September 8, 2022

Planning for a Future Barnegat Bay

by S-FX.com

State of the Bay 2021 Report Cover

The Barnegat Bay Partnership (BBP) is hosting Planning for a Future Barnegat Bay, a State of the Bay conference, on September 29, 2022 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Ocean County College.  At the event, experts will discuss current Barnegat Bay conditions and next steps towards improving them.  Attendees will learn how ongoing and future research and restoration activities can help reach the BBP’s ecosystem-based targets for protecting and restoring the bay and its watershed.

All are welcome to attend this free event, which is being held at Ocean County College’s Gateway building in Lecture Hall 104.  Registration is required; there is also an option to attend virtually for those who cannot attend in person.

Speakers at the conference will include the following:

Dr. Neil Ganju (US Geological Survey): What the future might hold for Barnegat Bay shorelines and marshes;

Ms. Virginia Rettig (US Fish and Wildlife Service) and Ms. Kimberley McKenna (Stockton University): NJ Bay Islands Initiative;

Dr. Christine Thompson (Stockton University): Lessons learned from the Tuckerton Reef regarding oyster restoration potential in the bay;

Dr. Elizabeth Lacey (Stockton University): Seagrasses in the bay and what their current status and trends may portend for the future; and

Mr. Scott Douglas (NJ Department of Transportation): Regional sediment management plan.

REGISTER HERE for this event. If you have any questions, contact Karen Walzer, BBP Outreach Coordinator.

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UNKNOWN

There is limited data available to quantify Wetland and Riparian Buffer Preservation, or updated data to quantify Wetland Acreage. The BBP has obtained funding and will begin assessment efforts for both targets, in the next few years.

 

 Hard Clam abundance has not been updated since 2012. Recovery of the stock will be guided by the Fishery Management Plan for Hard Clams, which is under development with the NJDEP, BBP, and other organizations. Reclam the Bay and other partners have continued to plant clams for restoration purposes. Continued plantings in strategic locations which maximize survival and reproduction is one strategy to pursue in the coming years. This work can use a model developed by Rutgers with BBP funding which identified areas where planted clams could have the greatest dispersal of their larvae and thus potentially maximally contribute to the recovery of the stock.

 Water Withdrawals were over the target in the 2021 report; USGS has not yet completed its latest update, so a definitive determination of status is not available. However, additional NJDEP data show that it is likely that we continue to not meet the target. Per capita water use has gone down, demonstrating the effectiveness of water-saving appliances and practices, but that decrease has been offset by population gains. 


IN PROGRESS

New maps quantifying Submerged Aquatic Vegetation extent were developed, but poor image clarity resulted in a high degree of uncertainty in the total acreage. NJDEP and Rutgers are working to resolve the uncertainty of these maps, and improve the total acreage estimate. Funding has also been obtained for further research and restoration activities. Several groups are developing potential restoration actions.

The USGS has completed the first phase of its study to identify minimum ecological flows in select Barnegat Bay tributaries. USGS scientists compared streamflow statistics between historical and current time periods to better understand trends in watershed flow conditions. This work provides a foundation for developing ecological flow targets in the Barnegat Bay watershed.  Similar to SAV extent, funding (approximately $450K) has been obtained by the BBP to complete the remaining phases necessary for threshold determination.

 

TARGETS ACHIEVED

No targets can be considered “Achieved” at this time.

 

NOT ACHIEVING

Several Public Swimming Beaches exceeded their safe swimming standards more frequently than during their baseline time period (2016-2018).

While most beaches are routinely safe for swimming, several problematic areas such as Beachwood, Hancock, Windward, and several lake beaches need track-down studies and restoration to pinpoint and address sources of bacteria.

Acres of Approved Shellfish Waters decreased from the last report. While this decrease was small, it represents a loss of previously approved waters. Similar to public beaches, track-down studies and restoration work are needed to pinpoint and address sources of bacteria.

 

Planning for a Future Barnegat Bay

The Barnegat Bay Partnership (BBP) is hosting Planning for a Future Barnegat Bay, a State of the Bay conference, on September 29, 2022 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Ocean County College.  At the event, experts will discuss current Barnegat Bay conditions and next steps towards improving them.  Attendees will learn how ongoing and future research and restoration activities can help reach the BBP’s ecosystem-based targets for protecting and restoring the bay and its watershed.

All are welcome to attend this free event, which is being held at Ocean County College’s Gateway building in Lecture Hall 104.  Registration is required; there is also an option to attend virtually for those who cannot attend in person.

Speakers at the conference will include the following:

Dr. Neil Ganju (US Geological Survey): What the future might hold for Barnegat Bay shorelines and marshes;

Ms. Virginia Rettig (US Fish and Wildlife Service) and Ms. Kimberley McKenna (Stockton University): NJ Bay Islands Initiative;

Dr. Christine Thompson (Stockton University): Lessons learned from the Tuckerton Reef regarding oyster restoration potential in the bay;

Dr. Elizabeth Lacey (Stockton University): Seagrasses in the bay and what their current status and trends may portend for the future; and

Mr. Scott Douglas (NJ Department of Transportation): Regional sediment management plan.

REGISTER HERE for this event. If you have any questions, contact Karen Walzer, BBP Outreach Coordinator.

Contact Planning for a Future Barnegat BayContact Planning for a Future Barnegat Bay
State of the Bay 2021 Report Cover