BAYSHORE REGIONAL WATERSHED COUNCIL

MINUTES

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Keyport Borough Hall

7:30pm – 9:30pm

Attendance:

Lou Andreuzzi ( Union Beach )

Christine Balint (Friends of Freneau Woods/ Aberdeen )

Tracy Dell (Holmdel)

Bob Dieterich (Matawan)

John Curran (HAQLA)

Fran Donnelly ( Hazlet )

Annie Eng ( Hazlet )

Stephen Gale (Keyport)

Bob Ludwig (Keyport)

Joe Martin ( Middletown Township )

Kari Martin (Clean Ocean Action)

Bill McFarland (Holmdel)

Joe Pobega ( Hazlet )  

Joe Reynolds (Atlantic Highlands)

Joe Sheridan (Keyport)

AGENDA

1) Bayshore Regional Dredged Material Mgmt. Plan

As of the meeting, the council was still waiting for the updated MOA (memorandum of agreement) to be signed by NJDOT officials. On Monday, March 12, Joe Reynolds received an email from NJDOT stating that our MOA has been signed and copies were to be sent out to HAQLA and the council. The project can now officially commence.

2) FLAT CREEK NJDEP Project Grant Status

Bill McFarland reported that he has not yet met with Ann Waters of the Monmouth County Planning Board to discuss the final parameters of the grant in how to best utilize the remaining $44,000 of the Action Now grant from NJDEP for the restoration of Flat Creek. Council members once again expressed interest towards installing a stormwater structural BMP, one or two devices that would help to clean up stormwater and provide a means for the removal of sediment, floating debris and free-oil that enters Flat Creek. (For more information on this topic: http://www.ent.ohiou.edu/~stormbmp/indexa.htm ) Joe Pobega stated that the Mayor and council were informed of the project and seem willing to help install the above mentioned BMP and provide routine cleaning.

3) Horseshoe Crab Education Signs

Joe Reynolds displayed the Horseshoe Crab signs from the American Littoral Society (ALS) that will help educate people about the moratorium on harvesting Horseshoe Crabs in New Jersey .   The finished product is a 9”x12” bright white sign with a picture of an adult Horseshoe Crab. The sign reads: “Horseshoe Crab Harvesting is not permitted in NJ waters. Become partners in the effort to conserve these 400 million-year-old creatures and the shorebirds that feed on their eggs. Please report Horseshoe Crab harvesting to (877) WARN-DEP.” About 200 signs were created by ALS and will be dispersed along the Jersey Shore . In the Bayshore region, roughly 20 signs will be posted. As of the meeting, the following locations are planned to have signs:

Atlantic Highlands Harbor : 4 signs

Keyport Waterfront: 3 signs

Middletown : 4-5 signs

Aberdeen : 4 signs

Union Beach : 1-2 signs

Keansburg: 1 sign

Old Bridge : 1 sign

4) Bayshore Pump-Out Boat Forum

Within the last month, the following municipalities have agreed to provide funds to support a pump-out boat for Raritan Bay-Sandy Hook Bay: Perth Amboy , Hazlet, Atlantic Highlands , & Keyport. The council would also like to see other local municipalities support this effort to clean up our waters, such as Middletown , Aberdeen , and Union Beach . For more information about this topic, please see http://www.bayshorewatershed.org/bw/Current%20Projects/%2A%20Pump-Out%20Boat%20For%20Raritan%20Bay-Sandy%20Hook%20Bay

5) Open Space & the Preservation of Endangered Areas

Monmouth County Unique Areas Study : Joe Reynolds reported that the Monmouth County Planning Board is in the middle of updating their “Unique Areas Study” document that was last reviewed and prepared in 1978. In that 1978 document, it lists five areas in the Bayshore watershed region out of a total of 44 areas that were identified. This means that approximately 10-15% of the listed unique sites in the Monmouth County can be found in the Bayshore region. Council members agreed that this figure is an understatement, especially since we are located within an estuarine ecosystem – one of the most productive and ecological important natural systems. In addition, we cover an area around 60 square miles. The 1978 document lists the following five sites in the Bayshore region:

1)          Compton ’s Creek in Middletown Township

2)          Connaskonk Point (sic) in Union Beach

3)          Natco Lake in Union Beach & Keansburg (not in Hazlet ????)

4)          Mount Mitchell (sic) in Atlantic Highlands

5)          Highlands Bluffs in the Borough of Highlands (not in Atlantic Highlands???)

The new, updated document plans to include the following sites in the Bayshore region:

1) Treasure Lake in Aberdeen

2) Freneau Woods in Aberdeen & Matawan

3) Stone Road Meadows in Hazlet

4) Waackaack Creek Greenway in Holmdel & Hazlet

5) Lake Lefferts in Aberdeen

6) Pews Creek Wetlands in Middletown Township

7) Flat Creek Wetlands in Union Beach

8) Luppatatong Creek Wetlands in Keyport

9) Whale Creek Wetlands in Aberdeen

10) Leonardo Wetlands in Middletown Township

For the above mentioned sites to be included in the new document or any additional site to be included, there needs to be a letter of support from a local environmental commission, planning board, or another local organization to nominate the site. Please send letters to:

Ann Waters

Senior Planner

Monmouth County Planning Board

Environmental Committee

Hall of Records Annex

1 East Main St .

Freehold, NJ 07728

Freneau Woods (Aberdeen/Matawan): A sketch was shown to council members created with volunteer time by Stephen Gale that shows some of the historic features of Freneau Woods. Mr. Gale would like to start a public campaign to educate people about Freneau Woods and the historic aspects of the landscape. With council help, he plans to communicate with several local newspapers to start spreading the word.

Stone Road Meadows (Hazlet/Union Beach):  John Curran and Lou Andreuzzi provided an update on efforts to acquire historical protection for the Van Mater Homestead, which local historical documents suggest is the oldest living structure in Hazlet Township , dating back to possibly the mid-1800s. Mr. Curran also plans to re-energize county involvement to help preserve Stone Road Meadows as an urban park. Council members agreed that it would also be good strategy to obtain more public support, possibly by a petition that states people in Hazlet are for the preservation of Stone Road Meadows and the Waackaack Creek Meadowlands: the last two largest pieces of open space left in the township.

6) Osprey Platform Grant  

On Saturday, March 3, m embers of the Middletown Environmental Commission, Red Bank Environmental Commission, Bayshore Watershed Council, Brookdale Community College WaterWatch, and several high school students from Middletown Township gathered to install Osprey nesting platforms. Four Osprey platforms were put up: two were raised along Swimming River , with a clear view of one platform from Dutch Neck Park on Schultz Drive . The other two new nesting sites were located in the Bayshore region of Middletown Township , one platform near the mouth of Pews Creek, and the other platform near the mouth of Compton ’s Creek.

Joe Sheridan reported that Keyport is working with Hazlet 's Troop 92 to install an Osprey platform in their municipality. The troop has experience doing such an activity, as they have put up a platform within Cheesequake State Park .

Annie Eng and Joe Pobega reported that Hazlet is still considering where to locate an Osprey platform within their municipality. It will either be within Natco Lake Conservation Area or within the meadowlands of Waackaack creek.

7) Clean Ocean Action Spring Beach Sweeps

Mark your calendars, schedules, and/or daybooks now for the 22nd ANNUAL   COA SPRING BEACH SWEEPS, Saturday, April 28, 2007, 9:00 am to 12:30pm (RAIN OR SHINE).  

Locations in the Bayshore region of Monmouth and Middlesex counties where a clean up will be taking place include:

Atlantic Highlands - Harbor Gravel Parking Lot

Highlands -  Central Ave atBeach next to Community Center

Keansburg - Laurel Ave & Beachway at foot of Baywalk

Keyport - (2 sites) 1) Boat Launch at foot of Broad Street - Site Sponsored by Keyport Business Alliance ; 2) Perry Park

Middletown - (4 sites) 1) East Keansburg: Ideal Beach at Ocean Avenue & Bayside Parkway; 2) Leonardo - Public Beach, Beach St. and Benton Ave.; 3) Port Monmouth - Monmouth Cove Marina & Bayshore Waterfront Park (Meet at parking lot at end of Old Port Monmouth Road); 4) Port Monmouth - The Dunes at Shoal Harbor Recreation Area

Sandy Hook - Parking Lot E - Site sponsored by Panasonic, Rotary District #7510 - Interact, and United Teletech Financial

Union Beach -  Florence Avenue at Front Street (by Statue)

Raritan Bay Waterfront Park - Located in Old Bridge Township - Meet in the main parking lot near the beach on Highway 35.

For updated information about Beach Sweep locations, please refer to the COA website at: http://www.cleanoceanaction.org/

8) Reports from Bayshore Communities

Pews Creek Community Cleanup: Joe Martin, Chair of Friends of Pews Creek, reported that he would like to schedule a clean up of Pews Creek on Saturday, March 24, from 1-3pm.

Matawan Lake/Creek Project: Local citizens are being asked for help to assess the condition of the Matawan Creek watershed. The project will begin in late March or early April. If you are interested in volunteering with this important monitoring effort, contact Vicky Allen, at   matawanlakesproject@gmail.com or Councilwoman Debbie Buragina 732-566-3898 x602.

Hazlet Open Space : The Mayor and council in Hazlet Township will soon pass a resolution to create an Open Space Advisory Board that will begin the process of identifying potential sites for open space acquisition.  

 print