The COASTodian summer ’14 issue is now available for online viewing or download. The COASTodian is the NJSGC’s quarterly newsletter publication that covers news and noteworthy updates on our research, education, extension, and communications efforts.
This issue includes information on a recent Undersea Habitat Imaging Workshop, our 2014 State of the Shore Media Event and Rain Barrel Art Project, Stew Tweed Fisheries Scholarship recipient announcements, the success of an oyster co-op extension agent Lisa Calvo has been facilitating, and more. Read or download the issue here.
The Cape May Oyster Cooperative, a newly established cooperative comprised of six founding member oyster farms, has received funds from USDA’s Rural Business Enterprise to purchase a refrigerated van, which will ensure the safe delivery of product from field to packing facility and enable the integration of direct delivery to local food markets. Lisa Calvo, extension agent for the NJSGC, is the Aquaculture Program Coordinator at Rutgers University’s Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory and has been a key resource in guiding the co-op initiative.
In conjunction with this year’s Top Ten Beaches Survey, a unique and educational tie-in was launched: the Rain Barrel Art Project. In an effort to create public awareness around the use of rain barrels and the ways in which they help conserve water, we selected twelve New Jersey artists to paint a barrel with an iconic Jersey Shore scene. The result was a beautiful, creative, and stunning display. View the rain barrels here. Now we’re rolling them out at shore area events and festivals.
NJSGC and the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program have teamed up to use rain barrels as a tie-in project for New Jersey Top Ten Beaches 2014. A rain barrel is a 55-gallon recycled food-grade container placed at the downspout of a roof to collect rain water. They help the environment by reducing the amount of rain that flows into storm drain systems, which helps prevent flooding and cuts down on pollution entering New Jersey’s waters. Collected rainwater can be used to water gardens and for other household tasks.
SANDY HOOK, NJ: The 2014 State of the Shore Media Event took place on Thursday, May 22 at McLoone’s Supper Club on the Asbury Park boardwalk. The annual event is hosted by the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC) and features a report on the condition of New Jersey’s beaches prepared and presented by Dr. Jon Miller, NJSGC’s Coastal Processes Specialist. Dr. Miller is also a Research Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology. Additional speakers included Dr. Stewart Farrell, Director of the Richard Stockton College Coastal Research Center and NJDEP’s Commissioner Bob Martin. Winners of the New Jersey Top Ten Beaches survey were also announced at the event along with the unveiling of a new project for the NJSGC, the Rain Barrel Art Project.
Sandy Hook, NJ: The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC) has announced and awarded its 2014 Stew Tweed Fisheries and Aquaculture Scholarships, established in memory of Stewart Tweed, a 27-year veteran of the New Jersey Sea Grant Marine Extension Service, who passed away in early 2007. The scholarships were presented by Claire Antonucci, Executive Director and Director of Education at NJSGC, and Tom Hayes, Director of Community Relations at New Jersey Natural Gas during Ocean Fun Days at NJSGC’s headquarters on Sandy Hook on Sunday, May 18th, 2014. Also on hand for the presentation was Stew’s wife Gail Tweed.
(Sandy Hook, NJ) … One of the spring’s most popular environmental education events, Ocean Fun Days, will be held this year on Saturday May 17 at Island Beach State Park in Seaside Park and Sunday May 18 at the headquarters of the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC) in the historic Fort Hancock section of Sandy Hook. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.
For the eleventh consecutive year, event admission and parking will be free. Visitors will be able to enjoy educational displays, eco-tours, classes and hand-on activities and exhibits that all celebrate the wonders of the Jersey Shore and how to preserve its natural resources for generations to come.
(Sandy Hook, NJ) — The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC) has welcomed Ryan Orgera on board as Coastal Community Resilience Project Manager. The new position was established in partnership with the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI) to help translate and apply the best available science and tools to assist communities recover from Superstorm Sandy and take actions to become more resilient to future coastal hazards, the impacts of sea level rise and changing climate. Ryan will work to enhance the capacity of the UCI and NJSGC’s extension program by improving public understanding of community hazard mitigation and making climate resilience science, data products, information, and decision support tools more accessible. Ryan will be based at Monmouth University in West Long Branch.
(Sandy Hook, NJ) — Fourteen new Girl Scout programs and five new Cub and Boy Scout programs have been launched by the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC). Programs range from traditional seine net fishing or hiking along beach trails to high-tech Geocaching using GPS devices. These have been added to the roster of the six existing popular scout programs already offered by the NJSGC.
New programs all utilize the unique maritime environment at Sandy Hook, but vary widely in focus. Some explore salt marshes through seine fishing and outdoor water chemistry; some use laboratory experiments to discover the secrets of the beach and its creatures; and some use games and crafts to learn about Native American culture. What they all have in common is that they are primarily outdoors-based and highly interactive.
(Sandy Hook, NJ) — The finalists for the 2014 Rain Barrel Art Project coordinated by the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC) and Rutgers Water Resources Program have been selected to showcase original designs celebrating the Jersey Shore using rain barrels as an innovative canvas. Dozens of New Jersey artists applied for a chance to paint the recycled containers repurposed to catch and reuse rain water and turn them into functional works of art. The barrels will be sponsored by businesses, tourism groups and other organizations to help support this and other NJSGC education and outreach projects.
According to artist Norma Wokas, a participating artist from Highlands, NJ who is also Artist Group Coordinator for the project, “All the applications we received were excellent and the selection committee had a truly difficult time narrowing down the designs to the small field of finalists. Because we received such a high volume of applications, and so many designs were qualified and fit the criteria we set forth, in the end it was impossible to limit the selection to just ten barrels. As a result, we were moved to add two additional barrels to the line-up that will be used as marketing and educational tools for this project and rain barrels in general.”