Monitoring Station to be Installed in Raritan Bay with Federal Grant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2015



WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) announced a monitoring station will be installed in Raritan Bay thanks to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

“I am glad to announce this grant to allow for closer monitoring of the wetlands of Raritan Bay, which will help protect the surrounding coastal communities,” said Congressman Pallone. “Healthy wetlands play an integral role in protecting against extreme weather effects of climate change, including flooding and storm surges. As we learned from Superstorm Sandy, we must act to mitigate the effects of the next storm, and this grant is an important step.”

The project is made possible as part of a $393,700 EPA grant to DEP to improve the availability and accessibility of data on the health and condition of New Jersey’s wetlands. The grant to DEP from EPA is part of a $1 million EPA grant for various wetland protection projects in New Jersey.

Bayshore Watershed Council: Help Needed to Install Osprey Platforms Sunday, March 29

Greetings all,

The Bayshore Watershed Council is seeking volunteers to help repair and install new osprey platforms in the Borough of Union Beach on Sunday, March 29, 2015. We will meet at 9am in the gravel parking lot at the western end of Front Street.

Date: Sunday, March 29, 2015
Time: 9:00am
Meeting Location: Gravel parking at the western end of Front Street in Union Beach, NJ

We need at least 10 to 15 volunteers to help carry nesting platforms, carry tools, dig holes, or take pictures and video. Please bring knee boots, hip or chest waders to wear and a pair of work gloves. Please bring a post-hole digger, shovels, and rope.

Heavy rain or snow will cancel.

If you would like to help, please RSVP at the bayshorewatershed@comcast.net or just show up.

Ospreys are returning and in need of nesting platforms. Nesting platforms are critical for attracting Ospreys into new areas to spread out the distribution so they're not all concentrated in one part of the state.

These majestic raptors with their distinctive stick-built nests on nesting platforms depend on a healthy and abundant food supply. Since their diet consists primarily of fish, Osprey activities in the Bayshore region provide a good indication of water quality and the general health of Raritan Bay & Sandy Hook Bay.

So far, the Bayshore Watershed Council has had great luck with installing Osprey platforms. Nearly all platforms have been active and have produced young. New sites will hopefully provide Ospreys the best chance for successfully raising young downstream from NY City.