 Thompsons Beach, before and after restoration. Photo provided by LJ Niles Associates. The American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) has named Thompsons Beach, on New Jersey's Delaware Bayshore, one of the best restored beaches in the United States. The American Littoral Society and partners restored Thompsons Beach in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
According to the ASBPA, the Thompsons Beach project was recognized because it had both environmental and economic benefits, used a science-based process, and showed the benefits of public/private partnerships.
0 Comments
 The crab tagging training event scheduled for Tuesday, May 15 at 7:30 p.m. has been canceled due to weather.
The American Littoral Society and Shark River Cleanup Coalition will partner again this year for horseshoe crab tagging around the Shark River inlet. Volunteers can participate in tagging and monitoring events through June 23. Data from the work is provided to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. A tagging training event will be held on Tuesday, May 15 at Memorial Park in Neptune City. Participants should dress to get wet. Bring a change of clothes, flashlight, and a drill if you have one. The schedule for horseshoe crab tagging may change due to weather but be prepared to get wet regardless of rain. Some volunteers may be assigned a specific beach to monitor around the Shark River estuary. For more information or to get a beach assignment, contact Capt. Al Modjeski, Habitat Restoration Director for the American Littoral Society, at 732-291-0055 or alek@littoralsociety.org.  You’re invited to join the American Littoral Society and Clean Ocean Action on a trip to Washington, D.C. for the March for the Ocean. Ride with us on our “Bus for Big Blue” and march alongside fellow ocean lovers from all over the world to say NO to offshore oil testing, leasing, drilling and spilling, NO to plastic and other forms of ocean pollution, and YES to protecting our coasts and ensuring clean water for all. Join us in celebration of the ocean and let Congress know that ocean and coastal issues matter to New Jerseyans.
A group of more than 100 organizations are hosting the March for the Ocean, which includes a flotilla down the Anacostia River, a rally at the Washington Monument, inspirational speakers, musical performances, and a pod of inflatable whales ranging from 15-87 feet long. The event will cap off with a 1.9 mile march around the White House. Reflections, Regret, and Resolve: Marking the Eighth Anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon Disaster4/20/2018
 Photo credit: NRDC Pix/Flickr Today marks the eighth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana, killing 11 people and injuring 17 others. Two days later - on Earth Day - the rig, which was still engulfed in flames, collapsed into the ocean, sinking thousands of feet to the seafloor. For the next 87 days oil flowed into the Gulf of Mexico as BP and the U.S. federal government struggled to prevent this from becoming the worst environmental disaster since the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil catastrophe.
Ultimately, over 200 million gallons of oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico and 1.8 million gallons of chemical dispersant were pumped onto and into the Gulf to dilute the oil, making it the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. Moving forward, it is important to remember these details, as time can blur the lessons learned from our past and leave us vulnerable repeating our mistakes. It is apparent that the new administration did not learn that offshore oil and gas exploration is inherently dangerous from this tragedy -- and that where we drill, we spill.  The American Littoral Society will celebrate Earth Day, with a dune grass planting on Saturday, April 21, and two beach clean ups on Sunday, April 22.
The dune grass planting will take place a day ahead of Earth Day and is the culmination of our Beach Grasses in Classes program. Everyone is invited to help plant American beach grass on Sandy Hook dunes from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 21. The planting will take place near Lot B. The location is subject to change due to the possible chance of nesting migratory shorebirds. If possible, please bring a stick or shovel to help with planting. Event will be held rain or shine. Dress for the weather. Click here for more information or the American Littoral Society at 732-291-0055 or email info@littoralsociety.org. Then, on Sunday, April 22, from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., the Society will host clean-ups on beaches along Delaware and Jamaica bays.  Littoral Society Education Director Nicole Haines began the interactive program by speaking to students about the importance of dunes in helping to reduce the effects of coastal storms, such as flooding and beach erosion, as well as how beach grasses help build and preserve dunes.
Each student was then given the chance to plant a culm or dormant stalk of beachgrass in a pot filled with a mixture of peatmoss and sand. On Saturday, April 21, students will transplant that grass at a beach restoration site on Sandy Hook. The Earth Day weekend grass planting event will be open to the public and take place from 10 a.m. to Noon near Lot B in Gateway National Recreation Area's Sandy Hook Unit. Click here for more information. Check the Littoral Society calendar for more Earth Day-related events.  On Thursday, March 16, 2018, the American Littoral Society's Habitat Restoration department was awarded $15,000 by the New Jersey Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership (NJCWRP) to restore portions of the marsh edge at the Slade Dale Nature Sanctuary in Point Pleasant, NJ.
The project will get underway in September 2018 and is the first in New Jersey to use recycled Christmas trees to restore marshland. Trees for the project came through a municipal donation/collection effort. Other funding sources and partners for the restoration project include the National Oceanographic Aeronautic Administration; US Fish and Wildlife Service; Point Pleasant Rotary Club; Borough of Point Pleasant; Nature Conservancy; New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; Atlantic Lifts, Dock, and Bulkheads; and Pinelands Nursery.  Come shell-a-brate the ongoing restoration of the Delaware Bayshore with the American Littoral Society on Saturday, March 31 from 3-6 p.m. You can lend a hand with building our fifth reef in the area, just off a beach we restored after Hurricane Sandy. The event will take place at Dyers Cove in Newport, NJ.
The work will include carrying bags of shell to a site just off the beach. Dress to get wet and dirty. Layers are recommended as it may be chillier on the bay. And you may want to bring a change of clothes for after the work is completed. Gloves will be provided for volunteers. Food and beverages will be provided by Spanky's BBQ following the reef build. This event is free and open to the public. We request that you RSVP your intention to attend so we make sure there is enough food to feed all the hungry reef builders. Map: https://goo.gl/maps/AasXsYZyGpM2 Address: 135 Dyers Creek Road, Newport, NJ  Register Now for 5k Run/Walk to Care for the Coast 2 p.m., Saturday, April 7 on Asbury Park, NJ Boardwalk Lace up your running shoes and dig out your lobster bibs for the Third Annual Lobster Run/Walk 5k to Care for the Coast, on Saturday, April 7 in Asbury Park, NJ. Event proceeds will benefit the American Littoral Society.
This year the event returns to an afternoon start, which will be followed by an optional after-party featuring food and drink from Asbury Park's Langosta Lounge, and lobster from The Lusty Lobster of Highlands, NJ. The limited-registration event will have a rolling start from 2-2:45 p.m., with food from 2:20-4 p.m. and start/finish outside the Langosta Lounge, 1000 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ. Registration will be open until event is full; early registration discount ends on March 23.  SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS BY MARCH 9 TO PROTECT THE OCEAN AND COAST! On January 4, 2018 the Department of the Interior released a Draft Proposed Plan for new offshore oil and gas leases. This radical proposal puts over 90 percent of our offshore waters up for lease to the oil and gas industry. We are working to empower citizens to make raising your voice as easy and meaningful as possible. Your comments must be submitted to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management by March 9.
This ill-conceived leasing plan puts our coastal communities, health, and national security in harm’s way. Allowing this proposal to advance will put tourism economies at risk of being destroyed; leave historic fishing livelihoods one spill away from being shut down and devastated for years; and could cause decades of living and playing along our beautiful oil-free shores to be completely swept away by a dirty, polluting industry. Take action! Join us in opposition by sharing your personal perspectives by March 9. Your individual opposition is the most powerful way to convey to our federal representatives why this plan must be abandoned. |
Archives
May 2018
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
