rap # 47 03/22/12
ARTIFICIAL ISLANDS WORK NATURALLY TO KEEP WATERWAYS CLEAN
With beautiful locations like Long Beach Island and Island Beach State Park, you wouldn’t think Ocean County would need more
islands.
However, the artificial islands under construction at several County parks do much more than just look nice. They help
preserve the natural environment by cleansing the water and providing a habitat for local plants and animals.
Working with a $30,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Association, the Ocean County Department of Parks and Recreation is
building several artificial islands designed to filter pollutants from local ponds.
Made from recycled plastic mesh and natural soil, the islands, which are less than eight feet in length, have been planted with local
fauna and anchored into ponds at four parks.
"This is a innovative system to protect our water quality," said Freeholder Director Gerry P. Little. "We’re simply giving nature a
little hand."
The wetland plant roots grow though the fibers and into the water, acting as a natural filter. As more plants grow, the more efficient
the island becomes.
During the spring and summer, the plants bloom, adding to the aesthetics of the parks.
To date, islands have been built at Forge Pond County Golf Course in Brick Township, Jake’s Branch County Park in the Borough of
Beachwood and Atlantis County Golf Course and Freedom Fields County Park in Little Egg Harbor Township as part of the three-year
grant.
Little said larger islands could be used in both storm basins and waterways leading to the Barnegat Bay.
"This is another pioneering project the county is studying to help protect the bay," Little said. "We are the first county in New
Jersey to construct these artificial islands."
As the plant life continues to thrive on the islands, fish, mollusks and insect life is attracted to the miniature islands.
"We’ve even had ducks nesting on them," he said.
Freeholder Deputy Director John C. Bartlett Jr. praised the effort, saying nature often provides the best ways to keep the environment
clean.
The Freeholders noted that similar islands are already in use in the trouble Chesapeake Bay Estuary.
Little also sent a letter the state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin inviting him to Ocean County to
see and learn more about the artificial islands.
"We earnestly feel this project can be another important component in protecting the Barnegat Bay for generations to come," Little
said in the letter.
