New Jersey Coastal Resilience Collaborative (NJCRC) workgroup members gathered on April 17 at Cattus Island County Park in Toms River to explore restoration efforts addressing back bay marsh loss. The 530-acre park, located in northern Barnegat Bay, features seven miles of walking trails and serves as an important recreational space and coastal habitat for fish and wildlife.
The field trip was organized by the NJCRC Field Site Visit Workgroup and hosted by the Ocean County Department of Parks and Recreation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Coastal Program, and Ducks Unlimited, all of which are NJCRC partners. The day began at the Cooper Environmental Center with a presentation on the island’s history, ecological significance, and the challenges it faces, including edge erosion, elevation loss (subsidence), disrupted hydrology, limited migration space, and rising sea levels. The restoration team discussed their work with Stevens Institute of Technology and Stockton University’s Coastal Research Center to gather baseline data and develop conceptual restoration designs to meet ecological goals.
Participants then got outside and toured where a large living shoreline and interior marsh restoration project will be implemented and viewed habitat degradation issues firsthand. The trip provided a chance for a wide range of stakeholders — including resource managers, restoration practitioners, permit reviewers, and academic researchers — to discuss key topics such as permitting challenges, navigating habitat trade-offs, seagrass monitoring, and effective restoration strategies.
The visit fostered valuable discussions and provided a platform for exchanging ideas to strengthen coastal resilience across the state. The NJCRC Field Site Visit Workgroup plans to revisit the site once restoration work is underway, offering participants a chance to see the “before,” “during” and “after” impact of Cattus Island’s restoration efforts.
For more information on the Field Site Visit Workgroup, or to learn about or propose future activities, click here or contact Workgroup Chair Mike Galvin at MGalvin@jmt.com. Interested in becoming a partner of the NJCRC? Click here for partnership information or reach out by email to NJCRC@NJSeaGrant.org.