Barnegat Bay Listening Session Tonight in Toms River

Are you concerned about the Barnegat Bay?  Do you have a story to tell?  Is there something that all should know that we may not?  Representatives from 12 different advocacy groups want to hear from you tonight in Toms River.

The first ever Barnegat Bay Listening Session will bring environmental, faith-based and political groups together under one roof to hear your ideas on how to help the ailing waterway.  The Bay has been in poor health for several years and although there has been progress made in some areas, many feel it's too little, too late.  The environmentalists attending tonight's meeting don't feel that's the case.  They think with the data they can collect, more change can be made for the better - restoring the health of the valuable watershed.

Helen Henderson with the American Littoral Society says the information collected at tonight's meeting "will be a valuable component to helping the mission of improvement.  We can make a difference here and we need to hear personal stories from people who use the Bay for a variety of reasons.  That goes for business and recreation."

The event is about listening and learning what the Bay means to the general public and also offering information for individuals to become further involved in a number of ways. The groups want people to "raise their voices" for the Bay.

Henderson adds "We want to empower you to help save Barnegat Bay--we need to know your thoughts and concerns to do it. If we don't save the Bay, who will?"

All of the information and stories collected at tonight's meeting will become part of a report.  That report will be sent to Governor Christie and other state lawmakers.

The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. inside the Mancini Room at the Toms River Branch of the Ocean County Library on Washington Street.