Spanning over 160 small islands in Barnegat, Little Egg, Great, and Absecon Bays, New Jersey’s bay islands form a vital yet often overlooked coastal system teeming with wildlife, buffering storms, and anchoring communities. Together, partners including the Barnegat Bay Partnership, NJ Fish and Wildlife Service, the Jacques Cousteau NERR, Ocean County Soil Conservation District, Long Beach Township Marine Education Field Station, and many others are working towards educating and restoring these vital habitats through the NJ Bay Islands Initiative.
What is a bay island?
These islands range from salt marshes to maritime forests, occasionally submerged during high tide or storm surge. While occupying only thousands of acres, they offer benefits including mitigating waves, reducing shoreline erosion, sequestering carbon, cycling nutrients, and absorbing floodwaters before they reach barrier islands or the mainland.
A Home to Many
Salt marshes are home to many species throughout the Barnegat Bay.
Enjoy a relaxing day of fishing? Juvenile striped bass, flounder, menhaden and many other species use tall marsh grasses as nursery habitat as juveniles.
Curious about birds? Endangered salt-marsh sparrows and yellow-crowned night-herons rely on these islands for nesting. Each August, migratory shorebirds like sandpipers and plovers flock here to refuel. Black ducks, brant geese, and many other waterfowl spend rely on these ecosystems.
Not to mention the invertebrates that are working hard to contribute to the salt marsh being one of the most productive systems on the planet.
The Connection to our Communities
Bay islands are impacted by boat wakes, stronger storms and storm surge, and other factors that result in erosion.
Studies show the loss of at least 6.7% of land area (1977–2015), with 13 islands lost altogether. As natural shields erode, local communities like those on Long Beach Island and throughout the Barnegat Bay watershed face heightened vulnerability.
NJ Bay Islands Initiative (NJBII)
Launched in 2020 in response to local concerns, the NJBII is a coordinated network of over 20 partners, including US Fish & Wildlife, the Barnegat Bay Partnership NJDEP, Stockton University, The Nature Conservancy, Ocean County Soil Conservation District, and several nonprofits.
Field teams (e.g. BBP, Forsythe NWR) conducted rapid assessments on 52 islands using the Mid-Atlantic Tidal Wetlands Rapid Assessment. Their findings feed into a decision-support tool that identifies restoration priorities
This online Coastal Resilience tool allows users to filter islands by condition and plan projects—optimizing habitat restoration, infrastructure reinforcement, and funding coordination.
A Mordecai Island initiative, led by Mordecai Land Trust since 2002, established living shorelines using coir logs, Geotubes®, and oyster reefs; successfully slowing erosion and supporting biodiversity .
A $772K National Fish & Wildlife Foundation grant awarded to Long Beach Township in 2024 funded final design and permit prep for nature-based island restoration in Barnegat Bay.
From boat-based site visits (e.g., Marshelder Island) to public workshops and grant writing, NJBII is a hands-on model of multi-agency collaboration. Leaders like Virginia Rettig (retired, USFWS) and Angela Andersen (Long Beach Township) bring federal, state, academic, and community voices together to approach this issue leveraging the expertise of each of the partner agencies.
Big Wake, Big Mistake
The Big Wake, Big Mistake! campaign by the NJ Bay Islands Initiative aims to educate boaters on the importance of reducing wake in sensitive coastal areas. It emphasizes the dangers that large wakes pose to kayakers, paddleboarders, and smaller vessels, as well as the disruption to fishing, erosion of fragile shorelines, and damage to wildlife habitats. By promoting mindful navigation, adherence to speed regulations, and awareness of environmental impacts, the campaign encourages responsible boating and wake awareness to protect New Jersey’s bay islands and coastal ecosystems.
Collective Ecosystem Management
NJBII’s guiding vision is to manage bay islands as a connected system, aligning restoration efforts to deliver enhanced habitat for wildlife, strengthened storm and flood protection, greater opportunities for nature-based recreation and education, and shared funding for data-driven decision making.
Bay islands may be small, but they’re mighty guardians of Jersey Shore resilience. Whether you’re a boater, birder, local hunter, or tourist enjoying the back bays, these islands are front-line defenders of our coastal heritage.
How You Can Get Involved
- Learn more: Visit the Restoration Planner tool to explore island status and priorities.
- Follow updates: NJBII posts news, grants, and real-time progress on their website.
- Volunteer: Many partner organizations welcome help with field work, species monitoring, and community outreach.
New Jersey’s bay islands are more than patches of marsh—they’re vibrant ecosystems, storm buffers, and keystones of coastal communities. With the NJ Bay Islands Initiative coordinating hands-on science, restoration, and stewardship, we’re beginning to unlock their full potential—preserving these islands for nature and people alike.
This article was based on content from the NJ Bay Islands Initiative website and Ocean County Soil Conservation District, with data drawn from field assessments, restoration plans, and grant-supported projects. For more information, visit https://njbayislands.org/
