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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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.