ReClam The Bay

Southern Regional Students Construct Display Boxes.

2012-01-31T09:30:00.000-08:00

At our meeting on January 16 Clint Lehman brought a wooden shell display box that he had designed and built. It was decided that we would like to have several more of these boxes built and Chis West had a great idea as to where this could be done. He brought the box to the Southern Regional Mainsail Manufacturing for Profit Class. The students constructed six display boxes which will be used for educational presentations at local schools, festivals and organizational talks. On Saturday January 28, Rick presented a check for the cost of the materials to members of the class. The students involved in the project (under the direction of teachers Don Graham and Joe Tomczuk) are seventh grade student Genaro Sanders; eight grade students Caroline Arcari, Taylor Cichocki and Brandon Bronman; and ninth grade students Dan Lombardi and Eli Mirth.

APP Opinion Piece by Willie DeCamp -

2011-12-24T08:43:00.000-08:00

APP opinion piece by Willie DeCamp - Reclam the Bay believes that the work of Save Barnegat Bay and the efforts of the 10 point plan presented by the Christie Administration reflect a growing recognition of the problems in Barnegat Bay and a course of action that can improve things. RCTB is not a advocacy organization but we are familiar with some that address the issues of the bay. The following letter was written by Willie deCamp of Save Barnegat Bay. It reflects his statements made at the 10 Point Plan Up Date presented last week by NJ DEP Commissioner Martin. RCTB would be happy to share any further thoughts on this matter with our members.

Mixed grades for the bay Christie must plug some major gaps to reverse decline

When comparing Gov. Chris Christie’s performance to that of his predecessors over the last three decades, it is impossible not to feel positively with respect to Barnegat Bay. Much has been accomplished.

An overview of the Christie administration’s policy toward New Jersey’s largest body of water, however, reveals gaps in his 10-point plan that must be filled if Barnegat Bay’s decline is to be reversed.

Most prominent on the positive side is Christie’s signing into law the strongest-in-the-nation fertilizer law whose basic concepts originated in Save Barnegat Bay’s Lavallette office. Starting in January 2013, any bag of lawn fertilizer a homeowner pulls off a store shelf will have at least 20 percent of its nitrogen in slow-release form. Less polluting nitrogen will be carried by groundwater and runoff to Barnegat Bay.

A second significant area of accomplishment is the increased funding of improved stormwater detention basins. Although the number of upgraded basins is but a tiny percentage of those in the bay’s watershed, these new initiatives will teach us much about how to capture the nitrogen in rainwater on land, before it can run to the bay to become food for harmful algae.

But these focused attempts to benefit Barnegat Bay need to be supplemented by other efforts if the bay’s decline is to be reversed.

The key contributor to the bay’s decline is nitrogen deposited from the atmosphere by rain. On account of excessive burning of fossil fuels, too much nitrogen is already in the rain as it falls. As a result, harmful algae proliferates and chokes out the healthy species in the bay.

By picturing a raindrop falling with too much nitrogen already in it, we can derive four basic policy goals for healing Barnegat Bay.

First, we need to burn less fossil fuel.

Second, we need to end overdevelopment so that forested areas remain to absorb nitrogen and prevent it from reaching the bay.

Third, we need to revamp Ocean County’s stormwater management so that every possible drop of rainwater passes through a planted area for nitrogen removal on land prior to reaching the bay

Fourth, we need to stop adding nitrogen to the bay through the ways we use fertilizer, clean up after our pets and de-ice our sidewalks.

The major and presumably inadvertent failing of Christie’s 10-point plan is that it is silent with regard to clean air policy. Without a concerted effort to reduce the burning of fossil fuels, Barnegat Bay cannot be saved.

The administration’s record on clean air is mixed. On the positive side it has sued the state of Pennsylvania to clean up a huge source of nitrogen emissions from a coal-powered plant across the Delaware River from Warren County.

To the bay’s detriment, however, the Christie administration has withdrawn New Jersey from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative of 10 northeastern states. This retrograde action can only harm Barnegat Bay.

In the area of land use, the administration has supported a bill in the Legislature that would allow sanitary sewers — and the overdevelopment they enable — to be extended to vast areas of Ocean County. Lakewood, for example, could soon become the third-largest city in the state. Barnegat Bay simply cannot survive such intensive overdevelopment.

A further disappointment is the administration’s allowing the Fukushima-style nuclear reactor at Oyster Creek — America’s oldest — to continue operating without cooling towers until 2019. Between now and then, Oyster Creek will strain a volume of water equal to 2.3 percent of the bay’s total volume of life every day. This is simply unsupportable.

The state Department of Environmental Protection must also acknowledge what the rest of the world knows: Barnegat Bay is environmentally “impaired.” Officially declaring that obvious fact will strengthen regulators’ power to reduce nitrogen inputs.

Finally, the governor must abandon his legally questionable initiative to allow bureaucrats discretion to issue waivers to our state’s fundamental environmental laws. Barnegat Bay deserves to be protected without the threat of behind-the-scenes power brokers pushing through harmful regulatory waivers.

These deficiencies can all be remedied. There are many different ways to address and readdress such problems as air pollution, overdevelopment and the permitting process.

If the Christie administration can fill these gaps with meaningful initiatives, Christie may leave a legacy as a benefactor to Barnegat Bay alongside Gov. Alfred Driscoll, who conserved Island Beach; Gov. William Cahill, who signed the Tidal Wetlands Act; and Gov. Brendan Byrne, who signed the Pinelands Act.

But there is work to be done, and there are strong forces that must be stood up to.

RCTB Oysters at Jenkinson's Aquarium

2011-12-10T07:47:00.000-08:00

. Have you been to Jenkinson’s Aquarium lately? It is really a great place to visit. Now it has “spat on shell” and baby clams thanks to RCTB. If you go there, stop by the second floor to see the display. Thanks to Wes there is a beautiful, informative sign to tell about them. The two kids in the picture are Rick’s grandsons.

Ship Bottom Christmas Parade

2011-12-10T07:28:00.000-08:00

The Ship Bottom Christmas parade included several Giant Clams! Rick Bushnell showed off the one form Country Kettle Chowda and Robbie (of Robbies Loveladies Marina and Van’s Boat Rental) showed off his two AND his yellow replica roadster. A good time was had by all!

RCTB Welcomes New Gardeners

2011-10-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

The Barnegat Bay Shellfish Restoration Program’s 2011 class of volunteers completed their requirements and earned their certificates as official shellfish gardeners. Gef Flimlin and Cara Musico presented the graduates with their certificates in a brief ceremony last night. Congratulations to all the new gardeners.

Pete Anwander Tyler Anwander Joe Bavosa

John Gibson Steven Hardeski Charlene Lentini

Melinda Most Ed Nowicki Darlene Price

Chirstopher Quinn Monica Shaw Mindy Voss

RCTB Volunteers Aid NJ DEP in Planting Clams

2011-10-26T06:38:00.000-07:00

Reclam the Bay volunteers Jeffery Silady, Marty Sedlacko and Jim Merritt using the "clambo", and the pontoon boat helped NJ DEP Bureau of Shellfish biologist Dr. Gustavo Calvo plant clams.

They spread over 370,000 small (20 mm) clams in the 1900 acre Sedge Island Marine Conservation Zone. These clams are a big addition to the 150.000 plus clams that we grew in our shellfish lease and planted previously. The photos show the clams in the boats prior to planting.

Bay Blitz at IBSP Upweller

2011-10-18T04:54:00.000-07:00

The members of the IBSP upweller team got an early start on the Barnegat Bay Blitz yesterday. They scoured the wetland area near the upweller site and picked up over two dozen glass bottles, two tires, a fire extinguisher, several caps and various other articles of clothing, and even an outboard motor! This was all done in a little over an hour. Pictured below is some of the crew counting their loot.

2011-10-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some more photos from the clam harvest at Waretown.

Bruce Beverage Barnegat Bay Buddy

2011-10-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

On Saturday during the clam harvest at Waretown, RCTB member Bruce Beverage was eagerly harvesting a variety of marine life. As the predator nets were dragged to shore Bruce was able to catch the live animals the were entangled in the nets and place them in a large transparent container. Several children and their parents were very intrigued to see the different form of life found in the bay.

Bruce is our fairs and festivals chairman and has attended most of the events for the last three years. He became much more interested in marine life found in the bay after hearing the questions asked by the public at those fairs. When he did not know the answer to a specific question he would go to his computer and “google” an answer. (Is google a verb). After he gathered a great deal of information he decided to put it all on a web site in order to share what he had learned with other interested people. The web site is called Barnegat Bay Shellfish. Check it out.

Waretown Clam Harvest Huge Success

2011-10-16T07:08:00.000-07:00

The weather finally co-operated and over a dozen RCTB members made their way to our Waretown clam lease site on Saturday October 15th. The fall clam harvest begin about 9:30 am and lasted until a little past 12:30 pm. The predator nets were brought to shore. We then brought up over 18,000 clams planted in 2010. They will now be broadcast on undisclosed approved sites though out the Bay. Daniel Nee a reporter for the Brick Patch, an online local news outlet, was invited to observe the harvest and he was able to video our endeavors. To see the video click the this link

Kayak Raffle Huge Success

2011-10-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

Our first kayakraffle was a huge success thanks to the efforts of Donna Franzoso andthe generous donation of the kayak by the folks at Richie & PageDistributing, Ally Meehan, vice president of sales and Mike Desider,area sales manager. The winning raffle ticket was drawn at theannual Chowderfest last Sunday October 2. The lucky winner was DaveDella-Croce from Langhorne, PA. The winner for the highestindividual ticket sales will be announced and the prize cooler willbe presented at our next monthly meeting on October 18.

Busy Time For RCTB Members

2011-09-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

The weekend of September 10-11 was a busy time for RCTB members with two festivals that are very popular happening on the same weekend. The Annual Lavalette Heritage Day Festival was held on Saturday Sept. 10 and the Beach Plum Festival at Island Beach State Park was on Sunday Sept. 11. Both proved to be lucrative fund raisers and a lot of fun for those members who attended. Also on Monday Sept. 12 the oysters in the spat on shell tank at Cattus Island were finally taken to their permanent home on the oyster reef at Good Luck Point. Check on video to see the men at work.

RCTB Takes 2nd Place at the Lacey Lights Boat Parade -- A Great time had by all!!

2011-08-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks to an amazing effort by a team of RCTB volunteers, the Lacey Lights Boat Parade was a huge success for our organization. Here are photos from the event, as well as comments from several individuals who made RCTB's involvement in the parade such a success. Bob R., owner of the Inn at River's Edge Marina in Forked River and a RCTB member, hosted a dock-side viewing party of the parade which offered RCTB party-goers a front-row seat to the "Clam Boat". Enjoy these photos and congrats to RCTB! Thank you Wes for these awesome photos!

From Kathy:
Thanks to all who made it possible, Marty for decorations, Bob for the excellent party, dock space and cheering section , Jeff ("Capt Clambo" )and the "Clammers" who fearlessly braved the rough seas for this prestigious event! Special thanks to Bill Elmer for the generator, Gef for the giant clam, and John Howell for land support and kayak raffle sales. I found out last night we came in 2nd place and won a $250 gift certificate to the Captain Inn.

Woohoo the giant clam rocks the river!

From Rick:
What else can I say! Wish to hell I could have been there! This is why I love this organization. We all pull together. We all have a good time and we all contribute when we can. Generators, time, ideas, “party place”, cheering support. The Clam Rocks and so do the “Clamsters.”

From Gef: That was fabulous, everyone
That was fabulous, everyone did a great job, the boat looks very cool as does the clam!

RCTB Volunteers busy doing what they do best at the IBSP upweller and the Wooden Boat Show

2011-07-20T11:20:00.000-07:00

RCTB Volunteers have been busy doing what they do best -- educating residents and visitors of the shore about shellfish ecology and Barnegat Bay. It's a time of year ripe with opportunities to do so.

Manny B. and Frank V. have reported back about the approximately 80+ visitors to the IBSP Upweller on the bayside in Seaside Park this past Monday, July 18. Every Monday at 1 pm during the summer, the volunteers there host an "open house" and speak with visitors about the nursery site. On this particular Monday, there were dozens of young students from the Hugh J. Boyd Elementary School's Summer Program of nearby Seaside Heights.

Volunteer Vic P. showed the students what a baby clam looks like under a microscope. Jeff S. and Rich C. kept a flow of curious children coming to the demonstration table.

Along with the 40 or so students from Seaside Heights, as many or more people came over to see the demonstration from the nearby fishing and crabbing pier. Other volunteers helping to teach the students and visitors about what goes on at the IBSP upweller were Clint L., Marty S., Dolores B., and Frank V.

It was a great teaching day and we were pleased that so many interested families and young people stopped by.

The previous Saturday, July 16, Charlie B. and Bruce B. were busy speaking to a constant flow of visitors to the RCTB exhibit at the Toms River Seaport Society's Wooden Boat Show. The RCTB exhibit was a popular one and we sold out of our "beach safes" hours before the event ended! Great work everyone!

ReClam the Bay and Jenkinson's Aquarium

2011-06-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

Visitors to Jenkinson's Aquarium in Point Pleasant can now see and learn about local shellfish thanks to efforts by RCTB!

Earlier this week RCTB members Wes Delzell and Frank Vives delivered some "spat on shell" and small clams to Jenkinson’s Aquarium for a new shellfish tank.

The tank is part of their Barnegat Bay Estuary display which includes tanks with native crabs and turtles. The clams seemed to be very happy in their new home as they began digging into the sand almost immediately. Soon, we'll be providing graphics and information for the exhibit.

Another fun and educational way that RCTB partners with other organizations to spread the word about shellfish in the bay and the great work that we do.

Notes from LBI Fest

2011-06-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

Notes from LBI Fest -- June 11, 2011

Long Beach Township and the LBI Business alliance, who host the event, were GREAT! Thanks to everyone. It was a great day. Strong turn-out and we raised about $1,130 for the RCTB cause.

Mike V. is awesome at opening clams (he opened about 1,000 of them) and thanks to Living On the Veg who donated cookies and The Black Whale who donated shrimp rolls. Chris Scales from Shoemaker Littlenecks donated some of the clams and the steaming bags.

We also sold a lot of pretzels form Philly Pretzel Factory. Wes, Frank, Bruce, John, Debbie, Monica, Charlie, Fred, Pete, Rob, Gef, Joe B, Joe M Patsy and Rick pitched in to feed the people (right next to the beer wagon) and educated several hundred people who stopped by!

Check out these photos from the day.

17 eighth-graders, an upweller, an a whole lot of shellfish!

2011-06-13T17:16:00.000-07:00

On Monday, June 6, seventeen eight-grade students from Mt. Laurel's Harrington Middle School visited the Island Beach State Park (IBSP) upweller on a school trip! They were selected by their teacher, Ms. Maureen Barrett for their interest and dedication to the Shellfish in the Classroom program that was begun by RCTB volunteers at their school this year.

Ms. Barrett's science classes have been growing oysters in tanks since February. One of the reasons for this trip was to return the oysters, which were placed in a specially marked mesh bag that will be placed in the upweller to continue their grow-out. The students, many of whom were first time visitors to the Bay, were treated to a number of new learning experiences. For example, a full grown female diamond-backed terrapin just happened to pay us a visit and Dr. Jim Merritt used her appearance as a brief lesson on the life cycle and environmental needs of the terrapin, which was then released into the wetlands near the shoreline.

Manny and Dolores Brito explained the process and the working of the upweller. The children were shown several fouled silos and some even volunteered to help clean them!

Frank Vives demonstrated how we take volume measurements and keep weekly tabs on the growth rate of the shellfish. Marty Sedlacko showed the students the proper way to shuck clams and oysters and of course how to properly eat raw shellfish.

The students came prepared with their own seining net and several took part in that activity under the direction of Ms. Barrett and Dr. Merritt. Wes Dalzell was in charge of the day's activities; the students were very enthusiastic and appreciative.

At the end of the day, each of the visiting students received a red RCTB bracelet and pen from Rick Bushnell who thanked them for their dedication to raising Shellfish in the Classroom. After the activities at the upweller, the students were taken to Island Beach State Park for a brief walk alone the shore line of the Atlantic Ocean. It was a great day! Thanks to all who helped make it happen.

Visits with Congressman Runyan

2011-06-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

It seems like the last month was one long Congressional visit!

We first met Congressman Jon Runyan at the Harrington Middle School where he visited Ms. Maureen Barrett’s 7^th and 8^th graders in the Environmental Club. Wes Dalzell, Frank Vives, who taught the initial “Shellfish in the Classroom” program, joined in the visit along with Rick Bushnell and Charlie Brandt. The students made quite an impression on the Congressman as they outlined why oysters were important to the bay and how they were monitoring the growth of oysters in their classroom. If you visit the web site for Congressman Runyan you can read his office’s release on the visit, and see pictures of the visit. http://runyan.house.gov/

The following Saturday, RCTB was again with the Congressman at an event created by the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce. Rick and many of the local politicians participated when the Congressman cut a ribbon opening the Long Beach Island beaches for the summer. What was the ribbon hung between? Of course two of RCTB’s Giant Clams!

Our final contact in a period of about 10 days happened when Bruce Beveridge and Charlie Brandt were working the RCTB booth at Waretown’s Founders day. The Mayor of Waretown came running around the corner yelling “Where is ReClam The Bay, Where is ReClam The Bay! The Congressman wants to see ReClam The Bay”. Well Bruce and Charlie got the booth in order and the Mayor collected Congressman Runyan and prepared to make introductions. By then, on the third visit, and to the Mayor’s surprise, the Congressman ducked down and got under the RCTB tent, and it was “Hi Charlie” and “Hi Jon”.

We are developing a good relationship with this freshman Congressman, and we all can expect a visit at any Fair rFestival we both attend. The Congressman is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs, and his district stretches across New Jersey from Burlington County to the communities on the Atlantic Ocean including all the towns around Barnegat Bay.

While RCTB is non-political, it doesn’t hurt to have friends in high places. Rick saw to the fact that both the Congressman and his adjutant Brandon Umba got RCTB shirts. We only hope that the 3X size for the Congressman fits this former Philadelphia Eagles lineman!

Congressman Visits Shellfish in the Classroom

2011-05-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

On Thursday May 19 Congressman Jon Runyan paid a visit to Harrington Middle School in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey to observe the Shellfish in the Classroom project that is in progress in Ms. Maureen Barrett's science room. Ms. Barrett, who was named the environmental educator of the year by the Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education, and her students have been growing baby oysters in six two and half gallon tanks since February. Wes Dalzell and Frank Vives initially visited Ms. Barrett's environmental club in October and presented the idea of growing shellfish in the classroom. The students enthusiastically responded and in February the RCTB volunteers returned with 60 ten month old oysters.
Ten oysters were placed in each tank and different amounts of algae were fed to the various tanks. The students were responsible for maintaining the proper environment, checking the temperature and salinity of the water in the tank daily and measuring the size of the oysters weekly to determine growth.
The students demonstrated the knowledge they have gained by presenting the visitors with an outstanding power point presentation and their ability to explain what they are leaning.
Congressman Runyan spent over an hour in the classroom and was very impressed with the degree of knowledge the children exhibited and the value of the Shellfish in the Classroom project.

RCTB Awared Two Grants

2011-05-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

Phil Leonig and Jack Duggan wrote a grant proposal for funding from the Trust for Public Lands. They were able to receive a grant for $2000.00 which will be used to fund their shellfish restoration project.
Cara Musico and Wes Dalzell gave a presentation of our on going “Shellfish in the Classroom Program”at the Ocean County Curriculum Conference that was sponsored by the Barnegat Bay Partnership. As a result of that presentation RCTB was awarded a $1000.00 grant to be used for supplies and equipment that will be needed to expand the program to more schools in the fall.

IBSP Upweller Up and Running

2011-05-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

On Saturday April 30th Manny Brito and his crew cleaned two Taylor floats that overwintered oysters at the Island Beach State Park upweller site. They were able to begin the process of opening the upweller for the 2011 season. On Monday the opening was completed and 2010 oysters were measured and counted. Approximately 9000 oysters with the average size of 47ml and the total volume of 16670 ml were divided into 5 silos. Three other silos contain larger and older oyster, spat on shell oysters and even some clams. Regular weekly cleaning will be the same time and day as in the past, Monday at 1:00 pm.
The Cattus Island upweller has been approved and the crew will begin its construction in the near future. Also the Mantaloking Yacht Club crew will be opening their upweller some time before the first of June. It is our hope that some of the new class members will join one or more of the three northern bay upweller teams.

RCTB Members Have Been Busy

2011-04-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

Although it is Spring and still a few months until the shellfish growing season begins, some of our members have been very busy this year. Namely our Speakers Bureau and our Education Committee. In summary, presentations were given to the following groups. Holiday City Mens Club, Long Beach Island Business Alliance, South Ocean County Hospital Aux., Barnegat Bay Sail Club, Ocean County Curriculum Workshops and the Forked River Rotary, Ocean County College students at MATES and at the College Campus. Classroom lessons were conducted at Mt. Laurel Middle School, Collins Elementary School, Barnegat Elementary School, Waretown Priff Elementary School, South Toms River Elementary, and Lavalette Elementary School. Members also attended several environmental conferences and workshops. Our public relations chairman, Charlie Bryant has contacted the local news outlets and has appeared on the Bob Levy radio program. Manny Brito has been in contact with the folks at Cattus Island and has arranged for us to hold classes at the Park this summer. It is also possible that we will have a new upweller site near the dock at Cattus Island. As a result of RCTB's presentation at the Ocean County Curriculum Conference the Barnegat Bay Partnership has awarded us a $1000.00 stipend to continue our Shellfish in the Classroom project. Members have been busy working on other projects, such as revising our Cook Book, recruiting new members and sponsors and generally spreading the word about our organization. I am sure that I have not listed all that has been happening so please feel free to e-mail me with any news that you would like to share and I will see to it that it appears in future blog posts. fmvives@gmail.com

Ocean Gate Tries New Nitrogen Removal System.

2011-02-28T14:12:00.000-08:00

The people of Ocean Gate have once again led the way with an environmentally friendly public works project. Today's Asbury Park Press article details the experimental nitrogen removal system that may be another useful agent in our efforts to clean up Barnegat Bay. Our own shellfish gardener, Councilwomen Joella Nicastro was one of the six members to vote for the project.

Barnegat Elementary Kids to Aid ReClam the Bay

2011-02-11T10:04:00.000-08:00

Each year the Barnegat Elementary School District’s “Leadership In Training” program’s fifth graders work hard on their goal of raising money for worthy charities. Last year the children raised funds for the earthquake victims in Haiti. This year they decided to work for a more local and community based program and have chosen ReClam the Bay and the purchase of a Giant Clam to be their goal. Yesterday, Feb. 9th teachers Leigh Sharpless, Bonnie Harris, Sara Flynn and Billie Ambrose from the Cecil S. Collins School, Robert L Horbelt School, Joseph T. Donahue School and the Lillian M Dunfee School and the children of the Leadership In Training program met for an assembly program at the Collins School with volunteer members from ReClam the Bay. Dr. Jim Merritt began the program with an overview of our program, a brief history of the bay, the importance of shellfish to the bay and what we can do to help keep the bay healthy. Wes Dalzell and Frank Vives distributed live oysters to the children and gave a hands- on lesson on measuring oysters. The program’s last presenter was Rick Bushnell who talked about the Clam Trail and the Giant Clams of Ocean County. He also gave the children fund raising ideas and thanked them for their interest in ReClam the Bay.

New Pollution limits for Bay

2011-02-10T06:31:00.000-08:00

The Asbury Park Press has reported on the current actions of the DEP regarding pollution levels in the bay. The article appears in today's Press.

Wes send me the following article from last months' National Geographic Magazine about one way to rid the Chesapeake Bay of cownosed rays. Our friends at garbagefish.com will like this story.

Lavallette Kids Nix Nitrogen 'N Nettles Now

2011-02-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

This morning's (Saturday, Feb. 5) Asbury Park Press has an article that I would like to share with you. The concept of getting young people interested and involved in learning about Barnegat Bay is rapidly catching on thanks to the efforts of Jim Merritt and other environmental activists. Our Shellfish in the Classroom program has now distributed oysters to children in Waretown Pritt Elementary School and Mt. Laurel Middle School. Look for more info on these programs in a future blog post.

Oysters in the News

2011-02-03T06:58:00.000-08:00

As I was browsing the Internet I came across several interesting articles dealing with the plight of oysters world wide.

The first article deals with the oyster restoration projects in the Gulf of Mexico.

The second is closer to home concerning efforts of oystermen in the Delaware Bay.

The third article deals with the decline of the oyster population everywhere in the world.

First Monthly Meeting

2011-01-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

The first monthly meeting of ReClam the Bay took place on Jan. 18, at the Cooperative Extension building in Toms River. The education committee meeting preceded the regular meeting and the committee was pleased to see 12 volunteers who expressed interest in helping with the education mission.

Another 20 people attended the regular meeting, Rick gave an overview of our 2010 growing season. He went over the various growth data charts from some selected upwellers and compared the growth rates of various hatcheries and upwellers. He stated that we are improving our data collection and that we will have a meeting in the spring before this growing season begins to set up uniform procedures for all upwellers. If you want to see all we accomplished in 2010 see the Annual Report

Wes presented a report on the various educational outreach activities that are ongoing, including

the speakers presentations to adults as well as the “shellfish in the classroom” and “Junior Shellfish Gardeners” programs.

Cara reported on the meetings she has attended with the Barnegat Bay Partnership and how recent events have been very encouraging. The signing of several bills, including the strict use of lawn fertilizer, the soil restoration bill and the storm basin repair bill are certainly steps in the right direction concerning the future health of the bay. She also gave a brief overview of the governor's comprehensive ten point plan of action.

Donna Managed to get Mike DeSider from Ritchie & Page Distributor Company to donate a great looking single person RED kayak and brought it to the meeting. We plan to bring it to fairs and festivals and sell raffle tickets this year.

GIANT CLAM ADDED TO TRAIL

2010-10-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, October 10 the newest giant clam was added to our Clam Trail. The coming out party was graciously hosted by the proud mama clam Tricia Wujciak of Bum Roger Clam House in South Seaside Park. Volunteers who were lucky enough to be in attendance were treated to a variety of shellfish goodies, cookies and a large sheet cake. Our thanks go out to Trich and her family for their very generous support.

BAY HEAD STUDENTS BEACH DAY

2010-09-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

On Friday September 24, the Bay Head Elementary School held their annual Beach Day. After the lunch hour the entire student body marched to the Mount Street Beach where several environmental lessons and activities were shown to the students. This year RCTB volunteers Wes Dazell. and Frank Vives were invited to come to the beach and present our lessons on shellfish growing and environmental stewardship. The activities were very well organized and the children were divided into small groups by grade. They were interested in seeing the shellfish and in learning about our program. Parents and teachers were impressed by the presentation and asked if we could expand the program in the school.

RCTB Volunteers Participate in Festivals

2010-09-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

On Saturday September 11th the Borough of Lavalette held its annual Heritage Day Festival. Led by borough resident Donna Franzoso, volunteers from RCTB were in attendance at our display table meeting the public and explaining our mission. The weather was ideal and the crowds were large and inquiring. The following members, Mary Townsend, Bruce Beveridge. Wes Dazell, Marty Sedlacko, Lynette Lurig, Frank Vives, and of course Donna were kept busy answering questions and providing information.

On Sunday the Friends of Island Beach Sate Part held their annual Beach Plum Festival. Once again members of RCTB set up our information table. The weather in the morning was rather nasty with threatening dark clouds and a period of heavy rain. Although it cleared up later in the morning the crowd was much smaller than in previous years. The following volunteers braved the poor conditions and remained on site until closing, Jim Merritt, Bruce Beveridge, Wes Dazell, Marty Sedlacko, and Frank Vives. Our thanks goes out to all our volunteers and we invite all members to try to come out to one of the many Fairs and Festivals and to meet and greet the public on behalf of RCTB.

Verizon Filmmaker Visit Upweller

2010-08-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the efforts of Charlie Brandt our media and PR go to guy, ReClam the Bay will be the topic of a new video documentary to be seen on Verizon’s Fios channel one. On Monday August 16, filmmaker Bill Schlosser paid a visit to the upweller at Island Beach State Park to shoot scenes of RCTB volunteers as they worked on their weekly maintenance duties. Bill asked questions of the various volunteers and filmed their responses and explanations of our mission. This is sure to be another example of our success in reaching out to the people of New Jersey and making them aware of what we are doing and what they can do to help save Barnegat Bay.

Asbury Park Press Special Series on Bay

2010-08-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

Press writers Todd Bates and Kirk Moore and staff have recently completed an outstanding series of articles on the plight of Barnegat Bay. Photos, videos and the entire series can be viewed at the Press web site.

WHYY Features ReClam the Bay

2010-07-28T14:54:00.002-07:00

Thanks to Charlie Brandt, our media and PR guy, WWYY the greater Philadelphia leading public media provider serving southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware has highlighted ReClam the Bay in its weekly series of audio and web portraits called “Coming of Age.” Several weeks ago crew members from the station visited the Barnegat Light upweller site and recorded and photographed our members during their weekly maintenance program. To see a video of this go to the WHYY web page:

www.whyy.org/widerhorizons/comingofage.html

WHYY

2010-07-28T14:54:00.001-07:00

Seaside Heights kids Learn About Clams

2010-07-21T17:26:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning July 19 members of the IBSP upweller team were at the Seaside Heights bay front where they met Lynette Lurig and students and teachers from the Hugh J. Boyd Elementary School Summer Program. The students were shown samples of the shellfish that are grown in the upwellers and the reasons why we are trying to help reclam the bay. While showing the kids some of our one year old clams they discovered a sea anemone had attached itself to one of the clams. Vic Palmieri happened to have a microscope in his car and everyone got to get a good look at it. Manny and the crew were very excited the witness this bit nature up close.

Wes also was able to demonstrate how clams like to dig into the sand when he placed some sand in a camera lens cap and added some clams. It was not long before the clams were franticly trying to dig into the sand. Manny wants to sent out his thanks to Wes, Vic, Bob, and Dolores for their help with one of the best demos that he believes he was involved in.

Wooden Boat Show

2010-07-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

Certified Shellfish Gardeners, Bruce Beveridge, Charlie Brandt, Wes Dalzel and Frank Vives manned our table at the annual Wooden Boat Show in Huddy Park on Saturday July 17 in Toms River. They were joined by our very enthusiastic volunteer Vic Palmeri in the afternoon. Despite the oppressive heat the event attracted a very large crowd and many interested visitors stopped to inquire about ReClam the Bay and about its mission. The recent news articles about the problems that the BayKeepers are experiencing prompted many questions as people were curious to know if we would be affected by the actions of the DEP. Also many people have been reading about our group and our spat on shell project just recently completed in Ocean Gate. Our message has been reaching more and more people each year as we continue to be involved in the many fairs and festivals in Ocean County.

Reply to DEP restriciton on shellfish gardening

2010-07-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

This is the first paragraph of the News release prompted my reply:
larry.ragonese@dep.state.nj.us
larry.hajna@dep.state.nj.us

IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 7, 2010

Contact: Lawrence Ragonese (609) 292-2994
Lawrence Hajna (609) 984-1795

COMMISSIONER AIMS TO PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH AND SHELLFISH INDUSTRY

(10/P53)TRENTON* Commissioner Bob Martin today banned research-related
gardening of commercial shellfish species in coastal and inner
harbor waters
classified as contaminated, and also is seeking immediate removal
of species
now being grown in such waters. The goal is to protect the public
health and
the economic health of the state's nationally significant shellfish
industry.

Towards those goals, the Commissioner also said he intends to
revamp the
state's long-term shellfish gardening rules, and announced the DEP
will not
issue new permits for gardening of commercial shellfish, even for
ecologicalrestoration projects, in prohibited or restricted waters.

Reply:
July 13, 2010
Dear Commissioner Martin:
We would like to take issue with the contents of the news release issued by your office on June 7, 2010 (10/P53)
I am the volunteer president of an education and outreach organization called ReClam The Bay, Inc. (RCTB). Through the Barnegat Bay Shellfish Restoration Program we are partners with Rutgers Cooperative Extension, The County of Ocean, Barnegat Bay Partnership (formerly Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program) and in fact, DEP. We use shellfish to educate people; especially the relationship of shellfish health and bay water quality. We have seen, first hand, how growing shellfish attracts young and old. It is estimated that we have reached over 20,000 people since starting in 2005 on a one to one basis, several hundred thousand more through our radio spots. In 2008 our unique approach to environmental education for tourists (ecotourism) with our Clam Trail earned RCTB the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Tourism because it encourages people to come to NJ to learn about the environment. This translates into an educated public and tourist revenue.
A number of us firmly believe that a correctable mistake is being made and we ask that you please reconsider the decision outlined in the news release that will effectively eliminate an extremely powerful tool to combat water pollution; public involvement. We also note that the news release really sounds like the old DEP and the old way of doing business and is wasting taxpayer money.
You and Governor Christie have said publically that you are going to change the way that DEP does business. The news release underscores that things at the DEP have not changed. The statements contained in the news release (some of which are simply wrong) have been kicking around DEP for at least 5 years. DEP spent hundreds, if not thousands or hours and convened meetings at tax payer expense to address the many short comings in the original statement that is obviously the basis of the news release. A major meeting dealing with this very topic was held in June of 2009 at the Assumpink Wildlife Refuge. After all the time and money was invested, the contents of the news release completely ignored the points raised at the meeting and in a draft policy that Bob Connell authored. Rather than using the consensus and knowledge, DEP issued this tired, old, unchanged, unwise and in some cases inaccurate statement. The draft ruling to which I refer was circulated, and we were led to believe that “after a few minor changes” it would be enacted. The old DEP did not keep its word and the policy to which the news release refers has yet to be formalized through any proper regulatory process. DEP has had a bad reputation for “bait and switch” activity. Issuing this news release says “business as usual”.
Here is a simple example of what is wrong. Quoting the DEP statement:
…In those endeavors, a variety of commercial shellfish, including oysters, hard clams and blue mussels, are grown for study purposes. However, poachers could target those locations and steal the shell fish, which could be sold to consumers.

Your staff concealed the fact that the clams and oysters which most education and outreach organizations grow are two to three years away from being the size that consumers would buy. Also, is your staff not aware that Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Commission still seems to allow the use of seed which is at least 6 months from harvest size for shellfish gardeners? We do not grow “poacher worthy” market ready shellfish in contaminated water. We do grow shellfish seed, in this kind of water because we need to grow them where the public can see them and they fall well within the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Commission guidelines. They are less than 20mm (the size of your pinky) when we put them in the bay. And we only put them in legal areas.

One other suggestion which came from your Department was to use non-edible shellfish in restoration projects. That completely misses the point. Clams and oysters are part of the heritage and even pride of the coastal waters in NJ. The reason people participate in these shellfish restoration programs is because they can relate to clams or oysters, they really don’t care about ribbed mussels. Since the use of noncommercial shellfish was raised by DEP in that June 2009 meeting we conducted a survey of our members. We asked how many would be participating in our project if we were working with ribbed mussels. Not one person responded positively.
We understand that the NY/NJ Baykeeper is more targeted by DEP for how they operate, than is our program. If the Baykeeper’s program is dismantled rather than altered to meet some concerns, then who will focus the water quality issues on the northern Monmouth County waters? With budget cuts, there is no way that DEP will try to raise awareness there.

Local people can, and do, use their knowledge to cause behavioral change and that is the most effective way to improve water quality. Barnegat Bay is not as bad as those waters north of here, yet! We all know that the waters that NJ/NY Baykeepers are trying to restore fell into decline because people were not involved, and did not care. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is why closing education out is so shameful. The DEP, by denying public use of our endangered estuaries, is actually playing a major role in the estuaries demise.
I truly understand the DEP concern about contaminated shellfish being consumed by humans. Tiny shellfish are of no value to poachers. But they are extremely valuable as teaching aids. Shellfish are used to have citizens monitor size, understand the need for control, and learn about a living creature and it relationship to its environment.
In 2009 RCTB spent $110,000 (most of it from privately raised donations) and $275,000 in volunteer hours to raise public awareness. Where would the state come up with $385,000 to raise awareness and teach people the importance of water quality?
You may wonder if what we are doing effective? The answer is YES, we can document people who have changed their daily activities because of what they have leaned in the program. We welcome change at DEP, but please enlist the aid of those who deal with this day to day. If you were to use the draft policy that taxpayers already paid for your NEW policy, it can protect the industry AND enable the general population to play a major role in improving water quality. Please reconsider your decision to eliminate the growth of juvenile shellfish for educational purposes.
Sincerely,
Rick Bushnell, President ReClam the Bay

CHILDREN VISIT IBSP UPWELLER

2010-06-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

On Monday June 28, the IBSP upweller was visited by a group of enthusiastic and interested children. The group, led by teachers Patti Perrini and Kate Caffee, were part of the Ocean County Parks and Recreation Department’s Cattus Island Park sponsored “Days on the Bay” summer camp. The children were shown how the upweller works as a nursery for baby clams and oysters. They were shown the variety of shellfish in the upwellers and how they grow from the tiny seed clams to those that were one year old and older. Volunteers explained the value of shellfish to the ecology of the Bay and how the children could do their part to help keep the Bay healthy.

2010-06-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, June 12th, ReClam The Bay participated in the first LBI Fest on Long Beach Island. Fourteen RCTB volunteers supported the event at our education booth and the RCTB Raw Bar in the food tent.

In a thank you to Mayor Mancini, Councilman Bill Knarre of Long Beach Township and George Gahles President of the LBI Business Alliance: Rick said:

"As president of ReClam The Bay I would like to thank you for your generous financial contribution resulting from the proceeds of the first ever LBIFest. People always want to know where the money from these events goes and I’m happy to say that over $2,000 of it is going to improve the bay that we all love so much.

RCTB graciously accepts this but feels that it is really a contribution to the bay and RCTB is just a way to use the money in an effective manner. This will enable RCTB to buy thousands of clam and oyster seed, maintain the 5 shellfish nurseries on LBI and take summer environmental education to thousands of visitors. It is about perfect; business and municipal leaders come together, visitors and residents learn what to do, and the bay improves.

I might also add that conceiving, planning and producing such an event demonstrates a kind of dedication that is truly admirable. The vision of the event might have come from a few but the production of the event was the work of many; especially Stacey Fuessinger of Just Bead It and Don Brown of the Greenhouse Café (both are sponsors of Giant Clams) as well as the many, many others who handled the details.

Thank you from the bottom……of the Bay!"

Sedge Island Field Day

2010-06-13T06:11:00.000-07:00

After a hearty buffet breakfast at the Beachfront in Waretown and an informative talk by two local clammers, about one dozen volunteers were transported to Sedge Island by boat. They spend the rest of the day acquainting themselves with the facilities and working on necessary chores that are needed to maintain our shellfish grow out. The following photos show some of us busily occupied with various activities.

REPAIRING NETS

SORTING OYSTERS

CLEANING THE TAYLOR FLOATS

Tiny Shrimp Found in Upweller

2010-06-10T06:37:00.000-07:00

Volunteer Vic Palmieri retrieved specimens of tiny animals (grass shrimp?) from the IBSP upweller on Monday June 7. He e-mailed me these pics and how he was able to take them with his microscope. I have copied part of his e-mail below and thought I would share these interesting photos with you.

Those small shrimp like specimens I collected from the IBSP upweller were alive and well in the bottle when I got home. I did have a problem getting good images in the microscope because in microscope scale these little animals are thick. Also, they were thicker than the depth of the well slide so once the cover slip was placed on top of the water on the slide a water bubble formed. The bright edges you see are the edges of the bubble.

Visually or with the electronic eyepiece you could easily see the animals breathing and movement in the internal organs. The eyes were very interesting.

A LED light source was used. In the first image the microscope condenser was opened all the way to allow the most light. This was the best for showing the eye structure. I am not sure what that is to the right of the eye but it looks like it is connected to the digestive tract(?) Below the digestive tract is that linear feature that has alternate small and large nodes along its length. Anyone know what they are? The bright arc over the animal is the bubble's edge.

The next image was also taken under full light and shows the dark digestive tract(?) Tail appendages are also visible.

Frank

Press Visits IBSP Upweller

2010-06-09T06:34:00.000-07:00

Members of the Asbury Park Press reporting staff paid a visit to the IBSP upweller on Monday, June 7th. Todd Bates the chief environmental reporter was accompanied by Tanya Breen, photographer, and Tom Spader, videographer. Manny’s usual crew was there at 12:30 p.m. in order to prepare for the visit and get the site looking good. Rick made the trip up from LBI to be the spokesman for the video and to answer many of Todd’s questions. Manny and Marty were also interviewed at length. Todd who is gathering information for an upcoming series featuring Barnegat Bay also spent a day at Sedge with Jim Merritt last week. We will be looking forward to the articles which will be published some time in July.

Waretown Field Day

2010-06-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

I received this e-mail this morning from Marty and you should all be receiving it in a personal e-mail soon.

All RCTB members are invited to attend our field trip on Saturday, June 12. The day's events will begin with an optional Breakfast around 0830 at the Bayfront Marina and Grill which is located at the very end of Bryant Road in Waretown. (This is the eastern end of Rt 532 which has a Parkway exit). We encourage your support of this restaurant as the owner, Keith Boyce, is a friend and supporter of RCTB, and assists us with security of our lease site next to his property.

Official activities will begin at 10:00 at the Gazebo next door with an interesting and informative presentation by a lifetime Bayman, commercial clammer and aquaculturist arranged by Gef. Next Jeffrey and some volunteers will replace some of our predator screens out front on the lease site. This should last until approximately 1130.

At 1130 we will board the boats for the ride across the bay to beautiful Hensler Island, one of the sedges. This is the site of the Pete McClain House, also known as the Sedge House where NJ Fish and Wildlife's Natural Resource Education Center is located. It is also the site of our second clam lease. The island is unofficially governed by "King" Jim Merritt, who will greet us and give us a tour of the facilities on one of the neatest spots on the planet. We will have lunch (bring your own from home) then do some work with the oysters and clams. We'll be replacing a couple of predator screens and examining what gathers on them. The boats will return members to Waretown when activities are done, estimated to be around 4 PM.

Boat owners are encouraged to bring their boats to assist in the transport. So far, we expect Jeffrey with the RCTB boat and Marty and Wes with each of theirs. Hopefully more! If your boat draws too much water to get through the shallows to Sedge, no problem! You can anchor off in the Mud Channel or the Bahamas and we can shuttle you in. Call Jim, Marty or Jeffrey for guidance. Please call Marty 732-604-0734 if you will bring a boat. This is for planning purposes- not a firm commitment!

What to bring! Appropriate clothing for the weather. It has been warm, but if the wind is off the ocean which today is 54 degrees, it could be chilly! Bay water has been warm- mid 70s on the out-going tide. Bring Water Shoes if planning to go in the water as some shells are sharp. Bring your own lunch, beverages. and sunscreen. No alcohol is allowed on State property!

Info/ Questions? Call Jim 609-658 7965, Jeffrey 732-674-4034, or Marty 732-604-0734.

For your planning purposes, there will a screen cleaning at Sedge on Sat July 17th, and the RCTB Sedge Weekend is booked for Fri-Sun August 27-29. We must have a minimum of 10 people sign up for this 3-day/2-night event to cover costs.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday! There is no cost for this field trip except for paying for your own breakfast if desired, and a good time was had by all at this event in the past! In the event of inclement weather, the Sedge portion of the trip would likely cancel, but the Waretown portion could go on. Marty

Frank

Barnegat Bay Day

2010-06-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

One of the largest environmental festivals of the year, the annual Barnegat Bay Day, took place on Sunday June 6th in Island Heights. Of course, Reclam the Bay was well represented with the following volunteers : Bob and Doreen Gleeson, Charlie Brandt, Bruce Beverage, Wes Dalzell, Marthy Sedlacko and me manning the table. The temperature was in the nineties and that may have had some affect on the turnout as the crowd size appeared to be somewhat smaller that last year. We did get to speak to quiet a few people and some indicated that they would like to volunteer and inquired about how they could help. We explained our levels of volunteers and how they could help at the upwellers without joining the classes. This was another successful fair and there will be many more to come this season so we urge you to join us at one or more in the future.

Count Clam

Frank

Waretown Founder's Day

2010-05-31T08:26:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Fair and Festivals season is in full swing with events scheduled for practically every weekend throughout the summer months. Yesterday, May 29th, RCTB volunteers Wes, Charlie, Debbie and Frank set up our table at the Waretown Founder's Day at the Priff Elementary School campus. They were joined by Chelsea and Marty later in the morning. The weather was comfortably cool and the mostly family centered crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves as they strolled around the site. We had quite a few interested visitors stop by and listen patiently as we explained our mission and how shellfish can do their small part to help clean up Barnegat Bay. One interested visitor was ex Philadelphia Eagle player Jon Runyan, who is now running for Congress in the 3th Congressional District. Charlie attempted to cram our 12 weeks of clam knowledge in the time alloted but the Waretown mayor had other plans for Jon's time. Charlie does a great job explaining the clam growing and cleaning process to the children who visited our table. The families who came by were interested in what we do and our message is being spread to more and more people each year. All and all the day could be considered to have been a great success. This blog was written by Count Clam (F. Vives)

Screen Cleaning

2010-05-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

Have you every wondered why we need to clean the predator control screens on the clam beds? A picture is worth a thousand words!

Only the Beginning

2010-05-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

We have set this blog to enable our members to comunicate more effectively. Please join us.