Ocean County Cooperative Extension

Agriculture Center

1623 Whitesville Road Toms River, NJ 08755

Fax: 732-505-8941 Website: ocean.njaes.rutgers.edu

Rutgers Master Gardeners Help Line:

732-349-1245 Monday - Friday, 9:00am-12:00pm

Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders

Virginia E. Haines, Director John P. Kelly, Deputy Director

Gerry P. Little Gary Quinn

Joseph H. Vicari

Rutgers, The State University Of New Jersey - The NJ Agricultural Experiment Station

Dr. Robert M. Goodman, Executive Director of NJ Agricultural

Experiment Station

Bradley Hillman, Sr. Associate Director, NJAES

Director, Cooperative Research

Brian Schilling, Sr. Associate Director, NJAES

Director, Cooperative Extension

Rutgers Cooperative Extension county offices, are found in all 21 New Jersey counties, and are the result of a partnership between Rutgers Cooperative Extension, County Boards of Chosen Freeholders, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Working together, to meet the needs of all New Jersey residents. Programs are provided without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, military service, veteran status and any other category protected by law. Rutgers Cooperative Extension encourages individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you need special accommodations, have questions about physical access, or require alternate means for program information, please contact your local Extension Office. Contact the State Extension Director’s Office if you have any concerns related to discrimination, 848-932-3584.

2018 Annual Report Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension helps the diverse population of New Jersey adapt to a rapidly changing society and improves their lives and communities through an educational process that uses science-based knowledge. Through science-based educational programs, Rutgers Cooperative Extension truly enhances the quality of life for residents of New Jersey and brings the wealth of knowledge of the state university to local communities. Cooperative Extension goals are to ensure healthy lifestyles; provide productive futures for youth, adults, and communities; enhance and protect environmental resources; ensure economic growth and agricultural sustainability; and improve food safety and nutrition. Visit your local Rutgers Cooperative Extension county offices for all kinds of information and assistance regarding 4-H, agriculture, family and community health sciences, marine science, and natural resources and the environment.

Ocean County Cooperative Extension

63,588 Educational Fact Sheets Distributed

15,490 Clients Received Educational Information

1,036 Soil and Plant Diagnostics

2,337 Tick Identification

921 Educational Meetings Conducted

69,507 Volunteer Hours Donated

This report highlights program impact for the calendar year 2018:

Cooperating Agencies: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and County Boards of Chosen Freeholders. Educational programs are offered without regard to race, sex, disability, color, national origin, or age. Rutgers Cooperative Extension is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

It was another very productive year for the Marine Extension Program in Ocean County in 2018. Multiple new educational opportunities and research projects were initiated to address issues related to fisheries, aquaculture, and coastal resource management. Commercial fishing and the seafood industry annually have a total value added of over $2.1 billion to New Jersey’s economy, while the recreational fishing industry has an additional $1.2 billion annual economic impact. Therefore, it is critical that our marine fishery resources are responsibly managed and harvested to support the long-term sustainability of both these resources and industries. The Introductory Fisheries Science for Stakeholders (IFISSH) course was started in 2018 to educate stakeholders on the science and management processes involved with our marine fisheries so that stakeholders can make progress on issues impacting these industries and to promote positive stewardship of marine fishery resources. The course covered topics related to fisheries biology, oceanography, resource surveys,

stock assessment, and fisheries management. Over 70 people enrolled in the first year of the IFISSH course, which was very successful and will be offered on an annual basis. Multiple research projects were conducted in 2018 to address issues impacting our marine fishery resources. For example, a commercial fish trap survey of New Jersey’s artificial reefs was conducted in collaboration with scientists from Rutgers University’s Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). This survey focused on improving our understanding of black sea bass, tautog (i.e., blackfish), lobster, Jonah crab, and other species inhabiting our inshore reefs. Additionally, tagging studies were completed to investigate discard mortality of multiple species in recreational fisheries in the northeast, including identification of recommended best practices to increase catch-and-release survival which are being used to educate anglers

Marine Dr. Douglas Zemeckis, County Agent III , (Assistant Professor)

Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Coastal Resource Management

throughout Ocean County and beyond. Additional research projects continuing in 2019 involve summer flounder biology, monkfish migration patterns, bluefin tuna fisheries management, offshore wind energy development, and optimization of management regulations for the recreational bottom fish fishery. The Barnegat Bay Shellfish Restoration Program (BBSRP) also had a very successful year in 2018 while working closely with our patterning

non-profit, ReClam the Bay, and scientists from NJDEP’s Bureau of Shellfisheries. The annual Shellfish Gardener course was hosted during

the spring and summer and received a great deal of interest with 39 registered students learning about Barnegat Bay ecology, shellfish biology, restoration, and aquaculture, as well as positive stewardship of coastal marine resources. Students from the course committed nearly 1,000 volunteer hours towards improving the health of the Barnegat Bay ecosystem, most of which was completed in collabora-tion with ReClam the Bay and involved growing 600,000 hard clams and 50,000 oysters that were planted in the Bay to support ongoing restoration efforts. The BBSRP also collaborated with other local partners, including Save Barnegat Bay and the Ocean County Vocational

Technical School’s Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental

Science (MATES), to host educational events on Barnegat Bay oysters and the biennial Barnegat Bay Shellfish Forum. Many additional issues are impacting our marine resources and industries that are not fully covered by the IFISSH or Shellfish Gardener courses. Therefore, the Marine Extension Program Seminar Series hosted monthly educational events where experts were brought in to share updates on their research and how people can change their practices or get involved in local and regional issues, including climate change, sea level rise, ocean acidification, marine spatial planning, and offshore wind energy. If you have any questions about the Marine Extension Program or would like additional information, please feel free to call (732-349-1152) or email (zemeckis@njaes.rutgers.edu).

STAFF

Tamara Pellien, Co-County Extension Department Head

Steven Yergeau,

Co-County Extension Department Head

Mary Ann Dreikorn, Business Manager

Support Staff Teresa Becker, Agriculture &

Natural Resources Deborah Fuentes, Agriculture Kelly Jurgensen, Marine/FCHS

Vicki Riggs, 4-H

Agriculture 732-349-1246

Charlene Costaris, Horticultural Consultant Susan Emhardt-Servidio,

Horticulturist

Fisheries , Aquaculture, and Coastal Resource Management

732-349-1152 Douglas Zemeckis, County Agent III

Family and Community Health Sciences

732-349-1247 Joanne Kinsey, FCHS Agent

Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources

732-505-3671 Steven Yergeau, County Agent III

4-H Youth Development 732-349-1227

Tamara Pellien, County 4-H Agent Laura Eppinger,

4-H Program Associate Laura Ferrie,

4-H Program Assistant

Hummingbirds and Butterflies in your Garden Mediterranean Diet & Lifestyle Canning and Preserving Coffee “Should it be the Mug of Your Choice?” Rutgers Garden Tour Bus Trip Berries & You: Perfect Together Garden Diagnostics Series Weeds, Insects, Plant Disease, Soil Testing Community Garden Network Vermicomposting Workshop Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Veggie Containers Tick Program, “Three Ticks Many Diseases” Weeds, Vine ID Perennials Planting Garlic After School Gardening Program Summer Cooking and Science 4-H Camp Cloverbud 4-H Camp Tech 4-H Camp Fall Garden Day IFISSH: Introductory Fisheries Science for Stakeholders MEPSS: Marine Extension Program Seminar Series Barnegat Bay Shellfish Restoration Program

Orchids House Plants Plants for Small Properties Lawn Care Annuals Pruning Spotted Lantern Fly Salad Garden Attracting Butterflies Deer Resistant Plants Butterfly Rearing Fall Garden Day 3 Simple Satisfying Soups Pasta Making 101 Cooking Your Way to a Healthy Heart Hands on Canning Osteoporosis Prevention Healthy Herbs Mindfulness Workshop Preparing Sour Dough Crafts for Children Spring and Summer 4-H Camps IFISSH Introductory Fisheries Science for Stakeholders MEPSS Marine Extension Program Seminar Series Barnegat Bay Shellfish Restoration Program

RCE Outreach Programs

Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County offers a variety of informational and “hands-on” programs to the residents of Ocean County. These educational programs, are held at the Agricultural Building in Toms River.

2018 Programs 2019 Programs

For additional information on classes offered,

or to be placed on our mailing list,

call 732-349-1247.

Sampling an American lobster caught on an artificial reef

(Photo credit: Susan Allen Photography)

Barge deployment on a New Jersey artificial reef

(Photo Credit: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection).

January started our gardening season, as training classes began for 20 residents interested in joining the ranks of Rutgers Master Gardeners (RMGs). After 69 hours of training, the interns volunteered a total of almost 1,700 hours of service to

Ocean County and the Rutgers Master Gardener Program. Volunteers, who live in southern Ocean County, worked with special education students from the Pinelands Junior High School Life Sciences to learn life skills such as organizing, planning, handling money and achieving goals. The students started plants from plugs and grew them on to sell to teachers and students in their 2nd annual sale. These young entrepreneurs enjoyed their successful sale and were excited that their lead teacher, Tracy Rosario was selected the 2018 Teacher of the Year for Pinelands JHS, in part due to their greenhouse success. We continued the year in May with a meeting for community gardens in Ocean County, which led to the forming of the Community Garden Network of Ocean County. This initiative was a collaboration with Fulfill, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Wrangle Brook Community Garden, OC Soil Conservation District and Rutgers Master Gardeners. The mission of the group is to connect Ocean County community gardens to volunteers, organizers, food pantries and educators to provide fresh produce for those in need and to keep our communities growing. As the growing season warmed up, so did the number

of ticks brought in to the Agriculture Center for iden-tification. In June, staff and RMGs identified almost 200 more ticks than in June 2017. Much of the increase was due to the RMGs initiative to have

Ocean County proclaim June as Tick Awareness month. Letters were sent to Ocean County’s 33 municipalities and the Ocean County Freeholders. The proclamations from the Ocean County Freeholders, 20 municipalities and 4 tick presentations, along with a 4-part newspaper article helped spread the word about ticks and tick-borne illnesses. June also saw the Rutgers Master Gardeners working with local garden clubs and the Downtown Toms River group to create planters for the town’s Shakespeare in the Park. The planters contained many plants mentioned in Shakespeare’s works and were placed in the park at the corner of Washington Street and Robbins Avenue in Toms River. RMGs’ Speakers Bureau educated the public on various garden topics, giving 60 talks and reaching 1,453 people. At the Cooperative Extension, we also hosted 19 talks and reached over 400 residents. The Agriculture Extension Center saw an increase in walk-in clients (2,734) and phone calls (3,544) on many garden and extension topics. The total number of ticks identified were 2,337. The most prevalent tick was the Lone Star Tick, which can vector Ehrlichio-sis and Tularemia and can cause the meat-allergy known as Alpha-gal syndrome. None of the new Asian Longhorned Ticks were found in Ocean County. The RMG Community Outreach Events committee had infor-mation tables at 36 county events to spread the word about volunteering in the RMG Program and about the services that the Rutgers Cooperative Extension has to offer. Looking forward to 2019, staff and Rutgers Master Gardeners are teaming up with 4-H, Long Beach Island Library and Ethel Jacobsen School to present a 6-week summer gardening program in Surf City. Rutgers Master Gardeners are collaborating with Paul Kurtz, from NJ Department of Agriculture, to help locate and monitor the preferred food of the Spotted Lanternfly, the Tree-of-Heaven, for the insect’s arrival in Ocean County. Early detection can help control this destructive agricultural pest. Lastly, the Rutgers Master Gardeners will be hosting a new initia-tive ‘Ask a Master Gardener’ diagnostic plant clinics around Ocean County.

Agriculture & Resource Management staff offer programs to promote and sustain Ocean County's environment and natural resources. We provide assistance in the areas of home horticulture, agricultural sustainability, water conservation, water quality protection, farm preservation, and soil health. The goal of our programs, our research, and our technical assistance is to maintain a healthy environment for county residents. In 2018, 15 presentations and workshops to 416 farmers, educa-tors, horticulturists, environmental professionals, and the public were developed and conducted, including the Keynote Address at the Native Plant Society of NJ’s Annual Meeting. These presenta-tions were on a variety of topics that included:

Landscaping with native plants

Understanding soil compaction

Water conservation

Barnegat Bay water quality Agriculture & Resource Management staff continued to develop and expand programs to help homeowners, municipal officials, not-for-profit professionals, college students, and farmers use sustainable practices in their everyday lives. The ‘Understanding Soil Compaction’ program for Rutgers Master Gardeners continued for a third year in Ocean County, and expanded to Monmouth, Atlantic, and Cape May Counties. This program covers the causes of soil compaction and its impacts on soil health, as well as results of research conducted into the effectiveness of compaction management techniques. Over 240 Rutgers Master Gardeners have taken this training and have passed on this information to residents of New Jersey’s coastal counties. In cooperation with the Barnegat Bay Partnership and the Ocean County Soil Conservation District, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County sponsored and coordinated the second annual Jersey-Friendly Yards conference in October. This conference educated 140 residents from throughout New Jersey on best practices to create native habitats, maintain healthy soil, and conserve water in the home landscape. Those who attended the conference enjoyed the program and presentations, and we are already planning the 2019 conference.

Thanks to funding from the Phillip Alampi Fund, three water conservation displays were created, each consisting of a presen-tation playing on a digital picture frame mounted onto a rain barrel. The display highlights information on the need to conserve water, as well as resources that homeowners can use to start saving water. These displays were exhibited at many locations and events including the Jersey-Friendly Yards Conference at Ocean County College, Seaside Park Borough Hall, the Ocean County Fair in Berkeley Township, and the Agricultural Extension Center in Toms River.

More information can be found at: http://ocean.njaes.rutgers.edu/ag/save-water.html. For these efforts, Steven Yergeau, Ocean County’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent, was the recipient of the New Jersey Achievement Award from the National Association of

County Agricultural Agents (NACAA). He also received the 2018 Epsilon Sigma Phi Early Career Service Award for New Jersey for demonstrating extensive accomplishments during early Extension careers for agents with less than 10 years of service in Extension.

Agriculture and Natural Resources Dr. Steven Yergeau,

County Agent III (Assistant Professor)

Horticulture Susan Emhardt-Servidio,

Horticulturist & Rutgers Master Gardener Coordinator

2018 Rutgers Master Gardener Graduation

Steve Yergeau Receiving Achievement Award at

2018 NACAA Conference in Chattanooga, TN

The FCHS program in Ocean County remains poised to conduct nutrition, diet, and healthy lifestyle programs to audiences of all ages. One way to disseminate information about healthy foods is using Easy Recipes that are focused on fruits and vegetables. There are 50 Easy Recipe Videos available online at https://vimeo.com/getmovinggethealthynj/videos/. Eight of these simple recipes were developed in collaboration with the Ethel A. Jacobsen Consolidated Elementary School in Surf City, on Long Beach Island in Ocean County. The series of educational programs were offered at RCE of Ocean County in 2018- Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle, Berries and You: Perfect Together, Food Preservation: Canning, (for RCE Ocean County Master Gardeners), Functional Foods: Coffee, Your Beverage of Choice? Educational programs at Paramount Ocean Breeze a series of five included: Color Your Plate with Laughter, Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle, Health Benefits of Tea, Functional Foods: Coffee, Your Beverage of Choice?, Food Preservation: Canning, Freezing and Food Dehydration.

In response to the community demand the following programs were conducted: Leisure Village West program: Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle, and for the Forked River Rotary: Functional Foods: Coffee, Your Beverage of Choice? Programs continue to educate adults in the workplace as part of the FCHS Get Moving Get Healthy NJ Workforce initiative. Employers receive training to help them establish a wellness committee that can address the needs of the organization’s workforce. The 52-week online wellness program includes email messages on specific wellness topics and features the Healthy On the Job: Worksite Wellness Newsletter, which is full of evidence-based resources for employees and their families. Between 2014 and 2018 thirty-two organizations subscribed to the program for their employees and their families. Programs for general audiences made up of adults and active seniors are often conducted on-site in various communities, as well as at the RCE Ocean County office. The topics have ranged from using the USDA Choose My Plate dietary resources, to Preventing Heart Disease, Diabetes Prevention, Increasing Physical Activity, Mindfulness and Stress Reduction.

Ocean County 4-H uses a learn-by-doing approach to enable youth to develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to become competent, caring, and contributing citizens of the world. To best serve the youth of Ocean County, the 4-H staff coordinates community clubs, organizes camps and afterschool programming, and provides professional development for formal and informal educators.

4-H Community Clubs Through the Ocean County 4-H Club Program, over 235 local youth meet consistently with trained adult volunteers to explore topics that include animal science, ATV, shooting sports and culinary arts. The club framework cultivates leadership, public speaking, and critical thinking skills with striking results. National studies consistently find that youth who participate in 4-H clubs display greater confidence, sense of responsibility and focus than those who do not.

4-H community clubs participated on the county level through: The Ocean County Fair: 4-H maintained five large display

tents and organized activities, demonstrations and shows throughout the entire fair. Community service projects: Generosity and commitment to community service are cornerstones of 4-H values. 4-H clubs participated in clothing drives, Locks of Love, brought educational programs and animals to senior homes and elementary schools, fundraised for local animal shelters, and assisted at community rabies

clinics and elementary school egg hatching programs in additional to other service projects offered at our first annual Give Thanks event.

Public education: 4-H clubs helped educate the public and

support local communities by participating in community events such as Earth Day, Jackson Forestry Research Center Open House, Community Fairs, and Halloween Parades. While at these events, they promote 4-H, showcase their project work in 4-H and educate the public on proper pet care, responsible environmental practices and community engagement.

4-H members participated on the State and National Level through: South Jersey Teen Conference: eight teens participated in this

annual event. They represented Ocean County 4-H and participated in the three day conference as the members of the planning group. This year, the teens assisted with the evaluation process. This involved ensuring participant registration, greeting registrants, and directing registrants to designated areas.

Horse Bowl and Hippology: For eight months, 13 youth met to study horse judging, anatomy, and confirmation in preparation to compete at the annual Horse Bowl, Hippology, and horse judging competitions. From this experience, two members qualified to represent New Jersey on the State team.

National Leadership Conferences: We had eight youth

participate in National Leadership Conferences in this past year. This included: National Congress, National Conference, Citizenship

Washington Focus, Leadership Washington Focus, Foroige Leadership Conference, and the Healthy Living Ambassador Conference.

2018 Ocean County 4-H Clubs by the numbers

Camps & Afterschool Programs In 2018, Ocean County 4-H offered four week-long camps: one during spring break and three in the summer. 4-H prides itself on providing cutting-edge STEM programs and our camp and outreach program efforts exemplify this. Ocean County 4-H camps are a unique combination of science and life skills, maintaining relevance to the everyday lives of youth in Ocean County. For example, youth will pick peaches at a local farm one day and then learn to make peach preserves the next. The skill of problem solving is then applied to real-life situations that youth face each day. By defining the problem, utilizing resources, devising a solution and evaluating the results, youth can begin successful problem solving even the most complicated social issues. In collaboration with New Labor in Lakewood, Program Associate Laura Eppinger completed two cycles of programming to teach public speaking to youth in grades 2-8. A total of 35 youth completed the program. The 4-H Yoga for Kids program was offered in collaboration with Jackson Library as a healthy living program. Over 45 youth participated in the program in 2018. In service to our military community on the Lakehurst base, we provided 6 hours of STEM and 6 hours of theater arts programming for the 20 enrolled youth.

4-H Youth Development Program Tamara Pellien, County 4-H Agent

Family and Community Health Sciences

Joanne Kinsey, FCHS Agent

30 community clubs 70 adult volunteers 237 youth members

368 entries at the Fair 3,500=community service hours Immearsurable hours of fun

Canning Program, July 24, 2018

Agriculture Center

In collaboration with Ocean County Library in Toms River, Food Preservation: Canning, Freezing and Dehydration. There was a large interest in canning in 2018, which result-ed in programs conducted in several locations. In 2019, we will take those presentations to the next level with more in-depth hands-on type of programs. Upcoming programs will include making healthy soups and home made pasta.