June 14, 2023

Paddle For The Edge is Expanding!

by S-FX.com

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Barnegat Bay Partnership (BBP) is proud to announce the Paddle for the Edge Program has now expanded into the Great Egg Harbor and Cape May watersheds! If you are unfamiliar, Paddle for the Edge is an annual data collection event driven by volunteer kayakers, canoeists, and stand-up paddle boarders. BBP launched the first Paddle for the Edge event in 2015. So far, volunteers have paddled a total of 182 miles of shoreline and collected more than 9,144 data points with their smartphones, while enjoying a great time out on the water!

This expansion wouldn’t have been possible without our incredible partners, The Wetland Institute and the Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association. If you are interested in participating in Paddle for the Edge in any of the available watersheds, please click the area in the map you are interested in below or click here to sign up today!

Keep an eye out for our new Paddle For The Edge ad in the Press of Atlantic City Newspaper, both on and offline!

If you’re not following us on social media, we now have Feature Fridays, where we post weekly quizzes to brush up on your wetlands knowledge before the start of this year’s program. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! Happy paddling!

Thank you to Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind for providing the funding that supports the expansion of Paddle for the Edge to two new watersheds!

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Dive deeper into the ongoing efforts to protect and restore our environment with more updates and initiatives that you can take part in. Check out our latest blog posts for valuable tips and insights.

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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.

 

Paddle For The Edge is Expanding!

BBP Paddle For The Edge Logo 1024x740 1

Barnegat Bay Partnership (BBP) is proud to announce the Paddle for the Edge Program has now expanded into the Great Egg Harbor and Cape May watersheds! If you are unfamiliar, Paddle for the Edge is an annual data collection event driven by volunteer kayakers, canoeists, and stand-up paddle boarders. BBP launched the first Paddle for the Edge event in 2015. So far, volunteers have paddled a total of 182 miles of shoreline and collected more than 9,144 data points with their smartphones, while enjoying a great time out on the water!

This expansion wouldn’t have been possible without our incredible partners, The Wetland Institute and the Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association. If you are interested in participating in Paddle for the Edge in any of the available watersheds, please click the area in the map you are interested in below or click here to sign up today!

Keep an eye out for our new Paddle For The Edge ad in the Press of Atlantic City Newspaper, both on and offline!

If you’re not following us on social media, we now have Feature Fridays, where we post weekly quizzes to brush up on your wetlands knowledge before the start of this year’s program. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! Happy paddling!

Thank you to Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind for providing the funding that supports the expansion of Paddle for the Edge to two new watersheds!

AS Logo Refresh 4C 1024x792

Contact Paddle For The Edge is Expanding!Contact Paddle For The Edge is Expanding!
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