A Message from the Manager...

On November 12-13, the JC NERR hosted the annual meeting for the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association and National Estuarine Research Reserve System. More than 230 people participated from the 30 reserves around the country. In addition to the meetings, the participants received opportunities for field trips to experience the Cousteau Reserve first-hand including birding at the Forsythe Refuge, an ecotour of Tuckerton Creek and Barnegat Bay by boat, tours of the Tuckerton Seaport and historic Batsto Village, and examples of coastal resilience projects on Long Beach Island. A big thanks to the reserve staff for their efforts to organize programs and activities that showcased who we are and what we do.

I’d also like to note the successful grants that staff received related to coastal resilience and habitat restoration. These funds are being used to build staff capacity and advance the science of restoration for critical habitats such as marshes. In 2024, we’ll also be updating the 5-year management plan for the reserve with a focus on habitat restoration and new directions for the coastal training, education and research programs.

Finally, a new robotic platform was just delivered to the JC NERR earlier this week, an Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV) that will be used to survey and map shallow water habitats in the Reserve, as well as for other Reserves in the protected area network. A more detailed description (plus a photo of it, shiny and new!) of the ASV is provided in this newsletter. Happy New Year to all of our partners and supporters.

With warm personal regards,

Real World Enters the Classroom!

Graduate students and educators work together to create lesson plans

Over the last few months, the JC NERR’s Education Coordinator, Kaitlin Gannon and Rutgers University Graduate Student and Margaret A. Davidson fellow, Kyra Fitz, have been collaborating on a project with the Chesapeake Bay Virginia NERR and other various partners. The project involves graduate research students working with formal K-12 educators to develop lesson plans related to their research.

Kyra's developing a lesson plan around her research interests which include range shifts on certain marine fish species as a result of warming ocean waters. Kyra’s lesson plan is currently in draft form, and we just recruited a small group of New Jersey educators who will review and test Kyra’s lesson with their students! Projects like this present a unique opportunity for teachers and students to have access to real world science. In addition, students learn about locally relevant research projects, increase their knowledge about current environmental issues and increase appreciation and stewardship of our coasts.

Become a Community Scientist!

Updates from the Volunteer Program

Volunteers have been very active this year at JC NERR. In 2023, 40 volunteers have contributed more than 1370 hours to our ongoing projects. We also welcomed Christine Moran to the JC NERR as our new Volunteer Coordinator! She has been quite busy, working with our current volunteers and running multiple projects and opportunities. 

Volunteers have monitored juvenile eels, collected monofilament fishing line, welcomed visitors & hosted tours at our Life on the Edge exhibit, sorted larval fish, maintained the Grassle Marsh trail and contributed to our children’s summer program. This year also presented a very unique opportunity to assist with the NERRS Annual Meeting. Volunteers were indispensable in helping with registration, the silent auction, and hosting sector meetings at both the JC NERR Coastal Center and the Seaview Hotel in Galloway NJ. 

Below are just a few of the volunteer opportunities that you can be a part of at the JC NERR! Be sure to fill out our volunteer application, and reach out to Volunteer Coordinator, Christine Moran, at [email protected] with any questions. Must be 18 years or older.

Life on the Edge Exhibit

The JC NERR Life on the Edge exhibit (hosted at the Tuckerton Seaport) opened its doors back in 2002. For the past 21 years, the exhibit has told the story of estuaries, where forest meets water and river meets sea. Our fully interactive and immersive exhibit takes a deep dive into what estuaries are, what critters call it home, the many benefits they provide to us, & what we can do to protect them! Volunteer docents greet visitors, provide tours, assist with school group visits, and more! 

Interested in becoming a docent? Reach out to Exhibit Manager, Amy Plantarich, at [email protected].



Eel Monitoring Community Science Program

The Eel Monitoring project had its pilot season this past spring. Volunteers monitored juvenile “glass” eels on their journey to freshwater from the Sargasso Sea. The eels were momentarily captured using eel mops or a fyke net, recorded, and safely returned upstream to continue their journey.

You can join our monitoring team! We are hosting a volunteer training event on February 1st, 6pm, at our Coastal Center in Tuckerton, NJ. We welcome new and returning eel monitoring volunteers to this event! Refreshments will also be provided. If you are not a volunteer but still interested in learning more, you can complete a volunteer application form via the link above before or after the training.

If you have questions about the program, please call Education Coordinator Kaitlin Gannon at 609-249-8822 or email to [email protected].

Larval Fish Sampling (Bridgenetting)

The larval fish sampling study remains one of our most popular volunteer opportunities. This 32-year study has yielded data for many scientific publications. The procedure involves capturing larval fish in a plankton net at night on an incoming high tide. The net contents are then taken back to the lab at the Rutgers University Marine Field Station and separated from other organisms and vegetation. The species of each larval fish is later identified in the lab. Volunteers can jump right in and provide assistance during collection and sorting days. (Assistance with larval fish ID can also be done, after a training period.)

Creature Feature - Children's Summer Program

This past summer’s Creature Feature program explored jellyfish, crabs, terrapins, horseshoe crabs and the red knot.  A variety of experts share their enthusiasm and knowledge with children and their parents over a 5 week period during the summer. Volunteers provide assistance with check-in, activities, crafts, and more!

2023 NERRS Annual Meeting

Over 200 NERRds together on the Jersey shore!

As mentioned in Mike's Manager's Message, November was a big month for us! We hosted the 2023 NERRS Annual Meeting, a once-a-year opportunity for all the NERRds from around the 30 Reserves all come together for one week of work and fun!

Huge thanks to the Seaview Hotel in Galloway NJ for not only being the home for all those NERRds for a whole week, but for also providing beautiful spaces for us to hold meetings for sectors, regional Reserves, national workgroups, and more! Long- and short-term goals were discussed, new partnerships were built, all in the name of protecting and preserving estuaries around the country.

With all this hard work, we had to sprinkle in some moments for fun! We kicked off the week with a plenary session featuring three hand-picked speakers. Ken Able, Rutgers University professor emeritus and inaugural research coordinator for the Jacques Cousteau Reserve, provided the rich history of research that has been done over the JC NERR's 26 year history. Sarah Borsetti, marine scientist at Rutgers University, described the environmental baseline studies underway to assess the potential impacts of wind energy development along the New Jersey coast. And for a slam-bang finish, Paul Hart, past executive director for the Tuckerton Seaport, provided an overview of the maritime cultural history of the Barnegat Bay and Mullica River-Great Bay region (with some humor and energy thrown in for flare!).

And the fun did not stop there! We hosted a full day of field trips to dive deep into the Reserve, and immerse them into a side of New Jersey that they haven't seen before! 

Coastal Resiliency: The Light at the End of the Island

This field trip brought attendees to one of NJ's most popular barrier islands where people and protected places thrive. We started on the southern portion of Long Beach Island, which is engulfed by the protected waters of the JC NERR. Our second stop was to the Long Beach Township Marine Field Station to meet Manager Angela Andersen, who spearheaded many of the resiliency efforts of the island after Hurricane Sandy. Then we made our way to the northern section of the island to Barnegat Lighthouse State Park to see the newly renovated Barnegat Lighthouse, stroll down the quarter-mile accessible fishing jetty, and learn about a local collaborative habitat restoration project for endangered beach-nesting birds between Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, New Jersey Fish and Wildlife, and Rutgers University biologists with an on-site walk.

Flocks and Folklore: Exploring South Jersey

On this field trip, we kept things closer to home. We started the day with a tour of our largest land management partner headquarters at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Because it is located in one of the Atlantic Flyway’s most active flight paths, it serves as a critical link in seasonal bird migration.



After lunch, we visited the Tuckerton Seaport for both a trip on land and on water through time, and discovered the rich coastal culture of the Jersey Shore. On land, attendees learned how the Rider family spent their days in the Tucker’s Island Lighthouse (and took in a panorama view of Lake Pohatcong and Tuckerton Creek). We also introduced them to one of the Seaport’s talented decoy carvers and watched as they worked their magic. We rounded out the tour on land with a visit to the our Life on the Edge exhibit for an immersive estuary experience. Then came the water tour, where we introduced attendees to the wildlife of the creek by taking a fully guided tour on the Seaport’s floating classroom (a 30-foot pontoon boat).

Pine Barrens Pride: A Tour of the Unique Ecology and History of the New Jersey Pine Barrens

For this field trip, we brought our attendees deep into the heart of South Jersey: the Pine Barrens. We hiked through the “Pygmy Pines Plains,” an area located just north of the reserve. Did you know that this globally rare forest community has endured extreme fire history and is known as one of the most combustible habitats in the country?! Joel Mott from the New Jersey Pinelands Commission provided the guided hike.

Then we headed over to historic Batsto Village for lunch and a tour. After lunch in this gorgeous scenery, we guided attended through the Village, provided an immersive view of its rich cultural history. Did you know, that at its height, the village was home to over 700 people and produced iron and glass for notable sites throughout the United States? In 1876, the village and surrounding land were purchased by Philadelphia industrialist Joseph Wharton. Attendees got to visit the former iron and glass buildings, workers’ cottages, mansion, post office, and sawmill.

We Can't Forget Poster Night!

Traditional posters and multimedia presentations highlighted the achievements and projects from across the NERRS. We paired this with a SWAP (System-Wide Advancements and Programs): an opportunity for attendees to visit booths to learn about research efforts, tools, initiatives, projects, and programs happening throughout and in partnership with the reserve system. This event was a one-stop shop for keeping up with the pulse of the reserve system.

In this year's poster session, we featured two posters from the JC NERR. The first was by our Education Coordinator, Kaitlin Gannon, providing the highlights from the pilot year of our Eel Monitoring Community Science Program (a partnership with the Hudson River Reserve). We also invited the PALS (Police Activities League of Egg Harbor Township & Atlantic County) students to present a poster on their work using their Calypso ROV to research the effects of dredging.

We Can't Forget Poster Night!

Traditional posters and multimedia presentations highlighted the achievements and projects from across the NERRS. We paired this with a SWAP (System-Wide Advancements and Programs): an opportunity for attendees to visit booths to learn about research efforts, tools, initiatives, projects, and programs happening throughout and in partnership with the reserve system. This event was a one-stop shop for keeping up with the pulse of the reserve system.

We are incredibly grateful to have been able to host the 2023 NERRS Annual Meeting. Huge thanks to the NOAA and NERRS folks who helped plan such a jam-packed week, and to our partners and volunteers whose boots-on-the-ground work brought those plans to life!

We have officially handed off the torch (or in this case, the ceremonial quilt!) to the team over at the Wells Reserve in Maine as they prepare for this year's meeting. Kennebunkport, here we come!

Immersive Yourself in Life on the Edge

Our immersive and interactive exhibit is back open to the public!

In 2002, the JC NERR Life on the Edge Interpretive Exhibit opened its doors! (Did you know that Madame Cousteau herself cut the opening ribbon?!?) Since then, the exhibit has been sharing the wonders of estuaries to patrons year-round, except for two occasions. The first was a flood back in 2012 that resulted in a remodel of the exhibit to what you see today. The second was the COVID-19 pandemic. As we waited for conditions to improve and allow us to reopen, we took the opportunity to switch some things up!

We bid adieu to Ida Louise Scott as she started her next journey into retirement. Ida was the fearless leader of the exhibit since its inception, helping design the exhibits as they are seen today, and building up our wonderful team of volunteer docents. She has passed on the torch to Amy Plantarich, Communications & Outreach Coordinator. Amy jumped right into her role during the pandemic pause, and developed programming and training guides for the onboarding of some new volunteer docents that joined the team! We also envisioned ways that we can “break out” of the four walls of the exhibit (and we cannot wait to share those ideas with you!). While all of this work was very exciting, we truly missed the buzz of visitors of all ages enjoying the exhibit.

The spring of 2023 brought the opportunity to open our doors to the world once again! We started with a collaboration with the Tuckerton Seaport to host tours with local New Jersey schools, and the surge of energy was just what we needed! Over the course of just 8 days, we hosted 545 students, plus many teachers and chaperones that joined in on the fun.

With such success in our spring season, we officially re-opened to the public last summer. From August until now, 929 visitors have explored the exhibit, including multiple special groups, homeschool groups, family outings, and more! And we will be open through the winter season. Now through the end of February, the Life on the Edge experience will be open on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10am-4pm. If you’re looking for a fun indoor adventure that the whole family will enjoy, come and visit us!

If you have any questions, or would like to book a special group tour, reach out to Exhibit Manager, Amy Plantarich, at [email protected].

“Seeing the excitement in children’s eyes as they explored the exhibit is an unforgettable experience. For some of the younger students, this year they experienced their first-ever field trip, and I was honored that the exhibit can be that core memory for them. To have the opportunity to explore, create, and have fun all centered around the coastal areas that we love is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. When the first school group tour ends in a giant group hug, you know you have something good going! I also couldn’t be more grateful to have a strong group of volunteer docents. Their passion and energy brings the exhibit to life. I cannot wait to see what is in store for 2024! ”

-Amy Plantarich, Exhibit Manager

MyCoast: New Jersey

A one-stop-shop for coastal resilience!

The JC NERR and Rutgers University have a long-standing relationship with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Coastal Management Program. And MyCoast: New Jersey was launched in 2021 through this great partnership. This initiative was designed to give community members a platform where they can share photos or stories to document impacts of flooding and places they feel connected to.

By using MyCoast, users are capturing important weather and climate related events in their community. The photos linked to tide and weather data help us determine how often a community is flooding and where, leading a collaborative effort to identify and prioritize climate change resilience strategies. While MyCoast reports identify areas in New Jersey under threat to increased flooding from changing precipitation rates and rising seas, it also collects this data for other stakeholders like local governments, business owners, and residents to understand coastal change and make informed decisions.

This graph represents cumulative rainfall totals per day (blue) in relation to the barometric pressure change (green). You can see the initial pressure drop when the storm first appeared in New Jersey between 9/30 and 10/1 with large spikes in rainfall each day. The cumulative rainfall totals per day were as follows:

10/1- 1.00 inches

10/2- 2.86 inches

10/3- 1.86 inches

10/4- 0.40 inches

Data such as this allows the public as well as stakeholders to access both real-time and long-term data sets to make informed choices for safety, planning, and management of our coasts. SWMP data and metadata reports are publicly-available and free of charge at www.nerrsdata.org

You can find the newly installed MyCoast Photo Stations at the following locations from north to south:

• Liberty State Park 
• Cheesequake State Park
• Island Beach State Park: Fisherman’s Walkway
• Island Beach State Park: Johnny Allen’s Cove Trail
• Margate City Pier 
• Cape May Point State Park

2023: A Year At-A-Glance

A reflection of our research and community impacts!

We Wish You the Happiest of New Years!

From our furry and non-furry staff alike!

Enjoy these throwbacks from this past holiday season!