April 20, 2026

Students Take to the Wetland to Learn the Importance of Monitoring

by Nina Sassano

The Barnegat Bay Partnership joined Kean University’s Environmental Field Methods class in the marsh last week to introduce students to the methods of our long-term monitoring program. Led by Wetlands and Watershed Specialist Ceili Pestalozzi, students traveled into a wetland in Ocean County to perform a series of data collection techniques that are used by the BBP team in regular long-term marsh monitoring.

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Pestalozzi spoke to the students about the BBP’s efforts to monitor wetlands and salt marshes in NJ. Wetlands aren’t just scenic; they are essential infrastructure. They act as massive natural filters, improving water quality by trapping pollutants. They absorb flood waters and provide a buffer from storm surge, they lock away carbon to help regulate the balance of the atmosphere, and the support commercial and recreational activities that help fuel our local economy.

Despite these benefits, we are losing them at an alarming rate. Since 1970, 22% of the world’s wetlands have vanished, driven by urban expansion and pollution. In the U.S. alone, we lost over 220,000 acres between 2009 and 2019.

Because of this, major networks of scientists, including the BBP and the Partnership for a Delaware Estuary, use rigorous monitoring to track marsh health. Effective monitoring involves identifying measurable signs that tell us how well the system is functioning including signs of drainage, fill, or invasive species. Pestalozzi also determines if restoration projects are meeting their conservation goals, and whether more regulatory protections are needed in certain areas.

Pestalozzi showed Kean students the methods used by a collection of scientists monitoring our local marshes. Monitoring includes a mix of biological, geological, and hydrological methods. Vegetative surveys track plant diversity. Since wetland plant species are specifically adapted to saturated conditions, changes in the plant community can signal changes in water levels. The team also measures the presence of water at the soil surface or within the root zoon during the growing season. Students also learned how marshes decompose slowly, leaving organic soil layers that play as key indicators of healthy wetland systems.

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The BBP hopes to continue to reach more students and residents throughout Ocean County to help support ongoing stewardship of our local wetlands. By understanding how to monitor the health of our wetlands, we ensure these landscapes continue to serve us for generations to come.

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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.

 

Students Take to the Wetland to Learn the Importance of Monitoring

The Barnegat Bay Partnership joined Kean University’s Environmental Field Methods class in the marsh last week to introduce students to the methods of our long-term monitoring program. Led by Wetlands and Watershed Specialist Ceili Pestalozzi, students traveled into a wetland in Ocean County to perform a series of data collection techniques that are used by the BBP team in regular long-term marsh monitoring.

pxl 20260415 222533244

Pestalozzi spoke to the students about the BBP’s efforts to monitor wetlands and salt marshes in NJ. Wetlands aren’t just scenic; they are essential infrastructure. They act as massive natural filters, improving water quality by trapping pollutants. They absorb flood waters and provide a buffer from storm surge, they lock away carbon to help regulate the balance of the atmosphere, and the support commercial and recreational activities that help fuel our local economy.

Despite these benefits, we are losing them at an alarming rate. Since 1970, 22% of the world’s wetlands have vanished, driven by urban expansion and pollution. In the U.S. alone, we lost over 220,000 acres between 2009 and 2019.

Because of this, major networks of scientists, including the BBP and the Partnership for a Delaware Estuary, use rigorous monitoring to track marsh health. Effective monitoring involves identifying measurable signs that tell us how well the system is functioning including signs of drainage, fill, or invasive species. Pestalozzi also determines if restoration projects are meeting their conservation goals, and whether more regulatory protections are needed in certain areas.

Pestalozzi showed Kean students the methods used by a collection of scientists monitoring our local marshes. Monitoring includes a mix of biological, geological, and hydrological methods. Vegetative surveys track plant diversity. Since wetland plant species are specifically adapted to saturated conditions, changes in the plant community can signal changes in water levels. The team also measures the presence of water at the soil surface or within the root zoon during the growing season. Students also learned how marshes decompose slowly, leaving organic soil layers that play as key indicators of healthy wetland systems.

PXL 20260415 213624307 1024x576

The BBP hopes to continue to reach more students and residents throughout Ocean County to help support ongoing stewardship of our local wetlands. By understanding how to monitor the health of our wetlands, we ensure these landscapes continue to serve us for generations to come.

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