Volunteers Brave the Elements to Help Clean Barnegat Bay

When volunteers from around the area offered their time to the Barnegat Bay Blitz on Wednesday they knew they would be getting their hands dirty in the effort. Picking up garbage in 33 towns around the bay, they likely did not expect to get their hands muddy as rain poured on the Jersey Shore. 

In Howell Township nearly a dozen residents and representatives from the Department of Environmental Protection came together to take part in the massive cleanup effort. Working down near the old Southard School the weather was not ideal, but they braved the conditions to do their part. 

One of the representatives from Trenton was Michele Siekerka, the DEP's Assistant Commissioner for Economic Growth and Green Energy. She said the blitz was part of Governor Chris Christie's 10 point plan to save Barnegat Bay. Picking up trash and bottles and anything that could make its way into the Metedeconk River and then into the bay, Siekerka said the rain only brought the volunteers closer together. 

With so many people being involved Siekerka said it took more than the state agency to make all the work pay off. "You have to give tribute to all the folks in our water program for coordinating all the efforts around Barnegat Bay," she said.

And while she could have spent the rainy day dry in her office, the assistant commissioner said it was important to her and her colleagues to be out in the field. "The department wants to lead by example and so when we say that we want the community to go out and preserve and restore the bay, we all want to be out there with our sleeves rolled up as well."

DEP Commissioner Bob Martin also gave credit to the volunteers for doing their part in the project. "I thank these volunteers and commend them for their dedication and spirit of cooperation in helping to restore Barnegat Bay, an ecological treasure that is important to all of New Jersey," he said. 

Martin also said the rain was a true test for the commitment of the volunteers. "While conditions have been less than ideal today, the spirit of camaraderie is high," he said. "Cleanup volunteers, young and old alike, have been working very hard because they care deeply about the future of Barnegat Bay." 

More information on the project can be found here.