RECLAM THE BAY INC
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Mission Statement
Our mission is to involve and educate the public about the estuary’s water quality and the importance of shellfish. We believe that by involving the public in the care, feeding, and life cycles of the shellfish they will better understand the impact shellfish have on our coastal way of life.
About This Cause
ReClam The Bay (RCTB) is a local 501(c)3 charitable organization, operating primarily in the Barnegat Bay estuary, that promotes environmental awareness and education in a constructive way. We provide education about the Barnegat Bay watershed (which includes Barnegat Bay, Manahawkin Bay and Little Egg Harbor Bay) – how to conserve and improve it through shellfish-related, sustainable and resilient stewardship projects. The mission of RCTB is to improve the condition of the estuary. We accomplish this by involving and educating the public about the estuary’s water quality and the importance of shellfish. We believe that by involving the public in the care, feeding, and life cycles of the shellfish they will better understand what an integral role shellfish play in our coastal way of life. This is a three-step process in which all steps interact. Step One is to provide hands-on education so our volunteers can understand the fundamental problems and potential solutions. Step Two is to establish programs to stimulate the action of members and the public by exploring problems and solutions. Step Three is sharing our knowledge with other organizations and the public through various educational venues and community events . Activities supporting our process include: • Growing shellfish (primarily clams and oysters) in the wild and in upwellers • Gathering information about problems and examining solutions, • Experimenting with growing techniques, habitat creation, shoreline stabilization • Reaching out into the community to elevate understanding and promote participation. • Working with local municipalities to develop living shorelines where needed. The outcome of our efforts is to instill a feeling of stewardship that will facilitate more efficient nature-based solutions to stabilize the shorelines, improve water quality expand habitat and promote the commercial success of the estuary. Why clams and oysters? Much like the canary in the coal mine, these beacons of the bay can serve as primary indicators of the health of the estuary. They help clean the water and help provide habitat for other species. Adult clams and oysters can filter up to 20 gallons and 50 gallons of water per day, respectively. So, they not only serve as indicators of estuary health, they can improve it and support the interdependencies of plant and animal life in our bays. We are an all-volunteer army that relies on local businesses, organizations and individuals for financial support and your support will have a positive impact on our ability to continue this critical mission. RCTB was established in 2005 by volunteers. Through the Rutgers Barnegat Bay Shellfish Restoration Program (BBSRP) educational program, volunteers receive training about shellfish aquaculture, oyster reef restoration, maintaining and improving water quality in the watersheds and bays, and hands on instruction on how to grow shellfish. Over 600 RCTB volunteers have been educated through the BBSRP who, with other RCTB volunteers, have put approximately 15 million clams, more than 4 million individual oysters, and millions of oysters as spat on shell in Barnegat Bay. RCTB volunteers are really environmental stewards who lead by example caring for our environment, while at the same time teaching others how to take responsibility to change the bay for the better. RCTB attracts several levels of volunteers. They include Certified Shellfish Gardeners, sustaining volunteers, practical volunteers and interns. Last year, RCTB volunteers collectively devoted over 8,000 hours of service to the Barnegat Bay watershed which includes Barnegat Bay, Manahawkin Bay and Little Egg Harbor Bay. When coupled with contributions and “in kind” services, RCTB provided over a million shellfish and more than a $290,000 investment in our bays. Additionally, we spoke to over 10,000 people about the importance of our watershed and the shellfish that live in it. Our volunteers began as the workforce to raise clams and oysters in an effort to restore shellfish in Barnegat, Manahawkin and Little Egg bays. From that first group of volunteers, RCTB was formed as a 501(c)3 charitable organization that uses shellfish as a vehicle to educate and inform the public about the value and impact shellfish have on our lives. Conversely, we explain the human impact and what each of us can do in our daily lives to minimize the negative consequences of our actions on water quality. RCTB has built upon our initial efforts and enhanced our education mission to include: Shellfish in the Classroom – RCTB provides in-class education to students (elementary through high school), educating over 1,000 students during the 2018-2019 school year. This enables teachers to engage students in the science necessary to improve and protect Barnegat Bay. Since students take their lessons home, they can initiate changes in family behavior that will help improve the bay. Shellfish in the Classroom offers great promise, but it is resource dependent and our resources are limited. Community Events - Our extensive outreach includes a large number of community events held within the Barnegat Bay region. RCTB routinely provides educational sessions at events where attendees learn about the bay, shellfish and the environment. They include Chowder Fest, Jazzy Scallops, LBI Foundation Fine Arts Festival, Tuckerton Seaport Ocean County Decoy and Gunning Show, Discovery Days, Island Beach State Park Beach Plum Festival and the Long Beach Township Oyster Shellabration and various tourism/visitor programs. Attendance approaches 100,000 people at these events and RCTB volunteers directly interface with more than 10,000 visitors at these events. Passport to LBI - RCTB and the New Jersey Maritime Museum lead the effort to establish and manage the Passport to LBI, a guide of science, history, arts and cultural events which combines the outreach efforts of many organizations, including: Alliance for a Living Ocean, Long Beach Township, Beach Haven Fishing, LBI Museum, LBI Foundation of the Arts & Sciences, Lighthouse International Film Festival, Mordecai Land Trust, NJ Maritime Museum, Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce, Viking Village, Ocean County Library, LBI Chamber of Commerce. Children and adults alike enjoyed the variety of learning experiences and getting their passport page stamped at the different venues. (It was great for tourism, also.) The Clam Trail - The Clam Trail is a fun and educational activity to help young and old to understand Barnegat Bay and how they can enjoy and improve it. People who follow the trail will find “clam clews” and “water wisdom” about shellfish, and how they improve the bay. Kids and adults will learn what everyone can do to help shellfish help the bay. The entire clam trail is divided into sub-trails: LBI South, LBI North, Waretown and North and Manahawkin and South. The Clam Trail received the New Jersey Governor’s Award for Excellence in Tourism. RCTB was instrumental in developing the 2018 Barnegat Bay Shellfish Forum which brought together a variety of constituencies to encourage collaboration among groups that live, work and play in and around our bays. Over 100 attendees listened to and participated with local experts, researchers, academics, regulators, baymen and shellfish company owners. This forum explored tactical and strategic actions, hurdles to overcome, research opportunities and opened pathways to leverage the many benefits a healthy shellfish population provides. In Summary Expertise gained since our inception has positioned RCTB as a leader in educating the public on shellfish and bay water quality. We participate and partner with a vast number of non-profits, businesses, local governments and academic institutions including Alliance for a Living Ocean, The Barnegat Bay Partnership, the Barnegat Bay Shellfish Restoration Program, Beach Haven Fishing, Long Beach Township, LBI Foundation of the Arts & Sciences, LBI Museum, Lighthouse International Film Festival, Mordecai Land Trust, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife, NJ Maritime Museum, the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Sciences at Ocean County Vocational Technical School, Ocean County Library, Rutgers University Cooperative Extension of Ocean County, Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce, Save Barnegat Bay, Stockton University and Viking Village. RCTB is an all-volunteer army. RCTB volunteers do not receive any compensation. We operate on a modest budget and while we do receive financial support through some business and community-minded organizations, these grants and funding sources are not guaranteed. In order to sustain our organization and continue the great work we do, we are expanding our efforts to cultivate more businesses, individuals and organizations for additional financial support. Funders want to support organizations with a passion and commitment to their cause. They also want to invest in non-profits that receive financial support from their trustees, members and volunteers. To that end, last year RCTB established an annual membership campaign to invest in ourselves so our members have an avenue to provide not only human capital, but financial support as well.