Restoration of Historic Barnegat Bay Headwaters
The Brick Township project lies within the headwaters of Barnegat Bay Estuary, recognized as an estuary of national significance by the National Estuary Program. It is both a vital component of New Jersey's tourist industry, and an important natural resource that supports populations of commercially and recreationally significant fish and rare and endangered species.
The quality of water in New Jersey's coastal bays depends heavily on the integrity of habitats located in the headwaters of the tributaries. Headwaters are complexes of forested wetlands and wet meadows from which arise the streams and rivers that feed the Bay. While they lie many miles from the mouth of a waterway, they have a dramatic effect on the productivity of downstream wetlands. However, when the headwaters remain protected, buffered by land in a natural state, valuable wetland habitats at a tributary's mouth - tidal flats and marshes - remain healthy. Improved water quality promotes the recovery of submerged aquatic vegetation that are essential to support fish and wildlife populations, thus improving the overall quality of life throughout the coastal ecosystem.
The goal of DU's habitat programs in the Northeast is to protect, enhance, and restore waterfowl and wetland habitats and water quality through regionally based, biologically driven, landscape oriented conservation that integrates the habitat needs of all wetland-dependant wildlife. Projects like the Atlantic white cedar restoration in Brick Township help to build new partnerships that help us meet that goal. Our success will be measured in increased habitat, improved water quality, increased public awareness of wetland and waterfowl conservation, and more exposure and recognition of DU's conservation program.