October 8, 2025

Nearly 100 NJ Gardeners Gathered to Learn about Beneficial Insects at the 2025 Jersey Friendly Yards Conference

by Nina Sassano

jfy conference

On Saturday, September 27, the Barnegat Bay Partnership, Ocean County Soil Conservation District, and Rutgers Cooperative Extension hosted the 2025 Jersey Friendly Yards Conference under the theme “Don’t Let These Garden Visitors Bug You!”. The program, spearheaded by the BBP’s Stewardship Specialist Caroline McFarland, kicked off with welcome remarks followed by two keynote presentations that deepened attendees’ understanding of the essential (yet underappreciated) roles that beneficial insects play in our yards.

meet dan duran
Photo credit to Rowan University

Dr. Daniel Duran, a faculty member with the Department of Environmental Science at Rowan University (and naturalist at Scotland Run Park) opened the day with a talk on the importance of beneficial insects and how to encourage them in home gardens. Dr. Duran, who has described and named 17 new species of insects, shared his insights into the pollination, decomposition, and pest regulation that beneficial insects provide.

untitled design (1)

Sabrina Tirpak, Principal Laboratory Technician at Rutgers Plant Diagnostic Laboratory, followed with an engaging presentation on bark and ambrosia beetles, shedding light on the complex relationships between insects, fungi, and trees.

Both speakers offered practical, science-based insights that resonated deeply with attendees.

In addition to the presentations, the conference featured a native plant sale that allowed participants to take home plants well suited to New Jersey’s environment. Nurseries in attendance included Earth First Native Plant Nursery, Steven Kristoph Nursery, Toadshade Wildflower Farm (also offering seeds), Pinelands Direct Nursery, The Little Plant Company, and the Master Gardeners of Ocean County. This marketplace of local, ecologically mindful options strengthened the link between knowledge and action, letting participants take direct steps toward creating “Jersey-Friendly” landscapes in their own yards.

untitled design

Organized through the Jersey Friendly Yards program with support from the Barnegat Bay Partnership, the Ocean County Soil Conservation District, and Rutgers Cooperative Extension, the conference demonstrated the power of collaboration in promoting sustainable landscaping. Attendees left inspired to transform their own yards into spaces that support pollinators, improve soil health, and protect local waterways.

A critical part of the Barnegat Bay Partnership’s mission involves reducing the “people” pollution carried from yards by stormwater runoff into our waterways. BBP and its partners have led numerous initiatives to reduce this type of pollution, from educating about responsible fertilizer use and the benefits of native plants to developing healthy soil standards and installing rain gardens. The Jersey Friendly Yards program offers residential, municipal, and school certifications to those who complete the 8 Steps to a Jersey Friendly Landscape. By becoming “Jersey-Friendly Certified”, individuals are able to contribute to a reduction in nutrient loading and pollution entering the Barnegat Bay.

The success of this year’s event reflects a growing movement in New Jersey toward environmentally conscious gardening. With continued community engagement and education, the Jersey Friendly Yards program is helping residents turn small changes at home into lasting benefits for the region’s ecosystems.

Explore More Insights from Barnegat Bay

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.

 

Nearly 100 NJ Gardeners Gathered to Learn about Beneficial Insects at the 2025 Jersey Friendly Yards Conference

On Saturday, September 27, the Barnegat Bay Partnership, Ocean County Soil Conservation District, and Rutgers Cooperative Extension hosted the 2025 Jersey Friendly Yards Conference under the theme “Don’t Let These Garden Visitors Bug You!”. The program, spearheaded by the BBP’s Stewardship Specialist Caroline McFarland, kicked off with welcome remarks followed by two keynote presentations that deepened attendees’ understanding of the essential (yet underappreciated) roles that beneficial insects play in our yards.

meet dan duran
Photo credit to Rowan University

Dr. Daniel Duran, a faculty member with the Department of Environmental Science at Rowan University (and naturalist at Scotland Run Park) opened the day with a talk on the importance of beneficial insects and how to encourage them in home gardens. Dr. Duran, who has described and named 17 new species of insects, shared his insights into the pollination, decomposition, and pest regulation that beneficial insects provide.

untitled design (1)

Sabrina Tirpak, Principal Laboratory Technician at Rutgers Plant Diagnostic Laboratory, followed with an engaging presentation on bark and ambrosia beetles, shedding light on the complex relationships between insects, fungi, and trees.

Both speakers offered practical, science-based insights that resonated deeply with attendees.

In addition to the presentations, the conference featured a native plant sale that allowed participants to take home plants well suited to New Jersey’s environment. Nurseries in attendance included Earth First Native Plant Nursery, Steven Kristoph Nursery, Toadshade Wildflower Farm (also offering seeds), Pinelands Direct Nursery, The Little Plant Company, and the Master Gardeners of Ocean County. This marketplace of local, ecologically mindful options strengthened the link between knowledge and action, letting participants take direct steps toward creating “Jersey-Friendly” landscapes in their own yards.

untitled design

Organized through the Jersey Friendly Yards program with support from the Barnegat Bay Partnership, the Ocean County Soil Conservation District, and Rutgers Cooperative Extension, the conference demonstrated the power of collaboration in promoting sustainable landscaping. Attendees left inspired to transform their own yards into spaces that support pollinators, improve soil health, and protect local waterways.

A critical part of the Barnegat Bay Partnership’s mission involves reducing the “people” pollution carried from yards by stormwater runoff into our waterways. BBP and its partners have led numerous initiatives to reduce this type of pollution, from educating about responsible fertilizer use and the benefits of native plants to developing healthy soil standards and installing rain gardens. The Jersey Friendly Yards program offers residential, municipal, and school certifications to those who complete the 8 Steps to a Jersey Friendly Landscape. By becoming “Jersey-Friendly Certified”, individuals are able to contribute to a reduction in nutrient loading and pollution entering the Barnegat Bay.

The success of this year’s event reflects a growing movement in New Jersey toward environmentally conscious gardening. With continued community engagement and education, the Jersey Friendly Yards program is helping residents turn small changes at home into lasting benefits for the region’s ecosystems.

Contact Nearly 100 NJ Gardeners Gathered to Learn about Beneficial Insects at the 2025 Jersey Friendly Yards ConferenceContact Nearly 100 NJ Gardeners Gathered to Learn about Beneficial Insects at the 2025 Jersey Friendly Yards Conference
jfy conference