Environmental Resource Inventory:
Belmar's Environmental Resource Inventory (ERI) is a comprehensive overview of the municipality's natural resources, environmental features and unique characteristics. The ERI is designed to increase public knowlege and understanding of the environment. The ERI includes narratives and maps covering Belmar's vegetation, wild life, climate, air quality, geology, soils, water quality and water supply.
Belmar's ERI can be accessed Below click here for the 2008 report.
Click here for our 2020 Environmental Resource Inventory And Brief Natural and Cultural History of The Borough of Belmar
Magical Garden:
Belmar's own community garden and greenhouse, the Magical Garden, is located at the corner of E Street and 15th Avenue, by the E Street Playground. Belmar residents work together to grow a variety of organic flowers, fruits and vegetables, started from seeds grown in the greenhouse. The Magical Garden includes a large butterfly flower garden, raised plots for vegetables, an herbal garden, several blueberry bushes, raspberry bushes and strawberries. Members of the group enjoy a variety of fresh vegetables from early Spring through Fall. Contact Carol Davies at belmargarden@gmail.com for more information.
Treasure Trail:
A self-guided walking tour, Belmar's Treasure Trail includes 38 stops of historical, artisitic or environmental interest. Special Treasure Trail signs mark every stop on the tour. Written and audio scripts are available for each location. The Trail is divided into two routes. One, which covers the Main Street and Shark River sections of town, is 4 miles and takes about 2 hours at a leisurely pace. The second Ocean area route is about 2.75 miles and takes about 1.5 hours at a leisurely pace. Treasure Trail maps, podcasts and scripts can be downloaded from http://www.belmartreasuretrail.com/. The podcast can also be downloaded from the iTunes store. Also, at each stop, a phone number of the sign can be dialed for information about that site.
Accomplishments:
- IPM: Instrumental in making Belmar the second municipality in Monmouth County to adopt a resolution (in 1995) supporting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices. St. Rose Grammar School became the first school in Monmouth County to adopt IPM, and Belmar Elementary School was the third.
- MUTT MITTS. Helped make Belmar the first community in New Jersey to combat pet pollution by placing mutt mitt dispensers at Silver Lake, Lake Come and Shark River for use by pet owners to clean up after their pets. Mutt mitts are biodegradable, compostable and ocean-dumpable.
- GEESE POLLUTION: Developed educational signs to discourage the feeding of geese and other wildlife at Silver Lake and Shark River. The Mayor and Council adopted an ordinance with a fine to combat the geese pollution problem.
- SEWER FILTERS: Piloted the use of retro-fit filters with an absorbing geo-foam mesh to improve the water run-off and effectivenmess of our antiquated sewer system.
- STORM DRAINS: Worked with a local Eagle Scout in 1997 to label more than 300 storm drains to let people know the body of water they drain into. This project was repeated by the Belmar Boy Scout Troop 40
- ROUNDTABLE: Spearheaded the creation of the Shark River Environmental Roundtable in 1995 to focus on environmental concerns affecting the estuary.
- NO DISCHARGE AREA: The Shark and Manasquan Rivers were the first in New Jersey to be declared "federally designated no-discharge areas" after the Roundtable spent nearly three years lobbying Monmouth County, the NJ DEP, and the federal EPA.
- COMMUNITY GARDEN: Instrumental in the completion of Belmar's "Magical Garden" Community Garden and Greenhouse.
- SHARK RIVER TOUR: Played a key role in the development of a self-guided bike/walking/driving tour of the Shark River.
- OSPREY POLES: With the Roundtable, received a grant to build osprey towers on the 1st Avenue Beach and Musquash Cove in Neptune and Wall. Ospreys are a high-level environmental indicator species. In 1999, the Neptune tower had the first know breeding pair of ospreys in the estuary, producng two healthy young.
- ECO-WATCH: Continue to produce the Eco-Watch, an environmental newsletter sent to all borough residents. (The newsletter received a special achievement award from Rutger's University in 1999.) Now on Facebook!
- CLEAN-UPS: Continue to sponsor annual clean-ups along the borough's waterways.
- UNDERWATER CLEAN-UP: Continue to work with the Roundtable to conduct an annual underwater clean-up of the Shark River.
- BOROUGH-WIDE GARAGE SALE: Sponsor an annual garage sale designed to promote the community and donate/sell items that otherwise would wind up in a landfill.
- SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY: Applied for and received certification as a Sustainable Community in 2009.
- DESIGNATED SMOKING AREAS AT BEACH: Worked with the Mayor and Council in designating certain areas as smoking areas at beach.
- ENERGY AUDITS: Energy audits completed at Borough Hall, Union Firehose and Taylor Pavilion. Seventy-five percent of the cost of the audits was paid for by a grant by the Board of Public Utilities. Energy conservation measures were undertaken at the three buildings.
- INFORMATIONAL SIGNS: Received a grant from ANJEC to install environmental information signs at 1st Avenue Beach, Silver Lake and McCleary Park. Now part of the Treasure Trail.
- ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE INVENTORY: Received a grant from ANJEC to revise and rewrite the Environmental Resource Inventory (ERI). The ERI was written so as to be usable by the schools and the community. Belmar was highlighted in the ANJEC magazine for the quality of our ERI and the teaching resources that are part of it.
- RAIN GARDEN: Used a grant from Verizon to plant a Rain Garden at Silver Lake as a part of the borough's stormwater management efforts. Belmar was one of the first communities in the State to have a rain garden. The rain garden was included in a Rutgers Cooperative Extension calendar that highlighted 12 area rain gardens.
- DUNE PROJECT: Planted a dune in front of Taylor Pavilion.
- SILVER LAKE NATURALIZED: In a joint project with the Shade Tree Commission, naturalized a portion of Silver Lake.
- WATER CONSERVATION PROJECT - BELMAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RETROFIT: Used a grant from the Water Savers program to upgrade to more eco-friendly fixtures, such as 1.28 gallon/flush toilets, pint flush urinals and 1.5 gallon/minute faucets. The new fixtures save water and taxpayer utility costs.
- WATER CONSERVATION PROJECT - IRRIGATION IMPROVEMENTS AT MAGICAL GARDEN: Installed new sprinkler heads in the Magical Garden's irrigation system that improved water efficiency (and savings) by 42%.
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