Beach Buggy Access Ordinance Back On Brick Council Agenda

BRICK, NJ — The Brick Township Council is set to introduce an ordinance Tuesday evening to restrict beach driving, at the request of the federal government.

The change set to be introduced is an update from ordinance changes introduced at the July 12 council meeting, which would have shortened driving access by 45 days. In the ordinance to be introduced Tuesday, the season will remain Oct. 1 through April 30.

That change is a victory for fishermen, who spoke at the July 26 council meeting in opposition to the shortening of the season.

Brick Township Mayor John G. Ducey, at the July 26 council meeting, said the township was contacted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which he said wanted the township to completely shut down driving access to the beaches in the winter.

The township's recreation committee balked at federal officials' request to completely eliminate access.

But township engineer Elissa Commins instead held discussions with federal officials and the state Department of Environmental Protection to address concerns about protecting plants, specifically the sea amaranth. The plant is a rare species that grows in dune areas.

Beach driving access is a long-standing tradition at the Jersey Shore. Fishermen drive along the beachfront during the winter months as they pursue various species from the surf. The activity is regulated, with drive-on access points limited and carefully defined to protect dunes. Permits are required by every town that allows driving access, and beach drivers are required to carry certain equipment.

Brick Township's permits have been valid from Oct. 1 through April 30 for years, but the change proposed to the ordinance in July would have shortened the season to March 15 — removing 45 days at the beginning of the spring season when striped bass are typically migrating north along the Jersey Shore.

Jim Hutchinson Jr. of Brick spoke at the July 26 council meeting, where that change was set to be adopted, and urged town officials to reconsider the change in dates.

"Buggies operate 365 days a year at Island Beach without coming in contact with this plant," Hutchinson said.

Shortening the season would have a ripple effect along the entire coast, Hutchinson said, as smaller towns would be pushed to make similar changes, which would restrict recreational fishermen and do little for the sea amaranth because dune areas already are protected from beach driving.

Hutchinson said he believed the effort may be tied to the state's effort to bring wind turbine cables ashore, which has been a separate controversy farther south along the coast.

Members of several fishing organizations spoke at the July 26 meeting, urging the council to go back to federal officials and oppose the change in dates.

The council agreed to reconsider the ordinance, and voted unanimously to table the ordinance.

The revised ordinance will be up for a first reading Tuesday, with a second reading and potential adoption Sept. 13. It addresses the concerns about protecting plants through signs and fencing to keep drivers out of the plant-protected areas.

Permit holders also will be notified about the plants, and there will be active enforcement, Ducey said.