Jersey Shore Magazine

Reclam the Bay upweller (nursery), Cattus Island Park, Toms River. This past year, one million baby clams and 300,000 baby oysters were grown and planted in protected areas of Barnegat Bay. j e r s e y s h o r e • F a l l / H o l i d a y 2 0 1 3 the only bed that was harmed in the storm. Willie deCamp, Chairman of Save Barnegat Bay, summed it up: "The shellfishing is O.K." [after Sandy]. However, "The fundamental need and problem is the same as before [Sandy]: too much nitrogen due to runoff and air pollution." 32 Ospreys: A Bird's Eye View of Resilience After Sandy What happens below the surface, in turn, affects what has become the unofficial bird of the Jersey Shore: the osprey. "All I kept thinking about during the storm was the effect the storm surge, waves, and high winds would have on all of the osprey platforms," said Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ. Wurst had reason for concern. Ospreys faced near-extinction as a result of the use of the pesticide DDT. DDT causes thinning of the eggshells of osprey and other birds, cracking them upon incubation. DDT was banned in 1972, and the numbers of osprey have significantly rebounded. Conserve Wildlife came to the ospreys' aid by constructing nesting platforms in the Barnegat Bay watershed. Today, there are approxi- mately one hundred fifty platforms stretching from Bay Head to Little Egg Harbor. Fearful of Sandy's impact, Wurst got creative: he put out a rallying cry via Facebook asking people to report any damaged or missing platforms. "The post was shared over two hundred times," Wurst said. Reports and fieldwork indicated there were only a total of eight platforms effected—four lost and four damaged—following the Superstorm. Ospreys were at their winter homes in South and Central America when the storm hit. Wurst knew they needed to replace the damaged platforms quickly before the ospreys returned in March. Nesting platform materials were donated by Tri-County Building Supplies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Brian Kushner, and The Home Depot of Manahawkin. In total, Wurst and his team of volunteers built twenty platforms. So far it seems ospreys were not only unaffected by the storm, but are fairing An osprey nesting platform installation after Superstorm Sandy. better than in previous years. "This was a banner year for ospreys on Barnegat Bay," said Wurst. "For the first time in my career, I saw four nests that produced four young each! This is really rare. Ospreys typically lay clutches of two to three eggs, not four." "The ospreys are happy," agreed deCamp. Ospreys aren't out of the danger zone just yet, however. Wurst said, "We don't really know the long-term effects that might occur given the large amount of hazardous chemicals that were released into the coastal estuaries." He's seen lots of toxic debris in the watershed, from rusty petroleum cans, to leaking oil jugs, to paint cans, which can potentially leach into the bay. Wurst said, "Ospreys are extremely sensitive to these contaminants and others," as seen in the past with DDTs. Ospreys are top-tier predators, and their health reflects the food they eat (fish), which, in turn, is affected by the conditions of the bay. "Contaminants can build up, and over time, become biomagnified through the food chain," Wurst stated. Along with eelgrass and shellfish, "Ospreys are indicators of a healthy marine environment," Wurst said. "The bottom line is that it is important to monitor the nesting activity of ospreys in New Jersey!" —Laura Webber Kerwin Ben Wurst Laura Webber Kerwin. Inset photo: thinkstock BEACHCOMBER continued from page 31

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