New Jersey Sea Grant created oyster habitat, supported coastal resiliency, and promoted stewardship and environmental awareness through a community-based oyster restoration project that engaged more than 4000 students who participated in an education program that culminated with the construction of thousands of shellbags that were used to create oyster reefs and living shorelines.

Oyster reefs provide many ecological benefits, including serving as living shorelines which can reduce erosion and make shorelines more resilient. Many Delaware Bay beaches were severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy, with some still requiring restoration to provide protection during future storms. New Jersey Sea Grant worked with Rutgers University and The Nature Conservancy to expand educational opportunities and excellence in STEM through the community-based oyster restoration curriculum known as Project PORTS (Promoting Oyster Restoration through Schools), reaching over 4000 students from 10 under-resourced southern New Jersey K-8 schools in 2016.

Sewage discharges from recreational boats impact water quality and diminish both recreational and commercial use of New Jersey’s ocean and estuarine waterways. Pumpout stations located at marinas have the potential to greatly reduce sewage discharges, however, more than half of New Jersey’s existing stations were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. New Jersey Sea Grant partnered with federal, state and local agencies to rebuild more than 75% of the damaged stations. During the 2016 boating season, about 650,000 gallons of sewage were collected and properly disposed of at marinas and pumpout facilities.

More than ever, towns all over the country are focused on how to make land and infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather and climate change. Hurricane Sandy put this on center stage for planning activities in New Jersey. One way municipalities can plan for climate change is to incorporate adaptation elements in already existing land use documents such as master plans, zoning ordinances, open space, and recreation plans and stormwater management plans, to create a more grounded, science-informed, and holistic approach to climate change preparedness.

New Jersey Sea Grant researchers worked with Ventnor City in New Jersey’s Atlantic County as a model for other coastal communities since Hurricane Sandy reduced Ventnor’s ratable base by almost $5 million and hundreds of homes were damaged. As a result of New Jersey Sea Grant's guidance, Ventnor is now a leading entity in the Atlantic Cape Coastal Coalition and is leading the county-wide program for public information under FEMA’s community rating system (CRS) program.