The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) awarded a $200,000 grant to the City of Ventnor to continue the effort to create the Ventnor West Eco Park.
Commissioner Tim Kriebel, who has championed this project stated, “this is a strong first step towards protecting Ventnor West and improving this treasured area.”
This grant will fund a site assessment and preliminary design for a living shoreline to protect the Ventnor West ecosystem from continued erosion and environmental degradation. This project will protect critical infrastructure and habitat as well as contribute to the Ventnor Master Plan to transform Ventnor West into an eco-park to build resiliency.
“We are ecstatic about getting this grant, Ventnor West continues to be a priority” added Mayor Landgraf and Commissioner Mento.
Ventnor West is a 150 acre contiguous tract of waterfront land owned by the City of Ventnor. This project was introduced in the Ventnor Master Plan and has had strong local support.
The Ventnor West restoration effort brings together a strong team of technical experts. The team includes University Professors; Federal and State land conservation specialists; environmental experts; communication facilitators; researchers; and engineers and planners with experience in developing similar projects. Partners include the Stockton University Coastal Research Center, The Sea Grant Program, Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, Ventnor Green Team, Ventnor Educational Community Complex (VECC), United States Fish & Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, Atlantic County Utility Authority, and the Ventnor Green Team.
NFWF awarded 109 new or continuing coastal resilience grants totaling more than $144 million. The grants will leverage more than $97 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $242 million. There were only six grants awarded for New Jersey projects – three applications submitted by the State, and applications from the Weequahic Park Association, The Nature Conservancy, and Long Beach Township. Rutala Associates, a Linwood planning firm, prepared the application.
The NCRF invests in conservation projects that restore or expand natural features such as coastal marshes and wetlands, dune and beach systems, oyster and coral reefs, coastal forests and rivers, floodplains, and barrier islands that minimize the impacts of storms, sea level rise and other coastal hazards on nearby communities. The NCRF addresses four focus areas: 1) community capacity building and planning; 2) project site assessment and preliminary design; 3) final project design and permitting; and 4) restoration implementation. The City of Ventnor’s grant is for project site assessment and preliminary design.
Chartered by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation protects and restores the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Working with federal, corporate and individual partners, NFWF has funded more than 6,000 organizations and generated a total conservation impact of $8.1 billion.
