The Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program at Ocean
County College
Mission and Goals, AY 05-07
Affiliations with Ocean County College
The Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program is a federally funded program
administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. As one of only
28 National Estuary Programs in country, the Barnegat Bay and its watershed (i.e.,
Ocean County and 4 municipalities in Monmouth County) is accorded special
significance in terms of Congressional appropriations and priorities for funding by
federal, state, county and other partner agencies. Ocean County College, the
“sponsor” agency for the BBNEP, is responsible for housing the program and
collaborating with the BBNEP on activities mutually beneficial to both organizations.
Since OCC is the first community college in the nation to sponsor a National Estuary
Program, the college serves as a model for environmental education, information,
management and research. Organizationally, the BBNEP is under the VP for Planning
and Administration. The BBNEP staff includes a Director, Public Outreach
Coordinator, Program Associate and Program Assistant. All staff are full time.
The mission of the BBNEP is:
● To educate and motivate residents and visitors to maintain an ethic of
responsibility for Barnegat Bay and its watershed (i.e., Ocean County).
● To educate people about the cultural heritage, historic traditions and natural
estuarine resources of the Barnegat Bay region.
● To implement community-based environmental planning and management
for an improved quality of life and economic viability for Ocean County.
● To promote sustainable management of Barnegat Bay’s natural resources
among the academic community, citizens, county and municipal governments, the
business community and other stakeholders.
● To work with Ocean County government and other partner agencies to
integrate scientific data into the decision-making process serving its goals to:
o Support the environmental science and education programs and
activities on the OCC campus, as well as in the communities of Ocean
County.
o Initiate environmental education partnerships with community service
agencies, businesses and federal, state, county and municipal
governments
o Integrate current technology and innovative techniques in
environmental science education at OCC, through inter-agency
collaboration with 4 year educational institutions, governments and
private enterprise, as well as the Ocean County Vocation-Technical
School-Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science
(MATES), and local school districts.
o Investigate environmental science and education concepts and
practices successfully implemented by the other 27 National Estuary
Programs throughout the United States, for incorporation into the
OCC/BBNEP framework and curricula being developed by BBNEP
education partners (e.g., OCC, BBNEP Educators Roundtables, Ocean
County Vo-Tech MATES Program, local school districts.
o Integrate current technology and innovative techniques in
environmental science education at OCC, through inter-agency
collaboration with 4 year educational institutions, governments and
private enterprise, as well as the Ocean County Vocation-Technical
School-Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science
(MATES), and local school districts.
o Investigate environmental science and education concepts and
practices successfully implemented by the other 27 National Estuary
Programs throughout the United States, for incorporation into the
OCC/BBNEP framework and curricula being developed by BBNEP
education partners (e.g., OCC, BBNEP Educators Roundtables, Ocean
County Vo-Tech MATES Program, local school districts.
o Integrate current technology and innovative techniques in
environmental science education at OCC, through inter-agency
collaboration with 4 year educational institutions, governments and
private enterprise, as well as the Ocean County Vocation-Technical
School-Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science
(MATES), and local school districts.
o Investigate environmental science and education concepts and
practices successfully implemented by the other 27 National Estuary
Programs throughout the United States, for incorporation into the
OCC/BBNEP framework and curricula being developed by BBNEP
education partners (e.g., OCC, BBNEP Educators Roundtables, Ocean
County Vo-Tech MATES Program, local school districts.
Direct Affiliations with Ocean County College
The BBNEP, in its tenth year as a program, relocated to Ocean County College on
October 1, 2003 and is currently supporting the college community in several ways,
including the following:
(a) Consults regularly with the President of OCC and VP of Planning and
Administration on opportunities for integrating BBNEP activities into the
OCC community. The BBNEP is currently developing collaborative
opportunities with the Department of Science and Mathematics
(Environmental Science program), the Department of Social Science, the
Department of Continuing and Professional Education and is assisting in
developing a stronger relationship between OCC, Ocean County Vo-Tech
(MATES Program) and the BBNEP.
(b) Conducting public outreach and education activities on and off campus,
including a quarterly BBNEP newsletter (Barnegat Bay Beat), an annual
Barnegat Bay Festival, at Berkeley Island Park, and an annual
environmental Mini grant Program ($30,000 awarded each year).
(c) The BBNEP is coordinating the Ocean County College “Experimental
Watershed Program”, a new initiative, working together with other BBNEP
partners and OCC programs (Environmental Science faculty and students,
Department of Sociology, Continuing and Professional Education, and the
Physical Plant). The “Experimental Watershed Program” will integrate real-
time environmental problems and data collected on the 450 acres of the
OCC campus into existing curricula at OCC. Some of those problems
include implementing pollution management techniques to remedy the
OCC entrance lake (College Dr. and Hooper Ave.), Canada Geese
management, environmental characterization of the OCC watershed
(water quality, physical attributes, such as soil types and geology, animal
types, wetland and other plants, streams, habitat types), and
implementation of the Phase 2 Municipal Storm water Management
requirements for “Public Complexes” (colleges).
(d) OCC Representation on BBNEP Advisory Committee (Director, Department
of Institutional Development) and the Scientific and Technical Advisory
Committee (Dean, Department of Science and Mathematics).
(e) Use of the 36-passenger Barnegat Bay Education Boat for Ocean County
conservation, environmental science projects and programs and other
related activities.