Barnegat Bay Area Organizations
Draft directory of BBP-related and adjacent organizations across the watershed · for partner review
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Regulates state environmental policies; administers the Green Acres land preservation program and the Cooperative Coastal Monitoring Program for water testing.
Large state agency (~2500+ employees). Led by Acting Commissioner Ed Potosnak.
State budget, federal grants, and permitting fees.
National Shellfish Sanitation Program
Cooperative federal/state program setting shellfish safety protocols.
National multi-agency regulatory framework.
Distributed federal and state agency operating budgets.
New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife
Manages the state's wildlife and fish populations, oversees WMAs, enforces shellfish harvesting boundaries.
Large state division (~200+ professional staff).
Hunting/fishing licenses and federal excise taxes.
NJ Pinelands Commission
Independent state agency preserving/protecting/enhancing the Pinelands National Reserve via land-use regulation.
~44 funded staff of 66 authorized FTEs; ED Susan Grogan, Chair Laura Matos
State appropriation ~$3.9M, development-application fees ~$850K, NPS monitoring grants; FY2026 operating budget $7,377,086.
Ocean County Soil Conservation District
Implements the NJ Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Act to prevent non-point source pollution.
Small autonomous regional agency (~15 staff members).
Certification fees and specialized conservation grants.
Ocean County Planning Department & Natural Lands Trust
Manages county open space preservation.
Medium county department.
Dedicated county open space tax revenues.
Ocean County Mosquito Extermination Commission
Manages mosquito populations, tracks vector diseases, manages water flow in salt marshes.
County agency with dozens of full-time and seasonal field staff.
Dedicated county property tax revenues.
New Jersey Clean Communities
Statewide litter-abatement program (Clean Communities Act 1986); reduces litter via cleanup, education, enforcement.
Tax on fifteen categories of businesses that may produce litter-generating products.
US Fish & Wildlife Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Federal wilderness area protecting over 48,000 acres of coastal habitats, including salt marsh within the Barnegat Bay estuary.
Federal agency presence (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service).
Federal appropriations, federal duck stamp sales, migratory bird funds.
US Environmental Protection Agency
Federal environmental regulator; funds BBP as one of 28 National Estuary Programs under Clean Water Act Section 320
Large federal agency
Federal appropriations.
Barnegat Bay Partnership
One of 28 EPA National Estuary Programs; serves as the central scientific, funding, and planning backbone coordinating research and restoration for the entire basin.
Small core scientific team (~7-10 people), hosted at Ocean County College.
US EPA Clean Water Act grants (Section 320) matched by local/state funds.
ReClam the Bay
Purely volunteer-driven group that grows and plants millions of resource-filtering oysters and hard clams to naturally clean bay water and stabilize muddy coastlines.
Grassroots non-profit backed by hundreds of active local volunteers.
Private donations, merchandise sales, community foundation grants.
Save Barnegat Bay
Local advocacy, education, and legal watchdog group focused on fighting overdevelopment, tracking pollution, defending water quality.
Small staff, 2,100+ members; 2024 revenue $880K / expenses $1M (Form 990)
Individual membership dues, private foundations, environmental litigation settlements.
Alliance for a Living Ocean
To "engage and grow a community of ocean allies to safeguard our shores for future generations."
Small staff (director and communications specialist)
Donations
Surfrider Foundation
Dedicated to protection and enjoyment of the world's ocean, waves, and beaches. Does regular beach cleanups.
surfrider.org →Natural Resource Education Foundation of NJ
Operates the Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education in Waretown, delivering hands-on coastal ecology educational experiences for schools and researchers.
Small volunteer-backed non-profit board and local educators.
Program tuition fees, facility rentals, donations, state partnerships.
Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences
Blends community art galleries with coastal science programming; hosts seasonal ecological seminars, marsh monitoring, coastal resilience forums on LBI.
Medium local community foundation with year-round staff.
Membership dues, class tuition, art sales, private donations.
Jetty Rock Foundation
Certified charitable arm of the Jetty apparel brand; funds clean water initiatives, storm relief, coastal habitat builds, oyster reef shell-recycling.
Small corporate-backed foundation.
Percentage of Jetty apparel sales, annual fundraising events, private contributions.
American Littoral Society
Promotes coastal conservation through direct habitat restoration, oyster reef construction, marsh building, political advocacy across the mid-Atlantic.
Medium regional non-profit with specialized marine biologists and policy experts.
Large federal restoration grants (NOAA/NFWF), private foundations, member donations.
Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve
Massive research engine managed by Rutgers University conducting continuous scientific data collection, water quality mapping, climate impact modeling for the lower Barnegat ecosystem.
Large university-backed scientific reserve network.
NOAA federal research funding matched by Rutgers University resources.
New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium
Alliance of colleges/universities supporting marine research, education, extension services; publishes annual "State of the Shore" report.
Medium academic consortium (~15-20 core administrative staff + university researchers).
Federal funding from NOAA (National Sea Grant), state matching funds, university dues.
Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ
Works in the field to protect NJ's rare, threatened, endangered species (beach-nesting shorebirds, osprey, diamondback terrapins) via research and education.
Small-to-medium non-profit (~12 professional biologists and managers).
Corporate partnerships, state/federal wildlife grants, "Conserve Wildlife" license plate revenues.
The Wetlands Institute
Promotes research, education, active marsh restoration focused on coastal wetlands and salt marshes.
Medium non-profit organization (~15-25 staff, researchers, seasonal interns).
Private endowment, visitor admissions, research grants, individual donors.
Pinelands Preservation Alliance
Dedicated to protecting the New Jersey Pinelands ecosystem; Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer feeds rivers that dump into Barnegat Bay.
Medium regional environmental advocacy group.
Private family foundations, individual donations, specialized advocacy grants.
Clean Ocean Action
Broad-based coastal coalition reducing ocean/estuary pollution; coordinates regional beach sweeps, tracks point-source water contaminants.
Medium regional advocacy non-profit.
Grassroots donations, private foundations, local fundraising events.
National Audubon Society (Audubon Mid-Atlantic)
Large-scale bird conservation giant; monitors/protects coastal beach-nesting shorebirds relying on pristine marsh ecosystems.
Massive national NGO with hundreds of staff and local chapters.
Large philanthropic foundations, multi-million dollar donor base, federal grants.
Sierra Club (New Jersey Chapter)
Grassroots environmental advocacy group focusing on policy initiatives like climate action, clean energy transitions, public land preservation.
Large national presence with a robust, volunteer-heavy state-level chapter.
National member dues, individual contributions, large environmental foundations.
Sustainable New Jersey
Fosters sustainable practices, green team certification, local community environmental projects across NJ municipalities to reduce non-point source runoff.
Statewide non-profit network spanning multiple regional committees.
Grants, corporate sponsorships, state partnership funds.
Trust for Public Land
National nonprofit creating parks and protecting land; conserving land for people from cities to wilderness.
Large national nonprofit (4M+ acres protected, 9.7M people connected since 1972); NJ office in Newark.
Donations, foundations, public funding (Land & Water Conservation Fund)
Rutgers Cooperative Extension with Haskin Shellfish Research Lab
Haskin SRL: fisheries/aquaculture research, disease-resistant oyster breeding, hard clam & surfclam genetics, shellfish disease diagnostics. RCE Ocean County: Barnegat Bay Shellfish Restoration Program and marine extension programming.
Research faculty + technicians across 4 South Jersey facilities; county-based RCE extension staff
NOAA Sea Grant, NJAES/state, USDA, federal grants, county boards
Stockton University Coastal Research Center + Marine Field Station
CRC monitors NJ shoreline via NJ Beach Profile Network (171+ sites since 1986); MFS is teaching/research hub for oyster reef & eelgrass restoration
CRC 40+ yr program; MFS 8-acre site, 5-7 research vessels
NJDEP contracts, NOAA grants, municipal/federal contracts