New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC) recently received a $2,500 grant from Investors Foundation at our office headquarters in Sandy Hook. The grant will help further NJSGC’s mission of promoting the wise use of New Jersey’s marine and coastal resources through research, education, and outreach. This grant will continue to directly support NJSGC’s Rip Current Awareness program. NJSGC’s interactive “Ocean Hazards and Beach Safety” presentation will be offered at no charge to schools throughout Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties from March-June, 2020.
***Given the current situation, we are now presenting this program virtually through Zoom video conferencing. For more information, please contact NJSGC’s Education Department.***
“According to the National Weather Service, 85 people lost their lives to rip currents in the U.S. in 2019. This is a staggering statistic, and one that can be prevented. By placing signage on ocean beaches, as well as producing and distributing tens of thousands of informational flyers and children’s workbooks, New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium works hard to dispel misconceptions about rip currents and to increase awareness of the dangers associated with unsafe ocean swimming. This fun interactive program engages school-age children with solid, fact-based rip current education and beach safety. We are grateful to Investors Foundation for giving us the opportunity to offer this program free of charge to a limited number of shore schools and community organizations to help keep their residents and visitors safe from ocean hazards.”
– Diana Burich, NJSGC Acting Director of Education
Investors Bank, headquartered in Short Hills, New Jersey, is a full-service community bank that has been serving customers since 1926. With over $25 billion in assets and a network of more than 150 retail branches, Investors Bank delivers personalized services and products tailored to the needs of its customers. Investors Bank’s services include complete deposit, loan and cash management products for consumers and businesses. Investors Bank. Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender.
About the Investors Foundation
Investors Bank created the Investors Foundation in 2005 to support the communities Investors Bank serves. Investors Foundation supports initiatives in the arts, youth development, health and human services, education and affordable housing. Investors Foundation works to improve the lives of its customers and neighbors.
“This course is an immersive, two-week course for undergraduates that presents the quantitative tools and field-based techniques used to sustainably manage and conserve aquatic marine living resources. This course is supported by the National Sea Grant Office and will be held at the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JCNERR) in Tuckerton, NJ. A diverse group of faculty from the Center for Fisheries and Ocean Sustainability (CFOS) and the Institute of Earth, Atmospheric, and Ocean Science (EOAS) at Rutgers University will be teaching this course, alongside scientists from NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center.”
Marine Science Summer Day Camp at New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium offers “hands-on” STEM learning for children interested in ocean and marine life. Sessions are held at NJSGC headquarters on Sandy Hook and combine outdoor explorations of the beach and bay with laboratory experiments and fun, educational games and crafts. Instructor to camper ratio is 1 to 6. Five sessions will be held throughout July and August, each geared towards specific grade levels.
PLEASE VISIT OUR EDUCATION PAGE FOR THE FULL LIST OF 2020 DATES AND MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO REGISTER.
Registration is now open for the 2020 Introductory Fisheries Science for Stakeholders (IFISSH) course offered through Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE). View the official flyer for more information.
The objective of this course is to educate stakeholders of New Jersey’s commercial and recreational marine fisheries so that they will better understand and make progress on issues impacting their industries, including the science, management, and responsible stewardship of fishery resources.
Classes will meet at the RCE of Ocean County in Toms River, NJ during the evening (6:30 – 9:00 PM) every Tuesday from January 28 through March 31. Additionally, two optional field trips will occur during the spring.
Class sessions will be offered in a “HyFlex” formatto allow live participation in-class or remotely via webinar. The course is open to all who are interested. Please share this email and flyer with anyone who you think might be interested.
The program fee is $60 per person. Please register by January 24, 2020 by contacting Kelly Jurgensen (Administrative Assistant, Marine Extension Program) at 732-349-1152
If you have any further questions, please contact Dr. Douglas Zemeckis (County Agent III , Assistant Professor, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources) 732-349-1152
NJSGC helped conduct the Clean Vessel Act (CVA) survey from August-September at 38 select marinas that were known to have working pumpout services at some point in recent time. At the conclusion of this inspection, the majority of these facilities were found to have operational boat sewage pumpout units (with some exceptions).
Seven (7) marinas were found closed, but their stationary pumpout units had hoses set-up and available for use. Three (3) marinas were identified with pumpout units that were either not operational, unknown, or lost. Two (2) facilities were found to have just a portable pumpout unit available for pumpout services. Five (5) facilities were found to be keeping records of their pumpout services. Of three (3) marinas already known to currently not have a working pumpout, one was not interested in replacing the pumpout unit, one is currently being redeveloped, and another did not have staff onsite to discuss further plan-of-action with.
For a complete list of the results (including charts and tables), please click here.
The NOAA Office of Coastal Management (OCM) offers the Coastal Management and Digital Coast Fellowship Program. This on-the-job education and training in coastal resource management and policy is offered to postgraduate students and provides assistance to state coastal zone management agencies and NOAA partners. The nine fellowship positions start in August 2020 and are available with the California State Coastal Conservancy, the coastal programs in Delaware, Guam, Maryland, Texas, and U.S. Virgin Islands, and three of our Digital Coast partners, including the Association of State Floodplain Managers (in partnership with the Coastal States Organization), the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association, and The Nature Conservancy.
Eligibility requirements, descriptions of the projects, and guidance on how to apply can be found here (or view this flyer for more information).
For the 2020 fellowship, applicants must complete a Master’s or other advanced degree at an accredited U.S. university between January 1, 2019, and July 31, 2020, to be eligible. A broad range of degrees are applicable to the fellowship because the projects are varied among the host organizations. This two-year opportunity offers a competitive salary, medical benefits, and travel and relocation expense reimbursement.
Application for the 2020 Coastal Management Fellowship Program must be submitted to the Sea Grant office in the state where the student is receiving their degree by Friday, January 17, 2020 5pm local time. New Jersey students are encouraged to contact Dr. Peter Rowe at the NJSGC with any questions or concerns.
New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium along with the Sea Grant National Office are pleased to announce that the Knauss Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO/FFO) for 2021 is now open. Please view the full announcement at grants.gov.
To support and encourage recruitment, these additional resources are also available to the public:
The deadline to apply for students is February 21, 2020.
Visit our fellowships webpage for more updates, and please contact NJSGC’s Acting Director Dr. Peter Rowe with any additional questions.
NJSGC will host an informational webinar on Thursday, December 5th from 10 am – 12 pm. Please contact our Communications Specialist Danica Bellini if you would like to register.
New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium will be reviewed on November 19-21 by a team convened by the National Sea Grant College Program. The review will be conducted at our Fort Hancock headquarters located on Sandy Hook, NJ and will consider all aspects of New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium’s programs, including but not limited to management and organization, performance, stakeholder engagement, and other collaborative activities, including those with various offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
This notice invites you to participate in our review by emailing your comments about New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium to oar.sg-feedback@noaa.gov.
Kindly send your comments at your earliest convenience – the comment period will end on November 12, 2019. Please put “New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium site review” in the subject line.
Thank you for assisting New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium in providing the review team with your thoughts and comments!
Lenape and the Jersey Shore: During this full-day (4-5 hours) program, students will gain insight into the history of New Jersey’s Native Americans and how they interacted with our coastal environment to survive. Students will get a chance to fish and hunt as the Lenape did, plus “make and take” a Native American inspired craft. $300.00 per group, 25 students per group.
Native Ways: This is a half-day (2-hour program). Students will go fishing with a seine net and learn about the native people who camped on “Sandy Poynt” during pre-colonial times. A Native-American inspired craft can be included with advance request (time permitting). $165 per group, 25 students per group.
To learn more or to book a trip, please contact NJSGC’s education associate Melanie Tarling at 732-872-1300 x13.
The National Sea Grant College Program recently announced $16 million in federal funding awards to fill important gaps in aquaculture knowledge, advancement of existing efforts, and development of new possibilities. The funds will be disbursed amongst three targeted programs which represent specific areas of need for U.S. aquaculture and build on the foundation Sea Grant, NOAA, and others have built with investments over the last several years.
Advanced Aquaculture Collaborative Programs: Ten projects will develop integrated teams of professionals focused on accelerating the development of specific aquaculture topics. These teams will establish a collaborative program to plan for and appropriately focus the next generation of aquaculture investments while enhancing the synthesis and transfer of past research advances to the industry.
Exploring New Aquaculture Opportunities: Sixteen projects will focus on the development of new, and at times higher-risk, topics for which minimal foundation currently exists to inform and focus potential future investments.
Social, Economic, and Behavioral Research Needs in Aquaculture: Sixteen projects will address critical gaps in social, behavioral, and economic knowledge.
Three researchers from New Jersey will receive funding through these awards:
Atlantic and Gulf Shellfish Seed Biosecurity Collaborative
Lead PI: David Bushek, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey (managed by NJSGC)
The GIS Based Tool for Spatial Planning and Management of Shellfish Aquaculture in New Jersey
Lead PI: Michael DeLuca, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey
Innovative restoration aquaculture of freshwater mussels in the tidal freshwater zone of the Delaware Estuary Watershed for water quality improvement
Co-PI: Danielle Kreeger, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary; Roger Thomas, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (managed by NJSGC)
View the official Sea Grant/NOAA announcement HERE.
Please contact New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium’s Acting Director Dr. Peter Rowe for further information and comment at 732-872-1300 x31.
