“Barnegat Bay has been in steep ecological decline from stuff that’s flowing off the watershed,” especially excessive nitrogen compounds from suburban sources like air pollution fallout and lawn fertilizer, Montgomery said. “It’s changed the clarity of the waters. … It’s thought the excessive nitrogen is a major factor in the decline of shellfish.”
The state’s Pinelands management plan preserved about one-third of the bay’s watershed, but it’s fallen short because the Pinelands boundaries — drawn during an intense political debate in 1979 — were arbitrarily traced along roads and municipal boundaries.
Despite its success in preserving the Pinelands, New Jersey is paying the price with Barnegat Bay for not going further with that plan, said Betty Wilson, a former Pinelands Commission chairwoman.
Wilson helped design the plan as an assistant state Department of Environmental Protection commissioner.
http://www.courierpostonline.com/ar...gat-Bay?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p
The state’s Pinelands management plan preserved about one-third of the bay’s watershed, but it’s fallen short because the Pinelands boundaries — drawn during an intense political debate in 1979 — were arbitrarily traced along roads and municipal boundaries.
Despite its success in preserving the Pinelands, New Jersey is paying the price with Barnegat Bay for not going further with that plan, said Betty Wilson, a former Pinelands Commission chairwoman.
Wilson helped design the plan as an assistant state Department of Environmental Protection commissioner.
http://www.courierpostonline.com/ar...gat-Bay?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p
