Toms River Condo Association Honored for Bay Protection

A Toms River condominium association received a top honor from the American Littoral Society for its efforts protecting Barnegat Bay.

ALS gave Condominium Association its Citizen Advocate Award in a Saturday ceremony, citing work to stem stormwater pollution in a creek the ALS called “one of the most impaired tributaries of Barnegat Bay.”

Two years of work at Long Swamp Creek, which is near Laurel Commons off Mapletree Road in Toms River, focused on activities designed to reduce nutrient polluted stormwater runoff.

That included a switch to lower-impact landscaping, lessened fertilizer use, and more initiatives among condominium owners.

For example, the condo association committed to the American Littoral Society’s “Bayscape for Barnegat Bay” program and will reduce the amount of lawn on its grounds by 20 percent, thereby reducing stormwater runoff by reducing the need for watering, fertilizer, and pesticides.

Paul Krauss, vice president of the Laurel Commons Condominium Association, accepted the award on behalf of its members at the society’s 50th annual meeting in Cape May.

 “Paul spurred his community to take action to improve conditions in the bay—and they willingly followed his lead.” Helen Henderson, Policy Advocate for the American Littoral Society, said in a news statement released today. “From the Society’s perspective, it is especially important for homeowners in the highly developed areas of the Barnegat Bay watershed like Toms River to see examples of good stewardship like this.”

 Krauss said the bay has had a personal impact on his life, and recalled times spent boating on it and his hope of preserving it for his grandchildren.

“I was becoming really concerned about the state of Barnegat Bay and wanted to leave it in better shape than it is now for my grandchildren. For years I had “Grandpa’s Camp” where we enjoyed the Bay on my boat.  I’ve since had to sell my boat because swimming and water skiing are next to impossible in the Bay now because of the stinging sea nettles and sea lettuce.” Krauss said in the news release. “When I heard about the work the Littoral Society was doing with residents in the watershed, I contacted Helen and here we are.”

According to the Littoral Society, “They are also replacing high maintenance shrubs and plants in the community’s garden beds with more Bay-friendly, native species. They have committed $10,000 of their own money to the project, matching funds the Society has received from the Barnegat Bay Environmental Grant Fund.”

A stormwater runoff basin retrofitting project in Laurel Commons is scheduled to be completed some time during 2012 as well.

The efforts are of note because Laurel Commons is considered a high-density zone, with 22-acres of property on Carnation Lane, with 230 units.