|
Littoral Society Led Effort to Increase Dedicated Blue Acres Funding  In the beginning of February, NJ Governor Phil Murphy signed into law several pieces of legislation that advance important climate change adaptation policies and measures. Those included new directives on municipal land use and additional funding for the Blue Acres program.
The Littoral Society led efforts to increase money dedicated to blue acres, which is intended to reduce the number of buildings in flood-prone areas – such as the coast – that suffer repetitive losses. The Society supported, through testimony and public organizing, an NJ Future-led campaign for the establishment of new regulations, which would require municipalities to consider climate change as they undertake periodic land use master plan updates. The second stakeholder's meeting for the Forked River Beach Living Shoreline Restoration Project was held Thursday, February 25 at 1 p.m. The project in Barnegat Bay will involve the creation of eight to 10 double-rowed oyster reefs on the bayside of Lacey Township, along with a hybrid terminal groin at the south to trap down-drifting sand to begin natural rebuilding of more than 100 feet of eroded shoreline.
 Meet Tally Blumberg, President of the Littoral Society's Board of Trustees.
I got my love of the coast from my father, growing up fishing and sailing on the Long Island Sound and in Key Biscayne, and every time I turn my attention to the Society, I think that he would have loved this work. I should make him a posthumous fish tagger! He was fly fishing for stripers on the Sound and in Maine until the end of his life and taught me patiently. Many, many years ago, I studied marine biology and ecology in college, and when I was given the opportunity to get involved with the American Littoral Society, I jumped at the chance. My whole career has been spent working in the environment, although what started out as an interest has now become such critical work, up against a ticking clock. I am an optimist, and I hope we are making headway as a sector.   In the beginning of February, NJ Governor Phil Murphy signed into law several pieces of legislation that advance important climate change adaptation policies and measures. Those included new directives on municipal land use and additional funding for the Blue Acres program.
The Littoral Society led efforts to increase money dedicated to Blue Acres, which is intended to reduce the number of buildings in flood-prone areas – such as the coast – that suffer repetitive losses. The Society supported, through testimony and public organizing, an NJ Future-led campaign for statutory amendments to require municipalities to consider climate change as they undertake periodic land use master plan updates. According to an article in NJ Spotlight, municipalities must now identify critical facilities such as roads and utilities that might be affected by hurricanes or sea-level rise; make plans to sustain normal life in the face of anticipated natural hazards, and integrate climate vulnerability with existing plans such as emergency management or flood-hazard strategies.  The American Littoral Society is paying tribute to tributaries in March because many of our projects focus on the waters that feed the bays and coastal areas which have been the cornerstone of the Society’s mission for the past 60 years.
Tributaries are as critical to an ecosystem as the respiratory system is to the human body. In addition to moving nutrients, sediment and other organic material throughout a watershed – that area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet – they serve as important habitat for numerous species. Unfortunately, these vital systems are often at high risk in the United States, due to the adverse effects of encroaching development and contaminated stormwater runoff. Situated along the Jersey shore between Spring Lake and Sea Girt Borough is Wreck Pond, a 73-acre tidally influenced coastal pond within the twelve-square-mile Wreck Pond Brook Watershed. Fed by three main tributaries, Wreck Pond drains water from these municipalities and four neighboring townships into the Atlantic Ocean. |
Archives
April 2025
Categories
All
|
