Where the Shore’s Waterfront Stewardship Lives

Where the Shore’s Waterfront Stewardship Lives

For a lot of Monmouth families, the shoreline is not just scenery. It is where the family has grown up, where summers have stretched out, and where the next generation will likely learn what it means to care for a place. The institution doing some of the most important work on that idea this fall is the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI), a campus-based hub pairing ocean and coastal science with real community engagement along the shore.

UCI is not operating in a vacuum. On August 24, the institute joined the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), local mayors, county commissioners, and community groups for a Shark River Basin resilience tour, a field-level look at how five municipalities are thinking about coastal and inland flooding, restoration, and long-term stewardship.

The Work on the Ground

• Field-based learning: The August 24 tour moved from Maclearie Park in Belmar to the South Riverside Living Shoreline in Neptune Township, then to Memorial Park in Neptune City, giving decision-makers a first-hand view of where flooding is happening and where restoration projects are already under way.
• Nature-based solutions: American Littoral Society staff walked participants through how raised dunes, plantings, and other measures have stabilized the South Riverside waterfront while providing habitat and ecosystem benefits.
• Regional planning: The tour unofficially kicked off a regional climate resilience study for the Shark River estuary, with UCI contributing as a project partner in what will become a coordinated plan across the basin.

Why It Matters Locally

Coastal and inland flooding do not respect municipal borders. A bay that is shared across several towns is shared in both directions: what is done on one shoreline can affect water quality, flood patterns, and habitat in another. The Shark River Basin work is an example of how a university and its neighbors can turn those shared risks into a shared project, pairing research and student engagement with the kind of coordination that makes regional planning actually possible.

How to Get Involved

• Attend the Monmouth Community Climate Café: UCI and the School of Social Work will host an open dialogue on November 11 at 6 p.m. in Edison Hall 201, with virtual participation available. Registration is requested; contact Rachel Forbes at rforbes@monmouth.edu.
• Follow UCI’s news and events: The Urban Coast Institute’s news and events page at monmouth.edu/uci posts upcoming programs, research updates, and community partnerships.
• Connect with the Shark River Basin effort: Monmouth County’s press release and regional partner pages provide the latest on the Resilient NJ grant and the ongoing resilience planning work across Avon-by-the-Sea, Belmar, Neptune City, Neptune Township, and Wall Township.
• Bring the conversation to your table: Families and institutions interested in a co-branded shoreline-stewardship or coastal-resilience conversation can reach Love of Humanity at partnerships@donatetoloveofhumanity.com.

How Love of Humanity Supports This Work

Love of Humanity works alongside Monmouth institutions as a peer 501(c)(3) partner, helping translate shoreline stewardship and coastal resilience into language and programs that families can actually use. When UCI and its partners bring the science, the community, and the institutions to the table, we help make sure that Monmouth families understand what is happening on their own waterfront and how they can be part of the next generation of care for the shore.

Support and Partnership

If this work matters to you, consider supporting the family-facing community education that keeps these conversations going.

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Board leader, foundation director, head of school, or family-office trustee reading this? We build co-branded family education with Monmouth institutions. Email partnerships@donatetoloveofhumanity.com.

This roundup is editorial. No fees were paid. Love of Humanity is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.