The Press of Atlantic City - September 11, 2024
Unearthing climate change challenges along Delaware Bayshore
By Guest Contributor | April 19, 2024
GREAT LAKES ECHO – Greatlakesecho.org - David Poulson – 517-432-5417
Shane Godshall speaks to a group of journalists about his work doing habitat restoration on Money Island. Image: Christa Young
By Christa Young
Editor’s note: This is one in a series of stories coming out of a recent meeting of the Society of Environmental Journalists in Philadelphia.
New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore isn’t called the road less traveled without reason. Persistent rainfall, exacerbated by global warming, has increased the wetlands in this area of Cumberland County. Journalists, scientists, and conservationists are uncovering data showing that remote rural communities like Money Island will be flooded soon if politicians and state officials don’t act fast. Roughly three dozen attendees of the recent Society of Environmental Journalists annual conference in Philadelphia traveled to Money Island, the smallest and most remote rural hamlet in the county. It was the first stop on a daylong traverse of a 70-mile stretch of untouched Delaware Bayshore coastline in southeast New Jersey.
They met Tony Novak, a longtime resident and controller of BaySave, a nonprofit organization that focuses on sustainability. Novak, who has called the island home for three decades, highlighted the rapid erosion caused by rising sea levels, placing homes at risk of significant damage and deterioration. Novak once traveled with what was then referred to as the Community Sea Level Rise Response Team, a group that brought attention to the swift land degradation to local government officials. The group was often met with disfavor.
In 2018, New Jersey sued Novak, BaySave, his children, his father and other nonprofit organizations, for allegedly not acquiring the proper permits for filling in the wetlands. Novak said the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is intentionally denying specific permit requests as one of many tactics to prevent the stabilization of Money Island.
Residents of Delaware Bay posted signs on their homes and mailboxes that displayed “No Retreat Save Bayshore Communities” to express their hope concerning the future of their Bayshore community. While Novak’s team, Bayshore, and other partners continue to fight for the livelihood of the Island, water levels continue to rise, signaling the need for action to protect the land and its inhabitants.
Novak said that he was viewed by state officials as making too much ‘noise’ about the environmental decay of Money Island. Many of the affected homes were weekend retreats for families from the southern part of the states. Residents were presented with buyout offers as part of an ongoing demolition led by New Jersey. This is done through a program known as Blue Acres, which frees up the land to function as natural flood storage, wetlands, or open space.
The journalists also heard from representatives of the American Littoral Society, which monitors the island and is restoring habitat for wildlife and promoting conservation. Habitat restoration project manager Shane Godshall said that his team facilitated dredging a channel on Money Island to create a habitat for horseshoe crabs and a bird called the red knot.
“Essentially what was here before was not conducive to horseshoe crabs,” Novak said. Now, to use the space, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is taking down homes to restore the land to habitat for the crabs and the birds that are keystone species for the bay. Novak acknowledged that the future of Money Island is uncertain and that he doesn’t have high expectations for the local government to provide help for the island. ‘‘My plan is just to go to a slow, soft footprint,” he said. Enjoy what we have here. “It’s a wonderful place,” he added, “until the bugs show up.”
Unearthing climate change challenges along Delaware Bayshore
By Guest Contributor | April 19, 2024
GREAT LAKES ECHO – Greatlakesecho.org - David Poulson – 517-432-5417
Shane Godshall speaks to a group of journalists about his work doing habitat restoration on Money Island. Image: Christa Young
By Christa Young
Editor’s note: This is one in a series of stories coming out of a recent meeting of the Society of Environmental Journalists in Philadelphia.
New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore isn’t called the road less traveled without reason. Persistent rainfall, exacerbated by global warming, has increased the wetlands in this area of Cumberland County. Journalists, scientists, and conservationists are uncovering data showing that remote rural communities like Money Island will be flooded soon if politicians and state officials don’t act fast. Roughly three dozen attendees of the recent Society of Environmental Journalists annual conference in Philadelphia traveled to Money Island, the smallest and most remote rural hamlet in the county. It was the first stop on a daylong traverse of a 70-mile stretch of untouched Delaware Bayshore coastline in southeast New Jersey.
They met Tony Novak, a longtime resident and controller of BaySave, a nonprofit organization that focuses on sustainability. Novak, who has called the island home for three decades, highlighted the rapid erosion caused by rising sea levels, placing homes at risk of significant damage and deterioration. Novak once traveled with what was then referred to as the Community Sea Level Rise Response Team, a group that brought attention to the swift land degradation to local government officials. The group was often met with disfavor.
In 2018, New Jersey sued Novak, BaySave, his children, his father and other nonprofit organizations, for allegedly not acquiring the proper permits for filling in the wetlands. Novak said the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is intentionally denying specific permit requests as one of many tactics to prevent the stabilization of Money Island.
Residents of Delaware Bay posted signs on their homes and mailboxes that displayed “No Retreat Save Bayshore Communities” to express their hope concerning the future of their Bayshore community. While Novak’s team, Bayshore, and other partners continue to fight for the livelihood of the Island, water levels continue to rise, signaling the need for action to protect the land and its inhabitants.
Novak said that he was viewed by state officials as making too much ‘noise’ about the environmental decay of Money Island. Many of the affected homes were weekend retreats for families from the southern part of the states. Residents were presented with buyout offers as part of an ongoing demolition led by New Jersey. This is done through a program known as Blue Acres, which frees up the land to function as natural flood storage, wetlands, or open space.
The journalists also heard from representatives of the American Littoral Society, which monitors the island and is restoring habitat for wildlife and promoting conservation. Habitat restoration project manager Shane Godshall said that his team facilitated dredging a channel on Money Island to create a habitat for horseshoe crabs and a bird called the red knot.
“Essentially what was here before was not conducive to horseshoe crabs,” Novak said. Now, to use the space, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is taking down homes to restore the land to habitat for the crabs and the birds that are keystone species for the bay. Novak acknowledged that the future of Money Island is uncertain and that he doesn’t have high expectations for the local government to provide help for the island. ‘‘My plan is just to go to a slow, soft footprint,” he said. Enjoy what we have here. “It’s a wonderful place,” he added, “until the bugs show up.”
Groups Seek Federal Protection for Horseshoe Crabs
by Frank Graff - Published on April 19, 2024 • Last modified on April 15, 2024
SCIENCE & NATURE
Modern Needs Threaten an Ancient Creature
If you happen to come across a horseshoe crab shell while walking along the beach, you might think you’ve just discovered a creature related to the dinosaurs. You would be close, sort of.
Scientists have discovered fossils of early horseshoe crabs that lived 445 million years ago. Dinosaurs first appeared roughly 200 million years later. Bottom line, you could call a horseshoe crab a living fossil. Four species of horseshoe crab are found today: one is found in Atlantic coastal waters and the Gulf of Mexico, and the other three are found along Asia’s coastal waters.
But while horseshoe crabs may have survived the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs, they’re not doing as well surviving humans.
That’s because horseshoe crab blood contains a unique enzyme called limulus amebocyte lysate, or LAL. This substance causes the blood to coagulate when exposed to toxins. Biomedical companies use LAL to test medicines, vaccines, implants and more for toxins. That’s also how they ensure medical equipment is safe for people.
Nearly one million horseshoe crabs were harvested for their blood in 2022, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. Unfortunately, many horseshoe crabs die in the process of blood harvesting.
“We’re wiping out one of the world’s oldest and toughest creatures,” said Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the center, in a release. “These living fossils urgently need Endangered Species Act protection. Horseshoe crabs have saved countless lives, and now we should return the favor.” The center is joined by 22 other organizations in petitioning the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to list American horseshoe crabs under the Endangered Species Act as an endangered or threatened species.
“The continued reliance on horseshoe crab blood by pharmaceutical manufacturers has led to a rapid decrease in the population of this important species,” said Kathleen Conlee, vice president for animal research issues with the Humane Society of the United States. “Fortunately, there are non-animal alternatives that can replace the use of horseshoe crab blood and help protect these amazing animals from further overharvest.” The groups maintain synthetic alternatives are being used in Europe.
Watch this Sci NC story about how a North Carolina company is working to create an alternative to horseshoe crab blood for medical research:
How horseshoe crabs save lives Every time you get a flu shot, you should thank a horseshoe crab.
More threats to horseshoe crabs
In addition to medical research, horseshoe crabs are also harvested for bait by several commercial fisheries. But it’s not just harvesting that threatens the brown, body-armored animals. Horseshoe crabs have also lost spawning grounds all along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts where they lay their eggs. The petition cites coastal development, shoreline hardening (the building of walls and other engineered structures along the coast to prevent erosion) and sea-level rise. In fact, the largest populations, which are found in Delaware Bay, have declined by two-thirds in the last 30 years. Groups also say the decline in horseshoe crabs threatens other species. One horseshoe crab can lay about 4,000 eggs. And shorebirds rely on those eggs and newly hatched crabs for food.
“Horseshoe crab eggs are incredibly nutrient dense, sustaining [birds like] the federally threatened red knot on their long migration journey,” said Steve Holmer, vice president of policy at American Bird Conservancy. “Greater protection of the horseshoe crab is needed to fully recover the red knot, as well as conserve other shorebird species.” While populations of horseshoe crabs in North America are in decline, a sister species, the tri-spine horseshoe crab in Asia, faces similar threats and is nearly extinct.
“It is clear from the available science that current fisheries management practices are failing to protect and sustain these ancient mariners,” said Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society. “We must do more to keep them and the red knots and other life that depend on horseshoe crabs from disappearing from this Earth.”
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Listing horseshoe crabs under Endangered Species Act won’t close beaches
By Will Harlan -April 12, 2024
I appreciated Eric Burnley's thoughts on horseshoe crabs and their importance to the people of Delaware Bay. He powerfully describes the steep declines in horseshoe crabs and rightfully calls for the end of bottom trawling and a ban on horseshoe crab bait harvests.
I just wanted to offer one clarification: Listing horseshoe crabs under the Endangered Species Act will not close beaches. It might lead to stricter limits on commercial horseshoe crab harvests but would not have any effect on visitor beach access.
Recreational fishing of Delaware beaches would be significantly improved by listing horseshoe crabs. As Burnley observes, numerous species of fish feed on horseshoe crab eggs. If horseshoe crabs return to abundance, so will many species of fish, shorebirds, sea turtles and other wildlife.
Will Harlan
Senior Scientist Center for Biological Diversity - Wilmington, DE
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper. To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to [email protected]
by Frank Graff - Published on April 19, 2024 • Last modified on April 15, 2024
SCIENCE & NATURE
Modern Needs Threaten an Ancient Creature
If you happen to come across a horseshoe crab shell while walking along the beach, you might think you’ve just discovered a creature related to the dinosaurs. You would be close, sort of.
Scientists have discovered fossils of early horseshoe crabs that lived 445 million years ago. Dinosaurs first appeared roughly 200 million years later. Bottom line, you could call a horseshoe crab a living fossil. Four species of horseshoe crab are found today: one is found in Atlantic coastal waters and the Gulf of Mexico, and the other three are found along Asia’s coastal waters.
But while horseshoe crabs may have survived the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs, they’re not doing as well surviving humans.
That’s because horseshoe crab blood contains a unique enzyme called limulus amebocyte lysate, or LAL. This substance causes the blood to coagulate when exposed to toxins. Biomedical companies use LAL to test medicines, vaccines, implants and more for toxins. That’s also how they ensure medical equipment is safe for people.
Nearly one million horseshoe crabs were harvested for their blood in 2022, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. Unfortunately, many horseshoe crabs die in the process of blood harvesting.
“We’re wiping out one of the world’s oldest and toughest creatures,” said Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the center, in a release. “These living fossils urgently need Endangered Species Act protection. Horseshoe crabs have saved countless lives, and now we should return the favor.” The center is joined by 22 other organizations in petitioning the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to list American horseshoe crabs under the Endangered Species Act as an endangered or threatened species.
“The continued reliance on horseshoe crab blood by pharmaceutical manufacturers has led to a rapid decrease in the population of this important species,” said Kathleen Conlee, vice president for animal research issues with the Humane Society of the United States. “Fortunately, there are non-animal alternatives that can replace the use of horseshoe crab blood and help protect these amazing animals from further overharvest.” The groups maintain synthetic alternatives are being used in Europe.
Watch this Sci NC story about how a North Carolina company is working to create an alternative to horseshoe crab blood for medical research:
How horseshoe crabs save lives Every time you get a flu shot, you should thank a horseshoe crab.
More threats to horseshoe crabs
In addition to medical research, horseshoe crabs are also harvested for bait by several commercial fisheries. But it’s not just harvesting that threatens the brown, body-armored animals. Horseshoe crabs have also lost spawning grounds all along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts where they lay their eggs. The petition cites coastal development, shoreline hardening (the building of walls and other engineered structures along the coast to prevent erosion) and sea-level rise. In fact, the largest populations, which are found in Delaware Bay, have declined by two-thirds in the last 30 years. Groups also say the decline in horseshoe crabs threatens other species. One horseshoe crab can lay about 4,000 eggs. And shorebirds rely on those eggs and newly hatched crabs for food.
“Horseshoe crab eggs are incredibly nutrient dense, sustaining [birds like] the federally threatened red knot on their long migration journey,” said Steve Holmer, vice president of policy at American Bird Conservancy. “Greater protection of the horseshoe crab is needed to fully recover the red knot, as well as conserve other shorebird species.” While populations of horseshoe crabs in North America are in decline, a sister species, the tri-spine horseshoe crab in Asia, faces similar threats and is nearly extinct.
“It is clear from the available science that current fisheries management practices are failing to protect and sustain these ancient mariners,” said Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society. “We must do more to keep them and the red knots and other life that depend on horseshoe crabs from disappearing from this Earth.”
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Listing horseshoe crabs under Endangered Species Act won’t close beaches
By Will Harlan -April 12, 2024
I appreciated Eric Burnley's thoughts on horseshoe crabs and their importance to the people of Delaware Bay. He powerfully describes the steep declines in horseshoe crabs and rightfully calls for the end of bottom trawling and a ban on horseshoe crab bait harvests.
I just wanted to offer one clarification: Listing horseshoe crabs under the Endangered Species Act will not close beaches. It might lead to stricter limits on commercial horseshoe crab harvests but would not have any effect on visitor beach access.
Recreational fishing of Delaware beaches would be significantly improved by listing horseshoe crabs. As Burnley observes, numerous species of fish feed on horseshoe crab eggs. If horseshoe crabs return to abundance, so will many species of fish, shorebirds, sea turtles and other wildlife.
Will Harlan
Senior Scientist Center for Biological Diversity - Wilmington, DE
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper. To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to [email protected]
Parts of Jersey Shore beaches will be closed past Memorial Day after storm causes erosion
Published: May. 13, 2022, 1:56 p.m.
By Jeff Goldman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Beach erosion following last weekend’s fierce coastal storm has created additional headaches in several towns with Memorial Day weekend only two weeks away.
The Ortley Beach section of Toms River, North Wildwood and Stone Harbor are among the places where tides and strong winds took their toll — wiping away massive amounts of sand, and producing “cliffs” near the diminished dunes, officials in those towns said.
There was also beach erosion in Brigantine, according to Real Brigantine, a local news website. Town officials there couldn’t be reached by NJ Advance Media.
Ortley Beach experienced erosion primarily between 4th Street and 8th Street and will need to spend approximately $200,000 to replenish lost sand, Mayor Maurice “Mo” Hill said in a phone interview Thursday.
When Memorial Day weekend rolls around, about 75% of the beach will be accessible, with the rest closed off because there won’t be walkovers due to the cliffs, which are currently about 5 to 6 feet high, the mayor said. The township council expects to award a contract at its meeting on May 25 meeting with construction beginning shortly thereafter. Work to replace the sand will take about 2 to 3 weeks.
“We’ll be completed by mid-June when school is letting out and the season is starting to really heat up,” Hill said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to return to Ortley Beach “late this year or early next year” for the next phase of its replenishment project, the mayor said. That is part of a long-term periodic nourishment following the completion of a big beach replenishment between Manasquan Inlet to Barnegat Inlet that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed in July 2019.
Near the southern tip of the state, North Wildwood lost about one-third of the roughly $4 million in sand it had piled up to refurbish its beaches, Mayor Patrick Rosenello said. While some sand that settled in the ocean close to the shore will eventually push back onto the beach, much of it might be gone for good.
Beaches between 3rd Avenue and 7th Avenue lost a significant amount of sand. Beaches from 7th Avenue to 15hth Avenue also took a hit. One cliff is about 20 feet high, the mayor said.
Portions of the beach will not be ready to open for the holiday weekend and those areas will be clearly marked, Rosenello said.
“The storm has caused a major delay in our project,” said Rosenello in explaining that each spring North Wildwood trucks in sand from Wildwood. Work was suspended in the days leading up to the storm and hasn’t been able to resume this week due to winds and the ocean being so high.
North Wildwood is also in the midst of a long-term project being handled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“North Wildwood is experiencing significant erosion of its berm and dune,” the corps said in July 2021. “What was the largest beach in the state now suffers from tidal flooding and wave run-up over a formerly protective beach. North Wildwood has lost approximately 1,000 feet of beach during the past 5-10 years.”
In Stone Harbor, meanwhile, “significant” erosion took place between 90th and 111th Streets, according to Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour.
“It is still too early to report on the exact quantity of sand that was lost, but we do know that that a few feet of dunes were cut back on the seaward side and beach elevation was reduced,” Davies-Dunhour said in an emailed statement.” Once tide levels return to normal, some natural beach regeneration is anticipated, as sand that has been temporarily deposited in deeper water returns to the beach.”
The borough said it will replace sand on a small scale before the holiday weekend with a beach fill project planned for later in the year.
In addition, the Stockton University Coastal Research Center will perform emergency beach surveys to determine total beach loss in Stone Harbor, starting as soon as next week.
Other places fared better. While North Wildwood has a big replenishment job ahead, Wildwood was spared, a spokeswoman said. So was one of the most popular spots in Ocean County — Seaside Heights.
“We lucked out,” Seaside Heights Mayor Tony Vaz said. “We’re good, thank God.”
Island Beach State Park experienced minor erosion but no beach closures are expected on Memorial Day weekend, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection said.
Published: May. 13, 2022, 1:56 p.m.
By Jeff Goldman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Beach erosion following last weekend’s fierce coastal storm has created additional headaches in several towns with Memorial Day weekend only two weeks away.
The Ortley Beach section of Toms River, North Wildwood and Stone Harbor are among the places where tides and strong winds took their toll — wiping away massive amounts of sand, and producing “cliffs” near the diminished dunes, officials in those towns said.
There was also beach erosion in Brigantine, according to Real Brigantine, a local news website. Town officials there couldn’t be reached by NJ Advance Media.
Ortley Beach experienced erosion primarily between 4th Street and 8th Street and will need to spend approximately $200,000 to replenish lost sand, Mayor Maurice “Mo” Hill said in a phone interview Thursday.
When Memorial Day weekend rolls around, about 75% of the beach will be accessible, with the rest closed off because there won’t be walkovers due to the cliffs, which are currently about 5 to 6 feet high, the mayor said. The township council expects to award a contract at its meeting on May 25 meeting with construction beginning shortly thereafter. Work to replace the sand will take about 2 to 3 weeks.
“We’ll be completed by mid-June when school is letting out and the season is starting to really heat up,” Hill said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to return to Ortley Beach “late this year or early next year” for the next phase of its replenishment project, the mayor said. That is part of a long-term periodic nourishment following the completion of a big beach replenishment between Manasquan Inlet to Barnegat Inlet that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed in July 2019.
Near the southern tip of the state, North Wildwood lost about one-third of the roughly $4 million in sand it had piled up to refurbish its beaches, Mayor Patrick Rosenello said. While some sand that settled in the ocean close to the shore will eventually push back onto the beach, much of it might be gone for good.
Beaches between 3rd Avenue and 7th Avenue lost a significant amount of sand. Beaches from 7th Avenue to 15hth Avenue also took a hit. One cliff is about 20 feet high, the mayor said.
Portions of the beach will not be ready to open for the holiday weekend and those areas will be clearly marked, Rosenello said.
“The storm has caused a major delay in our project,” said Rosenello in explaining that each spring North Wildwood trucks in sand from Wildwood. Work was suspended in the days leading up to the storm and hasn’t been able to resume this week due to winds and the ocean being so high.
North Wildwood is also in the midst of a long-term project being handled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“North Wildwood is experiencing significant erosion of its berm and dune,” the corps said in July 2021. “What was the largest beach in the state now suffers from tidal flooding and wave run-up over a formerly protective beach. North Wildwood has lost approximately 1,000 feet of beach during the past 5-10 years.”
In Stone Harbor, meanwhile, “significant” erosion took place between 90th and 111th Streets, according to Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour.
“It is still too early to report on the exact quantity of sand that was lost, but we do know that that a few feet of dunes were cut back on the seaward side and beach elevation was reduced,” Davies-Dunhour said in an emailed statement.” Once tide levels return to normal, some natural beach regeneration is anticipated, as sand that has been temporarily deposited in deeper water returns to the beach.”
The borough said it will replace sand on a small scale before the holiday weekend with a beach fill project planned for later in the year.
In addition, the Stockton University Coastal Research Center will perform emergency beach surveys to determine total beach loss in Stone Harbor, starting as soon as next week.
Other places fared better. While North Wildwood has a big replenishment job ahead, Wildwood was spared, a spokeswoman said. So was one of the most popular spots in Ocean County — Seaside Heights.
“We lucked out,” Seaside Heights Mayor Tony Vaz said. “We’re good, thank God.”
Island Beach State Park experienced minor erosion but no beach closures are expected on Memorial Day weekend, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection said.
Can a sewer project keep a sleepy corner of rural New Jersey from fading away?
A $15 million sewer project is coming to Downe Township, a rural community along the Delaware Bay in Cumberland County, New Jersey
Published January 22, 2022 ~ by Jason Nark Staff Writer Philadelphia Inquirer
DOWNE TOWNSHIP, N.J. — There are no neon lights, no boardwalk, and amusements include the constant lapping waves of the Delaware Bay and the occasional sight of a thousand snow geese flying over the salt marshes like windswept clouds.
For the 1,500 or so people who live in this rural Cumberland County community, 60 miles south of Philadelphia, life without a traffic light is the way they like it. But many of Downe’s unincorporated communities, like the centuries-old fishing villages of Fortescue and Money Island, and the single road of bayfront homes on Gandy’s Beach, were hammered by Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy.
A few dozen Money Island homeowners sold their properties to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in the aftermath of those storms, and others are negotiating to do the same. Once the DEP razes those homes, the properties will essentially go back to nature. That’s what happened in Seabreeze, a ghost town just north of Downe, where every home is gone.
“That’s not going to happen here. We won’t let it,” Downe Township Mayor Mike Rothman said aboard his fishing boat in Fortescue recently. Rothman and former Mayor Robert Campbell believe their longtime dream -- replacing septic systems and propane tanks with sewer lines and natural gas -- will be a bulwark against the forces of nature and a rebuttal to those who feel the residents of Downe should retreat from the coast and move inland. The project is finally coming to fruition for Fortescue and Gandy’s Beach, and Campbell believes the consistency and cost benefits of modern infrastructure could boost property values and draw in new businesses like hotels and eateries.
“Honestly, I’d love to see an ice cream parlor,” Campbell, now a committeeman in Downe, said. “There’s no place to get an ice cream cone in Fortescue.”
"Rothman said one potential buyer is interested in building a
100-room hotel at the current site of a campground on the water."
The sewer project, which could go out to bid in the coming months, has been discussed for a decade and is estimated to cost $15 million. Downe Township received a $4.49 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2019 for construction costs. Approximately $11 million of the project is funded via grants, Campbell said, and the rest could be financed if more grants are unavailable. The sewer plant will be built at the site of a former boatyard in Fortescue purchased by the township.
Campbell said there have been a few “naysayers” but estimated that 99% of the public is on board. “There’s always people who don’t want any change,” he said.
When the USDA grant was announced in 2019, Jeff Tittel, the now-retired director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, wrote op-eds denouncing the project as a way to usher in unneeded development in one of the state’s most unique and fragile landscapes. “I still feel that way,” Tittel said recently.
New Jersey’s bayfront, Tittel said, is on the front lines of climate change and rising sea levels, prone to constant flooding and susceptible to major storms. He believes people should be slowly retreating from communities like Fortescue and Gandy’s Beach, not shoring up the infrastructure there. “We shouldn’t be investing in places like this,” he said, “because they might not be here in 50 years. They might be underwater.”
Rothman and Campbell say it’s defeatism, not climate change, that’s the real threat to Downe Township. “We have the same flooding we’ve always had,” Campbell said. “It’s mother nature.”
Jane Morton Galetto, board president of Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River & Its Tributaries, said Downe’s sewer project is preferable to the current situation, where the state of each property’s septic system can vary greatly. Communities like Fortescue are cultural anchors, Morton Galetto said, as important to Downe and New Jersey as all the township’s natural resources. “We are not a historical society, but we have a grand appreciation of people’s place in the landscape,” she said on a tour through Downe Township recently.
Fortescue has been a tourist attraction since the 1800s, accessible by buggy and boat. Hotels and dance halls and beachfront shacks rose and fell like the tides, sometimes burned to the ground or swept out by storms. The town is still known as the “weakfish capital of the world,” after the once bountiful fish that populated the water and dinner plates there.
Rothman, who owns a fishing charter boat he docks in Fortescue, said he takes nearly as many bird-watchers out for cruises these days as he does fishermen.
Some homes in Downe’s bayfront communities are vacant, or in disrepair, but officials believe that will change once sewer lines go to every property. Real estate sales are already increasing in Fortescue and Gandy’s Beach, Rothman said, and some agents have mentioned the infrastructure project in their listings. It’s possible to purchase a waterfront home in Fortescue for less than $300,000.
“I don’t think we’ll see the full impact until a year or two,” said Donald Sullivan, a real estate agent out of Vineland, “but I’ve already sold a few properties where the buyer was under the assumption this was going to happen. That was part of the deal.” Fortescue has a few eateries, summer-only merchants, and, of course, a bait shop. There are a handful of homes available on Airbnb in Downe and four rooms at the Charlesworth Hotel & Restaurant, a waterfront steak and seafood establishment built in 1924.
Rothman said one potential buyer is interested in building a 100-room hotel at the current site of a campground on the water.
The Charlesworth’s owner, Syboll, said he spends $2,000 a month on his septic system and is eager for the sewer project to get started.
Rothman said no sewer project will change the bucolic nature of Downe Township. Most of its land consists of inland farms, protected open space, and vast acreages owned by nonprofits like the Nature Conservancy and Natural Lands trust. Their bayfront communities serve a different crowd than the millions who head to the Jersey Shore every summer. “There may be development but, bottom line, this is still Fortescue,” he said. “It’s never going to be Wildwood or Cape May. We pride ourselves on nature. That’s why people are going to come here.”
A $15 million sewer project is coming to Downe Township, a rural community along the Delaware Bay in Cumberland County, New Jersey
Published January 22, 2022 ~ by Jason Nark Staff Writer Philadelphia Inquirer
DOWNE TOWNSHIP, N.J. — There are no neon lights, no boardwalk, and amusements include the constant lapping waves of the Delaware Bay and the occasional sight of a thousand snow geese flying over the salt marshes like windswept clouds.
For the 1,500 or so people who live in this rural Cumberland County community, 60 miles south of Philadelphia, life without a traffic light is the way they like it. But many of Downe’s unincorporated communities, like the centuries-old fishing villages of Fortescue and Money Island, and the single road of bayfront homes on Gandy’s Beach, were hammered by Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy.
A few dozen Money Island homeowners sold their properties to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in the aftermath of those storms, and others are negotiating to do the same. Once the DEP razes those homes, the properties will essentially go back to nature. That’s what happened in Seabreeze, a ghost town just north of Downe, where every home is gone.
“That’s not going to happen here. We won’t let it,” Downe Township Mayor Mike Rothman said aboard his fishing boat in Fortescue recently. Rothman and former Mayor Robert Campbell believe their longtime dream -- replacing septic systems and propane tanks with sewer lines and natural gas -- will be a bulwark against the forces of nature and a rebuttal to those who feel the residents of Downe should retreat from the coast and move inland. The project is finally coming to fruition for Fortescue and Gandy’s Beach, and Campbell believes the consistency and cost benefits of modern infrastructure could boost property values and draw in new businesses like hotels and eateries.
“Honestly, I’d love to see an ice cream parlor,” Campbell, now a committeeman in Downe, said. “There’s no place to get an ice cream cone in Fortescue.”
"Rothman said one potential buyer is interested in building a
100-room hotel at the current site of a campground on the water."
The sewer project, which could go out to bid in the coming months, has been discussed for a decade and is estimated to cost $15 million. Downe Township received a $4.49 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2019 for construction costs. Approximately $11 million of the project is funded via grants, Campbell said, and the rest could be financed if more grants are unavailable. The sewer plant will be built at the site of a former boatyard in Fortescue purchased by the township.
Campbell said there have been a few “naysayers” but estimated that 99% of the public is on board. “There’s always people who don’t want any change,” he said.
When the USDA grant was announced in 2019, Jeff Tittel, the now-retired director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, wrote op-eds denouncing the project as a way to usher in unneeded development in one of the state’s most unique and fragile landscapes. “I still feel that way,” Tittel said recently.
New Jersey’s bayfront, Tittel said, is on the front lines of climate change and rising sea levels, prone to constant flooding and susceptible to major storms. He believes people should be slowly retreating from communities like Fortescue and Gandy’s Beach, not shoring up the infrastructure there. “We shouldn’t be investing in places like this,” he said, “because they might not be here in 50 years. They might be underwater.”
Rothman and Campbell say it’s defeatism, not climate change, that’s the real threat to Downe Township. “We have the same flooding we’ve always had,” Campbell said. “It’s mother nature.”
Jane Morton Galetto, board president of Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River & Its Tributaries, said Downe’s sewer project is preferable to the current situation, where the state of each property’s septic system can vary greatly. Communities like Fortescue are cultural anchors, Morton Galetto said, as important to Downe and New Jersey as all the township’s natural resources. “We are not a historical society, but we have a grand appreciation of people’s place in the landscape,” she said on a tour through Downe Township recently.
Fortescue has been a tourist attraction since the 1800s, accessible by buggy and boat. Hotels and dance halls and beachfront shacks rose and fell like the tides, sometimes burned to the ground or swept out by storms. The town is still known as the “weakfish capital of the world,” after the once bountiful fish that populated the water and dinner plates there.
Rothman, who owns a fishing charter boat he docks in Fortescue, said he takes nearly as many bird-watchers out for cruises these days as he does fishermen.
Some homes in Downe’s bayfront communities are vacant, or in disrepair, but officials believe that will change once sewer lines go to every property. Real estate sales are already increasing in Fortescue and Gandy’s Beach, Rothman said, and some agents have mentioned the infrastructure project in their listings. It’s possible to purchase a waterfront home in Fortescue for less than $300,000.
“I don’t think we’ll see the full impact until a year or two,” said Donald Sullivan, a real estate agent out of Vineland, “but I’ve already sold a few properties where the buyer was under the assumption this was going to happen. That was part of the deal.” Fortescue has a few eateries, summer-only merchants, and, of course, a bait shop. There are a handful of homes available on Airbnb in Downe and four rooms at the Charlesworth Hotel & Restaurant, a waterfront steak and seafood establishment built in 1924.
Rothman said one potential buyer is interested in building a 100-room hotel at the current site of a campground on the water.
The Charlesworth’s owner, Syboll, said he spends $2,000 a month on his septic system and is eager for the sewer project to get started.
Rothman said no sewer project will change the bucolic nature of Downe Township. Most of its land consists of inland farms, protected open space, and vast acreages owned by nonprofits like the Nature Conservancy and Natural Lands trust. Their bayfront communities serve a different crowd than the millions who head to the Jersey Shore every summer. “There may be development but, bottom line, this is still Fortescue,” he said. “It’s never going to be Wildwood or Cape May. We pride ourselves on nature. That’s why people are going to come here.”
Dredging starts off Downe Township to make Nantuxent Creek easier to transit
Joseph P. Smith Vineland Daily Journal – 12/31/2021
DOWNE – Nantuxent Creek is getting its first man-made scouring in a $1.6 million effort to reverse what a decade of big storms have done to clog a key passage for commercial fishing and recreational boats using the Delaware Bay.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation on Wednesday disclosed the start of work. Its Office of Maritime Resources is leading the project in collaboration with several N.J. Department of Environmental Protection maritime and wildlife programs.
The storms that helped silt up the Nantuxent also battered Money Island, a small village at its entrance. Money Island is a principal port for boats supplying packing houses in nearby Port Norris with bay oysters. The project has some direct benefits for the island.
Bay shore frustrations bubble over in meeting with NJ commissioner
Joseph P. Smith Vineland Daily Journal - 12/31/2021
MAURICE RIVER – New Jersey’s top environmental official says the state is not ready to pay for immediate storm protection projects in this stretch of Delaware Bay shore, despite local officials reporting worsening safety conditions.
N.J. Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette toured some trouble spots along the Maurice River last week. That was a popular move on his part among local officials, who still ended the day in disappointment.
LaTourette turned back requests to commit to anti-flooding projects, counseling instead greater planning coordination for a "holistic" view on the local level. Communities need to prepare for when money might become available, he said.
Maurice River Township hosted the tour and meeting, working with state Sen. Michael Testa, R-1, to arrange them. Representatives from Commercial and Downe townships and Cumberland County also attended.
"New Jersey’s top environmental official says the state is not ready to pay for
immediate storm protection projects in this stretch of Delaware Bay shore,
despite local officials reporting worsening safety conditions."
“It was very good that he showed up,” Mayor Ken Whilden said afterward. “Because very seldom do we get a commissioner to show up in the middle of Maurice River Township. I’m very thankful to the senator and to the commissioner.
“We do have to drill down and get to some of the nuts and bolts of these projects,” Whilden said. “The cost, and how they’re going to be funded.”
Frustrations bubbled up around the table following the tour.
Ben Stowman, chair of the Maurice River Land Use Board, noted the township was cut out of participation in a recent study of storm risks and mitigation.
The study focused on the Jersey Shore’s “back bays,” including Cape May County but nothing in Cumberland County. The Army Corps of Engineers released a draft study report earlier in August.
“And it’s kind of come back to bite us in this area time and time again,” Bowman said. LaTourette appeared surprised. “Were not included?” he asked.
“Even after we asked,” Maurice River Mayor Ken Whildin said. Later, Whildin confronted LaTourette with a recent state decision to spend $19 million to buy almost 100 acres of undeveloped land in Cape May County. The purchase would end decades of expensive court battles, LaTourette said. Whilden said his township could do a lot with that much money. “It just doesn’t seem fair,” he said. “I can understand that,” LaTourette said.
The most emergent problem, within Maurice River Township, may be a dike at Matts Landing. Behind it are a string of marinas, which lease their sites from the DEP. The township is in talks to take ownership of the land from the state.
The dike is the only barrier to floods reaching communities and maritime businesses on the township side of the Maurice River. Upriver are operations like Yank Marine Services in Dorchester and Allen Steel Co. in Leesburg. And presently, the dike is breached in two spots.
During the tour preceding the meeting, LaTourette was taken to the dike and its history, function, and shortcomings broken down for him.
“This is the only thing that is protecting all the infrastructure that these guys worked so hard for up in Haleyville,” Downe Township Mayor Mike Rothman said. “All the shipbuilding stuff that’s here now. This is it.” Rothman operates a tour boat along the river. “If this goes, this whole river disappears,” he said of the dike.
Maurice River Committeeman Joe Sterling said the dike and its surrounds once had the additional protection of low-lying meadows.
The meadows lay between where the dike now is and the winding Maurice River. The area, still known as “Basket Flats,” an oyster trade reference, now is submerged. There are plans to address that by filling the former meadow area to create dry land, but there is no timetable or an agency assigned for the job.
Additionally, changes in the course of the river increasing direct its current toward the dike. “If we have one good storm, it’s going to wipe this out,” Sterling said.
“We’re going to lose our marina district – what little we have left,” Whildin said during the tour. “And that’s going to affect both sides of the river, because we’ll really both be on a mud flat. So, the ship repair industry that we have on our side will be unavailable to vessel traffic. It won’t be deep enough water.”
Whildin said some local ship maintenance businesses are in position, and expect, to bring in new customers from planned off-shore wind turbine power facilities.
At the meeting, LaTourette said communities will have to make tough choices on what mitigation projects to pursue. Money will never be as available as officials desire, he said.
“But what if there’s $2 (million)?” LaTourette said. “What of all those features do you pick and why? That’s the conversation you will need to have, and we can help you. But that’s what a vulnerability assessment and a resilience planning exercise will do.”
Rothman reminded LaTourette of this area’s history of different treatment compared to how New Jersey responds to projects for other shore communities.
“Whenever it comes to our communities on the bay shore, it’s like Mayor Campbell said (?), we always get met with the different approach because we’re the ‘bay shore,’” Rothman said. “We’re not the coast. We’re not towns with rollercoasters and casinos and fancy restaurants.” Rothman said officials here are tired of having to make excuses to residents for inaction. “But we continue to come to this table,” Rothman said. “And we continue to have the conversation.”
Testa said the economic value of bay shore businesses is underreported and should factor in New Jersey’s decisions.
“The industries that exist here, that are kind of just flying under the radar, if they’re gone, they’re gone forever,” Testa said. “Right? So, oysters are an integral part of our environment and they need to be protected because of the job that they do for our waterways each and every year.”
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the Maurice River flows into the northeast corner of Maurice River Cove 17 miles north-northwestward of Cape May Light. East Point, on the east side of the entrance, is marked by a light. A Coast Guard summary states that large shellfish plants are along the lower part of the river; shipbuilding facilities are at Dorchester. The summary states Maurice River is entered through a partially dredged crooked channel east of Fowler Island, which is in about the middle of the river’s mouth. The northernmost section passing east of the island has natural depths, it states.
Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey more than 30 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.
Have a tip? Reach out at (856) 563-5252 or [email protected] or follow me on Twitter,
@jpsmith-dj. Help support local journalism with a subscription.
Joseph P. Smith Vineland Daily Journal – 12/31/2021
DOWNE – Nantuxent Creek is getting its first man-made scouring in a $1.6 million effort to reverse what a decade of big storms have done to clog a key passage for commercial fishing and recreational boats using the Delaware Bay.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation on Wednesday disclosed the start of work. Its Office of Maritime Resources is leading the project in collaboration with several N.J. Department of Environmental Protection maritime and wildlife programs.
The storms that helped silt up the Nantuxent also battered Money Island, a small village at its entrance. Money Island is a principal port for boats supplying packing houses in nearby Port Norris with bay oysters. The project has some direct benefits for the island.
Bay shore frustrations bubble over in meeting with NJ commissioner
Joseph P. Smith Vineland Daily Journal - 12/31/2021
MAURICE RIVER – New Jersey’s top environmental official says the state is not ready to pay for immediate storm protection projects in this stretch of Delaware Bay shore, despite local officials reporting worsening safety conditions.
N.J. Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette toured some trouble spots along the Maurice River last week. That was a popular move on his part among local officials, who still ended the day in disappointment.
LaTourette turned back requests to commit to anti-flooding projects, counseling instead greater planning coordination for a "holistic" view on the local level. Communities need to prepare for when money might become available, he said.
Maurice River Township hosted the tour and meeting, working with state Sen. Michael Testa, R-1, to arrange them. Representatives from Commercial and Downe townships and Cumberland County also attended.
"New Jersey’s top environmental official says the state is not ready to pay for
immediate storm protection projects in this stretch of Delaware Bay shore,
despite local officials reporting worsening safety conditions."
“It was very good that he showed up,” Mayor Ken Whilden said afterward. “Because very seldom do we get a commissioner to show up in the middle of Maurice River Township. I’m very thankful to the senator and to the commissioner.
“We do have to drill down and get to some of the nuts and bolts of these projects,” Whilden said. “The cost, and how they’re going to be funded.”
Frustrations bubbled up around the table following the tour.
Ben Stowman, chair of the Maurice River Land Use Board, noted the township was cut out of participation in a recent study of storm risks and mitigation.
The study focused on the Jersey Shore’s “back bays,” including Cape May County but nothing in Cumberland County. The Army Corps of Engineers released a draft study report earlier in August.
“And it’s kind of come back to bite us in this area time and time again,” Bowman said. LaTourette appeared surprised. “Were not included?” he asked.
“Even after we asked,” Maurice River Mayor Ken Whildin said. Later, Whildin confronted LaTourette with a recent state decision to spend $19 million to buy almost 100 acres of undeveloped land in Cape May County. The purchase would end decades of expensive court battles, LaTourette said. Whilden said his township could do a lot with that much money. “It just doesn’t seem fair,” he said. “I can understand that,” LaTourette said.
The most emergent problem, within Maurice River Township, may be a dike at Matts Landing. Behind it are a string of marinas, which lease their sites from the DEP. The township is in talks to take ownership of the land from the state.
The dike is the only barrier to floods reaching communities and maritime businesses on the township side of the Maurice River. Upriver are operations like Yank Marine Services in Dorchester and Allen Steel Co. in Leesburg. And presently, the dike is breached in two spots.
During the tour preceding the meeting, LaTourette was taken to the dike and its history, function, and shortcomings broken down for him.
“This is the only thing that is protecting all the infrastructure that these guys worked so hard for up in Haleyville,” Downe Township Mayor Mike Rothman said. “All the shipbuilding stuff that’s here now. This is it.” Rothman operates a tour boat along the river. “If this goes, this whole river disappears,” he said of the dike.
Maurice River Committeeman Joe Sterling said the dike and its surrounds once had the additional protection of low-lying meadows.
The meadows lay between where the dike now is and the winding Maurice River. The area, still known as “Basket Flats,” an oyster trade reference, now is submerged. There are plans to address that by filling the former meadow area to create dry land, but there is no timetable or an agency assigned for the job.
Additionally, changes in the course of the river increasing direct its current toward the dike. “If we have one good storm, it’s going to wipe this out,” Sterling said.
“We’re going to lose our marina district – what little we have left,” Whildin said during the tour. “And that’s going to affect both sides of the river, because we’ll really both be on a mud flat. So, the ship repair industry that we have on our side will be unavailable to vessel traffic. It won’t be deep enough water.”
Whildin said some local ship maintenance businesses are in position, and expect, to bring in new customers from planned off-shore wind turbine power facilities.
At the meeting, LaTourette said communities will have to make tough choices on what mitigation projects to pursue. Money will never be as available as officials desire, he said.
“But what if there’s $2 (million)?” LaTourette said. “What of all those features do you pick and why? That’s the conversation you will need to have, and we can help you. But that’s what a vulnerability assessment and a resilience planning exercise will do.”
Rothman reminded LaTourette of this area’s history of different treatment compared to how New Jersey responds to projects for other shore communities.
“Whenever it comes to our communities on the bay shore, it’s like Mayor Campbell said (?), we always get met with the different approach because we’re the ‘bay shore,’” Rothman said. “We’re not the coast. We’re not towns with rollercoasters and casinos and fancy restaurants.” Rothman said officials here are tired of having to make excuses to residents for inaction. “But we continue to come to this table,” Rothman said. “And we continue to have the conversation.”
Testa said the economic value of bay shore businesses is underreported and should factor in New Jersey’s decisions.
“The industries that exist here, that are kind of just flying under the radar, if they’re gone, they’re gone forever,” Testa said. “Right? So, oysters are an integral part of our environment and they need to be protected because of the job that they do for our waterways each and every year.”
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the Maurice River flows into the northeast corner of Maurice River Cove 17 miles north-northwestward of Cape May Light. East Point, on the east side of the entrance, is marked by a light. A Coast Guard summary states that large shellfish plants are along the lower part of the river; shipbuilding facilities are at Dorchester. The summary states Maurice River is entered through a partially dredged crooked channel east of Fowler Island, which is in about the middle of the river’s mouth. The northernmost section passing east of the island has natural depths, it states.
Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey more than 30 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.
Have a tip? Reach out at (856) 563-5252 or [email protected] or follow me on Twitter,
@jpsmith-dj. Help support local journalism with a subscription.
Historic NJ lighthouse battered by rising seas, now shuttered over contract dispute
ANDREW S. LEWIS | FEBRUARY 8, 2021 | ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
East Point Lighthouse closed indefinitely as nonprofit custodian refuses to sign state’s new interim license agreement
East Point Lighthouse on the Delaware Bay in Cumberland County. The cracked and perpetually soaked two-lane road leading to New Jersey’s 162-year-old East Point Lighthouse is gradually going underwater. But, on drier days, even in winter, that doesn’t stop tourists from making the long trek to this remote piece of history clinging to the low edge of Cumberland County’s Delaware Bay shore. For now, though, all they can do is look in from the outside.
What the eroding land and rising water has been unable to completely consume, however, may now be in peril due to a dispute with the state Department of Environmental Protection over the landmark’s management lease. Last March, the lease between the state — which owns the lighthouse and its grounds — and the Maurice River Historical Society, the nonprofit organization that has managed the property since 1972, expired. Instead of renewing the lease under the same terms, the DEP in January informed the society that it would need to sign an “interim license agreement” that the society believes is designed to kick it out.
The agreement would be “like signing both the lighthouse and the society’s death warrant,” said Nancy Patterson, president of the society. The DEP said that’s not the intention. “To maintain our partnership with Maurice River Historical Society and to provide continuity of stewardship for the lighthouse, NJDEP is willing to negotiate a new long-term lease with the historical society,” DEP spokesperson Caryn Shinske said.
“Until such an agreement could be reached, the DEP offered Maurice River Historical Society an interim license agreement to ensure their continued involvement with the lighthouse, pending agreement on a long-term lease.”
‘Backed into the corner’ The society has kept the lighthouse closed since mid-January because of the disagreement, unwilling to reopen the doors in the absence of a signed lease with the state that both parties can agree on.
Patterson’s core concern with the five-year interim agreement is that it includes a provision that says the state can at any time terminate its partnership with the society and be entitled to any funds the society has generated — through gift shop sales, grants, donations, etc. — expressly for the upkeep of the lighthouse. “If we sign it, then they could kick us out and take all our money; if we don’t sign it, they could kick us out because we don’t have a license agreement,” Patterson said, noting that the historical society pays for the property’s insurance, electric bills, general maintenance, and promotion. “We’re absolutely backed into the corner.” (The Coast Guard pays for the lantern’s upkeep.) A lease allows a tenant to retain some right to ownership of the property — for example, to add lawn ornamentation or sublet to a third party. A license agreement, however, affords the owner strict control, merely giving the tenant permission to conduct an action — give tours to the public, for example — on the property.
Nancy Patterson of the Maurice River Historical Society points to an area on the lighthouse property where the bay often breaches during high tide.“As written, they’re basically saying ‘This is our land and we’re going to let you on it to do the following — run a store, make repairs, maintain the property — but at any time, if we feel like it, we can kick you off again,’” said Terry Bennett, a lawyer who is consulting with the historical society on the issue. “The implication is that the DEP would need some cause to do this, but their cause might be that they really just don’t want you there anymore.”
Bennett is helping the historical society draft a response to the DEP, outlining its concerns with the interim agreement, that it will submit this week, in the hope that the department will be open to negotiation.
‘A big bowl of water with no place to go’ In 2017, a mult-imillion-dollar, federal- and state-funded project restored East Point to its 19th century stature, but that did nothing for the disappearing shoreline surrounding the lighthouse’s granite foundation and perpetually flooded basement. Originally built 500 feet back from the water, today it’s less than 100 feet from the high tide line.
In 2019, the state invested $460,000 in a 570-foot geotube berm, an 8-foot-diameter tube made of synthetic material and filled with sand. The project was a Band-Aid intended to stave off inundation until a longer-term solution — such as elevating the lighthouse or moving it altogether — could be implemented. As soon as it was installed, however, the geotube proved ineffective during highwater storm events, which on this stretch of Delaware Bay shore, are a common occurrence.
Patterson says the berm was not high enough. “The DEP is always screaming about sea level rise, and they didn’t even build the geotube as high as the natural dune had been before Hurricane Sandy, so the bay goes right over it,” she said. “Now, East Point is a big bowl of water with no place to go.” (As part of its Protecting Against Climate Threats initiative, the state is in the process of updating land-use regulations to account for future sea-level rise.)
After Hurricane Isaias caused serious flooding at East Point in August, the historical society drew up an emergency plan to build more berms around the property, install a wooden walkway, and spread crushed shell on the dirt lane leading to the lighthouse’s parking lot.
“The DEP is always screaming about sea level rise, and they didn’t even build the geotube as high as the natural dune had been before Hurricane Sandy, so the bay goes right over it..."
Political help It was a long shot, Patterson said, given that in the past the DEP had denied many of the society’s requests to conduct its own flood protection projects. But after she contacted Sen. Michael Testa (R-Cumberland) for help, Patterson said she was told by the DEP that the emergency plan had been authorized.
The good news came just after Christmas. Patterson celebrated; donations for the project started pouring in. But less than two weeks later, she was sent the interim agreement. Without an active occupancy agreement and unwilling to sign the interim agreement, Patterson feared that conducting work of any kind on the property could be interpreted by the DEP as a breach of contract, so the society postponed the emergency plan and closed the lighthouse, museum and gift shop indefinitely.
Patterson alerted Testa, as well as U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), of her concerns over the interim license. Testa contacted the DEP’s acting commissioner Shawn LaTourette. “Nancy has put her heart and soul into doing everything that she possibly can to preserve the lighthouse,” Testa said. “I want the experts to get in there and determine what the best long-term plan is to save it.” Testa noted that he and Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) agree that East Point needs to be protected as both a historical site and a place for tourists to visit. “I’m hoping all parties can come together and build a consensus as to what the plan for East Point is going to be,” he said.
“It seems like they want to just be able to close it up,” Patterson said. “And for us to go away.”...
Major mitigation project one mile away A mile to the northwest, at the other end of the wide, shallow mouth of the Maurice River, one of the most ambitious sea-level-rise mitigation efforts ever undertaken on New Jersey’s Delaware Bay shore is set to begin. The American Littoral Society, which is leading the project, has secured $4.8 million in federal funds to begin a $12 million project that will build breakwaters and rock revetments to both absorb storm surge and reestablish shoreline that has disappeared over the last three decades. The remaining $7 million would need to come from a state match “that’s not yet secured,” said Tim Dillingham, the Littoral Society’s executive director. The structures would protect the historic port of Bivalve, where the majority of the bay’s oyster fleet is docked, from the encroaching bay.
“Just like Bivalve, East Point is an irreplaceable, historic resource, and it’s vulnerable and being worn away,” Dillingham said. “Something needs to be done.”
While the Littoral Society has included in its plans an additional phase that would include a breakwater to protect East Point’s highly exposed, west-facing shore, it would require additional funding beyond the current $12 million price tag.
Dillingham hopes they can find the extra money. “This is a critical project at a critical time,” he said. “There really isn’t a lot of time to waste anymore.”
Meanwhile, East Point sits shuttered and in legal limbo, a red-and-white monolith balanced on an ever-shifting landscape. “The DEP is currently assessing its options on how the interior of the structure may be made accessible to the public and remains committed to working with [the historical society] should it reconsider its decision [to not sign the interim license],” the DEP’s Shinske said. “The lighthouse grounds remain open to the public.”
“It seems like they want to just be able to close it up,” Patterson said. “And for us to go away.”
ANDREW S. LEWIS | FEBRUARY 8, 2021 | ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
East Point Lighthouse closed indefinitely as nonprofit custodian refuses to sign state’s new interim license agreement
East Point Lighthouse on the Delaware Bay in Cumberland County. The cracked and perpetually soaked two-lane road leading to New Jersey’s 162-year-old East Point Lighthouse is gradually going underwater. But, on drier days, even in winter, that doesn’t stop tourists from making the long trek to this remote piece of history clinging to the low edge of Cumberland County’s Delaware Bay shore. For now, though, all they can do is look in from the outside.
What the eroding land and rising water has been unable to completely consume, however, may now be in peril due to a dispute with the state Department of Environmental Protection over the landmark’s management lease. Last March, the lease between the state — which owns the lighthouse and its grounds — and the Maurice River Historical Society, the nonprofit organization that has managed the property since 1972, expired. Instead of renewing the lease under the same terms, the DEP in January informed the society that it would need to sign an “interim license agreement” that the society believes is designed to kick it out.
The agreement would be “like signing both the lighthouse and the society’s death warrant,” said Nancy Patterson, president of the society. The DEP said that’s not the intention. “To maintain our partnership with Maurice River Historical Society and to provide continuity of stewardship for the lighthouse, NJDEP is willing to negotiate a new long-term lease with the historical society,” DEP spokesperson Caryn Shinske said.
“Until such an agreement could be reached, the DEP offered Maurice River Historical Society an interim license agreement to ensure their continued involvement with the lighthouse, pending agreement on a long-term lease.”
‘Backed into the corner’ The society has kept the lighthouse closed since mid-January because of the disagreement, unwilling to reopen the doors in the absence of a signed lease with the state that both parties can agree on.
Patterson’s core concern with the five-year interim agreement is that it includes a provision that says the state can at any time terminate its partnership with the society and be entitled to any funds the society has generated — through gift shop sales, grants, donations, etc. — expressly for the upkeep of the lighthouse. “If we sign it, then they could kick us out and take all our money; if we don’t sign it, they could kick us out because we don’t have a license agreement,” Patterson said, noting that the historical society pays for the property’s insurance, electric bills, general maintenance, and promotion. “We’re absolutely backed into the corner.” (The Coast Guard pays for the lantern’s upkeep.) A lease allows a tenant to retain some right to ownership of the property — for example, to add lawn ornamentation or sublet to a third party. A license agreement, however, affords the owner strict control, merely giving the tenant permission to conduct an action — give tours to the public, for example — on the property.
Nancy Patterson of the Maurice River Historical Society points to an area on the lighthouse property where the bay often breaches during high tide.“As written, they’re basically saying ‘This is our land and we’re going to let you on it to do the following — run a store, make repairs, maintain the property — but at any time, if we feel like it, we can kick you off again,’” said Terry Bennett, a lawyer who is consulting with the historical society on the issue. “The implication is that the DEP would need some cause to do this, but their cause might be that they really just don’t want you there anymore.”
Bennett is helping the historical society draft a response to the DEP, outlining its concerns with the interim agreement, that it will submit this week, in the hope that the department will be open to negotiation.
‘A big bowl of water with no place to go’ In 2017, a mult-imillion-dollar, federal- and state-funded project restored East Point to its 19th century stature, but that did nothing for the disappearing shoreline surrounding the lighthouse’s granite foundation and perpetually flooded basement. Originally built 500 feet back from the water, today it’s less than 100 feet from the high tide line.
In 2019, the state invested $460,000 in a 570-foot geotube berm, an 8-foot-diameter tube made of synthetic material and filled with sand. The project was a Band-Aid intended to stave off inundation until a longer-term solution — such as elevating the lighthouse or moving it altogether — could be implemented. As soon as it was installed, however, the geotube proved ineffective during highwater storm events, which on this stretch of Delaware Bay shore, are a common occurrence.
Patterson says the berm was not high enough. “The DEP is always screaming about sea level rise, and they didn’t even build the geotube as high as the natural dune had been before Hurricane Sandy, so the bay goes right over it,” she said. “Now, East Point is a big bowl of water with no place to go.” (As part of its Protecting Against Climate Threats initiative, the state is in the process of updating land-use regulations to account for future sea-level rise.)
After Hurricane Isaias caused serious flooding at East Point in August, the historical society drew up an emergency plan to build more berms around the property, install a wooden walkway, and spread crushed shell on the dirt lane leading to the lighthouse’s parking lot.
“The DEP is always screaming about sea level rise, and they didn’t even build the geotube as high as the natural dune had been before Hurricane Sandy, so the bay goes right over it..."
Political help It was a long shot, Patterson said, given that in the past the DEP had denied many of the society’s requests to conduct its own flood protection projects. But after she contacted Sen. Michael Testa (R-Cumberland) for help, Patterson said she was told by the DEP that the emergency plan had been authorized.
The good news came just after Christmas. Patterson celebrated; donations for the project started pouring in. But less than two weeks later, she was sent the interim agreement. Without an active occupancy agreement and unwilling to sign the interim agreement, Patterson feared that conducting work of any kind on the property could be interpreted by the DEP as a breach of contract, so the society postponed the emergency plan and closed the lighthouse, museum and gift shop indefinitely.
Patterson alerted Testa, as well as U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), of her concerns over the interim license. Testa contacted the DEP’s acting commissioner Shawn LaTourette. “Nancy has put her heart and soul into doing everything that she possibly can to preserve the lighthouse,” Testa said. “I want the experts to get in there and determine what the best long-term plan is to save it.” Testa noted that he and Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) agree that East Point needs to be protected as both a historical site and a place for tourists to visit. “I’m hoping all parties can come together and build a consensus as to what the plan for East Point is going to be,” he said.
“It seems like they want to just be able to close it up,” Patterson said. “And for us to go away.”...
Major mitigation project one mile away A mile to the northwest, at the other end of the wide, shallow mouth of the Maurice River, one of the most ambitious sea-level-rise mitigation efforts ever undertaken on New Jersey’s Delaware Bay shore is set to begin. The American Littoral Society, which is leading the project, has secured $4.8 million in federal funds to begin a $12 million project that will build breakwaters and rock revetments to both absorb storm surge and reestablish shoreline that has disappeared over the last three decades. The remaining $7 million would need to come from a state match “that’s not yet secured,” said Tim Dillingham, the Littoral Society’s executive director. The structures would protect the historic port of Bivalve, where the majority of the bay’s oyster fleet is docked, from the encroaching bay.
“Just like Bivalve, East Point is an irreplaceable, historic resource, and it’s vulnerable and being worn away,” Dillingham said. “Something needs to be done.”
While the Littoral Society has included in its plans an additional phase that would include a breakwater to protect East Point’s highly exposed, west-facing shore, it would require additional funding beyond the current $12 million price tag.
Dillingham hopes they can find the extra money. “This is a critical project at a critical time,” he said. “There really isn’t a lot of time to waste anymore.”
Meanwhile, East Point sits shuttered and in legal limbo, a red-and-white monolith balanced on an ever-shifting landscape. “The DEP is currently assessing its options on how the interior of the structure may be made accessible to the public and remains committed to working with [the historical society] should it reconsider its decision [to not sign the interim license],” the DEP’s Shinske said. “The lighthouse grounds remain open to the public.”
“It seems like they want to just be able to close it up,” Patterson said. “And for us to go away.”
Menendez, Booker Announce Another $3M to Buyout Flood - Prone Properties in Cumberland County
Thursday, January 16, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker today announced $3,194,446.00 in federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist with a flood mitigation and resiliency project in Downe Township, Cumberland County.
“Our state was ravaged by Superstorm Sandy and communities are still trying to recover,” said Sen. Menendez. “This grant will help Downe take preventative measures to ensure their residents are safe and that they are prepared when the next major storm hits.”
"We have a responsibility to protect the Delaware Bay from the ever-increasing dangers of rising sea levels and tidal flooding,” said Sen. Booker. “This federal investment in Downe Township is a crucial step toward promoting New Jersey’s flood resilience and emergency preparedness."
The grant will be used to fund the purchase and demolition of 11 flood-prone properties in the Township of Downe. The grant will also assist in the properties’ return to their natural function. The township previously received $5,975,961 in FEMA grants to support the buyout and acquisition of flood-prone properties.
Last year, Sen. Menendez introduced the National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization and Reform (NFIP Re) Act of 2019, which tackles systemic problems with flood insurance, puts it back on solid fiscal ground, and reframes the nation’s entire disaster paradigm to one that focuses more on prevention and mitigation to spare the high cost of rebuilding after flood disasters.
Press Contact: Chris Flores [email protected]
Tony Novak pictured at one of his properties in Money Island, NJ.
Photo by Craig Matthews, Staff Photographer
As sea levels rise, one
Delaware Bay community is vanishing
August 3, 2019 -Press of Atlantic City – Avalon Zoppo, Staff Writer
Tony Novak strolls down Nantucket Road in the sweltering heat, as pieces of the Downe Township street erode and fall into the bay. His dog Baxter trots ahead and investigates the remnants of a broken-down mobile home parked on a patch of grass with its contents spilling out.
“It’s been like that for a while,” said Novak, pointing to the unit, which sits next to an abandoned one-story, blue house perched on pilings. His nearby marina is now closed after averaging only one customer per day.
This is Money Island, a rural, flood-prone community along the Delaware Bay in Cumberland County where the state has been making offers to buy houses from residents under the Blue Acres program enacted after Hurricane Sandy.
Since 2016, the Department of Environmental Protection has purchased 26 properties, some already vacant, on the island, totaling more than $2.7 million, according to the agency. Only a few holdouts remain, either unwilling or unable financially to leave. For some, the rustic, remote section of Downe Township, which sits slightly above sea level, is a quiet slice of paradise away from the bustling Jersey Shore.
And packing up isn’t easy. “It was sort of love at first sight. ... Money Island was my escape and my place to be peaceful with my family in a place of beauty,” said Meghan Wren, who bought her house along Nantucket Creek in 1997. Recently, she signed paperwork to enter discussions with the DEP. Whether she accepts an offer, she said, will depend on if the price allows her to both pay off her mortgage and purchase a new home.
It’s a tough decision, though, and one she feels is being forced on her.
Since Hurricane Sandy, the state gave out $194,700 to Money Island residents for elevations and other flood mitigation measures, according to Department of Community Affairs records. At the same time, it poured millions into managed retreat from the bay. “It’s not feeling voluntary,” Wren said. “It’s feeling like you’re going to be in a difficult situation if you don’t take the buyout.”
The concept of retreat New Jersey is undertaking on Money Island may become a blueprint for other coastal communities as climate change presents more of a threat in the coming years, though it hasn’t reached wealthier shore towns. In its study of flooding on New Jersey’s back bays, the Army Corps of Engineers dedicated an entire section to the strategy.
But the Blue Acres program is not without its flaws, says Andrew Lewis, author of the upcoming book “The Drowning of Money Island,” which presents an in-depth look at how sea level rise and buy-backs impacted the remote community. He grew up about 20 miles away in Hopewell Township. Under the program, officials offer pre-Sandy values for homes that were occupied at the time of the storm. They purchase properties in clusters. Each time a homeowner uses a grant to repair or elevate a house, that amount is deducted from the offer price, he said.
Those who accepted buyouts early-on made out the best, Lewis said, while waiting for a higher price often usually had the opposite effect.
And as people abandon the community, Lewis said vandalism, littering and fire safety become issues around un-maintained homes before the state arrives to demolish them. “For the people who stick around, it might not be the best situation,” Lewis said.
"... It includes grand ideas of a university/education research center and an upgraded aquaculture and
commercial docking facility for the $40 million oyster industry there and for environmental tourists...."
"The plan is in early stages, and there’s no funding yet for the projects,
but the township is moving ahead with a $15 million wastewater treatment plant
for neighboring Fortescue and Gandy’s Beach."
Mayor Bob Campbell says the buyouts also hurt the township’s tax base. According to the tax collector’s office, the township lost $14,300 since 2016 from the 26 properties bought by the state and turned into open space. The small, year-round fishing community that once existed is largely gone, he said.
Over the past few years though, Campbell, Novak and others have drawn up a redevelopment plan for the mostly vacant, 54-acre Money Island.
It includes grand ideas of a university/education research center and an upgraded aquaculture and commercial docking facility for the $40 million oyster industry there and for environmental tourists. Rutgers University already has conducted research on living shorelines on Money Island.
On Thursday morning, dozens of commercial crabbers and oyster catchers trawled the waters.
The plan is in early stages, and there’s no funding yet for the projects, but the township is moving ahead with a $15 million wastewater treatment plant for neighboring Fortescue and Gandy’s Beach.
“I’m not trying to build a casino here or anything,” said Campbell. “I just want people to have a real bathroom and facilities and to be able to enjoy the nature.”
Contact: 609-272-7258 [email protected]
Delaware Bay community is vanishing
August 3, 2019 -Press of Atlantic City – Avalon Zoppo, Staff Writer
Tony Novak strolls down Nantucket Road in the sweltering heat, as pieces of the Downe Township street erode and fall into the bay. His dog Baxter trots ahead and investigates the remnants of a broken-down mobile home parked on a patch of grass with its contents spilling out.
“It’s been like that for a while,” said Novak, pointing to the unit, which sits next to an abandoned one-story, blue house perched on pilings. His nearby marina is now closed after averaging only one customer per day.
This is Money Island, a rural, flood-prone community along the Delaware Bay in Cumberland County where the state has been making offers to buy houses from residents under the Blue Acres program enacted after Hurricane Sandy.
Since 2016, the Department of Environmental Protection has purchased 26 properties, some already vacant, on the island, totaling more than $2.7 million, according to the agency. Only a few holdouts remain, either unwilling or unable financially to leave. For some, the rustic, remote section of Downe Township, which sits slightly above sea level, is a quiet slice of paradise away from the bustling Jersey Shore.
And packing up isn’t easy. “It was sort of love at first sight. ... Money Island was my escape and my place to be peaceful with my family in a place of beauty,” said Meghan Wren, who bought her house along Nantucket Creek in 1997. Recently, she signed paperwork to enter discussions with the DEP. Whether she accepts an offer, she said, will depend on if the price allows her to both pay off her mortgage and purchase a new home.
It’s a tough decision, though, and one she feels is being forced on her.
Since Hurricane Sandy, the state gave out $194,700 to Money Island residents for elevations and other flood mitigation measures, according to Department of Community Affairs records. At the same time, it poured millions into managed retreat from the bay. “It’s not feeling voluntary,” Wren said. “It’s feeling like you’re going to be in a difficult situation if you don’t take the buyout.”
The concept of retreat New Jersey is undertaking on Money Island may become a blueprint for other coastal communities as climate change presents more of a threat in the coming years, though it hasn’t reached wealthier shore towns. In its study of flooding on New Jersey’s back bays, the Army Corps of Engineers dedicated an entire section to the strategy.
But the Blue Acres program is not without its flaws, says Andrew Lewis, author of the upcoming book “The Drowning of Money Island,” which presents an in-depth look at how sea level rise and buy-backs impacted the remote community. He grew up about 20 miles away in Hopewell Township. Under the program, officials offer pre-Sandy values for homes that were occupied at the time of the storm. They purchase properties in clusters. Each time a homeowner uses a grant to repair or elevate a house, that amount is deducted from the offer price, he said.
Those who accepted buyouts early-on made out the best, Lewis said, while waiting for a higher price often usually had the opposite effect.
And as people abandon the community, Lewis said vandalism, littering and fire safety become issues around un-maintained homes before the state arrives to demolish them. “For the people who stick around, it might not be the best situation,” Lewis said.
"... It includes grand ideas of a university/education research center and an upgraded aquaculture and
commercial docking facility for the $40 million oyster industry there and for environmental tourists...."
"The plan is in early stages, and there’s no funding yet for the projects,
but the township is moving ahead with a $15 million wastewater treatment plant
for neighboring Fortescue and Gandy’s Beach."
Mayor Bob Campbell says the buyouts also hurt the township’s tax base. According to the tax collector’s office, the township lost $14,300 since 2016 from the 26 properties bought by the state and turned into open space. The small, year-round fishing community that once existed is largely gone, he said.
Over the past few years though, Campbell, Novak and others have drawn up a redevelopment plan for the mostly vacant, 54-acre Money Island.
It includes grand ideas of a university/education research center and an upgraded aquaculture and commercial docking facility for the $40 million oyster industry there and for environmental tourists. Rutgers University already has conducted research on living shorelines on Money Island.
On Thursday morning, dozens of commercial crabbers and oyster catchers trawled the waters.
The plan is in early stages, and there’s no funding yet for the projects, but the township is moving ahead with a $15 million wastewater treatment plant for neighboring Fortescue and Gandy’s Beach.
“I’m not trying to build a casino here or anything,” said Campbell. “I just want people to have a real bathroom and facilities and to be able to enjoy the nature.”
Contact: 609-272-7258 [email protected]
Steve Fleetwood Sr., who has operated the Bivalve Packing Company for over twenty five years, on a boat used for oyster farming on Thursday, November 1, 2018. (Photo: Michael Karas/NorthJersey.com)
Once nearly extinct, Jersey oysters join the jet set
Christopher Maag, North Jersey Record Email: [email protected]
Published December 20, 2018 | Updated December 21, 2018
For a species that spent its first 520 million years on Earth stuck to the bottom of the ocean, oysters sure love to hitchhike. They’re good at it, too. Every spring they arrive at Steve Fleetwood’s office by UPS truck, millions of baby oysters swimming in a little plastic bag chilled by a frozen gel pack. For a year, sometimes two, they hitch rides on Fleetwood’s boats up and down and all around Delaware Bay. Then they are scooped up, packed into boxes and shipped on refrigerated trucks to New York City, or loaded onto airplanes bound for Paris.
Actually, over the last four centuries – a long time for humans, but just a blink of an eye for an old species like the oyster – this craggy little mollusk morphed from one of the most sedentary animals on the planet to one of the best traveled. Oysters raised by Steve Fleetwood move greater distances with greater frequency and speed than many commercially produced pigs, cows or chickens ever will.
Along New Jersey’s southern edge, where soggy, shaggy bits of land straggle out into Delaware Bay, the plurality of those trips occur on Fleetwood’s fleet of wooden boats, which sail faster now than the day they were built, a century ago. “We’re going 6.8 knots. I’m just idling,” Fleetwood’s son, Steve Fleetwood Jr., said on a recent trip to harvest oysters aboard the Howard Sockwell, a 65-foot schooner built in 1910. “She’ll go faster. She’ll do nine or ten with a full load of oysters on her deck.”
The elder Fleetwood is the manager of a company called Bivalve Packing, the largest producer of oysters on New Jersey’s side of Delaware Bay. It is located in Bivalve in Cumberland County, once a thriving village of oyster shuckers and boat workers that is now deserted. With so few people left on the roads, both Steve Fleetwoods drive fast. They barrel onto the property of Bivalve Packing, and often skidtheir pickups to a stop across the wide gravel yard. One might expect an ancient, plodding species like the oyster to detest all this hurry. Quite the opposite. From all indications, oysters love it.
A certain kind of stuck
A baby oyster spends its first two weeks swimming. Then it sinks to the bottom, seeking a hard surface. Golf balls, discarded gloves, concrete bricks, Faygo cans and the shells of other oysters all work just fine. When it finds a spot that’s free of muck, the little animal latches on.
For tens of millions of years before humans arrived, this connection was as crucial as it was final.
“If they don’t have anything hard to latch onto, they’re just going to die,” said Rachel Dolhanczyk, museum curator at the Bayshore Center at Bivalve, which runs exhibits dedicated to New Jersey's oyster industry. Sometimes the Fleetwoods seem as rooted to Delaware Bay as their crop. Steve Fleetwood Jr.’s great-grandfather worked the water, catching fish in nets and oysters in tongs, which resemble a basket attached to a yard rake. His grandfather was the last keeper of the Ship John Shoal Lighthouse, where he was surrounded by some of the bay’s richest oyster beds.
Each night the keeper’s wife drove to the shore, aimed her car at the lighthouse, and used the headlights to tap out messages in Morse code.
“They were true watermen,” the younger Fleetwood said of his ancestors.
The elder Fleetwood grew up on oyster boats, learning to do whatever needed doing. He welded steel equipment onto decks, then became a scuba diver to clear snags from propellers. He farmed oysters the old way. In spring, Fleetwood dredged Hope Creek, Fishing Creek and Liston Range, oyster beds far up the bay. He loaded so many oysters, his deck often dropped below the waterline. The boat appeared to be sinking. Then he’d turn south, sail 30 miles, and shovel the oysters overboard onto beds named Hawk’s Nest, Nantuxent and Hog Shoal.
Rather than resent all this hullabaloo, the oysters thrived. An oyster in the upper bay might take 12 years to reach marketable size, said Michael De Luca, director of the Rutgers University Aquaculture Innovation Center in Cape May. Transplanted closer to the sea, oysters reach maturity in just three years, aided by warmer water and the abundance of phytoplankton.
“You had to catch ’em twice to sell ’em once,” Clyde A. Phillips, a retired oysterman, said in a documentary produced by the Bayshore Center.
When Steve Fleetwood Sr. was still a young man, everything collapsed. Decades of overharvesting plus the onset of two parasites, MSX in 1957 and Dermo in 1991, killed most of the oysters in Delaware Bay.
Oystermen who couldn’t sell their boats abandoned them. Most residents of Bivalve moved away.
The Fleetwoods stayed in business by running two marinas for sport fishermen. The elder Fleetwood farmed salt hay. His son got a job fixing tracks for the Winchester & Western Railroad, a shortline railroad with routes in Southern Jersey, and another job guiding winter bear hunts in Maine.
Neither man considered giving up on oysters.
“You know, I guess I’ve never given that a thought,” said the younger Fleetwood. “I guess as I got older I figured this is where I’d end up.”
Turbo Oysters
Rather than stop, the Fleetwoods and their oysters simply moved faster. The bay’s wild oyster beds gradually began to recover in the early 2000s. Meanwhile, farmers and Rutgers University scientists tried aquaculture, which employs constant manhandling to keep oysters alive.
Oysters birthed in labs are placed into bags made of fine mesh. Dropped into the bay, the bags protect oysters from predators including conks, cownose rays and tiny burrowing snails called oyster drills.
As the oysters grow bigger they must be hauled from the water, power washed, sorted by hand, distributed into new bags with wider mesh, and dropped back overboard. “Some oysters grow faster than others,” said De Luca, “and if you don’t have like-sized individuals in each bag, the larger ones will pump more water and out-compete for food.” Bagging and re-bagging oysters requires constant work.
“The farmers like to handle each bag at least once a week,” De Luca said. Farmers without boats keep their bags anchored to rebar jammed into the ground near shore. When the tide ebbs out, workers haul the heavy bags by driving ATVs across the muddy shallows.
Bivalve Packing owns plenty of boats. So Steve Fleetwood Sr. performs aquaculture out in the bay, on the same 20,000 acres of bottomland his company has leased from the state of New Jersey for as long as he can remember. He keeps his bags weighted to the bottom inside metal cages, each marked on the surface by a line of rope tied to a buoy. To inspect them, his workers follow the line of buoys the way a landscaper mows grass.
The oysters seem to appreciate all the attention. “On average, growing time has been cut in half” to about a year and a half, De Luca said.
The elder Fleetwood isn’t sold. So much constant movement costs him tons of money in extra pay, fuel, boat maintenance and gear.
“The guys are tired. The boats are getting beat up. A lot of ’em need work done,” he said. “And they don’t get a break. Nobody gets a break.”
Perhaps a bigger harvest is worth it. Perhaps not. If he doesn't start seeing extra profits commensurate with the extra work, the elder Fleetwood said, he's prepared to stop this constant racing around and return to the bay’s old, slower ways.
“I’m a traditional guy,” he said. “This is a big expensive test.”
Pedal down, eyes up
The water was black when the younger Fleetwood left the dock at Money Island, pushed the throttle forward, and wheeled the Howard Sockwell through the final corkscrew turns of Nantuxent Creek. The sky remained dark for another hour. Finally, a few minutes before 7 a.m., the red
pre-dawn light illuminated the water lying flat on Delaware Bay.
“In the summers I’m up every day at 3 o’clock,” Fleetwood said on a morning in early November, one of the last days of the year he could harvest state-owned oyster beds in the middle bay. “I didn’t get out of bed this morning until 10 of five.”
Even this late in the season, state law fixed Fleetwood to a tight schedule. He couldn’t drop his first dredge until the sun poked above the horizon at 7:29 a.m. He might catch 2,400 pounds, all of which must be tucked into the big refrigerators at Bivalve Packing by 3 p.m. Not a problem, Fleetwood said. But it’s 24 miles by water from the Ship John oyster bed to Bivalve. Even if he pushed the tired old Howard Sockwell to full throttle the entire way, he couldn't afford the extra 2 hours of time and fuel.
Instead, Fleetwood planned to dredge his fill, then sail 7 miles back to Money Island. There he’d crane his oysters onto a flatbed truck, and drive like a demon down the empty country roads back to the packing house.
“Once we hit the water,” he said, “it’s full bore.” The sun rose. The dredges sank. With his eyes on the water and his three-man sorting crew, Fleetwood pulled up oysters, feathered the throttle, and piloted the boat, rarely looking down at his dashboard of switches and knobs. Nor did he look up to consult the sonar depth finder. It showed the Howard Sockwell motoring along, 14 feet above piles of oyster shells, captain and his crop practicing the art of perpetual motion. “Everything on this boat is moving at all times,” said Fleetwood. “No grass grows under my feet.”
Christopher Maag, North Jersey Record Email: [email protected]
Published December 20, 2018 | Updated December 21, 2018
For a species that spent its first 520 million years on Earth stuck to the bottom of the ocean, oysters sure love to hitchhike. They’re good at it, too. Every spring they arrive at Steve Fleetwood’s office by UPS truck, millions of baby oysters swimming in a little plastic bag chilled by a frozen gel pack. For a year, sometimes two, they hitch rides on Fleetwood’s boats up and down and all around Delaware Bay. Then they are scooped up, packed into boxes and shipped on refrigerated trucks to New York City, or loaded onto airplanes bound for Paris.
Actually, over the last four centuries – a long time for humans, but just a blink of an eye for an old species like the oyster – this craggy little mollusk morphed from one of the most sedentary animals on the planet to one of the best traveled. Oysters raised by Steve Fleetwood move greater distances with greater frequency and speed than many commercially produced pigs, cows or chickens ever will.
Along New Jersey’s southern edge, where soggy, shaggy bits of land straggle out into Delaware Bay, the plurality of those trips occur on Fleetwood’s fleet of wooden boats, which sail faster now than the day they were built, a century ago. “We’re going 6.8 knots. I’m just idling,” Fleetwood’s son, Steve Fleetwood Jr., said on a recent trip to harvest oysters aboard the Howard Sockwell, a 65-foot schooner built in 1910. “She’ll go faster. She’ll do nine or ten with a full load of oysters on her deck.”
The elder Fleetwood is the manager of a company called Bivalve Packing, the largest producer of oysters on New Jersey’s side of Delaware Bay. It is located in Bivalve in Cumberland County, once a thriving village of oyster shuckers and boat workers that is now deserted. With so few people left on the roads, both Steve Fleetwoods drive fast. They barrel onto the property of Bivalve Packing, and often skidtheir pickups to a stop across the wide gravel yard. One might expect an ancient, plodding species like the oyster to detest all this hurry. Quite the opposite. From all indications, oysters love it.
A certain kind of stuck
A baby oyster spends its first two weeks swimming. Then it sinks to the bottom, seeking a hard surface. Golf balls, discarded gloves, concrete bricks, Faygo cans and the shells of other oysters all work just fine. When it finds a spot that’s free of muck, the little animal latches on.
For tens of millions of years before humans arrived, this connection was as crucial as it was final.
“If they don’t have anything hard to latch onto, they’re just going to die,” said Rachel Dolhanczyk, museum curator at the Bayshore Center at Bivalve, which runs exhibits dedicated to New Jersey's oyster industry. Sometimes the Fleetwoods seem as rooted to Delaware Bay as their crop. Steve Fleetwood Jr.’s great-grandfather worked the water, catching fish in nets and oysters in tongs, which resemble a basket attached to a yard rake. His grandfather was the last keeper of the Ship John Shoal Lighthouse, where he was surrounded by some of the bay’s richest oyster beds.
Each night the keeper’s wife drove to the shore, aimed her car at the lighthouse, and used the headlights to tap out messages in Morse code.
“They were true watermen,” the younger Fleetwood said of his ancestors.
The elder Fleetwood grew up on oyster boats, learning to do whatever needed doing. He welded steel equipment onto decks, then became a scuba diver to clear snags from propellers. He farmed oysters the old way. In spring, Fleetwood dredged Hope Creek, Fishing Creek and Liston Range, oyster beds far up the bay. He loaded so many oysters, his deck often dropped below the waterline. The boat appeared to be sinking. Then he’d turn south, sail 30 miles, and shovel the oysters overboard onto beds named Hawk’s Nest, Nantuxent and Hog Shoal.
Rather than resent all this hullabaloo, the oysters thrived. An oyster in the upper bay might take 12 years to reach marketable size, said Michael De Luca, director of the Rutgers University Aquaculture Innovation Center in Cape May. Transplanted closer to the sea, oysters reach maturity in just three years, aided by warmer water and the abundance of phytoplankton.
“You had to catch ’em twice to sell ’em once,” Clyde A. Phillips, a retired oysterman, said in a documentary produced by the Bayshore Center.
When Steve Fleetwood Sr. was still a young man, everything collapsed. Decades of overharvesting plus the onset of two parasites, MSX in 1957 and Dermo in 1991, killed most of the oysters in Delaware Bay.
Oystermen who couldn’t sell their boats abandoned them. Most residents of Bivalve moved away.
The Fleetwoods stayed in business by running two marinas for sport fishermen. The elder Fleetwood farmed salt hay. His son got a job fixing tracks for the Winchester & Western Railroad, a shortline railroad with routes in Southern Jersey, and another job guiding winter bear hunts in Maine.
Neither man considered giving up on oysters.
“You know, I guess I’ve never given that a thought,” said the younger Fleetwood. “I guess as I got older I figured this is where I’d end up.”
Turbo Oysters
Rather than stop, the Fleetwoods and their oysters simply moved faster. The bay’s wild oyster beds gradually began to recover in the early 2000s. Meanwhile, farmers and Rutgers University scientists tried aquaculture, which employs constant manhandling to keep oysters alive.
Oysters birthed in labs are placed into bags made of fine mesh. Dropped into the bay, the bags protect oysters from predators including conks, cownose rays and tiny burrowing snails called oyster drills.
As the oysters grow bigger they must be hauled from the water, power washed, sorted by hand, distributed into new bags with wider mesh, and dropped back overboard. “Some oysters grow faster than others,” said De Luca, “and if you don’t have like-sized individuals in each bag, the larger ones will pump more water and out-compete for food.” Bagging and re-bagging oysters requires constant work.
“The farmers like to handle each bag at least once a week,” De Luca said. Farmers without boats keep their bags anchored to rebar jammed into the ground near shore. When the tide ebbs out, workers haul the heavy bags by driving ATVs across the muddy shallows.
Bivalve Packing owns plenty of boats. So Steve Fleetwood Sr. performs aquaculture out in the bay, on the same 20,000 acres of bottomland his company has leased from the state of New Jersey for as long as he can remember. He keeps his bags weighted to the bottom inside metal cages, each marked on the surface by a line of rope tied to a buoy. To inspect them, his workers follow the line of buoys the way a landscaper mows grass.
The oysters seem to appreciate all the attention. “On average, growing time has been cut in half” to about a year and a half, De Luca said.
The elder Fleetwood isn’t sold. So much constant movement costs him tons of money in extra pay, fuel, boat maintenance and gear.
“The guys are tired. The boats are getting beat up. A lot of ’em need work done,” he said. “And they don’t get a break. Nobody gets a break.”
Perhaps a bigger harvest is worth it. Perhaps not. If he doesn't start seeing extra profits commensurate with the extra work, the elder Fleetwood said, he's prepared to stop this constant racing around and return to the bay’s old, slower ways.
“I’m a traditional guy,” he said. “This is a big expensive test.”
Pedal down, eyes up
The water was black when the younger Fleetwood left the dock at Money Island, pushed the throttle forward, and wheeled the Howard Sockwell through the final corkscrew turns of Nantuxent Creek. The sky remained dark for another hour. Finally, a few minutes before 7 a.m., the red
pre-dawn light illuminated the water lying flat on Delaware Bay.
“In the summers I’m up every day at 3 o’clock,” Fleetwood said on a morning in early November, one of the last days of the year he could harvest state-owned oyster beds in the middle bay. “I didn’t get out of bed this morning until 10 of five.”
Even this late in the season, state law fixed Fleetwood to a tight schedule. He couldn’t drop his first dredge until the sun poked above the horizon at 7:29 a.m. He might catch 2,400 pounds, all of which must be tucked into the big refrigerators at Bivalve Packing by 3 p.m. Not a problem, Fleetwood said. But it’s 24 miles by water from the Ship John oyster bed to Bivalve. Even if he pushed the tired old Howard Sockwell to full throttle the entire way, he couldn't afford the extra 2 hours of time and fuel.
Instead, Fleetwood planned to dredge his fill, then sail 7 miles back to Money Island. There he’d crane his oysters onto a flatbed truck, and drive like a demon down the empty country roads back to the packing house.
“Once we hit the water,” he said, “it’s full bore.” The sun rose. The dredges sank. With his eyes on the water and his three-man sorting crew, Fleetwood pulled up oysters, feathered the throttle, and piloted the boat, rarely looking down at his dashboard of switches and knobs. Nor did he look up to consult the sonar depth finder. It showed the Howard Sockwell motoring along, 14 feet above piles of oyster shells, captain and his crop practicing the art of perpetual motion. “Everything on this boat is moving at all times,” said Fleetwood. “No grass grows under my feet.”
Shrinking shoreline is threatening iconic N.J. lighthouse
Cumberland County, NJ - Posted November 05, 2018 at 07:10 PM | Updated November 05, 2018 at 08:58 PM
Chris Franklin | For NJ.com
Situated on the Delaware Bay, East Point Lighthouse, the state's second oldest lighthouse, and the oldest land-based lighthouse, has survived its share of storms.
But, because of the erosion of the nearby shoreline, the iconic Cumberland County structure is threatened by approaching bay waters. Today, the shoreline has receded enough to threaten the landmark's future existence.
An effort by a local historical society is trying to bring awareness to the situation and help spur some action for a permanent solution to the disappearing shoreline and rising water table that has caused regular flooding in the lighthouse.
Photo by Brian Littel
Rally to protect the lighthouse
Nancy Patterson, president of the Maurice River Historical Society, has organized a rally to take place at the lighthouse at 2 p.m. Nov. 10, hoping the effort to protect the lighthouse will be noticed by lawmakers up north. "We just have to figure out how to get Trenton's attention and honestly," Patterson said. "I don't know if this is going to work, but I can't think of anything else to do other than to be silent and let the lighthouse just fall into the bay."
Something has to be done
Patterson added the lighthouse still plays an essential role in the local community as a historical landmark. The shoreline provides an important role for wildlife, including horseshoe crabs and shorebirds. The lighthouse also helps the local economy by bringing in tourists of all ages, including a 100-year-old woman who recently climbed up the steps of the lighthouse.
Patterson said if nothing is done to stop the erosion from potentially damaging the lighthouse and surrounding property, a part of the Delaware Bay’s history will be gone for good. “If we don't get people to hear about it, the lighthouse won't be here for the next generation," she said. "What we will be doing is writing about it. There will be nothing to see, and it would be sad.”
Flooding woes
During the restoration project at the lighthouse, two pumps were installed to help stop flooding from happening inside the building, but Patterson says flooding still occurs in the basement. "Sometimes it is not enough because the water will bubble right through the floor," Patterson said. "Twice a day during every high tide, both pumps pump like crazy and sometimes, when you have rain, a high tide, and a full moon, you’re in trouble because it bubbles through the floor."
Over the course of decades, the shoreline near East Point has been washed away into the Delaware Bay. Remnants of a boat ramp can still be seen near the lighthouse. As storms, especially nor'easters, have accelerated the erosion.
Cumberland County, NJ - Posted November 05, 2018 at 07:10 PM | Updated November 05, 2018 at 08:58 PM
Chris Franklin | For NJ.com
Situated on the Delaware Bay, East Point Lighthouse, the state's second oldest lighthouse, and the oldest land-based lighthouse, has survived its share of storms.
But, because of the erosion of the nearby shoreline, the iconic Cumberland County structure is threatened by approaching bay waters. Today, the shoreline has receded enough to threaten the landmark's future existence.
An effort by a local historical society is trying to bring awareness to the situation and help spur some action for a permanent solution to the disappearing shoreline and rising water table that has caused regular flooding in the lighthouse.
Photo by Brian Littel
Rally to protect the lighthouse
Nancy Patterson, president of the Maurice River Historical Society, has organized a rally to take place at the lighthouse at 2 p.m. Nov. 10, hoping the effort to protect the lighthouse will be noticed by lawmakers up north. "We just have to figure out how to get Trenton's attention and honestly," Patterson said. "I don't know if this is going to work, but I can't think of anything else to do other than to be silent and let the lighthouse just fall into the bay."
Something has to be done
Patterson added the lighthouse still plays an essential role in the local community as a historical landmark. The shoreline provides an important role for wildlife, including horseshoe crabs and shorebirds. The lighthouse also helps the local economy by bringing in tourists of all ages, including a 100-year-old woman who recently climbed up the steps of the lighthouse.
Patterson said if nothing is done to stop the erosion from potentially damaging the lighthouse and surrounding property, a part of the Delaware Bay’s history will be gone for good. “If we don't get people to hear about it, the lighthouse won't be here for the next generation," she said. "What we will be doing is writing about it. There will be nothing to see, and it would be sad.”
Flooding woes
During the restoration project at the lighthouse, two pumps were installed to help stop flooding from happening inside the building, but Patterson says flooding still occurs in the basement. "Sometimes it is not enough because the water will bubble right through the floor," Patterson said. "Twice a day during every high tide, both pumps pump like crazy and sometimes, when you have rain, a high tide, and a full moon, you’re in trouble because it bubbles through the floor."
Over the course of decades, the shoreline near East Point has been washed away into the Delaware Bay. Remnants of a boat ramp can still be seen near the lighthouse. As storms, especially nor'easters, have accelerated the erosion.
Cumberland County Cooling Centers Now Open
Jun 19, 2018 1:33 PM EDT By SNJ Today Staff
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, NJ
The Cumberland County Office on Aging and Disabled has announced that cooling centers are now open throughout the county.
There are a total of 18 cooling centers in Cumberland County for residents that need a place to cool off during the summer season.
“As the heat advisories are kicking off for the season, please remember to check on family members and neighbors,”said Freeholder Jim Quinn,
co-liaison to the Department of Aging and Disabled. “Residents should avoid strenuous activities and wear light clothing. Remember to drink plenty of fluids and never leave people or pets in a closed car.
Downe Township Senior Center, 288 Main Street., Newport, NJ 08345.
Annette Perry, Director Tel: 447-3039
Hours scheduled by need & activities
ERDG President Glenn Gauvry and Sen. Tom Carper place a horseshoe crab on the water’s edge. PHILLIP MOORE PHOTOS
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ERDG President Glenn Gauvry, (l-r) USFWS Northeast Director Wendi Weber, Dr. Carol Meteyer and Sen. Tom Carper pose with their new posters promoting the “Just Flip ‘Em” program.
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Carper lends hand to horseshoe crabs
Just Flip ‘Em program focuses on helping unique creatures survive along coast
By Phillip Moore – Cape Gazette – June 8, 2018
The Just Flip 'Em program has gained global attention with this occurring around the world due to it's positive impact, not only on the survival of horseshoe crabs but the shorebirds that feast on horseshoe crab eggs during their migratory path north during colder weather.
Groups of volunteers and community members walk the beach every day and flip over horseshoe crabs that had been turned over due to the tide, and place those that are too far from the water in a better position to return successfully into the Delaware Bay.
Since that Slaughter Beach and surrounding areas are spawning hot spots, and contain the highest concentration of this particular species of crab in the world, it has become vital to organizations as well as the community to take part in helping maintain the population.
Carper joined Ward as they strolled down the beach in deep conversation about the positive impact this has had on coastal biodiversity. Upon finding two horseshoe crabs far from the water, Carper and Ward did not hesitate to pick them both up and make their way to the water's edge.
Ecological Research & Development Group President Glenn Gauvry was also on hand, and showed the senator the various parts of the crab and how to distinguish males from females, etc.
"We started this program in 1998, and have since seen a growing compassion and interaction of community members and volunteers with the population of horseshoe crabs that are part of our unique natural habitats along the coast. This is now an international organization that focuses on saving lives, and the positive engagement of people and the species that are essentially neighbors to us," said Gauvry.
Carper gently placed the two horseshoe crabs a few inches from the edge of the tide, allowing them to feel the water, and make their way into the Delaware Bay. "I am certainly no stranger to horseshoe crabs, being that they are such a large part and contributor to our diverse ecosystem in Delaware," said Carper. "Programs like this, and the involvement of nonprofit organizations and community members truly make such a positive impact on the health of one of the most unique yet fragile collections of beaches that Delaware has to offer."
Slaughter Beach is the epicenter of spawning for horseshoe crabs along the bay coast, and based on lunar events and the weather, there could be up to 1,000 crabs on the beach at high tide. Action has been seen the most in areas that are developed or have homes on the beach, so focusing on areas with no development or homes is one of the things that Gauvry finds important. To combat this problem, DNREC approved a barrier fence at neighboring Pickering Beach that helps to keep horseshoe crabs from venturing too far from the water, and it has been a great success thus far.
Dr. Carol Meteyer, a Slaughter Beach resident and forensic veterinarian, conducted a study of the health of horseshoe crabs during the week of May 24-29. This study is a joint effort between The National Aquarium, Johns Hopkins, the Joint Pathology Center, Ecological Research & Development Group and UD Lewes. The team will examine horseshoe crabs that have flipped and are stranded on the beach for evidence of poor health and disease.
"Getting a better understanding of health problems, the effects of heat and the protective microbiome that helps the survival of horseshoe crab eggs will give us more in-depth information on how we can continue to help in any way that we can," said Meteyer.
Community members such as 25-year resident and advisory council member Bill McSpadden continue to be a part of various projects focusing on the environment. "Our goal is to not only make a difference, but educate the public, specifically children, to help engage them in issues that surround various species and locations along our coast. The ecological significance of education is key, as small changes make such a huge difference," he said.
"Programs like this are helpful for our community and organizations to gain exposure due to their continued commitment to environmental issues. Our community is very aware and knowledgeable about issues that we face but they are here for a reason, to help. With 98 percent of Slaughter Beach being preserved land, it is about coexisting with the species that grace our beautiful land, air and water as well as the array of plant life we see around us," said Ward.
For information on the ERDG, go to www.horseshoecrab.org.
Dr. Cathy Meteyer can also be contacted by email at [email protected].
Horseshoe crabs mate in the moonlight.
Why it's important we watch (and count)
Posted June 18, 2018 at 07:11 AM | Updated June 18, 2018 at 09:13 AM
By Chris Franklin | For NJ.com
As the sun lowered itself below the Delaware Bay horizon on an unusually cool Monday night in June, a group of people, some dressed in colorful, unique waterproof boots, walked along the coastline of the Sunray Beach Preserve during high tide with their heads looking down in the water. The group, made up of volunteers throughout the region, was there to count horseshoe crabs, the prehistoric aquatic arthropod species that use the beaches to lay eggs and further its population.
Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com
Why are horseshoe crabs important?
Adrianna Zito-Livingston, a Conservation Projects Specialist for The Nature Conservancy's New Jersey Chapter, says the counts are essential due to the horseshoe crab's importance to other species in the area, such as the Red Knot, a bird listed as a protected threatened species on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's Endangered Species Act list.
The Red Knot uses the horseshoe crab eggs for food. The crabs are also important because their blood is used for making sure medical devices are not contaminated with bacteria.
"The spawning surveys are really important to help us estimate the size of the spawning population that the red knots and other migratory shorebirds depend on," Zito-Livingston said. "They need a healthy horseshoe crab population to be spawning to provide enough eggs to fuel the shorebirds on their migration."
Why is the count important?
Zito-Livingston added fishery managers use the counts and population estimates in their management decisions to determine how many horseshoe crabs can be harvested, how well the population is doing, and give observers an idea about the resources that are available for these shorebirds.
Previous horseshoe crab count data
According to 2017 data, there were an estimated 2,039,709 horseshoe crabs along both sides of the Delaware Bay, 997,715 of which were on the New Jersey side.
How is the count conducted?
In order to do the count and analyze the data collected, conservation and state officials rely on volunteers to walk along the coastline during high tide. Two weeks before Monday night's tally, while many people were sleeping or watching the end of the first game of the NBA Finals, volunteers were walking along the Sunray Beach Preserve a little after 11 p.m. in a slightly humid Thursday, May evening. The count on that night was a race against the weather. To keep the volunteers safe, the survey is canceled if there is severe weather such as lightning, thunder or even high waves, and the forecast called for the possibility of storms.
In a process being repeated along the shores of the Delaware Bay concurrently in both New Jersey and Delaware, 25 groups were assisting in counting the crabs. As the group split into two teams, both armed with a plastic square one meter long on each side, the groups dropped the square into the water and counted the gathering of crabs, down to the amount of male and female crabs within the boundary. On that night, it was not uncommon to see five or six male crabs surrounding the one female crab to attempt to fertilize the eggs she had laid. Some males were even confusing the boots of the counter as a female crab and tried to climb on the water shoe.
The Volunteers
One of the volunteers who takes part in the count is Keith Owens. Owens, who lives in Pitman, makes the hour-plus drive down to Villas to help with the survey, a task in which he has been a part of for the last 16 years.
"I enjoy it," Owens said. "I love walking the beach, and I like counting crabs, and I like being a part of turning them over and making sure they are surviving. I'm more of a horseshoe crab person than a red knots person. I'm more about keeping the horseshoe crab population up."
Being a volunteer himself, Owens knows how important to have other like him help with the cause.
"It's great that the volunteers come out," he added. "We have great people come, and everybody is interested that comes here. It's just a nice activity for people to get involved in."
Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com
Winter brings a quiet riot of work to Delaware Bay towns
MICHELLE BRUNETTI POST Staff Writer ~ January 19, 2018
Winter on the Delaware Bay is a time of intense activity, even if there are fewer visitors to the small villages that dot its coast and fishermen become land-bound for a while.
“This time of year I’m checking to make sure the heaters are on, and looking for any leaks,” charter boat captain and Downe Township Committeeman Michael Rothman said as he examined the engine room on his icebound fishing boat Bonanza II. It was docked at the Fortescue State Marina that Rothman manages.
The one-time fishing village of Fortescue, like nearby Money Island and Gandys Beach, is part of Downe Township. It is still a fishing hub but no longer the year-round home to scores of commercial fishermen as in the past. “When I was younger, three-fourths of the population lived here year-round,” said lifelong resident Cliff Higbee, chief of the Downe Township Fire Rescue Company No. 1. He also runs Higbee’s Marina here. The compound includes a luncheonette — closed for the season — and bait-and-tackle shop. Now Higbee estimates less than 20 percent of people live year-round.
“This is a different way of life,” said Rothman, who also checked every window and seam on the Bonanza II, to make sure ice wasn’t forming, expanding and causing leaks. “It’s a life you choose.” His 65-foot wooden boat is licensed to take out 72 people at a time and has to be repainted annually in the winter, he said. Three years ago he spent about $60,000 having the two huge diesel engines rebuilt in the off season.
It’s important to keep every aspect of the boat in top condition. The safety of his customers and crew — including his two sons — comes first, he said. Once the fishing season starts up again in May, the boat will be going strong through December, often day and night. But he has to wait for the ice to break up, so he can take his boat up the Cohansey River to Flanigan Brothers Boatyard to be hauled out, sanded and painted.
Higbee said his town has turned into a summer destination. Even so, he doesn’t take much of a winter vacation, he said. He has to keep an eye on his business, and he has fire department responsibilities. “Our big thing this time of year is teaching ice rescue. We do it three to four days a week,” he said of the specially trained volunteers on the dive team. “It’s our niche. We are surrounded by water, and we are all watermen, so it’s a no-brainer for us to get into it.”
Two Fortescue restaurants have stayed open for the winter, the Charlesworth Restaurant and Fortescue’s Bayside Grill, both with great bay views.
“Everyone thought we were crazy for staying open, but it’s working out,” said Grill owner Molly Cohen, as she served customers. Her husband and co-owner Mateo Galvez is the cook. “Weekends are busy,” she said. “The sunsets are breathtaking. No two are alike.”
On Thursday morning, customers included locals, a Long Island visitor in town to look at a boat and a Mays Landing couple there for the food.
Self-employed exterminator Joe Pignatelli Sr., of Fortescue, was having breakfast with his son, UPS driver Joe Pignatelli Jr. Both are recreational fishermen. “Starting March 1, you won’t be able to get onto the beach,” said the elder Pignatelli. “It’s arm-to-arm with anglers.” Striped bass and drum fish attract lots of folks, he said. “I just bought a trailer in town,” said the younger Pignatelli, who grew up visiting his grandparents in their home there. Now his dad, semi-retired from his company Modern Exterminating, lives in that house full time. It has been raised and redone since being heavily damaged in Hurricane Sandy. The younger Pignatelli commutes about an hour and 10 minutes to his job in Lawnside, Gloucester County, he said. The commute is a burden, but it’s worth it, he said, to have the bay and sunset views from Fortescue. “We’re big on duck hunting and nature. People come to watch the eagles,” said his dad. “You either love it here or hate it.”
George Nevar, of Port Washington, N.Y., on Long Island, clearly landed on the side of loving it. “I didn’t know this place existed. My first impression is this is a place where I can be left alone,” said Nevar. He had planned to buy a large boat and live on it and was in Fortescue to look at a 48-footer. “But hell, I might buy something (real estate) here and buy a smaller boat,” he said.
At another table, Rick and Jane Atkinson, of Mays Landing, were there for the reason people go to most restaurants. “My aunt recommended the place,” said Rick. “She said it was very good food.”
Cohen said she and Galvez bought the Grill last July. It had been vacant for over a year. They are enjoying the relative peace of the off season, when they close on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to get two days off. “Once the season picks up in April, we’ll be working every day, all day,” she said. There’s another group of visitors in town this winter — a crew of workers are dredging the shipping channel in the Delaware.
“Ships are getting bigger all the time,” said David L. Rhoads, project manager for the Dutra Group of San Rafael, Calif. The company is handling 17 miles of the Army Corps of Engineers dredging project to deepen the channel, which is part channel maintenance and part preparation for those larger vessels. About 25 people live and work on the hopper dredge, a 400-foot-long ship that vacuums up the silt, holds it in a hopper and then pumps it out at a containment site on Artificial Island, in Salem County, he said. They have been working 24 hours a day, seven days a week since September and will probably finish in another month, Rhoads said. About a half-dozen surveyors and other workers are based on land, mostly living in Millville, he said. “I can speak for a lot of the company’s workers, we’ve really enjoyed it here,” said Rhoads. “It seems like everybody is helpful and genuinely nice.”
“ But we have to be careful what we wish for,” Rothman acknowledged.
The last thing he wants is to change the simple,
quiet way of life that sets the place apart, he said.
The road into Fortescue crosses wetlands for a few miles, and there is a sign posted on it saying, “Road May Be Flooded.”
“It floods with just about every high tide,” said the younger Pignatelli.
But Downe Township believes in Fortescue’s long-term sustainability, despite sea level rise. It is building a small water-treatment plant so Fortescue residents can stop maintaining expensive septic systems. It will also allow some of the town’s smaller lots to be built upon, said Rothman, speaking now as a township committeeman.
“We are hoping to attract businesses back to Fortescue,” he said, maybe a fish camp like the one he went to as a kid in Maine that led to his working on tuna boats for a time. “If we don’t do something for Downe Township, we won’t exist,” he said. The township is about 80 percent tax exempt, because so much of it is open space owned by the government or a nonprofit. “But we have to be careful what we wish for,” he acknowledged.
The last thing he wants is to change the simple, quiet way of life that sets the place apart, he said.
Downe Yarners share handmade items
Vineland Daily Journal - January 16, 2018
DOWNE - Downe Yarners’ 485 handmade items were distributed through many organizations including the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home, Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania, Inspira Health Network’s Frank and Edith Scarpa Regional Cancer Pavilion, Division of Child Protection and Permanency, Bayada HomeCare and Hospice, Inspira Health Network’s maternity department, DaVita Kidney Care and Downe Township School.
Annette Perry, Barbara Frumento, Chris Byrne, Dolores Bowker, Elaine Raudenbush, Gail Frank, Joyce Hitchner, Karen Cook, Maryann O’Brien and Nancy Hartem appreciated the donations of yarn, fabric and other supplies from Ivanka Bidic, Cheryl Cain, Theresa Davidson, Donna Densten, Claudia Hamilton, Martha Henderson, Judy Magyer, Carol Moore, Jean Nocon, Betsy Salter, Sheena Takeda, Gloria Wintjen, Theresa Varacallo, Michele Bidic Ziemba and many other generous people.
Vineland Daily Journal - January 16, 2018
DOWNE - Downe Yarners’ 485 handmade items were distributed through many organizations including the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home, Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania, Inspira Health Network’s Frank and Edith Scarpa Regional Cancer Pavilion, Division of Child Protection and Permanency, Bayada HomeCare and Hospice, Inspira Health Network’s maternity department, DaVita Kidney Care and Downe Township School.
Annette Perry, Barbara Frumento, Chris Byrne, Dolores Bowker, Elaine Raudenbush, Gail Frank, Joyce Hitchner, Karen Cook, Maryann O’Brien and Nancy Hartem appreciated the donations of yarn, fabric and other supplies from Ivanka Bidic, Cheryl Cain, Theresa Davidson, Donna Densten, Claudia Hamilton, Martha Henderson, Judy Magyer, Carol Moore, Jean Nocon, Betsy Salter, Sheena Takeda, Gloria Wintjen, Theresa Varacallo, Michele Bidic Ziemba and many other generous people.
Making a new plan for conserving Delaware Bay
THE PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY ~ MICHELLE BRUNETTI POST Staff Writer ~ Oct 8, 2017
For oysterman Barney Hollinger, a Delaware Bay conservation plan needs to prevent further erosion of the mouth of the Maurice River, and further filling in of waterways used by oyster boats.
“If the mouth of the Maurice River continues to erode away ... storms would roll in and pretty much devastate the Bivalve and Shell Pile area,” said Hollinger, of the Cape May Salt Oyster Co. and the Delaware Bay Shellfish Council. Those sections of Commercial Township have most of the state’s oyster packing houses and the only oyster-shucking house in New Jersey, he said.
Nantuxent Cove and Nantuxent Creek off Money Island in Downe Township, where the oyster fleet is based in summer, are filling in, he said.
“All the oyster product comes through that way,” he said. “If we lose the ability to run boats in and out of that channel ... it would be devastating to the oyster industry.”
So Hollinger has spent time giving input to the rewriting of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the Delaware Estuary, being put together by the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary with the help of a large group of stakeholders.
PDE held an open house last week at the nonprofit Bayshore Center at Bivalve, in hopes of getting input on the plan from the public. But most of the 20 or so attendees were environmental or industry advocates who work for nonprofits or serve on environmental commissions or government boards, and who have given input regularly.
Diane Kenny, of Kimble’s Beach in Middle Township, didn’t know about the meeting, so didn’t attend. But when asked what advice she would give to people putting together a new plan, she said beach replenishment should be a big priority.
“The bay is encroaching on the land,” Kenny said. “As a result of the erosion, little tiny creeks when I moved here 10 years ago are bigger creeks. The less beach we have, the more creeks we have.” And that means a weakening of the marshes that protect property.
Darryl Errickson, who has lived in the Reeds Beach section of Middle Township for 50 years, agreed. “My concern is how much the water is rising,” Errickson said. He said bulkheads work in places, but “you stop the water in one place and it still goes someplace else.”
The nonprofit PDE is one of 28 National Estuary Programs run through the federal Environmental Protection Agency. All must have a management plan. The EPA is requiring PDE to update its plan, which was written in 1996. “The revised plan we want to be more of a public-friendly document, a living document,” said Emily Baumbach, a science planning specialist with PDE. It will have three core elements: clean waters, healthy habitats and strong communities, she said, and plan for priorities for the next 10 years.
The estuary covers 6,000 square miles where 6.7 million people live in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania, Baumbach said. PDE focuses on the tidal area where salt water mixes with fresh water, which runs from “head of tide at Trenton to the mouth of the Bay at the Atlantic Ocean,” according to its website. The document, now in draft form, includes eight goals and 39 strategies to achieve the three core elements, and lists partners likely to work with DPE on each. Most strategies are general and part of what the group has been doing for years, such as: “Manage and improve rare, endangered, invasive or otherwise important species.” But Baumbach said the document will help a variety of nonprofits get funding for projects for goals and strategies that are included.
It will be updated with information from open houses and released later this year for public comment. Then it will be published in fall 2018 or winter 2019, Baumbach said. Attendees asked for more baseline data on the current state of the bay to be included in the report, for strategies to be included to fight beach erosion, and for more sharing of information among groups working in various states.
Meghan Wren, founding director of the Bayshore Center at Bivalve and one of the people who helped write the 1996 management plan, said the Delaware Bay needs a marketing and branding campaign to build public support for funding conservation efforts. “The governor has made Barnegat Bay a big focus,” Wren said of his program to clean up the bay, which he recently announced was entering its second phase with another $20 million committed to projects to improve water quality. “Every time I see that I think, ‘Wait a minute. What about the Delaware Estuary?’ Here is a bigger jewel that has not necessarily been given the same attention,” Wren said.
Part of the problem is Barnegat Bay, off Ocean County, is in New Jersey, but the Delaware Bay is shared by New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania in its tidal region, and also by New York farther upriver. “It’s difficult for New Jersey to take ownership,” she said, “especially when it’s called the ‘Delaware.’”
To give your input on what priorities matter most to you in conserving Delaware Bay, visit delawareestuary.org/our-plan.
THE PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY ~ MICHELLE BRUNETTI POST Staff Writer ~ Oct 8, 2017
For oysterman Barney Hollinger, a Delaware Bay conservation plan needs to prevent further erosion of the mouth of the Maurice River, and further filling in of waterways used by oyster boats.
“If the mouth of the Maurice River continues to erode away ... storms would roll in and pretty much devastate the Bivalve and Shell Pile area,” said Hollinger, of the Cape May Salt Oyster Co. and the Delaware Bay Shellfish Council. Those sections of Commercial Township have most of the state’s oyster packing houses and the only oyster-shucking house in New Jersey, he said.
Nantuxent Cove and Nantuxent Creek off Money Island in Downe Township, where the oyster fleet is based in summer, are filling in, he said.
“All the oyster product comes through that way,” he said. “If we lose the ability to run boats in and out of that channel ... it would be devastating to the oyster industry.”
So Hollinger has spent time giving input to the rewriting of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the Delaware Estuary, being put together by the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary with the help of a large group of stakeholders.
PDE held an open house last week at the nonprofit Bayshore Center at Bivalve, in hopes of getting input on the plan from the public. But most of the 20 or so attendees were environmental or industry advocates who work for nonprofits or serve on environmental commissions or government boards, and who have given input regularly.
Diane Kenny, of Kimble’s Beach in Middle Township, didn’t know about the meeting, so didn’t attend. But when asked what advice she would give to people putting together a new plan, she said beach replenishment should be a big priority.
“The bay is encroaching on the land,” Kenny said. “As a result of the erosion, little tiny creeks when I moved here 10 years ago are bigger creeks. The less beach we have, the more creeks we have.” And that means a weakening of the marshes that protect property.
Darryl Errickson, who has lived in the Reeds Beach section of Middle Township for 50 years, agreed. “My concern is how much the water is rising,” Errickson said. He said bulkheads work in places, but “you stop the water in one place and it still goes someplace else.”
The nonprofit PDE is one of 28 National Estuary Programs run through the federal Environmental Protection Agency. All must have a management plan. The EPA is requiring PDE to update its plan, which was written in 1996. “The revised plan we want to be more of a public-friendly document, a living document,” said Emily Baumbach, a science planning specialist with PDE. It will have three core elements: clean waters, healthy habitats and strong communities, she said, and plan for priorities for the next 10 years.
The estuary covers 6,000 square miles where 6.7 million people live in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania, Baumbach said. PDE focuses on the tidal area where salt water mixes with fresh water, which runs from “head of tide at Trenton to the mouth of the Bay at the Atlantic Ocean,” according to its website. The document, now in draft form, includes eight goals and 39 strategies to achieve the three core elements, and lists partners likely to work with DPE on each. Most strategies are general and part of what the group has been doing for years, such as: “Manage and improve rare, endangered, invasive or otherwise important species.” But Baumbach said the document will help a variety of nonprofits get funding for projects for goals and strategies that are included.
It will be updated with information from open houses and released later this year for public comment. Then it will be published in fall 2018 or winter 2019, Baumbach said. Attendees asked for more baseline data on the current state of the bay to be included in the report, for strategies to be included to fight beach erosion, and for more sharing of information among groups working in various states.
Meghan Wren, founding director of the Bayshore Center at Bivalve and one of the people who helped write the 1996 management plan, said the Delaware Bay needs a marketing and branding campaign to build public support for funding conservation efforts. “The governor has made Barnegat Bay a big focus,” Wren said of his program to clean up the bay, which he recently announced was entering its second phase with another $20 million committed to projects to improve water quality. “Every time I see that I think, ‘Wait a minute. What about the Delaware Estuary?’ Here is a bigger jewel that has not necessarily been given the same attention,” Wren said.
Part of the problem is Barnegat Bay, off Ocean County, is in New Jersey, but the Delaware Bay is shared by New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania in its tidal region, and also by New York farther upriver. “It’s difficult for New Jersey to take ownership,” she said, “especially when it’s called the ‘Delaware.’”
To give your input on what priorities matter most to you in conserving Delaware Bay, visit delawareestuary.org/our-plan.
Rising sea levels not 'hogwash'
Inquirer Readers Mail icon [email protected] ~ July 3, 2017
We would like to assert that sea-level rise is not "a bunch of hogwash," as the mayor of Downe Township, N.J., said ("Rising anxiety," June 25).
Tide-gauge records across the Mid-Atlantic region clearly show rates of sea-level rise that range from three to six millimeters per year, a fourfold increase over background rates of sea-level rise experienced in the area over the last several hundred years. The Army Corps of Engineers is going to spend tens of millions of dollars to protect Margate, Ventnor, and Longport with beach replenishment, due in large part to sea-level rise, and the living shorelines installed around Money Island are designed to reduce shoreline erosion rates.
However, these actions are only stop-gap protections. It is up to all of us to make the right decisions as to how to lessen the impact of climate disruption. We cannot hide from it or simply vote it away. We hope we all make the right choices for our children's sake.
|David Velinsky, professor, vice president for science, and Elizabeth Watson, wetlands section leader, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
Inquirer Readers Mail icon [email protected] ~ July 3, 2017
We would like to assert that sea-level rise is not "a bunch of hogwash," as the mayor of Downe Township, N.J., said ("Rising anxiety," June 25).
Tide-gauge records across the Mid-Atlantic region clearly show rates of sea-level rise that range from three to six millimeters per year, a fourfold increase over background rates of sea-level rise experienced in the area over the last several hundred years. The Army Corps of Engineers is going to spend tens of millions of dollars to protect Margate, Ventnor, and Longport with beach replenishment, due in large part to sea-level rise, and the living shorelines installed around Money Island are designed to reduce shoreline erosion rates.
However, these actions are only stop-gap protections. It is up to all of us to make the right decisions as to how to lessen the impact of climate disruption. We cannot hide from it or simply vote it away. We hope we all make the right choices for our children's sake.
|David Velinsky, professor, vice president for science, and Elizabeth Watson, wetlands section leader, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
On the Delaware Bay, N.J. town struggles against sea rise Updated: June 23, 2017
by Frank Kummer, Philly.com Twitter icon @FrankKummer | Mail icon [email protected]
Residents of Downe Township on the shores of the Delaware Bay in New Jersey will bet you the sunsets illuminating marshes, migrating birds, and open blue water rival those of the wealthier ocean-side communities to the southeast.
To that point, the town bills itself as “A Nature Lover’s Paradise.”
But this paradise is crumbling. Rising seas, more frequent tidal flooding, and sinking land are taking their toll. And unlike on the ocean side, there’s no steady stream of federal dollars and sand to prop up this coastal treasure. Many of the homes at the end of Money Island, in the northwestern part of the township, are vacant, rotting shacks hovering over Nantuxent Cove. Gap-toothed decks hang precariously above the water, serving only as perches for squawking gulls. A home bearing a bumper sticker reading “Save the Bayshore — No Retreat!” is collapsing, its giant concrete septic tank knocked askew by storms.
The State of New Jersey has offered to buy 28 of about 40 Money Island homes. To date, 21 homeowners have volunteered, leaving fears it will soon become yet another vanished bay-shore hamlet that couldn’t afford to fight rising seas. Communities such as Seabreeze, Moore’s Beach, and Thompson’s Beach have all disappeared, ruined by Hurricane Sandy, repeated other storms, and tidal flooding. People who live in these communities don’t all agree with scientists who say they are on the front lines of climate change. Some insist it’s a temporary phenomenon that could be endured with enough effort and money. But people on both sides of the climate debate are watching resentfully as politicians rush to help richer oceanfront communities grappling with similar issues.
“Nobody is talking about buying Stone Harbor out,” says Meghan Wren, whose family is one of a handful that live on Money Island all year. She hopes to stay but has doubts. “I think it’s hard to deny the impact of sea-level rise,” Wren says. “The tide is coming higher than it used to. I already time my comings and goings by the tide. I had to wait the other day for hours in my car while the tide was high.”
“I think it’s hard to deny the impact of sea-level rise,” Wren says.
On a recent day, Wren slipped the tip of her sandal under the shell of a horseshoe crab that had washed up on the beach and was struggling to right itself. She flipped the creature so that it landed shell side up and could scurry into the safety of the sand. Wren repeated the process with dozens of crabs — the area is the largest breeding ground in the world for the creatures — to save them from predatory birds.
The Department of Environmental Protection began buying sinking properties in 2014 after it released a study on Money Island and nearby Gandy’s Beach, also in Downe Township. The study found “numerous homes” with compromised septic tanks, some of which were underwater at high tide, putting a $23 million annual shellfish harvesting industry at risk. Residents and township officials say that the testing was flawed and that Downe’s own testing showed no such pollution.
Wren, a founder of the Bayshore Center, a nonprofit in nearby Bivalve, tries to downplay the politics over climate change. “Regardless of what’s causing it, or who, I don’t want to be political, but pragmatic. The fact is we’re going to have more storms and more frequent higher tides. It’s the unnamed storms that do the most damage.”
Tony Novak, operator of Money Island Marina, says he has multiple properties in the township, some of which were once dry and now are permanently waterlogged. “We are at the epicenter of sea-level rise,” Novak says, “I’ve lost 40 or 50 yards right in front of my house.”
Novak used to run a blog about “the response to sea-level rise” in Downe that he says drew threats. But, he, too, loves the area and wants to stay.
Gandy’s Beach
Just south of Money Island, another Downe community, Gandy’s Beach, is still thriving, and isn’t part of the state buyout. But evidence of rising waters is everywhere. The Federal Emergency Management Agency replaced a steel bulkhead lost during 2012’s Hurricane Sandy at Gandy’s Beach, an investment the area says was appreciated, but not nearly enough compared with what ocean-side communities got. Sandy was literally a watershed moment along the bay shore in the scope of its destructiveness and the fears it generated over future storms. Some areas haven’t fully recovered. Subsequent storms made things worse.
Elsewhere on Gandy’s Beach, concrete retaining walls are fronted by broken chunks of asphalt and rocks known as rip rap to provide temporary defense against the bay. Perry and Marie Ashman have lived at Gandy’s Beach since 1978. Their nicely kept home sits atop stilts with the bay lapping at the edge. They compare the sunsets to those at their second home in Florida. Marie also talks of full moons that turn the dark bay silver.
Still, Perry says there used to be 30 or 40 feet of beach in front of their home. “But we lost it all to erosion,” he says. “The rising sea level, the high tides,” says Marie. “We’ve seen so much land gone.” Sandy Boland, a real estate agent, tries to be positive, but is a realist. “The tide is high, and it stays high longer. And we don’t have a beach anymore,” Boland says. “But the kids love it here. It’s a great atmosphere. You get the eagles and the ospreys.” Some vacant homes worry her, even though she says she still gets plenty of interest from potential buyers.
“There is no sea-level rise, and it’s a bunch of 'hogwash',” says Downe Mayor Robert Campbell.
Mayor: Sea rise is `hogwash’ Downe Mayor Robert Campbell discovered the township on a Sunday drive 35 years ago, fell in love with it, and stayed. Now, Campbell, also a GOP candidate for state Assembly, is fighting to keep Downe’s six communities — which also include Fortescue, Dividing Creek, Newport, and Dyer’s Cove — viable. Scientists, he says, just don’t get it. “There is no sea-level rise, and it’s a bunch of hogwash,” Campbell says. “We seem to get the brunt of all the talk about sea-level rise … but I don’t hear about it in Margate,” he said of the ocean-side city.
“Why? What’s the difference? I’ll tell you why: We’ve had no maintenance along the bay shore.” Flooding has been around “forever,” he says. The difference: The rich coastal towns get jetties, breakwaters, dunes, and beach replenishment. With the state buyouts, he said, Downe can expect to see both its population and tax base shrink even more. He said the township has lost 58 homes to buyouts since Sandy.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is studying whether to use dredge material to build a dune or berm at Gandy’s Beach or Fortescue, according to spokesman Steve Rochette. But that study includes looking ahead 50 years to see if the investment would be justified — and there’s no answer yet. The Corps’ focus is still the more heavily populated ocean-side barrier islands and back bays, he said.
A few environmental groups are installing “living shorelines” in the area to help prevent erosion, according to Josh Moody of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. Living shorelines can be composed of native wetland plants, shellfish colonies, and bioengineered materials such as coconut fiber logs. It’s unlikely Downe Township will see the kind of massive projects such as those that continually replenish oceanfront beaches and dunes. Joint federal and state beach and dune construction projects starting on Absecon Island, which includes Atlantic City, will cost $213 million.
State and federal officials say oceanfront projects make more sense considering the tourism tax dollars generated. Buying bay-shore homes is cheaper, too. Median housing sale listings for Downe are in the range of $130,000, compared with Avalon’s $1.4 million. Larry Hajna, a DEP spokesman, said state and federal officials were dealing with the reality of the situation. “Along the ocean, properties are worth so much on the open market that it makes more sense for them to elevate or take other steps to protect their houses,” Hajna said.
Paul Waterman, a Downe resident who owns Beaver Dam Boat Rentals at Oranokin Creek, is philosophical about the township’s situation. He likes to watch eagles from his porch overlooking Glades Wildlife Refuge. Life in Downe has always been dictated by water, he said. “You need to accept that you’ll get your feet wet.” “I see changes in the amounts of different species of wildlife that should or shouldn’t be here,” Waterman said. “The water is warmer and crab season is six weeks ahead. And we all know warm water feeds storms.” Looking out over thousands of acres of wetland, he adds: “Mother Nature is talking, but it’s very subtle.”
by Frank Kummer, Philly.com Twitter icon @FrankKummer | Mail icon [email protected]
Residents of Downe Township on the shores of the Delaware Bay in New Jersey will bet you the sunsets illuminating marshes, migrating birds, and open blue water rival those of the wealthier ocean-side communities to the southeast.
To that point, the town bills itself as “A Nature Lover’s Paradise.”
But this paradise is crumbling. Rising seas, more frequent tidal flooding, and sinking land are taking their toll. And unlike on the ocean side, there’s no steady stream of federal dollars and sand to prop up this coastal treasure. Many of the homes at the end of Money Island, in the northwestern part of the township, are vacant, rotting shacks hovering over Nantuxent Cove. Gap-toothed decks hang precariously above the water, serving only as perches for squawking gulls. A home bearing a bumper sticker reading “Save the Bayshore — No Retreat!” is collapsing, its giant concrete septic tank knocked askew by storms.
The State of New Jersey has offered to buy 28 of about 40 Money Island homes. To date, 21 homeowners have volunteered, leaving fears it will soon become yet another vanished bay-shore hamlet that couldn’t afford to fight rising seas. Communities such as Seabreeze, Moore’s Beach, and Thompson’s Beach have all disappeared, ruined by Hurricane Sandy, repeated other storms, and tidal flooding. People who live in these communities don’t all agree with scientists who say they are on the front lines of climate change. Some insist it’s a temporary phenomenon that could be endured with enough effort and money. But people on both sides of the climate debate are watching resentfully as politicians rush to help richer oceanfront communities grappling with similar issues.
“Nobody is talking about buying Stone Harbor out,” says Meghan Wren, whose family is one of a handful that live on Money Island all year. She hopes to stay but has doubts. “I think it’s hard to deny the impact of sea-level rise,” Wren says. “The tide is coming higher than it used to. I already time my comings and goings by the tide. I had to wait the other day for hours in my car while the tide was high.”
“I think it’s hard to deny the impact of sea-level rise,” Wren says.
On a recent day, Wren slipped the tip of her sandal under the shell of a horseshoe crab that had washed up on the beach and was struggling to right itself. She flipped the creature so that it landed shell side up and could scurry into the safety of the sand. Wren repeated the process with dozens of crabs — the area is the largest breeding ground in the world for the creatures — to save them from predatory birds.
The Department of Environmental Protection began buying sinking properties in 2014 after it released a study on Money Island and nearby Gandy’s Beach, also in Downe Township. The study found “numerous homes” with compromised septic tanks, some of which were underwater at high tide, putting a $23 million annual shellfish harvesting industry at risk. Residents and township officials say that the testing was flawed and that Downe’s own testing showed no such pollution.
Wren, a founder of the Bayshore Center, a nonprofit in nearby Bivalve, tries to downplay the politics over climate change. “Regardless of what’s causing it, or who, I don’t want to be political, but pragmatic. The fact is we’re going to have more storms and more frequent higher tides. It’s the unnamed storms that do the most damage.”
Tony Novak, operator of Money Island Marina, says he has multiple properties in the township, some of which were once dry and now are permanently waterlogged. “We are at the epicenter of sea-level rise,” Novak says, “I’ve lost 40 or 50 yards right in front of my house.”
Novak used to run a blog about “the response to sea-level rise” in Downe that he says drew threats. But, he, too, loves the area and wants to stay.
Gandy’s Beach
Just south of Money Island, another Downe community, Gandy’s Beach, is still thriving, and isn’t part of the state buyout. But evidence of rising waters is everywhere. The Federal Emergency Management Agency replaced a steel bulkhead lost during 2012’s Hurricane Sandy at Gandy’s Beach, an investment the area says was appreciated, but not nearly enough compared with what ocean-side communities got. Sandy was literally a watershed moment along the bay shore in the scope of its destructiveness and the fears it generated over future storms. Some areas haven’t fully recovered. Subsequent storms made things worse.
Elsewhere on Gandy’s Beach, concrete retaining walls are fronted by broken chunks of asphalt and rocks known as rip rap to provide temporary defense against the bay. Perry and Marie Ashman have lived at Gandy’s Beach since 1978. Their nicely kept home sits atop stilts with the bay lapping at the edge. They compare the sunsets to those at their second home in Florida. Marie also talks of full moons that turn the dark bay silver.
Still, Perry says there used to be 30 or 40 feet of beach in front of their home. “But we lost it all to erosion,” he says. “The rising sea level, the high tides,” says Marie. “We’ve seen so much land gone.” Sandy Boland, a real estate agent, tries to be positive, but is a realist. “The tide is high, and it stays high longer. And we don’t have a beach anymore,” Boland says. “But the kids love it here. It’s a great atmosphere. You get the eagles and the ospreys.” Some vacant homes worry her, even though she says she still gets plenty of interest from potential buyers.
“There is no sea-level rise, and it’s a bunch of 'hogwash',” says Downe Mayor Robert Campbell.
Mayor: Sea rise is `hogwash’ Downe Mayor Robert Campbell discovered the township on a Sunday drive 35 years ago, fell in love with it, and stayed. Now, Campbell, also a GOP candidate for state Assembly, is fighting to keep Downe’s six communities — which also include Fortescue, Dividing Creek, Newport, and Dyer’s Cove — viable. Scientists, he says, just don’t get it. “There is no sea-level rise, and it’s a bunch of hogwash,” Campbell says. “We seem to get the brunt of all the talk about sea-level rise … but I don’t hear about it in Margate,” he said of the ocean-side city.
“Why? What’s the difference? I’ll tell you why: We’ve had no maintenance along the bay shore.” Flooding has been around “forever,” he says. The difference: The rich coastal towns get jetties, breakwaters, dunes, and beach replenishment. With the state buyouts, he said, Downe can expect to see both its population and tax base shrink even more. He said the township has lost 58 homes to buyouts since Sandy.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is studying whether to use dredge material to build a dune or berm at Gandy’s Beach or Fortescue, according to spokesman Steve Rochette. But that study includes looking ahead 50 years to see if the investment would be justified — and there’s no answer yet. The Corps’ focus is still the more heavily populated ocean-side barrier islands and back bays, he said.
A few environmental groups are installing “living shorelines” in the area to help prevent erosion, according to Josh Moody of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. Living shorelines can be composed of native wetland plants, shellfish colonies, and bioengineered materials such as coconut fiber logs. It’s unlikely Downe Township will see the kind of massive projects such as those that continually replenish oceanfront beaches and dunes. Joint federal and state beach and dune construction projects starting on Absecon Island, which includes Atlantic City, will cost $213 million.
State and federal officials say oceanfront projects make more sense considering the tourism tax dollars generated. Buying bay-shore homes is cheaper, too. Median housing sale listings for Downe are in the range of $130,000, compared with Avalon’s $1.4 million. Larry Hajna, a DEP spokesman, said state and federal officials were dealing with the reality of the situation. “Along the ocean, properties are worth so much on the open market that it makes more sense for them to elevate or take other steps to protect their houses,” Hajna said.
Paul Waterman, a Downe resident who owns Beaver Dam Boat Rentals at Oranokin Creek, is philosophical about the township’s situation. He likes to watch eagles from his porch overlooking Glades Wildlife Refuge. Life in Downe has always been dictated by water, he said. “You need to accept that you’ll get your feet wet.” “I see changes in the amounts of different species of wildlife that should or shouldn’t be here,” Waterman said. “The water is warmer and crab season is six weeks ahead. And we all know warm water feeds storms.” Looking out over thousands of acres of wetland, he adds: “Mother Nature is talking, but it’s very subtle.”
Dive team recovers cash ditched during high-speed chase
Posted on June 5, 2017 at 6:28 PM - By Bill Gallo Jr. [email protected] For NJ.com
PENNSVILLE TWP. -- A man who led police on a high-speed chase through three towns after robbing a gas station tried to get rid of the evidence by tossing the money into a creek before he was captured, police said. The wad of money taken during the incident was quickly recovered by members of the Downe Township Dive Team who retrieved the wad of money from its watery hiding place.
The pursuit began after police got a report that the Coastal Mart gas station in the Deepwater section of Pennsville had been robbed Friday around 4:19 p.m. According to Pennsville Chief of Police Allen J. Cummings, an officer responding to the call passed a 1997 red Dodge Dakota described as the vehicle driven by the man who committed the robbery, the chief said.
The driver of that vehicle was later identified as Frederick S. Garron III, 35, of Salem, Cummings said. The officer turned around and tried to stop Garron, but Garron ignored the officer and accelerated, speeding southbound on Hook Road, Cummings said.
The pursuit continued through Salem City and then north into Mannington Township. After traveling several miles, Garron came to the Route 45 bridge over one of the streams that feed into Mannington Meadow. It was there that Garron allegedly tossed the stolen money wrapped in a cloth in to the water below. Garron continued north on Route 45 before turning onto Bassett Road where he pulled over and was put under arrest.
Members of the Downe Townhip Dive Team were called to the stream and within 20 minutes after their search began, retrieved the stolen money, according to the dive team's Facebook page.
Police say a pair entered the a vending company in Pennsville and stole $1,000. Drivers Dan Bestwick and Paul May found the money in an area near the bridge where the water is 6 to 8 feet deep, according to the dive team.
The undisclosed amount of cash was turned over to a Pennsville police officer on the scene. No one was reported injured in either the robbery or pursuit afterward, authorities said. "I would like to commend the officers involved, including the other agencies that assisted, for great police work in the apprehension of Garron," said Cummings. The chief also praised the work of the Salem County 911 Center telecommunicators who guided authorities as the pursuit wound its way through three towns.
Garron was charged with robbery, eluding, theft and tampering with evidence, according to Cummings. He was also issued numerous motor vehicle summonses in connection with the chase, the chief said. Garron was taken to the Salem County Correctional Facility, Mannington Township, after his arrest.
Posted on June 5, 2017 at 6:28 PM - By Bill Gallo Jr. [email protected] For NJ.com
PENNSVILLE TWP. -- A man who led police on a high-speed chase through three towns after robbing a gas station tried to get rid of the evidence by tossing the money into a creek before he was captured, police said. The wad of money taken during the incident was quickly recovered by members of the Downe Township Dive Team who retrieved the wad of money from its watery hiding place.
The pursuit began after police got a report that the Coastal Mart gas station in the Deepwater section of Pennsville had been robbed Friday around 4:19 p.m. According to Pennsville Chief of Police Allen J. Cummings, an officer responding to the call passed a 1997 red Dodge Dakota described as the vehicle driven by the man who committed the robbery, the chief said.
The driver of that vehicle was later identified as Frederick S. Garron III, 35, of Salem, Cummings said. The officer turned around and tried to stop Garron, but Garron ignored the officer and accelerated, speeding southbound on Hook Road, Cummings said.
The pursuit continued through Salem City and then north into Mannington Township. After traveling several miles, Garron came to the Route 45 bridge over one of the streams that feed into Mannington Meadow. It was there that Garron allegedly tossed the stolen money wrapped in a cloth in to the water below. Garron continued north on Route 45 before turning onto Bassett Road where he pulled over and was put under arrest.
Members of the Downe Townhip Dive Team were called to the stream and within 20 minutes after their search began, retrieved the stolen money, according to the dive team's Facebook page.
Police say a pair entered the a vending company in Pennsville and stole $1,000. Drivers Dan Bestwick and Paul May found the money in an area near the bridge where the water is 6 to 8 feet deep, according to the dive team.
The undisclosed amount of cash was turned over to a Pennsville police officer on the scene. No one was reported injured in either the robbery or pursuit afterward, authorities said. "I would like to commend the officers involved, including the other agencies that assisted, for great police work in the apprehension of Garron," said Cummings. The chief also praised the work of the Salem County 911 Center telecommunicators who guided authorities as the pursuit wound its way through three towns.
Garron was charged with robbery, eluding, theft and tampering with evidence, according to Cummings. He was also issued numerous motor vehicle summonses in connection with the chase, the chief said. Garron was taken to the Salem County Correctional Facility, Mannington Township, after his arrest.
Horseshoe crabs, which pre-date dinosaurs, spawn in droves on Delaware Bay
May 17, 2017 ~ Press of Atlantic City ~ ALE GERHARD Staff Writer
The incoming tide gently laps at the shore at Kimbles Beach as moonlight glistens off the Delaware Bay. The night is quiet but for the eerie, muted sounds of clacking, like hollow rocks tumbling underwater. The noise comes from hundreds of horseshoe crabs bumping together for their annual spawn on Delaware Bay beaches this time of year.
“It’s beautiful out here tonight. Conditions should be just right,” said John Back, a volunteer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Volunteers like Back, wearing hip boots and carrying flashlights, help the Fish and Wildlife Service take surveys of horseshoe crab populations during the height of the spawn.
The work is critical. Horseshoe crab eggs are a vital food source for migrating shore birds such as the federally threatened red knots and are vital to the Delaware Bay’s ecology. Counts like this one are used to compile data on decline or growth in horseshoe crab populations. The Atlantic horseshoe crab can be found all along the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S., but the heaviest concentrations are in the Delaware Bay, according to Jack Szczepanski, biologist and project manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Horseshoe crabs have a lineage that dates back more than 400 million years, pre-dating the dinosaurs, Szczepanski said.
Every May and June, the Delaware Bay becomes the largest horseshoe crab spawning ground in the world. “They are quite remarkable creatures,” said Szczepanski, as he and his volunteers worked the half-mile of shore at Kimbles Beach, counting the number of crabs coming ashore to spawn. During the spawn, the larger female crabs, with one or more male crabs in tow, dig into the sand at high tide and lay 80,000 to 100,000 eggs in a clutch, where the male will fertilize them.
Horseshoe crabs are not actually crabs, but are more closely related to spiders and scorpions and are gentle by nature, according to Szczepanski. They don’t have pincers, and their intimidating-looking tails — called telsons — are not dangerous, poisonous or used to sting. Instead, they act as rudders, and they help the horseshoe crabs right themselves when they flip over on their backs.
May 17, 2017 ~ Press of Atlantic City ~ ALE GERHARD Staff Writer
The incoming tide gently laps at the shore at Kimbles Beach as moonlight glistens off the Delaware Bay. The night is quiet but for the eerie, muted sounds of clacking, like hollow rocks tumbling underwater. The noise comes from hundreds of horseshoe crabs bumping together for their annual spawn on Delaware Bay beaches this time of year.
“It’s beautiful out here tonight. Conditions should be just right,” said John Back, a volunteer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Volunteers like Back, wearing hip boots and carrying flashlights, help the Fish and Wildlife Service take surveys of horseshoe crab populations during the height of the spawn.
The work is critical. Horseshoe crab eggs are a vital food source for migrating shore birds such as the federally threatened red knots and are vital to the Delaware Bay’s ecology. Counts like this one are used to compile data on decline or growth in horseshoe crab populations. The Atlantic horseshoe crab can be found all along the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S., but the heaviest concentrations are in the Delaware Bay, according to Jack Szczepanski, biologist and project manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Horseshoe crabs have a lineage that dates back more than 400 million years, pre-dating the dinosaurs, Szczepanski said.
Every May and June, the Delaware Bay becomes the largest horseshoe crab spawning ground in the world. “They are quite remarkable creatures,” said Szczepanski, as he and his volunteers worked the half-mile of shore at Kimbles Beach, counting the number of crabs coming ashore to spawn. During the spawn, the larger female crabs, with one or more male crabs in tow, dig into the sand at high tide and lay 80,000 to 100,000 eggs in a clutch, where the male will fertilize them.
Horseshoe crabs are not actually crabs, but are more closely related to spiders and scorpions and are gentle by nature, according to Szczepanski. They don’t have pincers, and their intimidating-looking tails — called telsons — are not dangerous, poisonous or used to sting. Instead, they act as rudders, and they help the horseshoe crabs right themselves when they flip over on their backs.
We're here, we're cats, deal with us in Downe
Updated on April 20, 2017 at 2:06 PM Posted on April 20, 2017 at 2:03 PM
BY SOUTH JERSEY TIMES LETTERS
The topic of free-roaming and feral cats has been brought to Downe Township officials' attention in the recent past via a presentation by Carol Hickman of the Carolscatz organization. These cats are a big problem in our township and beyond.
Personally, I am a cat lover who cares for many cats. The majority are rescues, having been dumped at Turkey Point in my own back yard, mostly by Downe residents who may be aware of my caring nature for the animals. This dumping is a disturbing practice and a great financial burden, since I spend money to have these cats vaccinated and spayed or neutered.
Whether those who dump the cats cannot afford to care for them or, are uncaring and ill-informed, makes no difference. This is cruelty at its worst! These hapless creatures are at the mercy of nature through no fault of their own. While folks complain about the habits of free-roaming/ feral populations, some of their "solutions" -- dumping or, worse, killing -- do nothing to stave off the problem.
While there was some interest in Carolscatz's proposed trap, neuter, vaccinate, release (TNVR) program for Downe Township, she was never contacted to set up such a program here. I wholeheartedly support this program, having utilized Hickman's services myself. However, it was at much greater expense to me than if Downe Township had done this officially for residents and sought grant funding. Similar low-cost programs exist in neighboring townships and have been very successful.
TNVR is a cost-effective way to deal with feral and free-roaming cat populations, far less expensive than the practices of shelters in Cumberland County that kill unwanted animals.
Another year has passed. It is spring -- kitten season, again -- when hundreds, if not thousands, of unwanted kittens will become reproducing cats that populate our township. It is sheer cruelty to ignore this situation. In the words of Eldridge Cleaver, "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem."
Jamie A. Swain, Downe Township
Tide did not get as high' during snowstorm, sparing Delaware Bayshore
By Bill Gallo Jr. | For NJ.com on March 14, 2017
DOWNE TWP. -- The Delaware Bayshore appears to have been spared from severe flooding and damage from the nor'easter which bore down on the region on Tuesday, one fire official said.
Downe Township Fire Co. Chief Cliff Higbee said while the wind shifted at what could have been the wrong time -- high tide --the bayfront village of Fortescue for the most part looks like it has made it through.
He said he had heard no reports of damage to any Bayfront homes from the wind-driven waves that came at high tide late Tuesday morning.
"The tide did not get as high as it could have," Higbee said. "That was our saving grace."
That was not the case during Superstorm Sandy when Fortescue was battered by relentless waves driven from the bay across the fragile shoreline.
Higbee and members of the Downe Township Fire Co. were needed for a rescue Tuesday, however, he said. Three smaller boats used by a company dredging Fortescue Creek had to be saved from sinking.
The wind -- one gust that was confirmed by the New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson to be 61 mph -- was causing waves to crash over the boats at the dock where they were tied up. Higbee said the boats were filling up quickly with water and were in danger of sinking.
He said company members dewatered the small vessels and moved two to another area and pulled one from the creek completely. Higbee said he also had not heard any reports of damage at neighboring Bayfront towns of Gandy's beach and Money Island. Farther up the bay and Delaware River, where high tide was due later, there were no other reports of flooding.
Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at [email protected]. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
By Bill Gallo Jr. | For NJ.com on March 14, 2017
DOWNE TWP. -- The Delaware Bayshore appears to have been spared from severe flooding and damage from the nor'easter which bore down on the region on Tuesday, one fire official said.
Downe Township Fire Co. Chief Cliff Higbee said while the wind shifted at what could have been the wrong time -- high tide --the bayfront village of Fortescue for the most part looks like it has made it through.
He said he had heard no reports of damage to any Bayfront homes from the wind-driven waves that came at high tide late Tuesday morning.
"The tide did not get as high as it could have," Higbee said. "That was our saving grace."
That was not the case during Superstorm Sandy when Fortescue was battered by relentless waves driven from the bay across the fragile shoreline.
Higbee and members of the Downe Township Fire Co. were needed for a rescue Tuesday, however, he said. Three smaller boats used by a company dredging Fortescue Creek had to be saved from sinking.
The wind -- one gust that was confirmed by the New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson to be 61 mph -- was causing waves to crash over the boats at the dock where they were tied up. Higbee said the boats were filling up quickly with water and were in danger of sinking.
He said company members dewatered the small vessels and moved two to another area and pulled one from the creek completely. Higbee said he also had not heard any reports of damage at neighboring Bayfront towns of Gandy's beach and Money Island. Farther up the bay and Delaware River, where high tide was due later, there were no other reports of flooding.
Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at [email protected]. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Sunshine Week Spotlights Truth
WHAT IS SUNSHINE WEEK?
The Press of Atlantic City, Monday, March 13, 2017
Sunshine Week is an annual nationwide celebration by media outlets that highlights the importance of government transparency and public access to records. It was established by the American Society of Newspaper Editors in 2005 and takes place each March. The date corresponds to the March 16 birthday of James Madison, father of the U.S. Constitution and a key advocate for the Bill of Rights. This year, Sunshine Week runs from March 12-18. During this week, we’ll highlight examples of explanatory and accountability-related news stories that exemplify the role the press plays in making government actions more transparent.
If you have a story about government spending you’d like to see us tackle, email JDeRosier@press ofac.com.
WHAT IS SUNSHINE WEEK?
The Press of Atlantic City, Monday, March 13, 2017
Sunshine Week is an annual nationwide celebration by media outlets that highlights the importance of government transparency and public access to records. It was established by the American Society of Newspaper Editors in 2005 and takes place each March. The date corresponds to the March 16 birthday of James Madison, father of the U.S. Constitution and a key advocate for the Bill of Rights. This year, Sunshine Week runs from March 12-18. During this week, we’ll highlight examples of explanatory and accountability-related news stories that exemplify the role the press plays in making government actions more transparent.
If you have a story about government spending you’d like to see us tackle, email JDeRosier@press ofac.com.
Located on the Delaware Bay, Fortescue Beach provides the perfect spot to watch
the setting sun in New Jersey, Feb. 6 2017. (Kelly Roncace | For NJ.com)
the setting sun in New Jersey, Feb. 6 2017. (Kelly Roncace | For NJ.com)
The 11 most spectacular spots to watch the sunset in NJ
By Kelly Roncace for NJ.com - February 8, 2017
At the end of each day, the sky gives us a spectacular gift full of light and color -- the vision of the sun disappearing behind the horizon. However, most of us are usually too busy to stop and take notice of this daily explosion of natural beauty.
In New Jersey, there are a number of places where the sunsets are particularly spectacular. So, with Valentine's Day drawing nearer and romance on our minds, we decided to choose 11 of the best spots in the state to view the sunset. What better way to create the perfect moment for two than when bathed in a flood of reds, oranges, pinks and purples?
Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder -- so if you disagree with any of our choices -- or if you have a favorite spot that you think we missed -- let us know in the comments below. You can also share your own favorite sunset photos there.
As for when to visit these places, sunset these days is around 5:30 p.m. -- but make sure to check online for the precise time.
High Point State Park, Sussex County
Standing 1,803 feet above sea level at High Point Monument in High Point State Park gives onlookers a panoramic view of the surrounding hills, valleys, and lush farmland that is Sussex County. As the sun descends in the west, the rolling hills make a spectacular setting for the end of the day. High Point State Park is located at 1480 Route 23, Sussex. For more information, visit stateparks.com.
Liberty State Park, Jersey City
Situated on Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, Liberty State Park is just yards from Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Guests get a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline from the park, and when the sun goes down, the city is bathed in the reflection of the day's dwindling light. Liberty State Park is located on Morris Pesin Drive in Jersey City. For more information, visit libertystatepark.org.
Fisherman's Cove Conservation Area, Manasquan
Nestled among beautiful beach homes and stylish seafood restaurants is Fisherman's Cove Conservation Area -- 55 acres of marshland on the Manasquan River near the Manasquan Inlet and beach. Not only can visitors catch a beautiful sunset on the river's shore, but they can also bring along their favorite canine companion. Dogs are welcomed on the Eastern portion of the beach all year long. There is parking on 3rd Avenue, and walking trails throughout the conservation area. Visit monmouthcountyparks.com for more information.
Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, Barnegat Light
At the northern tip of Long Beach Island stands the Barnegat Lighthouse. With nearly four miles of Barnegat Bay between Barnegat Light and the mainland, Barnegat Lighthouse State Park sets a beautiful scene for a sunset. The park is located at 208 Broadway in Barnegat Light. For more information, visit stateparks.com.
Ship Bottom, Long Beach Island
Long Beach Island is a barrier island that lies between two and four miles from Ocean County on the New Jersey mainland. Grab a spot on the shores of Little Egg Harbor in Ship Bottom to watch the sun set behind Flat Island and Egg Island in the distance. The western end of nearly every street in town -- just remember not to trespass on private property -- is the perfect place to watch the sun set. Ship Bottom is located on Long Beach Island which is accessible by Route 72. For more information, visit welcometolbi.com.
Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, Galloway
Just outside the hustle and bustle of Atlantic City is 47,000 acres of marsh and forest known as the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge. With a stunning view of the Atlantic City skyline just across Reeds Bay, the peaceful haven is home to hundreds of migratory birds and wildlife both on land and in the water. The serene waters that run through the refuge provide a picturesque place to watch the sun set. The refuge is located at 800 Great Creek Road in Galloway. For more information, visit fws.gov/refuge/Edwin_B_Forsythe.
Historic Gardner's Basin, Atlantic City
A few blocks away from the flashy casinos and bustling boardwalk is an inlet and marina known as Gardner's Basin. Surrounded by the waters of the Absecon Inlet and Clam Creek, this marina once served as a favorite spot for rumrunners and commercial fishing fleets. With sightseeing and fishing boat tours, seafood restaurants, and the Atlantic City Aquarium all situated within the historic spot, the sunset isn't the only reason to visit this unique Atlantic City treasure. Gardner's Basin is located at 800 North New Hampshire Avenue in Atlantic City. For more information, visit acaquarium.com.
Riverview Beach Park, Pennsville
In Pennsville Township, an open, grassy park sits on the shores of the Delaware River that not only provides spectacular sunsets, but also has an amusing history. In 1914, W.D. Acton inherited a hotel on the property where the park stands today. He decided to expand his new property, and eventually turned it into an amusement park that entertained thousands for six decades. Today, the park has walking trails, a pavilion, picnic groves, frisbee golf, and a beautiful view of the sun setting over Old New Castle, Delaware, just across the river. During the summer, the Riverview Inn restaurant's Riverside Deck celebrates the sunset each evening by playing Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" as the sun sinks into the horizon. And be sure to grab the special Sunset Punch while watching the day end. Riverview Beach Park is located on Route 49 in Pennsville. For more information, visit riverviewinn.net.
Fortescue Beach, Downe Township
There's a little fishing town on the Delaware Bay in Downe Township that provides an ocean-like sunset thanks to the 10 miles that separate it from the Delaware shoreline on the other side. At Fortescue Beach, the waves are small, but the current is constant, providing a natural soundtrack to the stunning sun's descent into the Delaware Bay. There is ample parking along Jersey Avenue where visitors can witness this breathtaking sunset. For more information, visit fortescue.com.
Sunset Lake, Wildwood Crest
Named for its stunning sunsets, Sunset Lake is located on the bayside of Wildwood Crest. Rumor has it that the sunsets at Sunset Lake are beautiful enough to compete with those seen in the Florida Keys. Sunset Lake is located at New Jersey and Miami avenues in Wildwood Crest. For more information, visit wildwoodsnj.com.
Cape May Point
At the southern tip of New Jersey, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Delaware Bay, a place called Sunset Beach draws thousands of visitors year round to see the most amazing sunset in the state. Positioned more than 10 miles across the bay from Lewes, Delaware, the sun seems to sink directly into the sea as it does every night on the west coast. Sunset Beach is located at 502 Sunset Boulevard in Cape May Point. For more information, visit sunsetbeachnj.com.
Kelly Roncace may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @kellyroncace. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
By Kelly Roncace for NJ.com - February 8, 2017
At the end of each day, the sky gives us a spectacular gift full of light and color -- the vision of the sun disappearing behind the horizon. However, most of us are usually too busy to stop and take notice of this daily explosion of natural beauty.
In New Jersey, there are a number of places where the sunsets are particularly spectacular. So, with Valentine's Day drawing nearer and romance on our minds, we decided to choose 11 of the best spots in the state to view the sunset. What better way to create the perfect moment for two than when bathed in a flood of reds, oranges, pinks and purples?
Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder -- so if you disagree with any of our choices -- or if you have a favorite spot that you think we missed -- let us know in the comments below. You can also share your own favorite sunset photos there.
As for when to visit these places, sunset these days is around 5:30 p.m. -- but make sure to check online for the precise time.
High Point State Park, Sussex County
Standing 1,803 feet above sea level at High Point Monument in High Point State Park gives onlookers a panoramic view of the surrounding hills, valleys, and lush farmland that is Sussex County. As the sun descends in the west, the rolling hills make a spectacular setting for the end of the day. High Point State Park is located at 1480 Route 23, Sussex. For more information, visit stateparks.com.
Liberty State Park, Jersey City
Situated on Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, Liberty State Park is just yards from Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Guests get a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline from the park, and when the sun goes down, the city is bathed in the reflection of the day's dwindling light. Liberty State Park is located on Morris Pesin Drive in Jersey City. For more information, visit libertystatepark.org.
Fisherman's Cove Conservation Area, Manasquan
Nestled among beautiful beach homes and stylish seafood restaurants is Fisherman's Cove Conservation Area -- 55 acres of marshland on the Manasquan River near the Manasquan Inlet and beach. Not only can visitors catch a beautiful sunset on the river's shore, but they can also bring along their favorite canine companion. Dogs are welcomed on the Eastern portion of the beach all year long. There is parking on 3rd Avenue, and walking trails throughout the conservation area. Visit monmouthcountyparks.com for more information.
Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, Barnegat Light
At the northern tip of Long Beach Island stands the Barnegat Lighthouse. With nearly four miles of Barnegat Bay between Barnegat Light and the mainland, Barnegat Lighthouse State Park sets a beautiful scene for a sunset. The park is located at 208 Broadway in Barnegat Light. For more information, visit stateparks.com.
Ship Bottom, Long Beach Island
Long Beach Island is a barrier island that lies between two and four miles from Ocean County on the New Jersey mainland. Grab a spot on the shores of Little Egg Harbor in Ship Bottom to watch the sun set behind Flat Island and Egg Island in the distance. The western end of nearly every street in town -- just remember not to trespass on private property -- is the perfect place to watch the sun set. Ship Bottom is located on Long Beach Island which is accessible by Route 72. For more information, visit welcometolbi.com.
Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, Galloway
Just outside the hustle and bustle of Atlantic City is 47,000 acres of marsh and forest known as the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge. With a stunning view of the Atlantic City skyline just across Reeds Bay, the peaceful haven is home to hundreds of migratory birds and wildlife both on land and in the water. The serene waters that run through the refuge provide a picturesque place to watch the sun set. The refuge is located at 800 Great Creek Road in Galloway. For more information, visit fws.gov/refuge/Edwin_B_Forsythe.
Historic Gardner's Basin, Atlantic City
A few blocks away from the flashy casinos and bustling boardwalk is an inlet and marina known as Gardner's Basin. Surrounded by the waters of the Absecon Inlet and Clam Creek, this marina once served as a favorite spot for rumrunners and commercial fishing fleets. With sightseeing and fishing boat tours, seafood restaurants, and the Atlantic City Aquarium all situated within the historic spot, the sunset isn't the only reason to visit this unique Atlantic City treasure. Gardner's Basin is located at 800 North New Hampshire Avenue in Atlantic City. For more information, visit acaquarium.com.
Riverview Beach Park, Pennsville
In Pennsville Township, an open, grassy park sits on the shores of the Delaware River that not only provides spectacular sunsets, but also has an amusing history. In 1914, W.D. Acton inherited a hotel on the property where the park stands today. He decided to expand his new property, and eventually turned it into an amusement park that entertained thousands for six decades. Today, the park has walking trails, a pavilion, picnic groves, frisbee golf, and a beautiful view of the sun setting over Old New Castle, Delaware, just across the river. During the summer, the Riverview Inn restaurant's Riverside Deck celebrates the sunset each evening by playing Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" as the sun sinks into the horizon. And be sure to grab the special Sunset Punch while watching the day end. Riverview Beach Park is located on Route 49 in Pennsville. For more information, visit riverviewinn.net.
Fortescue Beach, Downe Township
There's a little fishing town on the Delaware Bay in Downe Township that provides an ocean-like sunset thanks to the 10 miles that separate it from the Delaware shoreline on the other side. At Fortescue Beach, the waves are small, but the current is constant, providing a natural soundtrack to the stunning sun's descent into the Delaware Bay. There is ample parking along Jersey Avenue where visitors can witness this breathtaking sunset. For more information, visit fortescue.com.
Sunset Lake, Wildwood Crest
Named for its stunning sunsets, Sunset Lake is located on the bayside of Wildwood Crest. Rumor has it that the sunsets at Sunset Lake are beautiful enough to compete with those seen in the Florida Keys. Sunset Lake is located at New Jersey and Miami avenues in Wildwood Crest. For more information, visit wildwoodsnj.com.
Cape May Point
At the southern tip of New Jersey, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Delaware Bay, a place called Sunset Beach draws thousands of visitors year round to see the most amazing sunset in the state. Positioned more than 10 miles across the bay from Lewes, Delaware, the sun seems to sink directly into the sea as it does every night on the west coast. Sunset Beach is located at 502 Sunset Boulevard in Cape May Point. For more information, visit sunsetbeachnj.com.
Kelly Roncace may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @kellyroncace. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
Even if man-made, living shorelines protect marsh and wildlife
Oct 28, 2016 - MICHELLE BRUNETTI POST Staff Writer
Craig Matthews / Staff PhotographerMarsh cliff at Gandy’s Beach in Newport in October.
DOWNE TOWNSHIP — It takes a special kind of person to wade into a choppy Delaware Bay on a cold, windy day carrying 34-pound blocks of concrete, all in the name of saving the marsh. But volunteers and staff members from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and the Nature Conservancy were doing just that last week.
“We call them adult Legos,” said Moses Katkowski, coastal restoration manager for the Nature Conservancy, of the concrete blocks they were moving out into the intertidal zone at its Gandys Beach Preserve.
They were stacked in an interlocking pattern, creating walls about 10 feet to 30 feet long and 3 feet high. The walls are separated by about 5 feet to allow animals, such as horseshoe crabs, access to the beach during spring egg-laying season.
The walls create a barrier to wave action during low- and mid-level tides and become a home for oysters that attach as spat, grow and filter the water.
A little farther down the beach, student volunteers were placing oyster bags in the water to create a different kind of living reef. “This is largely experimental,” said Nature Conservancy Cape May Preserves Coordinator Adrianna Zito-Livingston, of Cape May.
The idea is that, when the water hits the marsh, it does so with less force and is less likely to cause further erosion, she said. It is also hoped the walls will trap sediment behind them to further fortify the marsh.
Without them, “every wave is acting on the peat, and the vegetation is drowned,” she said. “Once the vegetation dies, there is nothing really holding the marsh in place.”
The marsh they are trying to save has eroded about 500 feet since 1930, said Katie Conrad, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which provided an $880,000 grant for the effort.
Marshland not only provides a buffer to human habitation during storms, it is a nursery for countless species of fish, bird and shellfish.
But New Jersey is losing hundreds of acres of marshland each year to erosion, according to government and Rutgers University data. It’s happening because all the land in South Jersey is subsiding, or sinking, at the same time a warming climate is causing sea levels to rise.
The grant covers the planning, engineering, construction and monitoring of almost 3,000 feet of shoreline to help reduce erosion and provide good habitat for wildlife, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Some energy will come through. The goal is not to stop it but to reduce the energy coming through,” Katkowski said.
The important thing is to slow slumping of the marsh, which is undercutting of the base of the grass by wave action, which eventually causes chunks to fall into the water. Katkowski said data so far show the structures reduce wave action on the marshes overall by about 15 percent through the whole tide cycle. They reduce it by about 50 percent during low and mid-level tides, he said.
The structures are built at about the low-tide line and are completely covered during high tide. Blocks are delivered by barge on pallets, comes at high tide and offloads them, Katkowski said. The oyster castles are just one of three types of living shoreline the nonprofit Nature Conservancy is testing here through the grant, which was available as post-Hurricane Sandy funds for strengthening resiliency. Sandy hit the Delaware Bayshore hard, causing serious erosion on many beaches.
Bags of oyster shells are also being used along part of the Bayshore, placed in the intertidal zone to lessen wave action and provide a habitat for oysters to attach and grow. In Nantuxent Creek leading off the bay, the group used coconut fiber coir logs to stabilize the shoreline and allow native marsh grasses to grow to prevent erosion.
Some of the work started last year, but the bulk of it happened this spring and finished with a final push in October.
“We took May and June off for the horseshoe crab season,” Zito-Livingston said. “Then we started again.”
The Delaware Bayshore is a main spawning area for the horseshoe crab, and the eggs they lay are an important food source for migratory birds, such as the threatened and endangered red knot, which stops to feed on its way from South America to the Arctic.
“This is the first time I have built one of these reefs,” said volunteer Murray Rosenberg, an environmental consultant from Philadelphia, as he helped move oyster castle blocks from the beach into the water. “I think it will do a good job of breaking down the wave energy and trapping sediment.” Contact: 609-272-7219 [email protected]
Oct 28, 2016 - MICHELLE BRUNETTI POST Staff Writer
- Craig Matthews / Staff Photographer
Craig Matthews / Staff PhotographerMarsh cliff at Gandy’s Beach in Newport in October.
DOWNE TOWNSHIP — It takes a special kind of person to wade into a choppy Delaware Bay on a cold, windy day carrying 34-pound blocks of concrete, all in the name of saving the marsh. But volunteers and staff members from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and the Nature Conservancy were doing just that last week.
“We call them adult Legos,” said Moses Katkowski, coastal restoration manager for the Nature Conservancy, of the concrete blocks they were moving out into the intertidal zone at its Gandys Beach Preserve.
They were stacked in an interlocking pattern, creating walls about 10 feet to 30 feet long and 3 feet high. The walls are separated by about 5 feet to allow animals, such as horseshoe crabs, access to the beach during spring egg-laying season.
The walls create a barrier to wave action during low- and mid-level tides and become a home for oysters that attach as spat, grow and filter the water.
A little farther down the beach, student volunteers were placing oyster bags in the water to create a different kind of living reef. “This is largely experimental,” said Nature Conservancy Cape May Preserves Coordinator Adrianna Zito-Livingston, of Cape May.
The idea is that, when the water hits the marsh, it does so with less force and is less likely to cause further erosion, she said. It is also hoped the walls will trap sediment behind them to further fortify the marsh.
Without them, “every wave is acting on the peat, and the vegetation is drowned,” she said. “Once the vegetation dies, there is nothing really holding the marsh in place.”
The marsh they are trying to save has eroded about 500 feet since 1930, said Katie Conrad, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which provided an $880,000 grant for the effort.
Marshland not only provides a buffer to human habitation during storms, it is a nursery for countless species of fish, bird and shellfish.
But New Jersey is losing hundreds of acres of marshland each year to erosion, according to government and Rutgers University data. It’s happening because all the land in South Jersey is subsiding, or sinking, at the same time a warming climate is causing sea levels to rise.
The grant covers the planning, engineering, construction and monitoring of almost 3,000 feet of shoreline to help reduce erosion and provide good habitat for wildlife, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Some energy will come through. The goal is not to stop it but to reduce the energy coming through,” Katkowski said.
The important thing is to slow slumping of the marsh, which is undercutting of the base of the grass by wave action, which eventually causes chunks to fall into the water. Katkowski said data so far show the structures reduce wave action on the marshes overall by about 15 percent through the whole tide cycle. They reduce it by about 50 percent during low and mid-level tides, he said.
The structures are built at about the low-tide line and are completely covered during high tide. Blocks are delivered by barge on pallets, comes at high tide and offloads them, Katkowski said. The oyster castles are just one of three types of living shoreline the nonprofit Nature Conservancy is testing here through the grant, which was available as post-Hurricane Sandy funds for strengthening resiliency. Sandy hit the Delaware Bayshore hard, causing serious erosion on many beaches.
Bags of oyster shells are also being used along part of the Bayshore, placed in the intertidal zone to lessen wave action and provide a habitat for oysters to attach and grow. In Nantuxent Creek leading off the bay, the group used coconut fiber coir logs to stabilize the shoreline and allow native marsh grasses to grow to prevent erosion.
Some of the work started last year, but the bulk of it happened this spring and finished with a final push in October.
“We took May and June off for the horseshoe crab season,” Zito-Livingston said. “Then we started again.”
The Delaware Bayshore is a main spawning area for the horseshoe crab, and the eggs they lay are an important food source for migratory birds, such as the threatened and endangered red knot, which stops to feed on its way from South America to the Arctic.
“This is the first time I have built one of these reefs,” said volunteer Murray Rosenberg, an environmental consultant from Philadelphia, as he helped move oyster castle blocks from the beach into the water. “I think it will do a good job of breaking down the wave energy and trapping sediment.” Contact: 609-272-7219 [email protected]
Regulators reviewing horseshoe crab catch
The Associated Press printed in The Atlantic City Press, October 26, 2016
Interstate fishing regulators who want to get a firmer handle on how many horseshoe crabs die as part of their harvest for biomedical use are meeting this week to discuss the issue. The crabs are harvested for their blue blood, which is used to make sure medical products aren’t contaminated. Their blood contains a chemical that can be used to detect bacteria.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has proposed taking into account the death toll associated with medical harvesting when determining how many horseshoe crabs can be harvested from the Delaware Bay.
The commission is meeting on Wednesday to discuss next steps. The medical harvest is about 500,000 crabs per year. They have also been harvested commercially from Maine to Florida over the years.
The Associated Press printed in The Atlantic City Press, October 26, 2016
Interstate fishing regulators who want to get a firmer handle on how many horseshoe crabs die as part of their harvest for biomedical use are meeting this week to discuss the issue. The crabs are harvested for their blue blood, which is used to make sure medical products aren’t contaminated. Their blood contains a chemical that can be used to detect bacteria.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has proposed taking into account the death toll associated with medical harvesting when determining how many horseshoe crabs can be harvested from the Delaware Bay.
The commission is meeting on Wednesday to discuss next steps. The medical harvest is about 500,000 crabs per year. They have also been harvested commercially from Maine to Florida over the years.
Why state buyouts aren't keeping homeowners away from the coast
Michelle Brunetti Post, Atlantic City Press, Staff Writer - September 6, 2016
Even when programs exist to help people move away from flood-prone areas, people don’t necessarily move inland.
The first Downe Township homeowners to sell a property to the state under the Blue Acres Buyout Program gave up their Delaware Bayshore property, where their access road routinely flooded, and bought a new place on Osborn Island in Little Egg Harbor Township, according to the state.
For Natalie and Don Fisch, being able to keep their boat in their backyard to go fishing and crabbing, and knowing that utility lines are underground, were important factors in choosing a new home, the state Department of Environmental Protection said.
But the move underscores the challenges to government officials as they try to entice homeowners away from flood-prone coastal areas. Jessica Jahre, a planner with Princeton Hydro, was surprised that someone who had experienced serious flooding in one area would move to another with similar potential for flooding but said the family may not realize the risk on Osborn Island.
“It (Osborn Island) does have some protection from existing wetlands, but the future of those wetlands is uncertain and protection from them in the future is uncertain,” Jahre said.
Osborn Island is located as far out into Barnegat Bay as Mystic Islands, in an area hit hard by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. If sea-level rise from both sinking shoreline and global climate change reaches 1.48 feet, as predicted, the marshes protecting Little Egg and Tuckerton could disappear, scientists warn.
The $300 million Blue Acres Buyout Program is part of the DEP’s Green Acres Program and purchases flood-prone properties at
pre-Sandy values.Blue Acres has purchased more than 500 properties and has made more than 800 buyout offers in the past three years, the DEP has said.
The Fisches, who declined to be interviewed for this story, had lived at a high point on Bayview Road in Downe Township for about 15 years before deciding to pursue a buyout because lower portions of their road flooded during high tides and full moons, as well as during bad weather.
Michelle Brunetti Post, Atlantic City Press, Staff Writer - September 6, 2016
Even when programs exist to help people move away from flood-prone areas, people don’t necessarily move inland.
The first Downe Township homeowners to sell a property to the state under the Blue Acres Buyout Program gave up their Delaware Bayshore property, where their access road routinely flooded, and bought a new place on Osborn Island in Little Egg Harbor Township, according to the state.
For Natalie and Don Fisch, being able to keep their boat in their backyard to go fishing and crabbing, and knowing that utility lines are underground, were important factors in choosing a new home, the state Department of Environmental Protection said.
But the move underscores the challenges to government officials as they try to entice homeowners away from flood-prone coastal areas. Jessica Jahre, a planner with Princeton Hydro, was surprised that someone who had experienced serious flooding in one area would move to another with similar potential for flooding but said the family may not realize the risk on Osborn Island.
“It (Osborn Island) does have some protection from existing wetlands, but the future of those wetlands is uncertain and protection from them in the future is uncertain,” Jahre said.
Osborn Island is located as far out into Barnegat Bay as Mystic Islands, in an area hit hard by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. If sea-level rise from both sinking shoreline and global climate change reaches 1.48 feet, as predicted, the marshes protecting Little Egg and Tuckerton could disappear, scientists warn.
The $300 million Blue Acres Buyout Program is part of the DEP’s Green Acres Program and purchases flood-prone properties at
pre-Sandy values.Blue Acres has purchased more than 500 properties and has made more than 800 buyout offers in the past three years, the DEP has said.
The Fisches, who declined to be interviewed for this story, had lived at a high point on Bayview Road in Downe Township for about 15 years before deciding to pursue a buyout because lower portions of their road flooded during high tides and full moons, as well as during bad weather.
500 properties later, Blue Acres closes first buyout in Delaware Bayshore
By Don E. Woods | For NJ.com
August 06, 2016 at 8:15 AM, updated August 08, 2016 at 10:41 AM
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Blue Acres Program hit a milestone recently — having completed 500 buyouts on coastal property in danger of being flooded, including its first closed buyout in Downe Township on the Delaware Bayshore.Blue Acres was set up in 2013 in response to Superstorm Sandy and the damage it caused to flood-prone areas. The
Federal Emergency Management Agency has even recognized the program as being a best practice, according to the DEP.
Since its inception, Blue Acres has closed the purchase of 503 properties in 14 municipalities and eight counties. Out of the 806 homeowners that DEP offered the program to, 618 have accepted the offers. Out of the purchased properties, 371 have been demolished.
Once purchased, the land becomes preserved.ADVERTISING"It goes without saying that the DEP and the Blue Acres program administrators have been incredibly responsive to the township administration and, even more importantly, to the residents who have been removed from harm's way and no longer reside in the flood zone," said Mayor John E. McCormac of Woodbridge Township, Middlesex County, in a statement from DEP. "And the work of Blue Acres is not finished. Blue Acres is committed to financing additional buyouts of the families that still remain in harm's way."
The $300 million initiative is funded through FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program and other DEP funds, according to the DEP.
There are 11 Bayshore houses in line for being bought an additional 12 interested in the program.
The program is not without its detractors, however, with Downe Township Committee in Cumberland County passing a resolution Monday declaring a fiscal emergency due to 85 percent of its land on the Delaware Bayshore preserved by Blue Acres, Green Acres, National Land Trust, Nature Conservancy and other organizations and programs.
"For them to take the properties is putting us in a dire financial situation, one that we are already in," said Mayor Bob Campbell. "I don't support it and I don't understand it. There is no justification or reason for it."Campbell alleges that property owners have been coerced into going through programs like Blue Acres to get out of their properties, or else be regulated out of the area. According to Campbell, the area is more in danger of going under financially than it is going under water.
Blue Acres just recently closed on its first Downe Township property, according to the DEP, belonging to Natalie and Don Fisch.
The Fisch family told DEP that their road flooded regularly during high tides and full moons, leading them to be concerned about the local infrastructure.
"Everything went so smooth for us," Natalie Fisch said in a statement from DEP. "We've been blessed. I'd recommend the program to anyone in a bad flooding area that needs to get out."
Concern about the future of the region surrounding Downe Township led to the creation of the New Jersey Delaware Bayshore Council, which hopes to advocate the preservation and restoration of the Delaware Bayshore and its culture.
Meghan Wren serves as a trustee on the council and founder of the Bayshore Center at Bivalve and, being so invested in the region, she feels conflicted about Blue Acres. She doesn't want to leave her area or see it be abandoned by its residents but, on the other hand, it's a personal decision for each person whether to take a buyout or not.
"It does put the rest of the residents in the unfortunate position," Wren said. "If a certain percentage decides to leave, the ones that don't leave are left with a larger tax bill. It's harder to convince even yourself that it's worth investing into a community if there's less people there."
The Bayshore has a culture that remains unchanged for a century and has the potential to be a showcase for the region, Wren explained, and it is just as important as other shore communities.
Blue Acres has bought land in Sayreville Borough, South River Borough, East Brunswick Township, Old Bridge Township and Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County; Manville Borough in Somerset County; Linden in Union County; Lawrence Township and Downe Township in Cumberland County; Pompton Lakes Borough in Passaic County; and Newark in Essex County. There has also been interest in New Milford, Bergen County, and Ocean Township, Monmouth County.
For more information about Blue Acres, call 609-984-0500 or visitwww.nj.gov/dep/greenacres/blue_food_ac.html.
It’s Proven: Folks Love Visiting South Jersey's Delaware Bay Shore
Jun 21, 2016
The results of a recent Delaware Bayshore tourism survey has confirmed visitors can’t get enough of the area.
Carried out by the Nature Conservancy the data showed that 99 percent of visitors who participated in the survey would return to the Bayshore. The survey included 250 completed returns representing between 600 and 700 individuals.
When asked what was their primary motivation for visiting the area the majority responded with wildlife viewing, followed by outdoor recreation, then special events or festivals. Other popular responses included rural, authentic/and or pristine, close to home, cultural or historical attractions and restaurants/dining.
As for visitation frequency approximately 50 percent of the respondents said they visit more than five times per year.
The survey also asked “Did you spend the night?” Not surprisingly the number was low (14 percent) as there are few lodging accommodations in the six Bayshore communities: Greenwich, Fairfield, Lawrence, Downe, Commercial and Maurice River townships.
Distance traveled held some surprises as in addition to folks from the Garden State, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, visitors hailed from a larger than expected radius, with the three longest travels coming from Virginia, Minnesota and Florida.
While ages were not asked of the travel parties, two-thirds of respondents to the survey were 55 and older.
After asking if visitors would return, respondents were also encouraged to answer
“Do you have any suggestions to improve your visitor experience?”
Surprisingly only 20 percent answered with suggestions listed in order of importance:
• more signage
• improvements to public restrooms/increase in number of public restrooms
• more restaurant options
• more information on what to do
• too much trash/junk in yards
And the top five factors that make the area appealing revealed these top five:
• natural landscape (marshes, beaches, rivers, and the Delaware Bay)
• wildlife (birds, fish/oysters, etc.)
• both the natural landscape and wildlife
• people and culture
• water (the Delaware Bay or rivers)
And respondents noted they would travel out of their way to see a bald eagle in the Delaware Bayshore.
From these survey results the follow recommendations were made:
• focus on birders as a target audience for marketing in the short term
• promote the region’s high number of bald eagles to attract more visitors to the area
• investment in businesses and tourism infrastructure to grow the tourism industry in Bayshore communities is worthwhile (50 percent of respondents purchased a meal in local Bayshore restaurants)
• promote opportunities to combine culture and nature
• encourage current and future visitors to attend more events and festivals
• increase the visibility and traffic towards existing tourism-oriented websites for the region
• leverage the strengths of Cumberland County’s urban hubs in addition to the resources and assets present along the Delaware
Bayshore. This suggests opportunities for collaboration with the county’s urban hubs, Millville, Vineland and Bridgeton, to advertise to visitors to spend the night in hotels in the urbanized areas while visiting Bayshore sites.
• improve public access, amenities, and signage at key sites of interest and signage at key intersections of importance.
Reprinted from the Reminder Newspaper - It s Proven Folks Love Visiting the Del. Bayshore
By Don E. Woods | For NJ.com
August 06, 2016 at 8:15 AM, updated August 08, 2016 at 10:41 AM
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Blue Acres Program hit a milestone recently — having completed 500 buyouts on coastal property in danger of being flooded, including its first closed buyout in Downe Township on the Delaware Bayshore.Blue Acres was set up in 2013 in response to Superstorm Sandy and the damage it caused to flood-prone areas. The
Federal Emergency Management Agency has even recognized the program as being a best practice, according to the DEP.
Since its inception, Blue Acres has closed the purchase of 503 properties in 14 municipalities and eight counties. Out of the 806 homeowners that DEP offered the program to, 618 have accepted the offers. Out of the purchased properties, 371 have been demolished.
Once purchased, the land becomes preserved.ADVERTISING"It goes without saying that the DEP and the Blue Acres program administrators have been incredibly responsive to the township administration and, even more importantly, to the residents who have been removed from harm's way and no longer reside in the flood zone," said Mayor John E. McCormac of Woodbridge Township, Middlesex County, in a statement from DEP. "And the work of Blue Acres is not finished. Blue Acres is committed to financing additional buyouts of the families that still remain in harm's way."
The $300 million initiative is funded through FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program and other DEP funds, according to the DEP.
There are 11 Bayshore houses in line for being bought an additional 12 interested in the program.
The program is not without its detractors, however, with Downe Township Committee in Cumberland County passing a resolution Monday declaring a fiscal emergency due to 85 percent of its land on the Delaware Bayshore preserved by Blue Acres, Green Acres, National Land Trust, Nature Conservancy and other organizations and programs.
"For them to take the properties is putting us in a dire financial situation, one that we are already in," said Mayor Bob Campbell. "I don't support it and I don't understand it. There is no justification or reason for it."Campbell alleges that property owners have been coerced into going through programs like Blue Acres to get out of their properties, or else be regulated out of the area. According to Campbell, the area is more in danger of going under financially than it is going under water.
Blue Acres just recently closed on its first Downe Township property, according to the DEP, belonging to Natalie and Don Fisch.
The Fisch family told DEP that their road flooded regularly during high tides and full moons, leading them to be concerned about the local infrastructure.
"Everything went so smooth for us," Natalie Fisch said in a statement from DEP. "We've been blessed. I'd recommend the program to anyone in a bad flooding area that needs to get out."
Concern about the future of the region surrounding Downe Township led to the creation of the New Jersey Delaware Bayshore Council, which hopes to advocate the preservation and restoration of the Delaware Bayshore and its culture.
Meghan Wren serves as a trustee on the council and founder of the Bayshore Center at Bivalve and, being so invested in the region, she feels conflicted about Blue Acres. She doesn't want to leave her area or see it be abandoned by its residents but, on the other hand, it's a personal decision for each person whether to take a buyout or not.
"It does put the rest of the residents in the unfortunate position," Wren said. "If a certain percentage decides to leave, the ones that don't leave are left with a larger tax bill. It's harder to convince even yourself that it's worth investing into a community if there's less people there."
The Bayshore has a culture that remains unchanged for a century and has the potential to be a showcase for the region, Wren explained, and it is just as important as other shore communities.
Blue Acres has bought land in Sayreville Borough, South River Borough, East Brunswick Township, Old Bridge Township and Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County; Manville Borough in Somerset County; Linden in Union County; Lawrence Township and Downe Township in Cumberland County; Pompton Lakes Borough in Passaic County; and Newark in Essex County. There has also been interest in New Milford, Bergen County, and Ocean Township, Monmouth County.
For more information about Blue Acres, call 609-984-0500 or visitwww.nj.gov/dep/greenacres/blue_food_ac.html.
It’s Proven: Folks Love Visiting South Jersey's Delaware Bay Shore
Jun 21, 2016
The results of a recent Delaware Bayshore tourism survey has confirmed visitors can’t get enough of the area.
Carried out by the Nature Conservancy the data showed that 99 percent of visitors who participated in the survey would return to the Bayshore. The survey included 250 completed returns representing between 600 and 700 individuals.
When asked what was their primary motivation for visiting the area the majority responded with wildlife viewing, followed by outdoor recreation, then special events or festivals. Other popular responses included rural, authentic/and or pristine, close to home, cultural or historical attractions and restaurants/dining.
As for visitation frequency approximately 50 percent of the respondents said they visit more than five times per year.
The survey also asked “Did you spend the night?” Not surprisingly the number was low (14 percent) as there are few lodging accommodations in the six Bayshore communities: Greenwich, Fairfield, Lawrence, Downe, Commercial and Maurice River townships.
Distance traveled held some surprises as in addition to folks from the Garden State, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, visitors hailed from a larger than expected radius, with the three longest travels coming from Virginia, Minnesota and Florida.
While ages were not asked of the travel parties, two-thirds of respondents to the survey were 55 and older.
After asking if visitors would return, respondents were also encouraged to answer
“Do you have any suggestions to improve your visitor experience?”
Surprisingly only 20 percent answered with suggestions listed in order of importance:
• more signage
• improvements to public restrooms/increase in number of public restrooms
• more restaurant options
• more information on what to do
• too much trash/junk in yards
And the top five factors that make the area appealing revealed these top five:
• natural landscape (marshes, beaches, rivers, and the Delaware Bay)
• wildlife (birds, fish/oysters, etc.)
• both the natural landscape and wildlife
• people and culture
• water (the Delaware Bay or rivers)
And respondents noted they would travel out of their way to see a bald eagle in the Delaware Bayshore.
From these survey results the follow recommendations were made:
• focus on birders as a target audience for marketing in the short term
• promote the region’s high number of bald eagles to attract more visitors to the area
• investment in businesses and tourism infrastructure to grow the tourism industry in Bayshore communities is worthwhile (50 percent of respondents purchased a meal in local Bayshore restaurants)
• promote opportunities to combine culture and nature
• encourage current and future visitors to attend more events and festivals
• increase the visibility and traffic towards existing tourism-oriented websites for the region
• leverage the strengths of Cumberland County’s urban hubs in addition to the resources and assets present along the Delaware
Bayshore. This suggests opportunities for collaboration with the county’s urban hubs, Millville, Vineland and Bridgeton, to advertise to visitors to spend the night in hotels in the urbanized areas while visiting Bayshore sites.
• improve public access, amenities, and signage at key sites of interest and signage at key intersections of importance.
Reprinted from the Reminder Newspaper - It s Proven Folks Love Visiting the Del. Bayshore
Mother of NJ rescue chief helps save Philly fishermen
Updated: March 9, 2016 — 8:33 PM EST
media.philly.com/images/tommyrowan100 by Tommy Rowan, Staff Writer @tommyrowan
When two Philly guys were thrown out of their fishing boat and into the frigid waters of a South Jersey creek Wednesday afternoon, the person who happened to witness it also happened to be the mother of the area's fire/rescue and dive team's chief.
"Of all people," remarked Cliff Higbee, chief of the Downe Township Fire/Rescue and Dive Team. If his mother, Betty Higbee, hadn't watched the events unfold and called him for help, Higbee said, "it could have been a different outcome."
The two men, who Higbee said were from Philadelphia, were returning from a fishing expedition along Fortescue Creek in Downe Township, Cumberland County, around 1 p.m. when the propeller on their boat's 10 horsepower engine inexplicably detached.
As the creek's powerful tide pushed the aluminum, 14-foot boat sideways, the two men attempted to paddle out of the current but couldn't gain traction.
"And then they knew they kind of made a mistake," Higbee said.
The tide, which Higbee estimated was moving between 20 and 25 mph toward the Fortescue Bridge, pushed the boat into the wooden bumper around one of the bridge's pillars.
The boat flipped, and the two men were thrown into the water.
Updated: March 9, 2016 — 8:33 PM EST
media.philly.com/images/tommyrowan100 by Tommy Rowan, Staff Writer @tommyrowan
When two Philly guys were thrown out of their fishing boat and into the frigid waters of a South Jersey creek Wednesday afternoon, the person who happened to witness it also happened to be the mother of the area's fire/rescue and dive team's chief.
"Of all people," remarked Cliff Higbee, chief of the Downe Township Fire/Rescue and Dive Team. If his mother, Betty Higbee, hadn't watched the events unfold and called him for help, Higbee said, "it could have been a different outcome."
The two men, who Higbee said were from Philadelphia, were returning from a fishing expedition along Fortescue Creek in Downe Township, Cumberland County, around 1 p.m. when the propeller on their boat's 10 horsepower engine inexplicably detached.
As the creek's powerful tide pushed the aluminum, 14-foot boat sideways, the two men attempted to paddle out of the current but couldn't gain traction.
"And then they knew they kind of made a mistake," Higbee said.
The tide, which Higbee estimated was moving between 20 and 25 mph toward the Fortescue Bridge, pushed the boat into the wooden bumper around one of the bridge's pillars.
The boat flipped, and the two men were thrown into the water.
First Sandy, now Blue Acres buyout could be 'nail in coffin' for N.J. shore town
By Don E. Woods | For NJ.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on February 03, 2016 at 4:00 PM, updated February 03, 2016 at 5:07 PM
The Blue Acres program is designed to help communities vulnerable to flooding but, according to some, there is concern that the program could hasten the demise of a coastal community.
Under the Blue Acres program, state and federal funds are used to buy up flood-prone areas and converts it to open space. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protect (DEP) recently announced an expansion of the program into Downe Township in Cumberland County and Rahway in Union County.
"The base of our main source of revenue are the beaches, so every time they attack the beaches it's kind of a nail in our coffin," said Mayor Bob Campbell of Downe Township. "We're not going to be able to sustain ourselves if they keep it up."
Blue Acres has shown interest in the Money Island section of Downe Township and, if the buyouts are successful, Campbell anticipates the township losing $9 million in ratables.
Downe Township lost 10 percent of its ratable base after Superstorm Sandy and, if the buyouts go through, another 6 percent of its ratable base will be swept away.
Across New Jersey
An offshoot of DEP's Green Acres program, the Blue Acres Buyout Program was unveiled in 2012 after Superstorm Sandy flooded much of New Jersey and did $29 billion in damage.
Since its inception in 2012, Blue Acres has purchased 543 properties in seven counties and in 12 municipalities that were affected by Superstorm Sandy, according to a DEP announcement about the recent expansion of the program.
According to Larry Hajna, spokesman for the DEP, the department holds meetings in communities it is interested in and share information about the program with residents.
Entering the program is entirely voluntary, he added. "With the Blue Acres program, we only go where we are wanted," Hajna said.
Approximately $284 million has been used in federal disaster recovery funds for the program — with $169 million coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, $100 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant for disaster recovery and $15 million form the Blue Acres and State Land Acquisition fund.
Missed the deadline for Sandy loans?
There's more time
A May 2013 deadline for low-cost loans for damage to homes and businesses lapsed without many Sandy sufferers having taken advantage of it. The new deadline is Dec. 1. "The Blue Acres Buyout Program is committed to fulfilling the (Gov. Chris Christie) Administration's goal of moving residents in flood-prone communities to safer ground so those families can enjoy their homes and live without fear of additional flooding and damages," said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin in a press release about Blue Acres. "Keeping families safe is just one part of our multi-pronged approach to make New Jersey more flood resilient."
Delaware Bayshore
On the Delaware Bayshore, next to Downe Township, Lawrence Township has already gone through the Blue Acres process and, according to Committeeman Erwin Sheppard, the ratable base has now gone down by approximately $2 million.
Lawrence Township Committee chose not to stand in the way of its residents when they contemplated whether to take a buyout from Blue Acres or not.
According to DEP, Blue Acres has spent $1.6 million since September 2014.
In total, 43 buyout offers were extended to Lawrence Township residents — with 30 residents accepting the offer and buyouts being completed on 14 properties.
"We still have to raise the same total money on a lesser tax base," Sheppard said.
Open space
Blue Acres converts land into protected space but, according to Cumberland County Freeholder Director Joseph Derella, 41 percent of the county is already protected land that cannot be used for development.
Downe Township is 54 square miles and has a population of 1,500 people. If the buyouts are successful, it would leave the municipality with 85 percent of its land undevelopable, according to its mayor. Residents are not only motivated by escaping flood zones, Campbell explained, but are also escaping state regulation and fears that they may be kicked off their land even without a buyout.
"The people that are considering taking the buyouts are taxpayers, they're my constituents and they're my friends," Campbell said. "I understand their frustration and their fear. They are scared not to take the deal. I don't blame them. I'm not mad at them."
According to Hajna, however, the residents who have accepted buy outs have largely had a sigh of relief afterward because it helps give them an option other than being tied to a home that they might not be able to afford to keep, repair or rebuild.
"It really comes down to what is best for the community and we wouldn't have made this announcement unless we thought that we had the proper community support," Hajna said.
Blue Acres has extended to Sayreville Borough, South River Borough, Woodbridge Borough, East Brunswick Township and Old Bridge Township in Middlesex County; Manville Borough in Somerset County; Linden and Rahway in Union County; Lawrence Township and Downe Township in Cumberland County; Pompton Lakes Borough in Passaic County; Newark City in Essex County and New Milford in Bergen County.
By Don E. Woods | For NJ.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on February 03, 2016 at 4:00 PM, updated February 03, 2016 at 5:07 PM
The Blue Acres program is designed to help communities vulnerable to flooding but, according to some, there is concern that the program could hasten the demise of a coastal community.
Under the Blue Acres program, state and federal funds are used to buy up flood-prone areas and converts it to open space. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protect (DEP) recently announced an expansion of the program into Downe Township in Cumberland County and Rahway in Union County.
"The base of our main source of revenue are the beaches, so every time they attack the beaches it's kind of a nail in our coffin," said Mayor Bob Campbell of Downe Township. "We're not going to be able to sustain ourselves if they keep it up."
Blue Acres has shown interest in the Money Island section of Downe Township and, if the buyouts are successful, Campbell anticipates the township losing $9 million in ratables.
Downe Township lost 10 percent of its ratable base after Superstorm Sandy and, if the buyouts go through, another 6 percent of its ratable base will be swept away.
Across New Jersey
An offshoot of DEP's Green Acres program, the Blue Acres Buyout Program was unveiled in 2012 after Superstorm Sandy flooded much of New Jersey and did $29 billion in damage.
Since its inception in 2012, Blue Acres has purchased 543 properties in seven counties and in 12 municipalities that were affected by Superstorm Sandy, according to a DEP announcement about the recent expansion of the program.
According to Larry Hajna, spokesman for the DEP, the department holds meetings in communities it is interested in and share information about the program with residents.
Entering the program is entirely voluntary, he added. "With the Blue Acres program, we only go where we are wanted," Hajna said.
Approximately $284 million has been used in federal disaster recovery funds for the program — with $169 million coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, $100 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant for disaster recovery and $15 million form the Blue Acres and State Land Acquisition fund.
Missed the deadline for Sandy loans?
There's more time
A May 2013 deadline for low-cost loans for damage to homes and businesses lapsed without many Sandy sufferers having taken advantage of it. The new deadline is Dec. 1. "The Blue Acres Buyout Program is committed to fulfilling the (Gov. Chris Christie) Administration's goal of moving residents in flood-prone communities to safer ground so those families can enjoy their homes and live without fear of additional flooding and damages," said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin in a press release about Blue Acres. "Keeping families safe is just one part of our multi-pronged approach to make New Jersey more flood resilient."
Delaware Bayshore
On the Delaware Bayshore, next to Downe Township, Lawrence Township has already gone through the Blue Acres process and, according to Committeeman Erwin Sheppard, the ratable base has now gone down by approximately $2 million.
Lawrence Township Committee chose not to stand in the way of its residents when they contemplated whether to take a buyout from Blue Acres or not.
According to DEP, Blue Acres has spent $1.6 million since September 2014.
In total, 43 buyout offers were extended to Lawrence Township residents — with 30 residents accepting the offer and buyouts being completed on 14 properties.
"We still have to raise the same total money on a lesser tax base," Sheppard said.
Open space
Blue Acres converts land into protected space but, according to Cumberland County Freeholder Director Joseph Derella, 41 percent of the county is already protected land that cannot be used for development.
Downe Township is 54 square miles and has a population of 1,500 people. If the buyouts are successful, it would leave the municipality with 85 percent of its land undevelopable, according to its mayor. Residents are not only motivated by escaping flood zones, Campbell explained, but are also escaping state regulation and fears that they may be kicked off their land even without a buyout.
"The people that are considering taking the buyouts are taxpayers, they're my constituents and they're my friends," Campbell said. "I understand their frustration and their fear. They are scared not to take the deal. I don't blame them. I'm not mad at them."
According to Hajna, however, the residents who have accepted buy outs have largely had a sigh of relief afterward because it helps give them an option other than being tied to a home that they might not be able to afford to keep, repair or rebuild.
"It really comes down to what is best for the community and we wouldn't have made this announcement unless we thought that we had the proper community support," Hajna said.
Blue Acres has extended to Sayreville Borough, South River Borough, Woodbridge Borough, East Brunswick Township and Old Bridge Township in Middlesex County; Manville Borough in Somerset County; Linden and Rahway in Union County; Lawrence Township and Downe Township in Cumberland County; Pompton Lakes Borough in Passaic County; Newark City in Essex County and New Milford in Bergen County.
Damage lingers after storm passes in South Jersey
AC Press - Monday, January 25, 2016
Sunday was all about the cleanup.
Whether digging out from deep snow, or drying out from heavy floods, many residents were dealing with the wet remnants of the weekend storm.
Cumberland County got more than 13 inches of snow in some areas. But for Atlantic County’s shore communities and much of Cape May County, historic flooding was the real culprit.
The winter storm dubbed Jonas brought higher tides than 2012’s Hurricane Sandy.
“Some of the highest tides were from Sandy,” North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello said Sunday afternoon, “but we didn’t get the damage that Monmouth and Ocean counties did. This storm put the bull’s-eye on Cape May County. There’s a lot more damage from this storm than there was from Sandy.”
Rosenello said hundreds of homes on the city’s west side appeared to have been breached by floodwaters, which at Saturday morning’s highest tide hit 9.44 feet. Sandy’s highest tide reached 8.9 feet. Cape May and Stone Harbor also experienced record high tides Saturday morning.
“A lot of homes that didn’t get water in Sandy will find this time they did,” the mayor said. Ocean City’s high tide of 8.04 feet passed the 2009 Veterans Day mark by just .02. Many residents spent Sunday learning the extent of damages.
Atlantic City’s South Inlet section was smaller than usual, as sand took over a chunk of the street. Parts of the bulkhead were broken as still rough waves struck it. In one area, a fire hydrant was almost completely buried. More than 100,000 Atlantic City Electric customers lost power, spokesman Frank Tedesco said. The bulk in the region were in Cape May County. By Sunday night, just 780 remained without service.
Brigantine firefighters were busy overnight with lots of flooding and calls. Saturday morning brought the worst of the waters, said Fire Capt. Joe Maguire. Then the high tides Saturday evening brought flooding as well.
The major coastal flooding that affected much of Cape May County along with Margate in Atlantic County and Ocean County’s Tuckerton Beach and Beach Haven West prevented Atlantic City Electric’s crews from accessing those areas to start repairs, Tedesco said.
Stone Harbor Mayor Suzanne Walters was one of about 30 residents who moved to The Reeds at Shelter Haven due to the storm — mostly due to the power loss.
“I was outside sitting in my car charging my phone and I thought, ‘This is ridiculous,’” Walters said. “Why was I at home without power when I could be somewhere else? So between high tides, I moved to The Reeds.” She said she had not been out to assess the damage, but was told businesses along the borough’s 96th Street shopping district had water enter their buildings.
“We have a massive cleanup ahead of us,” Rosenello said of the aftermath to North Wildwood’s record flood. “Our dunes took a severe beating. They did their job, and in doing so, they were severely damaged. Our seawall may have been undermined. We’re going to ask the (U.S.) Army Corps of Engineers to take a look at it.”
In Ocean County, the Harvey Cedars Police Department on Long Beach Island warned Sunday that people should avoid checking the beach or surf, citing a significant dropoff due to beach erosion. Police posted photos to social media of roped-off cliffs at 68th Street.
Kim Wood, of the Cumberland County Department of Planning and Economic Development, said early Sunday that the Cumberland County bayshore did experience flooding during Saturday morning’s high tide, but Sunday morning’s high tide was not expected to be as significant. Cumberland County had more than 30 trucks out plowing snow Sunday, including county crews and private contractors, Wood said. Most of the major roads in Atlantic County had been cleared of snow by Sunday afternoon. But even though it was less messy than the floods, the underlying layer of ice made cleanup a little tougher.
“You can’t just plow it away,” said Jim Massaro, of Ultimate Construction.
The Egg Harbor Township resident plowed neighbor’s driveways for free before setting out to tend to paying customers.
Atlantic City’s David Alexander was heading to Ventnor to try to make some money digging people out when he came across a worker at Hi-Five on Atlantic Avenue having shovel trouble.
“I stopped to help him out,” said the lifelong resident who recently moved back to the area after three years in Las Vegas.
Staff Writer Thomas Barlas contributed to this report. Contact: 609-463-6719 [email protected]
Winter Weather Extravaganza
Ben Column - Sunday, January 24, 2016
Here's the information from the weekend winter storm, according to Kim Wood, deputy county administrator:
"- Parts of the County have seen upwards of 13 inches of snow.
"- No major incidents to report. Most calls were for assistance with pulling emergency vehicles out of snow drifts. Private contractors and some county personnel worked over night (Saturday night) to assist with the responding to the calls.
"- Over 30 trucks are out plowing snow including both county crews and private contractors.
"- Wind has diminished making road crew's job much easier today in clearing with roads.
"- As with most areas of the county, the Bayshore is experiencing significant drifting on roads.
"- Flooding has occurred and Mayor Bob Campbell reports that the bay almost topped the bulkhead in Fortescue, but did not. In addition to Downe Township, flooding issues have also been reported in Maurice River, Commercial and Greenwich townships. The tide is receding now. Approximately 9 p.m. (Saturday) evening will be the next high tide.
"- County officials also report that the 5-ton vehicles and Humvees that the sheriff's department strategically staged around the county proved to be very helpful in moving emergency personnel to where they were needed. These vehicles assisted both with getting through the snow drifts and as well as areas that experienced flooding.
"- Residents are encouraged to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. Most available resources are already in operation to fight the storm.
"- County road crews took a break to sleep around 8 p.m. (Saturday) night and were called back in at 6 a.m. (Sunday) morning.
"- If you must be on the road, motorists are encouraged to have a full tank of gas, a shovel, blankets, power bars, flash light, and extra rock salt to place under tires for traction, bottled water and a fully charged cell phone.
"- Please also be sure your pets are being well cared for.
"- As of 8:30 a.m. (Sunday), out of 36,020 customers, Atlantic City Electric has 113 reported outages in Cumberland County."
- Kim Wood
Your Hillcrest Tavern and Coach Room memories:
BEN Column, January 20, 2016
A postcard (left) showing Hillcrest Tavern — then known as the City Hotel — on Broad Street in Bridgeton in the early 1900s. (Photo submitted by Arthur Cox)
We are all going to miss the Hillcrest Tavern and Coach Room in Bridgeton. It's stood dependable on Broad Street since 1782 and we all thought it would still be there for many more years.
A lot of history (and a nice mural) was lost in the fire Monday morning.
Local historian Arthur Cox was able to supply a photo of the place from the early 1900s — back when it was known as the City Hotel.
We met at the Burton Gallery in the Frank Burton and Sons building on Broad Street. There are a lot of cool old photos there for anyone who is interested in local history.
Cox told me some of the history of the Hillcrest, including when Fredrick W. Parkhurst visited the Ferracute Machine Company in 1913 to make it more efficient and stayed in the City Hotel while he wrote "Applied Methods of Scientific Management."
The cause of the fire is not known at this time.
Over on the Bridgeton Memory Lane Facebook page, there was an outpouring of sympathy to those connected to Hillcrest Tavern.
Blood Drive Success;
BEN Column, Aug. 20 first update
By Jack Hummel | For NJ.com
August 20, 2015 at 6:00 AM, updated August 20, 2015 at 6:07 AM
"Hi, Jack,
"Last Wednesday's Downe Township Community American Red Cross Blood Drive was a success.
"I was concerned because a number of our regular donors were unable to attend or had donated at earlier drives, making them ineligible to donate.
"A record number of walk-ins this year allowed us to meet our quota, which was great!
"Many thanks to our volunteers, donors, and the Downe Township Seniors, our fantastic hosts.
"Gus Murphy even stopped to say 'hi' and lend his support.
"Along with baked goodies, volunteers and donors enjoyed pizza, too.
"What a great showing of community support giving an unselfish donation that helped to save lives.
"We need more of that these days.
"Thanks again.''
— Kary Wilson Dunkel, Blood Drive Coordinator
You're right about that, Kary.
Show us a man too squeamish to give blood to save a life and we'll not show you a hero.
AC Press - Monday, January 25, 2016
Sunday was all about the cleanup.
Whether digging out from deep snow, or drying out from heavy floods, many residents were dealing with the wet remnants of the weekend storm.
Cumberland County got more than 13 inches of snow in some areas. But for Atlantic County’s shore communities and much of Cape May County, historic flooding was the real culprit.
The winter storm dubbed Jonas brought higher tides than 2012’s Hurricane Sandy.
“Some of the highest tides were from Sandy,” North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello said Sunday afternoon, “but we didn’t get the damage that Monmouth and Ocean counties did. This storm put the bull’s-eye on Cape May County. There’s a lot more damage from this storm than there was from Sandy.”
Rosenello said hundreds of homes on the city’s west side appeared to have been breached by floodwaters, which at Saturday morning’s highest tide hit 9.44 feet. Sandy’s highest tide reached 8.9 feet. Cape May and Stone Harbor also experienced record high tides Saturday morning.
“A lot of homes that didn’t get water in Sandy will find this time they did,” the mayor said. Ocean City’s high tide of 8.04 feet passed the 2009 Veterans Day mark by just .02. Many residents spent Sunday learning the extent of damages.
Atlantic City’s South Inlet section was smaller than usual, as sand took over a chunk of the street. Parts of the bulkhead were broken as still rough waves struck it. In one area, a fire hydrant was almost completely buried. More than 100,000 Atlantic City Electric customers lost power, spokesman Frank Tedesco said. The bulk in the region were in Cape May County. By Sunday night, just 780 remained without service.
Brigantine firefighters were busy overnight with lots of flooding and calls. Saturday morning brought the worst of the waters, said Fire Capt. Joe Maguire. Then the high tides Saturday evening brought flooding as well.
The major coastal flooding that affected much of Cape May County along with Margate in Atlantic County and Ocean County’s Tuckerton Beach and Beach Haven West prevented Atlantic City Electric’s crews from accessing those areas to start repairs, Tedesco said.
Stone Harbor Mayor Suzanne Walters was one of about 30 residents who moved to The Reeds at Shelter Haven due to the storm — mostly due to the power loss.
“I was outside sitting in my car charging my phone and I thought, ‘This is ridiculous,’” Walters said. “Why was I at home without power when I could be somewhere else? So between high tides, I moved to The Reeds.” She said she had not been out to assess the damage, but was told businesses along the borough’s 96th Street shopping district had water enter their buildings.
“We have a massive cleanup ahead of us,” Rosenello said of the aftermath to North Wildwood’s record flood. “Our dunes took a severe beating. They did their job, and in doing so, they were severely damaged. Our seawall may have been undermined. We’re going to ask the (U.S.) Army Corps of Engineers to take a look at it.”
In Ocean County, the Harvey Cedars Police Department on Long Beach Island warned Sunday that people should avoid checking the beach or surf, citing a significant dropoff due to beach erosion. Police posted photos to social media of roped-off cliffs at 68th Street.
Kim Wood, of the Cumberland County Department of Planning and Economic Development, said early Sunday that the Cumberland County bayshore did experience flooding during Saturday morning’s high tide, but Sunday morning’s high tide was not expected to be as significant. Cumberland County had more than 30 trucks out plowing snow Sunday, including county crews and private contractors, Wood said. Most of the major roads in Atlantic County had been cleared of snow by Sunday afternoon. But even though it was less messy than the floods, the underlying layer of ice made cleanup a little tougher.
“You can’t just plow it away,” said Jim Massaro, of Ultimate Construction.
The Egg Harbor Township resident plowed neighbor’s driveways for free before setting out to tend to paying customers.
Atlantic City’s David Alexander was heading to Ventnor to try to make some money digging people out when he came across a worker at Hi-Five on Atlantic Avenue having shovel trouble.
“I stopped to help him out,” said the lifelong resident who recently moved back to the area after three years in Las Vegas.
Staff Writer Thomas Barlas contributed to this report. Contact: 609-463-6719 [email protected]
Winter Weather Extravaganza
Ben Column - Sunday, January 24, 2016
Here's the information from the weekend winter storm, according to Kim Wood, deputy county administrator:
"- Parts of the County have seen upwards of 13 inches of snow.
"- No major incidents to report. Most calls were for assistance with pulling emergency vehicles out of snow drifts. Private contractors and some county personnel worked over night (Saturday night) to assist with the responding to the calls.
"- Over 30 trucks are out plowing snow including both county crews and private contractors.
"- Wind has diminished making road crew's job much easier today in clearing with roads.
"- As with most areas of the county, the Bayshore is experiencing significant drifting on roads.
"- Flooding has occurred and Mayor Bob Campbell reports that the bay almost topped the bulkhead in Fortescue, but did not. In addition to Downe Township, flooding issues have also been reported in Maurice River, Commercial and Greenwich townships. The tide is receding now. Approximately 9 p.m. (Saturday) evening will be the next high tide.
"- County officials also report that the 5-ton vehicles and Humvees that the sheriff's department strategically staged around the county proved to be very helpful in moving emergency personnel to where they were needed. These vehicles assisted both with getting through the snow drifts and as well as areas that experienced flooding.
"- Residents are encouraged to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. Most available resources are already in operation to fight the storm.
"- County road crews took a break to sleep around 8 p.m. (Saturday) night and were called back in at 6 a.m. (Sunday) morning.
"- If you must be on the road, motorists are encouraged to have a full tank of gas, a shovel, blankets, power bars, flash light, and extra rock salt to place under tires for traction, bottled water and a fully charged cell phone.
"- Please also be sure your pets are being well cared for.
"- As of 8:30 a.m. (Sunday), out of 36,020 customers, Atlantic City Electric has 113 reported outages in Cumberland County."
- Kim Wood
Your Hillcrest Tavern and Coach Room memories:
BEN Column, January 20, 2016
A postcard (left) showing Hillcrest Tavern — then known as the City Hotel — on Broad Street in Bridgeton in the early 1900s. (Photo submitted by Arthur Cox)
We are all going to miss the Hillcrest Tavern and Coach Room in Bridgeton. It's stood dependable on Broad Street since 1782 and we all thought it would still be there for many more years.
A lot of history (and a nice mural) was lost in the fire Monday morning.
Local historian Arthur Cox was able to supply a photo of the place from the early 1900s — back when it was known as the City Hotel.
We met at the Burton Gallery in the Frank Burton and Sons building on Broad Street. There are a lot of cool old photos there for anyone who is interested in local history.
Cox told me some of the history of the Hillcrest, including when Fredrick W. Parkhurst visited the Ferracute Machine Company in 1913 to make it more efficient and stayed in the City Hotel while he wrote "Applied Methods of Scientific Management."
The cause of the fire is not known at this time.
Over on the Bridgeton Memory Lane Facebook page, there was an outpouring of sympathy to those connected to Hillcrest Tavern.
Blood Drive Success;
BEN Column, Aug. 20 first update
By Jack Hummel | For NJ.com
August 20, 2015 at 6:00 AM, updated August 20, 2015 at 6:07 AM
"Hi, Jack,
"Last Wednesday's Downe Township Community American Red Cross Blood Drive was a success.
"I was concerned because a number of our regular donors were unable to attend or had donated at earlier drives, making them ineligible to donate.
"A record number of walk-ins this year allowed us to meet our quota, which was great!
"Many thanks to our volunteers, donors, and the Downe Township Seniors, our fantastic hosts.
"Gus Murphy even stopped to say 'hi' and lend his support.
"Along with baked goodies, volunteers and donors enjoyed pizza, too.
"What a great showing of community support giving an unselfish donation that helped to save lives.
"We need more of that these days.
"Thanks again.''
— Kary Wilson Dunkel, Blood Drive Coordinator
You're right about that, Kary.
Show us a man too squeamish to give blood to save a life and we'll not show you a hero.
