By Rick Geffken
Clean Ocean Action is hoping a rising tide of community engagement will lift the hopes of boaters, swimmers, oyster aficionados, and communities in the Navesink River watershed.
The advocacy group held its fifth and most successful “Rally for the Navesink” on Wednesday evening, March 8, at the Viola L. Sickles School in Fair Haven. Led by Executive Director Cindy Zipf, an audience of more than 2,200 people (60 actual attendees and a virtual audience of 2,190 via Facebook Live) heard about the problems and progress concerning the north branch of the two rivers.
In June, Clean Ocean Action reported on the pathogen contamination in the Navesink River, focusing on the downgraded status of the river by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP closed and condemned 565 acres of shellfish habitat. Zipf noted, “This is part of the cycle of the Navesink River where it cleans up, and gets dirty again. Cleans up, and gets dirty again.”
Clean Ocean Action is hoping a rising tide of community engagement will lift the hopes of boaters, swimmers, oyster aficionados, and communities in the Navesink River watershed.
The advocacy group held its fifth and most successful “Rally for the Navesink” on Wednesday evening, March 8, at the Viola L. Sickles School in Fair Haven. Led by Executive Director Cindy Zipf, an audience of more than 2,200 people (60 actual attendees and a virtual audience of 2,190 via Facebook Live) heard about the problems and progress concerning the north branch of the two rivers.
In June, Clean Ocean Action reported on the pathogen contamination in the Navesink River, focusing on the downgraded status of the river by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP closed and condemned 565 acres of shellfish habitat. Zipf noted, “This is part of the cycle of the Navesink River where it cleans up, and gets dirty again. Cleans up, and gets dirty again.”
Clean Ocean Action is spearheading a community effort to clean the river once and for all, based on what the group refers to as a “No Blame Game” – identifying sources of pollution, and then fixing the problem.
For a replay of the entire event, go to the Rally for the Navesink Facebook page. More information about our vital river systems is available at cleanoceanaction.org, littoralsociety.org, and visitmonmouth.com/health.
The next Rally for the Navesink will be held at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, April 27 at Bingham Hall in Rumson. Details are available on the COA’s website.
For a replay of the entire event, go to the Rally for the Navesink Facebook page. More information about our vital river systems is available at cleanoceanaction.org, littoralsociety.org, and visitmonmouth.com/health.
The next Rally for the Navesink will be held at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, April 27 at Bingham Hall in Rumson. Details are available on the COA’s website.
This article was first published in the March 16-23 2017 print edition of The Two River Times.
