Ocean County Soil Conservation District is a proud partner of the Jersey-Friendly Yards initiative. The 2023 Jersey-Friendly Yards Conference was held over the weekend, on Saturday, September 30th. It was a great success! Two amazing presenters, Dr. Chris Obrupta, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Specialist in Water Resources, and Christopher Miller, USDA-NRCS Plant Center Manager/Conservation Agronomist shared information about resilient landscaping practices to combat the challenges of our changing climate. The recent record rainfall we all experienced in September was a reminder of how we need to create a healthy foundation of soil that can absorb excess rain water, and plant native species that can also withstand long periods of heat and drought. Participants were able to get a jump-start on their climate-resilient gardens by choosing from an array of plants and seeds at the native plant sale. Three New Jersey vendors: Toadshade Wildflower Farm, Earth First Native Plant Nursery and Gifts, and Steven Kristoph Nursery sold native stock at the Jersey-Friendly Yards Conference.

The Barnegat Bay Partnership (BBP), Ocean County Soil Conservation District and Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County are proud to bring you this and other educational programs that teach how you can make your yard more Jersey-Friendly! Visit the Jersey-Friendly Yards website to find comprehensive resources and tools about landscaping for a healthy yard and healthy environment in New Jersey.

Peruse our list of Jersey-Friendly climate-resilient plants for your yard, on OCSCD's Blog.

On August 30, OCSCD's Education Outreach Coordinator, Becky Laboy and Conservation Specialist, Kristin Adams, gathered with fellow members of the New Jersey Bay Islands Initiative (NJBII) at the Long Beach Township Marine Field Station for our 2nd annual field trip. This year's educational field trip was focused on the erosion occurring at Clam Cove Island. Clam Cove is representative of all bay islands in that it provides protection to residents living on the barrier island, as well as the mainland. It absorbs wave energy and flood waters, and provides habitat for myriad wildlife, from hermit crabs to endangered yellow-crowned night herons. Like all NJ bay islands, its existence is under threat due to severe erosion caused by increasing wave action intensified by recreational boater activity, storms, and sea level rise. Read more about this story.

To learn more about the New Jersey Bay Islands initiative, visit the Barnegat Bay Partnership's NJBII website. OCSCD is a proud member of NJBII. Stay updated on OCSCD's endeavors to support this critically important initiative by visiting our NJBII Partner Projects webpage and blog.

Lakehurst sand is a familiar type of soil series underfoot in Ocean County. "Soil series" are the most homogenous classes in the soil system of taxonomy. A soil series is the common reference term used to name soil map units. Think of a soil series as being akin to a plant or animal "species".

Lakehurst sand is a moderately well-draining soil formed from sandy coastal plain sediments, and is quite beautiful. Its top soil layer, horizon A, is dark gray in color, and sits atop an E horizon - an "eluvial" layer. This layer has been leached of any silicate clay, iron, aluminum and organic matter, making it appear light gray, nearly white. The yellowish brown sand in the B horizon lies below the E horizon, followed by the C horizon consisting of pale brown sand. Overall, this series is very strongly acidic throughout the profile. Lakehurst sand is formed under woodlands consisting of pitch pine, shortleaf pine, black and white oak, with an understory of low bush blueberry and scrub oak.

Visit OCSCD's Resources page to learn more about our soils, their properties and processes, and how to create and maintain healthy soil in your yard.