Residents, schools and municipalities within the Barnegat Bay watershed are eligible to participate in in the Jersey-Friendly Yards certification programs. On November 10th, 2022, the Borough of Point Pleasant enrolled in the municipal program, committing to projects that support a healthy watershed for Barnegat Bay and to sustain wildlife. By enrolling in the program, Point Pleasant seeks to reduce sources of pollution, conserve water supplies, and create valuable habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.
The borough encourages its residents to apply for individual certification and encourages schools to apply for school certification. More information may be found on the Jersey-Friendly Yards Certification homepage.
The Jersey-Friendly Yards website provides educational resources for sustainable landscaping, such as:
- A searchable database of native plants. A variety of searching and filtering criteria allow you to select the best plant or plants for your specific location.
- An interactive tool showing you how to convert typical suburban lawn into a more environmentally friendly landscape for the Barnegat Bay Watershed.
- An Eight (8) step plan for building a Jersey-Friendly landscape.
- A list of nurseries that sell native plants.
Pollinator Garden
Led by the Point Pleasant Garden Club (PPGC) and the Borough’s Environmental Committee, the Borough will build a pesticide-free Pollinator Garden adjacent to the municipal lot. The building of the Pollinator Garden will support several of the certification requirements for the Jersey-Friendly Yards program.
Enrollment in the Jersey-Friendly Yards Certification Program bolsters the borough’s commitments with Monarch City, USA. The Borough is one of five entities in the State of New Jersey publicly committed to saving monarch butterflies.
In addition to the resources provided by Jersey-Friendly Yards, the PPGC relies upon resources such as:
The Native Plant Society of New Jersey for additional recommendations of Native Plants.
The Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County for soil testing, which will enable us to provide the correct amendments that our specific site requires.
The Monarch Watch Waystation Network for educational materials on the benefits of pollinators.
The Bee City USA for educational materials on preserving both honeybees and all native species of bees.
The Ocean County Soil Conservation District guide to Low Maintenance Landscaping for the Barnegat Bay Watershed. T
Slade Dale Sanctuary
Located along the North Branch of Beaver Dam Creek, the thirteen (13) acre Slade Dale Sanctuary provides flat, easy to navigate trails allowing people to view the animals and plants associated with a tidal marsh. Slade Dale Sanctuary is important for several vulnerable bird species including osprey (Pandion haliaetus), bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), blackcrowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), and least tern (Sternula antillarum). The Slade Dale Sanctuary represents one of Point Pleasant’s contributions to preserving our precious natural resource.
The Sanctuary continues to face threats from erosion. A review of historic aerial imagery shows the shoreline of Slade Dale Sanctuary has retreated. approximately 300 feet since 1930. Additionally, the current vegetation composition of the site shows evidence of marsh retreat: little, if any, low marsh habitat currently exists on site, and dead or dying upland tree species in current high marsh areas suggests these locations were previously upland and have since become inundated as the shoreline has eroded. The American Littoral Society provided guidance for the Slade Dale Living Shoreline Project using Christmas Trees breakwaters and vanes to stabilize the shoreline. Disrupting and slowing the flow of water along the shoreline reduces its erosive effects.
Educational Outreach
Learn more about Jersey-Friendly landscaping practices at Borough programs and events, such as PPGC plant swaps at the pollinator garden site and at the Borough’s Earth Day and National Night Out events.