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NJ Community Forum on Ocean Planning Announced

OCEAN FRONTIERS II - OCEAN FILM AND PANEL DISCUSSION ON MAY 2 AT THE TOMS RIVER LIBRARY

A special free screening of Ocean Frontiers II: A New England Story for Sustaining the Sea, followed by an audience discussion with a panel of experts, takes place Monday, May 2 in Toms River, NJ. The event provides a forum to discuss ocean stewardship and to learn about the region’s first ocean plan, which is being finalized this summer. Free and open to the public, the event takes place in Mancini Hall at the Toms River Branch, Ocean County Library, 101 Washington Street, Toms River, NJ 08753. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with a free reception; the program begins at 6:30 p.m. Interested parties are requested to make reservations via Eventbrite: http://bit.ly/RSVP-TomsRiver.

After the 30-minute film, an interactive panel discussion takes place, with Kevin Hassell, Environmental Specialist at the Office of Coastal and Land Use Planning, New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection; Tim Dillingham, Executive Director of the American Littoral Society; Tony MacDonald, Director of Urban Coast Institute; Ron Rapp, Director at TE SubCom and Jennifer Coffey, Executive Director at the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, will moderate.

Ocean Frontiers II highlights the historic and emerging ocean uses of Atlantic waters and reveals how collaborative planning reduces conflicts over ocean resources and puts us on a new path of ocean stewardship. The film is especially relevant as the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes New Jersey, will be releasing their Regional Ocean Action Plan for public review in late June. The plan is the culmination of several years of work by a joint federal, state and tribal planning body, in response to President Obama’s National Ocean Policy.

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“We are excited about this opportunity to engage and inform the public on the value of these ocean planning efforts that will be important for sustaining traditional uses and natural resources in the Atlantic Ocean,” said Tim Dillingham, Executive Director of the American Littoral Society.

Ocean Frontiers II is the second film in the award-winning Ocean Frontiers film series produced by Green Fire Productions. Karen Meyer, the film’s producer, stated, “While filming for Ocean Frontiers II, I was impressed with the way unlikely allies—energy industry, fishermen, Native American tribes, conservationists, scientists and government—worked together to find solutions that benefit the ocean, coastal communities and our coastal economies.”