July 7, 2025

Dive in Deeper: The North Atlantic Connectivity Collaborative

by Nina Sassano

stream crossing 3

When you last drove over a stream or passed a culvert, did you think about where that water flows or what it might have looked like before the road was built? Did you consider the fish, amphibians, and other wildlife that depend on that stream and how a blocked or undersized crossing might be cutting off their access to essential habitat?

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Across the Barnegat Bay watershed, road-stream crossings, especially older or poorly designed culverts, can fragment aquatic ecosystems and disrupt the natural flow of rivers and creeks. These barriers not only block fish passage, but also contribute to upstream flooding, erosion, and infrastructure damage.

The North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative (NAACC) is a regional initiative that aims to assess and improve the thousands of road–stream crossings across the Northeast. With the help of localized field teams, GIS tools, and a publicly accessible mapping portal, the program identifies problem crossings and prioritizes which sites to replace to have the greatest ecological benefit.

Since 2021, Wetlands and Watershed Coordinator Sammie Adamczyk of the Barnegat Bay Partnership (BBP) has led our local field team in collecting data to assess and restore crossings within critical freshwater tributaries feeding the bay.

Barnegat Bay depends on the health of its headwaters and upstream ecosystems. Reconnecting streams in the watershed allows migratory fish to reach spawning grounds, strengthening local fisheries. These improved waterways also help filter pollutants, trap sediment, and support wetland function boosting overall water quality in the bay.

BBP Field Technicians Collect Stream Crossing Data 1024x880

And the benefits extend beyond the environment. Upgrading old barriers helps protect roads and nearby communities from flood damage, and reduces the cost of road repairs by using natural materials for these improvements.

It’s hands-on science with a real impact and it’s a great way to explore hidden parts of the watershed, contribute to environmental research, and help shape future restoration efforts.

Check out streamcontinuity.org to explore maps, data, and projects. Search Barnegat Bay to see where barriers exist and which have been prioritized for restoration.

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.

 

Dive in Deeper: The North Atlantic Connectivity Collaborative

When you last drove over a stream or passed a culvert, did you think about where that water flows or what it might have looked like before the road was built? Did you consider the fish, amphibians, and other wildlife that depend on that stream and how a blocked or undersized crossing might be cutting off their access to essential habitat?

Cfc 1024x632

Across the Barnegat Bay watershed, road-stream crossings, especially older or poorly designed culverts, can fragment aquatic ecosystems and disrupt the natural flow of rivers and creeks. These barriers not only block fish passage, but also contribute to upstream flooding, erosion, and infrastructure damage.

The North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative (NAACC) is a regional initiative that aims to assess and improve the thousands of road–stream crossings across the Northeast. With the help of localized field teams, GIS tools, and a publicly accessible mapping portal, the program identifies problem crossings and prioritizes which sites to replace to have the greatest ecological benefit.

Since 2021, Wetlands and Watershed Coordinator Sammie Adamczyk of the Barnegat Bay Partnership (BBP) has led our local field team in collecting data to assess and restore crossings within critical freshwater tributaries feeding the bay.

Barnegat Bay depends on the health of its headwaters and upstream ecosystems. Reconnecting streams in the watershed allows migratory fish to reach spawning grounds, strengthening local fisheries. These improved waterways also help filter pollutants, trap sediment, and support wetland function boosting overall water quality in the bay.

BBP Field Technicians Collect Stream Crossing Data 1024x880

And the benefits extend beyond the environment. Upgrading old barriers helps protect roads and nearby communities from flood damage, and reduces the cost of road repairs by using natural materials for these improvements.

It’s hands-on science with a real impact and it’s a great way to explore hidden parts of the watershed, contribute to environmental research, and help shape future restoration efforts.

Check out streamcontinuity.org to explore maps, data, and projects. Search Barnegat Bay to see where barriers exist and which have been prioritized for restoration.

Contact Dive in Deeper: The North Atlantic Connectivity CollaborativeContact Dive in Deeper: The North Atlantic Connectivity Collaborative
stream crossing 3