World Water Day Clean-Up

208 Broadway,Barnegat Light NJ 08006

22 March, 2023

Description

World Water Day Clean-UpMarch 22nd, 202310AM to 12:30PMAddress: Barnegat Lighthouse State Park 208 Broadway Barnegat Light, NJ 08006 Coordinates: 39.76317, -74.10663 More information:Coordinated by the AmeriCorps New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors Program & Ocean County Clean Communities Program, join us in celebrating both World Water Day and the completion of the Old Barney restoration project by keeping our watershed clean! We are gathering in the parking lot of Barnegat Lighthouse State Park to conduct a trash clean-up on the maritime forest trail, the beach, and around the parking lot of the park. This event is one of many participating in the AmeriCorps Project in the Parks Initiative. Barnegat Lighthouse State Park holds one of New Jersey's last maritime forests, which grow along coastal barrier islands and support a great diversity of plants and animals. The park also falls within the bounds of the Barnegat Bay watershed, which encompasses 660 square miles of land that drain into the bay. Our goal is to pick up the trash around the park to preemptively stop garbage from entering the bay, creating a cleaner and healthier environment, while preserving our maritime forest. Gloves, bags, and garbage pickers will be supplied upon arrival. Further instructions & maps will be sent closer to the clean-up date. Volunteers under the age of 14 must be accompanied by adult supervisors. Can't wait to see you out there! -Bailey Sanders, NJ Watershed Ambassador for the Barnegat Bay FAQ 1. What is the AmeriCorps New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors Program? The New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors Program is a community-oriented AmeriCorps program designed to raise awareness about water issues in New Jersey. The NJDEP began hosting this AmeriCorps program in 2000. Through this program, AmeriCorps members are placed at local host sites in twenty (20) Watershed Management Areas (WMAs) from Sussex to Cape May counties to serve their local communities. The program works with all sectors of society to improve the quality of New Jersey’s waterways, nurturing community-based environmental activities and empowering residents to make responsible and informed decisions regarding their watershed! 2. What is a Watershed? An area of land that drains into a common body of water, such as a stream, river, bay and/or ocean! 3. What does a Watershed Ambassador do? Watershed Ambassadors do a lot of things! Presentations We conduct free presentations at schools and various local organizations on watershed education. Some common topics are: The Water CycleFreshwater Macroinvertebrates as BioindicatorsEnviroscape Model Watershed Demo Point & Non-point Source PollutionConservation And more! Ask your ambassador about a topic that interests you! Each topic can be personalized towards any grade-level. *All ambassadors are certified informal educators through the Project WET & Climate, Water, and Resilience Curriculum. Environmental Stewardship Trainings We train volunteers and groups on how to monitor stream health using Biological and Visual Assessment protocols from the NJDEP. This is a great field training opportunity for high school and college students but is available to anyone! Partnership Projects If you are looking for a way to make your watershed healthier, we conduct many different partnership projects, such as: Rain barrel workshops Rain garden plantings Watershed Clean ups Tree planting events And so much more! The possibilities are endless! If you have an idea for a project, we can design a project that fits your interests. 4. Who is my Watershed Ambassador? This event is being held by the Watershed Management Area (WMA) 13 Ambassador, Bailey Sanders. WMA 13 is the Barnegat Bay Watershed, which stretches over 660 square miles from Brick & Point Pleasant, NJ to Tuckerton, NJ. See below for map of the Watershed Management Areas. If you'd like to hold an event or contact your watershed ambassador, you can email them at wma(#)[email protected]. For example, you can reach Bailey Sanders, the WMA13 Watershed Ambassador at [email protected].