In the United States, 29 percent of the population or approximately eighty-seven million people live in coastline counties. Coastal communities, and the country at large, depend on the health of our watersheds for food, water, recreation, and more. To protect and restore the resources of our country’s coastlines and estuaries, Congress established the National Estuary Program (NEP) in 1987. Currently the NEP includes 28 estuaries located across the U.S., stretching from the Puget Sound in Washington State to the Galveston Bay in Texas, and along to the San Juan Bay in Puerto Rico. NEPs are designed to bring a diverse set of local stakeholders together to work toward common natural resource management goals. In New Jersey, the Barnegat Bay Partnership (BBP) is the perfect example of the power of partnership work in the watershed.

In July 1995, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accepted the nomination of the Barnegat Bay estuary to be included in the National Estuary Program. The Ocean County Soil Conservation District (SCD) has been integrally involved with the Barnegat Bay Partnership since the drafting and approval of the Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan for Barnegat Bay in 2002 and has actively served on several committees for the partnership. The relationship has evolved and expanded over the past 20 years, and the district continues to play a critical role in the partnership today. Conservation districts are well aligned with the goals of the NEP and in the case of the BBP, it has provided the district with opportunities to be engaged with many different people and programs across the watershed.

“Ocean County Soil Conservation District seeks to address critical and priority issues identified through effective communications with its partners and the needs of the local communities,” said Christine Raabe, OCSCD District Director. “Partnerships are the key to accomplishing more together for mutual benefits.”

Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan (CCMP)

The Ocean County SCD has been actively involved in assisting with the development of CCMPs for the partnership since the first plan was created in 2002. In 2021, the partnership developed a new plan to reflect the changing needs and goals for the watershed. Sea level rise and other impacts of climate change were included in the identified challenges that the bay faces today. The 2021 CCMP guides the actions of the BBP and its partner organizations through the establishments of priorities, goals, and objectives in water quality, water supply, living resources, and land use.

Jersey Friendly Yards Program

The Jersey-Friendly Yards Program was developed by the Barnegat Bay Partnership and encourages residents to maintain Jersey-Friendly Yards. By replacing lawns with native plant gardens, Jersey-Friendly Yards create wildlife habitat and reduce the need for water, fertilizer and pesticides, helping to keep sediment and pollutants out of the Barnegat Bay. The district explains that “Jersey-Friendly gardeners reduce or eliminate the use of fertilizers that run off our lawns in stormwater and wash into the bay and ocean, causing toxic algal blooms known as eutrophication. Jersey-Friendly Yards are healthy for people, wildlife, and the environment.”

Soil Health Improvement Project (SHIP)

The ultimate goal of the Soil Health Improvement Project (SHIP) was to develop simple, low cost, and practical soil restoration techniques that transferred easily to the Ocean County homeowner or professional landscaper.  This program was supported by funding from the Science and technical Advisory Committee of the Barnegat Bay Partnership.

Together, the SHIP partners set out to identify the optimal physical, chemical and biological properties of Ocean County’s sandy soils with a series of landscape experiments, including assessing compaction, adding organic matter, and creating 5 native plant demonstration gardens at Jakes Branch County Park in Beachwood, New Jersey.

Jakes Branch County Park illustrates two of the biggest challenges to healthy managed landscapes in the Barnegat Bay watershed: sandy soils and highly compacted soils. Because of this, the park’s grounds were an excellent place to learn which soil improvement techniques would be most useful to Ocean County residents.

Shellfish, Clean Water and Ecosystem Services

One of the district’s latest initiatives involves a specific estuarine natural resource concern and a unique niche of producers in the aquaculture industry.  Shellfish are a multi-million-dollar economic resource for coastal New Jersey.  With funding from the NACD Technical Assistance Grant program, the Ocean County Soil Conservation District’s Sustainable Practices for Aquaculture Resources Conservation (SPARC) project will continue to build district capacity. The district, along with an Advisory Committee Partnership, will connect with local shellfish farmers, primarily within Barnegat and Great Bays, to gain a better understanding of their specific natural resource concerns. The district will also provide a boots-on-the-ground, local connection between the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the shellfish producers, to further develop the conservation practices of the NJ NRCS Aquaculture Initiative, while increasing funding opportunities for producer participation and involvement while achieving Conservation Planner certification.

In August 2022, OCSCD announced that along with their partners the award of funding for a Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) project from NRCS. This award supports their NJ COASTAL Aquaculture Project (Conservation Opportunities Advancing Sustainable Technologies for Aquaculture Leases) and 70% of the funding will go directly to shellfish aquaculture producers.

The Barnegat Bay Partnership is a shining example of how collaboration supports the successful implementation of goals in local watersheds. The Ocean County SCD continues to engage with the BBP and demonstrates the valuable insight and connections to the community that conservation districts can bring to NEPs.

“The district’s vision is to be recognized as a conservation leader and to partner effectively and optimize every opportunity to promote sustainable natural resource management for current and future citizens of Ocean County and beyond,” said Raabe.

To learn more about some of the other work that the Ocean County Soil Conservation District does, check out their website.  

Text by Mariah MacKenzie, NACD Communications Specialist, and Christine Raabe, Ocean County Soil Conservation District Director

Photos by OCSCD and BBP