The Barnegat Bay Watershed is one of New Jersey’s most precious natural resources. It’s where we live, fish, swim, crab, sail and go boating. For humans, this wondrous place is a vast playground. For wildlife, it’s a threatened habitat.

Tragically, our watershed is in danger. Barnegat Bay and all the streams, rivers and estuaries that empty into it are under constant assault. Pollution from streets, buildings, fertilizers and animal waste washes into storm sewers and eventually defiles our water supply. All too frequently, headlines like “Fouled Pond Causing Swimming Bans” and “Barnegat Bay Vulnerable to Fish Kills” litter our local newspapers.

The result? Contaminants can deprive us from safely enjoying our waterways and lead to government halts on swimming, fishing and shellfish consumption.

However, the Barnegat Bay Watershed and Estuary Foundation (BBWEF) is actively working to preserve the watershed, promote sound land-use practices and educate residents and visitors on how they can help keep our waters clean.

Help save a Jersey Jewel—the Barnegat Bay Watershed—by becoming a member of the Barnegat Bay Watershed and Estuary Foundation today. Click here for membership benefits and information.

Attend our Wednesday, February 27, 2008 Pinelands to Tidelands: Seminar on Water Quality and Quantity, to be held in Mancini Hall of the Toms River Branch of the Ocean County Library, 101 Washington St, Toms River, from 7 pm to 8:30 pm. Learn about the intimate connection between the water resources of the New Jersey Pinelands and the Barnegat Bay Estuary! Speakers include Nicholas Procopio from the Pinelands Commission, Richard Bizub from the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, and Stan Hales from the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program. Call 609-859-8860, extension 16, for more information.

Now for sale: Reproductions of an historic map of Barnegat Bay dating from 1932 -- in black & white or color! Visit the BBWEF Store online to purchase this special Barnegat Bay map. Quantities limited -- act now!

Download a copy of our 2005 Barnegat Bay Watershed Assessment by visiting our Resources page.

BBWEF Mission Statement
To promote a healthy ecosystem throughout the Barnegat Bay Watershed through efforts that conserve and protect the soil, forest, water, shorelines, fish and wildlife populations. We also conduct research, monitor programs and promote sound land use practices, while networking with existing governmental and environmental agencies to prevent further environmental degradation to the region. Finally, we strive to educate all people who live and visit the area encompassed by the watershed.

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