By DON STINE
A $20,000 grant from the 2018 Sustainable Jersey Grant funded by the PSEG Foundation has been awarded to the Environmental Commission of Ocean Township.
“We are very proud of it and very excited,” Commission Chairman Ray Pogwist said.
He said the grant reflects the collective efforts of the commission over the past few years. Pogwist specifically cited commission member Mike Davenport for writing the grant.
“He was truly instrumental in making it possible and we are very happy he took this on,” he said.
The grant money will go towards producing an Environmental Resources Inventory An inventory gives a municipality an understanding of the capacity and limitation of its natural resources.
Pogwist said two areas of special concern will be the township’s declining tree canopy and the current status of its watersheds.
He said the ERI will serve as an important tool for the township’s Master Plan and to educate the public. Copies will be distributed to the public library and to the Intermediate School and High School libraries.
Pogwist said that the commission hopes to hire a consultant to prepare the ERI as soon as possible and, once that happens, he estimates it will take about a year to complete.
“We have a lot of footwork and review to do but it should take about a year, start to finish,” he said.
