Howell to Take Part in Bay "Blitz"

Starting tomorrow morning towns all around the Jersey Shore will take part in the first ever "Barnegat Bay Blitz," and Howell will be one of the communities participating.

The local contingent is scheduled to meet at the intersection of Church Rd. and Kent Rd. near the as they work with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and New Jersey Clean Communities to help clean the valuable natural resource. 

The leader of the Howell team will be DEP employee Kyra Hoffman who said one of the big reasons for the big push was to encourage towns on and off the bay to remember how important it is for everyone to work together. Howell is one of the northern most towns taking part of the project, but Hoffman said their role is important because water that flows into the Metedeconk River eventually works its way into the bay. 

DEP commissioner Bob Martin said this is an important event for all residents of the area whose lives are impacted by the bay. "One of the main goals of this week's cleanup blitz is to provide an opportunity to those who live in the watershed and care about the future of the bay to roll up their sleeves and become directly involved, at the same time inspiring others to take action to protect the bay," he said. 

Martin also said that the Blitz is just one small step in the process of helping to keep the area clean for everyone involved. "Restoration of Barnegat Bay will take years of sustained work and a great deal of commitment from many people," he said. "With efforts such as this grass roots cleanup, as well as the other initiatives detailed in the Governor's comprehensive plan, we are off to a very strong start."

Hoffman said that the Howell group will meet rain or shine at 9 a.m. and should work for approximately two hours. At that point she will move down the road to lead a similar group of volunteers in Wall. For more information on the program go to this website.