Plumsted Township has recently closed a deal to purchase 60 acres of land that will prevent development of the 300-acre Coastal Divide open space area. The Barnegat Bay Watershed & Estuary foundation will be hosting its third municipal recognition event. Municipalities in the Spotlight: Plumsted Township's Coastal Divide, on May 24th, 2000 at 9 A.M. in Plumsted Township.

This is part of the ongoing Municipal Outreach and Recognition Project (MORP) initiated by the group last year. The goal of MORP is to recognize watershed activities within the municipalities of the watershed and to encourage other communities to do the same. The Barnegat Bay Watershed is 660 square miles and includes all of the 33 towns within Ocean County and portions of 4 southern Monmouth County towns- The Barnegat Bay is 42 linear miles of estuary from Little Egg Harbor to Point Pleasant Canal. The primary objective of the MORP is to get everyone to realize that we are all one community within the watershed. What is done in one part of the watershed affects us all, we are all connected.

This is the third of five recognition events held by the BBWEF as part of the MORP. "This Coastal Divide purchase is a great example of a proactive step municipalities can take to protect watershed health", says Angela Andersen, President of the BBWEF. "Protecting open space is one of the most important things municipalities can do to help the Barnegat Bay", explains Anderson.

The Coastal Divide is a 300-acre elevated ridge that sits on the boundary of two watersheds, one draining into the Barnegat Bay, the other into the Delaware River. "The Coastal Divide was an area we were looking to preserve. We approached the county with a strategic plan to protect the area from development", explains Mayor Dancer. In 1998, Ocean County responded to Plumsted's request and bought 23 acres of land in imminent threat of development. In November of 1998, Plumsted residents voted to increase taxes by one point and put this money in a Dedicated Trust Fund. With $15,000 from the Dedicated Trust Fund combine with county funds, Plumsted and the county have recently closed a deal to buy 60 acres on the northern end of the Coastal Divide. "What we've done with these two purchases is buy some time. The remainder of the Coastal Dived is now land-locked, without improved road access. We now have some time to leverage local funds with county and state non-profits to preserve the remaining 213 acres", says Mayor Dancer.

Celebrate your community's dedication and achievement to making the Barnegat Bay Watershed a healthier more vibrant place to live. The Press event for "Municipalities in the Spotlight: Plumsted Township's Coastal Divide" will be held on May 24^th at 9 o'clock A.M. at the Coastal Divide Area just off of Plumridge Drive in Plumsted Township (see attached map).