Community Corner

Point Pleasant Borough's "Barnegat Bay Guardian" Hopes to Turn the Tide on Bay Pollution

Al Wutkowski urging boaters and residents to stop polluting bay and harming fish and waterfowl

Boat oil and fertilizer runoff are polluting Barnegat Bay and hurting fish and water fowl, but one Point Pleasant Borough man is hoping to put a stop to that.

Al Wutkowski, who lives on the bay, stood on his back deck, pointed towards the water on Friday, Earth Day, and said he's had enough.

"Sometimes I see garbage floating out here," said Wutkowski, a lifelong borough resident who's been boating and fishing for more than 40 years.

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"I see swans getting caught in old crab traps," he said, disgusted. "I see jet skiers speeding at 60 mph through a family of geese with babies. You see everything out here.

"But I talk to the boaters to try to raise awareness," Wutkowski said. "A few boaters give me a hard time."

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But some get the message about dumping trash and oil into the water and speeding in "no wake" zones.

Sending out that message will be more of a daily routine for the West End Drive resident now that he is officially a "Barnegat Bay Guardian" as dubbed by the American Littoral Society.

"I'm going to push this with a passion," said Wutkowski, whose home is off the section of Beaver Dam Road just before the bridge leading to Princeton Avenue.

The environmental organization, along with Save Barnegat Bay and other advocacy groups, has been working for years to educate the public about the importance of not dumping oil in the bay and its tributaries and not using fertilizer, which sends runoff into the bay, increasing nitrogen levels and, thereby, increasing the proliferation of stinging jellyfish.

So when Wutkowski was looking for a way to volunteer in a more official capacity, ALS was happy to give him an official title.

"Al will educate the boating community about the bay and the issues facing it including the bay's status as a 'no discharge zone,' " said Helen Henderson, ALS policy advocate, who held a press conference with Wutkowski in his home Friday morning. "We'd like to thank Al. He came to us."

Wutkowski had approached Chris Constantino and Sheryl Burke of the Point Pleasant Environmental Commission, who then referred him to ALS, based in Sandy Hook.

"We've known for a long time that the bay is dying," Henderson said, adding that starting the Guardian program is another way for ALS to raise public awareness about helping to restore the bay.

Henderson said Wutkowski, who is hoping to recruit lots of help, will "provide information about the location of pump-out facilities and educate about wildlife, wildlife protection and marsh protection.

"In his watchdog role, he'll work to inform the appropriate authorities about illegal or damaging boat activity in the vicinity of marshes and conservation areas.

"He'll watch for and report pollution, algal blooms and other problems on the bay and monitor for unpermitted coastal development and work with local and state authorities," Henderson said.

Henderson said ALS will hold fundraisers to help defray a few of Wutkowski's expenses, such as gas for his own boat that he'll be using for patrols.

Also, Steven Pendino Jr. of Sanzari Marina, in Bay Head, who helps Wutkowski's "watch dog" efforts, said the marina is giving him a discount on gas.

"We're going to knock off at least 30 cents per gallon," said Pendino, who was also at the press conference.

Wutkowski noted how even a small piece of trash thrown into the water can harm wildlife.

"Look at this," he said, taking a long, narrow piece of plastic down from a nail on his wall. "This was caught around a goose's neck and stuck in its mouth."

Wutkowski used a net to contain the goose, which had landed on his back deck. Then he was able to untangle the plastic from its head.

"I thought it was going to fly away, but it stood on my bulkhead for 10 minutes honking, like it was saying 'thank  you, thank you,' " Wutkowski said, laughing.

When most people in New Jersey hear about waterfowl covered in oil, they think of the Gulf Coast or other disasters happening somewhere else.

But Wutkowski saw at least half a dozen birds slicked up right here last summer.

"Once oil gets on birds, they lose buoyancy and they'll drown," he said.

Many boaters fail to take preventive steps, such as carefully filling boats, using absorbent matting or pump-out facilities, instead simply dumping oil into the bay.

"They just don't care about the environment," said Burke who, with Constantino, was also at the press conference.

Wutkowski said one bird used it mouth to try to clean itself, which made it die from ingesting the oil.

He's brought others to the Mercer County Wildlife Center which he describes as "a wonderful place" that works tirelessly to save wildlife in numerous ways, including cleaning oil from birds.

Henderson said Wutkowski has saved more than 30 birds that had been coated in oil.

"I'm tired of what I've been witnessing," Wutkowski said.

"Oiled-up birds, every other day a diesel fuel slick going by my home, a noticeable loss of weak fish, unattended crab traps and fishing pole lines that harm wildlife and other offenses to the bay, like the dumping of trash and debris in the water," he said.

Henderson said ALS is also educating the public about Gov. Christie's 10-point plan to help restore the bay, including establishing the most restrictive standards in the nation for nitrogen content in fertilizer and application rates for use.

For more information on how to help protect the bay, visit the ALS website.


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