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BARNIE Signs Coming to the Waterfront By Jan Larson |
| The Barnegat Bay Watershed Association has received two grants from
the Barnegat Bay Estuary Program for the production of Barnie Waterfront Access Signs.
It has taken a year, however, these signs will soon be available for installation
by municipalities bordering on Barnegat Bay/Little Egg Harbor, and their tributaries.
"Barnie, The Crab" will remind people that they are in the Barnegat Bay
Watershed and that we must all help keep the water clean. The signs include the NJDEP 24 hour hotline number (609) 292-7172 for reporting environmental crimes and the Rutgers Cooperative Extension number (732) 505-3671 for estuary education. In addition, these colorful, eyecatching signs focus on care of natural resources and encouragement of stewardship. They are to be installed at public access locations, such as boat ramps, parks, and beaches, with a priority on places identified in the Waterfront Public Access Guide for Barnegat Bay Watershed. Copies of the Public Access Guide can be found in the Ocean County Library System. As the boating and swimming season approaches, BBWA Trustees will be contacting waterfront towns seeking to consummate installation agreements. The BBWA will supply the signs and each municipality will be asked to provide for installation by supplying sign poles, bolts, and manpower. The contact with towns will also be part of an education campaign about some of the shared goals with the Estuary Program. National Estuary Programs focus on working with local governments having jurisdiction over any land or water within the estuarine zone. An estuary is any confined coastal water body with a connection to the sea, diluted by out flowing fresh water and with a quantity of marine salt in the waters greater than 0.5 parts per thousand. Estuaries provide habitats for rare, endangered, recreational and commercial wildlife, and provide stopover sites for migratory waterfowl. Estuaries provide water quality and flood control functions and serve as important aesthetic, sport and recreational resources. Barnegat Bay and Little Egg Harbor meet all these criteria, giving BBWA the impetus for this partnership sign project. |
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