Save the Jersey Shore

If you've spent time with family and friends on the Jersey Shore, you know how special it is. Whether we're fishing, boating, or just relaxing on the sand, many of us find the Shore to be the perfect place on a hot summer day.  

You've probably also seen how reckless development has changed the Shore, washing more pollution and dangerous bacteria in the water where we swim and our children play. In 2011, beachgoers were turned away 132 times because of water pollution that could have made them sick. 

Pollution from development also triggers algae blooms, which attract stinging jellyfish and cause red and brown tides, which we have seen most drastically in Barnegat Bay.

New protections sought for Shore waterways

Unfortunately, development at the Shore is skyrocketing. Over 16,000 acres were developed alone in Monmouth and Ocean Counties between 2002 and 2007.

With this development washing more pollution into our waters, we need the New Jersey Legislature to protect the natural lands immediately surrounding our Shore waterways, so we can reduce runoff pollution on our beaches and in Barnegat Bay.

Developers are pressuring to rollback even our existing clean water protections. But as pollution starts to have a real impact on the Shore, we need the Legislature to do more to protect the Shore.

With your activism and our advocacy, we can protect the Jersey Shore

Our citizen outreach staff has been educating New Jerseyans about what's at stake; lobbying key lawmakers; and urging the governor to get serious about the pollution that flows into the Jersey Shore. 

Thousands of you have joined the fight too. Across the state, you're calling or emailing the governor, signing petitions, spreading the word to your friends and family, and speaking out at official hearings.

Thanks to your partnership, Environment New Jersey was able to win two new laws to decrease nutrient pollution at the Shore.

But we still have a long way to go.

Click here to join the campaign.