Category: Uncategorized

  • 2019 Rain Barrel winners

    November 20, 2019
    The Rain Barrel Challenge, an annual art competition with an environmental theme, is open to schools and youth organizations within…
  • bay

    July 8, 2019
    The draft Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Barnegat Bay (CCMP) is now available for public review and comments.  We…
  • paddle for the edge p4e kayak

    April 16, 2019
    Do you have a kayak, canoe, or stand-up paddleboard?  We're looking for paddling enthusiasts to help collect important data about…
  • rain barrel workshop

    January 14, 2019
    Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority (Brick Utilities) has announced completion of their public education project, which focused on protecting the…
  • Gef, Stan, and Ron for Guardians of the Barnegat Bay

    December 18, 2018
    Each year the Barnegat Bay Partnership presents the Guardian of Barnegat Bay "Lifetime Achievement" award to individuals  who have made…
  • derelict-crab-traps

    December 10, 2018
    by Emily Heiser, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, Conserve Wildlife Blog  (December 8, 2018) Derelict fishing gear continues to…
  • sea nettle jellyfish barrier jim

    July 25, 2018
    A newly published peer-reviewed article in Ocean & Coastal Management reports the results of a BBP project studying the effectiveness…
  • aerial image of people making a fish

    April 19, 2018
    Something fishy is happening this Saturday!  April 21st is World Fish Migration Day, an annual global celebration of the importance of…
  • blue carbon

    December 21, 2017
    By Elizabeth Watson and Rose Martin, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University “Blue carbon” is shorthand for the carbon…
  • IBSP-dune-grass-planters

    December 8, 2017
    Thanks to the 335 volunteers who came out on a beautiful December day, 30,000 American beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata) plants were…

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.