An article based on Dr. Robin Leichenko’s New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC)-funded research project, Economic Vulnerability to Climate Change in Coastal New Jersey: A Stakeholder-Based Assessment, was recently published in the premier issue of the Journal of Extreme Events, published by World Scientific. The project is investigating economic vulnerabilities to climate extremes and climate change in coastal New Jersey before and after Superstorm Sandy and uses a stakeholder-based approach to identify key climate-related economic stresses, risks, and vulnerabilities.
Together with a team of more than 50 educators working as the Harbor Education Task Force, Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance and NJ Sea Grant is proud to present Harbor Literacy Points for Educators, Students, and the Public. Designed to integrate the study of harbors, rivers, and estuaries into the everyday curriculum of elementary, middle, and high school students, Harbor Literacy Points outlines key topics, learning opportunities, and resources offered by our proximity to the waters of New York and New Jersey. Focusing on watersheds, estuaries, marine ecosystems, water quality, and harbor history, Harbor Literacy Points aims to increase interactive learning with urban waterways.
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.
SANDY HOOK, NJ: June 1-7 is Rip Current Awareness Week, a nationally recognized ocean safety campaign aimed at educating the public on rip currents. Organized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, the National Sea Grant Program, the United States Lifesaving Association, and the National Park Service, each year NOAA designates the first full week of June as National Rip Current Awareness Week, coinciding with the traditional start of the summer vacation season.
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.