourists in the Barnegat Bay watershed. They are also accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) and are dedicated to the education, conservation, and superior care of a diverse collection of life from aquatic habitats. The Aquarium is located at 300 Ocean Avenue in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. It is open from 10 AM to 10 PM during the summer. For directions and more information about Jenkinson’s, visit www.jenkinsons.com/aquarium.

Once the busy summer season is over, we will take our display on the road to public venues such as libraries, schools, and municipal buildings throughout the watershed. If you would like to bring Barnegat Bay and You to your facility, contact Helen at helen@littoralsociety.org.

This project has been funded in part by the Barnegat Bay Environmental Grant Fund, administered by the Trust for Public Land.

New Legislation to Clean Barnegat Bay
On April 23^rd, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation introduced by Congressman John Adler, representing New Jersey’s 3^rd Congressional District, that directs federal agencies to develop the technologies and practices needed to clean Barnegat Bay. “Barnegat Bay is the very heart of Ocean County,” Congressman Adler said. “I want to save clamming, fishing, and our quality of life. This legislation will give us the tools and the science to save our Bay.”
     With input from American Littoral Society policy experts, Congressman Adler was successful in including an amendment to the National Water Research and Development Initiative Act of 2009. This legislation is essential to restoring Barnegat Bay. Tim Dillingham, the Society’s executive director and member of the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program’s Advisory and Science and Technical Committees, said “Barnegat Bay is an estuary of national significance which is critically ill from overdevelopment and pollution,” Mr. Dillingham said. “It is the most pressing environmental issue facing the 3^rd district. We need to find answers to restoring the Bay’s health, and that means focusing research efforts on practical, workable answers. Congressman Adler’s amendment puts supporting the restoration of Barnegat Bay at the forefront of federal research priorities. It will direct federal dollars to helping the Bay back to full health, something that is desperately needed as we fight to save the Bay.”
     Congressman Adler’s amendment will help improve the health of many different types of water bodies, including Barnegat Bay. It will require the interagency committee established in the bill to implement a plan to develop technologies and practices that would treat eutrophic bodies of water, including estuaries.
     The bill must now be passed by the U.S. Senate before it can be signed into law. We will be tracking it’s progress and reporting to you in these pages or you can track progress at htttp://thomas.loc.gov/

BAYSCAPE FOR BARNEGAT BAY IN YOUR BACK YARD
Download Bayscape Plans and Plants Lists Now

Get ready for spring by planning a Bayscape in your back yard. Help reduce polluted runoff going into Barnegat Bay by replacing high maintenance lawns and other exotic species with beautiful native plants that require little water and no fertilizers and pesticides. We have adapted the garden designs from our coastal native plant demonstration garden on Long Beach Island (see below) for general use. Each of the six gardens is designed to appeal to different tastes, to meet the needs of specific location types, and to attract different types of wildlife. You can follow these designs exactly or use them to inspire your own variations. (Note: on March 19 we updated the Bayscape plans to correct the contact number for our garden designer. If you downloaded your plans before March 19, please note that the correct number is 609-693-4430. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.)

BayScape No. 1: Butterfly Garden download pdf

BayScape No. 2: Seacoast Florals download pdf

BayScape No. 3: Summertime Blues download pdf

BayScape No. 4: Cool Colors download pdf

BayScape No. 5: Going Coastal download pdf

BayScape No. 6: Golden Garden download pdf

Where to Buy Plants

Pinelands Nursery
323 Island Road
Columbus, New Jersey 08022
Tel: (609) 291-9486,(800) 667-2729
Fax: (609) 298-8939
This native plant wholesaler opens for retail business during the spring and fall plantings seasons. http://www.pinelandsnursery.com/

Russell Gardens (Wholesale)

PO Box 702
Richboro, PA 18954
215 322-4799

http://russellwholesale.com/zencart

Cicconi Farms

1005 Farm Road

Jackson, NJ 08527

732 363-1420

http://www.cicconifarms.com/

Toadshade Wildflower Farm

53 Everittstown Road

Frenchtown, NJ 08825

908 996-7500

http://www.toadshade.com/

e-mail: mailto:toadshade@toadshade.com

Delaware Riverkeeper Annual Native Plant Sale
Saturday May 2, 2009, 8am to 12noon
Golden Nugget Market, 1850 River Road
Lambertville, NJ 08530 http://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/

NJ Native Plant Society Maintains an extensive list of retail and wholesale native plant vendors view their list

Society Efforts to Protect Barnegat Bay and the Coast Highlighted

Read more about troubling developments here.

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American Littoral Society Coastal Native Plant Demonstration Garden at the Maris Stella Retreat and Conference Center in Harvey Cedears on Long Beach Island

Coastal Native Plant Garden - Mates Student volunteers

We need volunteers to help maintain this garden as a teaching tool for residents of the Barnegat Bay watershed. If you would like to help, contact helen@littoralsociety.org.

Hear Our Public Service Announcements

Throughout the summer of 2008, we broadcast public service announcements on WOBM 92.7 FM to help the public learn about the problems facing Barnegat Bay and how individuals can help. You can download the audio files below--share them with your friends. Even one year later, the message still comes through loud and clear.

Nitrogen Pollution in Barnegat Bay

Restore the Bay

Preserve Land for the Bay

"Bayscape" for the Bay

Visit Protect Barnegat Bay website. Click here