Ecology

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.

 

Ecology

2022 1

The Barnegat Bay Partnership (BBP) has officially launched the new Paddle for the Edge Portal, an interactive online tool that brings ten years of community science data right to your fingertips. The portal showcases an incredible decade of work by volunteer paddlers who have explored the shorelines of Barnegat Bay and beyond, collecting vital data that helps us better understand and protect our coastal habitats.

Since 2015, the Paddle for the Edge program has invited volunteers to grab their paddles, hop in a canoe, kayak, or paddleboard, and gather observations along the bay’s marsh edges. These dedicated community scientists have collected more than 11,000 data points from Barnegat Bay, Great Egg Harbor, and the Seven Mile Island watersheds. Their observations include details like bank shape, vegetation type, shellfish presence, and other physical and biological features—all key clues that reveal how our shorelines are changing over time.

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Behind the scenes, BBP staff carefully reviewed and standardized the data to ensure its quality and consistency. Now, that effort has culminated in a beautiful, user-friendly portal where anyone can explore the information. Through an interactive map hosted by ESRI, users can zoom in on specific sites, browse photos, and filter data to see patterns that matter most to them. Whether you’re a researcher, restoration manager, student, or simply a curious local, the portal makes it easy to visualize how the bay’s wetlands have evolved over the last decade.

This isn’t just data for data’s sake, it’s a living resource that’s already helping shape restoration and conservation decisions. During the portal’s rollout announcement at the NJ Bay Islands Initiative meeting, Angela Anderson, Director of the Long Beach Township Field Station for Marine Education and Research, shared that the tool “provides a collective image of conditions around the bay islands, which is particularly helpful when applying for permits.” BBP’s own Ceili Pestalozzi, Wetland and Watershed Manager, has already begun using the portal to support ongoing monitoring efforts.

The Paddle for the Edge Portal also highlights the power of community science. Every data point represents time and care contributed by volunteers who know and love the bay. Their collective efforts provide a valuable “ground truth” for scientists and funding agencies working to identify restoration priorities and protect vulnerable marshes.

Ready to dive in? You can explore the portal yourself at https://paddle-for-the-edge-bbp.hub.arcgis.com. Check out this video for a quick tutorial on many of the portal’s features!

To learn how to get involved in future Paddle for the Edge surveys, visit the Barnegat Bay Partnership’s Community page. For questions—or to share how you’re using the portal to learn more about the bay—contact Samantha Adamczyk at sadamczyk@ocean.edu.

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