Dear Sea Girt Borough Council: The CILU Executive Board is a diverse group of Holmdel residents who in 1998, concerned about rapid growth and development in our town, formed a citizens’ organization to promote informed and thoughtful land use, protect our natural resources, and preserve our quality of life—considering all the consequences for the future. Our purpose is to encourage good land use policies that are a natural outgrowth of open government by good people. In our 22 years of existence we have contributed to preserving over 800 acres of open space to protect the character of our town, the quality of life for humans and animals, and the Swimming River reservoir, a key source of drinking water for over 250,000 people in Monmouth County. The CILU Board has learned of the initiative to build an additional paddle ball court in one of the few remaining maritime woodlands along the Monmouth County coast. Members of CILU share one common concern with the Save Crescent Park citizens and that is the intelligent use of what precious little undeveloped land we have left on our planet. The chipping away of open space in New Jersey should be a concern to all citizens in the state. Maintaining open space is crucial for preserving wildlife habitat and biodiversity, for recharging aquifers to preserve drinking water, protecting wetlands to avoid flooding, and providing space for peaceful connections with nature. While CILU does recognize the emotional, mental and physical benefits of active recreation, we also recognize that once open space is taken away, it is gone forever. Courts may be built in other areas, open space is fixed. We encourage you to listen to the arguments of the Save Crescent Park citizens and find an alternate site for the additional paddle ball court. Sincerely, Karen Strickland & Regina Criscione for the CILU Executive Board

Pedram Daneshgar, Ph.D. Associate Professor

Department of Biology

Office Phone: (732) 571-4432 email: pdanesgh@monmouth.edu 

To the Community of Sea Girt: 

I am writing to you to express my deep concern for the future of the maritime forest in Crescent Park. I am an associate professor of Biology in the Marine and Environmental Biology and Policy Program at Monmouth University. I received my PhD in Forest Resources and Conservation from the University of Florida and my research expertise is in coastal forest ecology, specifically examining maritime forests in New Jersey and mangrove ecosystems in The Bahamas. It has come to my attention that there are plans to develop some of the maritime forest in Crescent Park for recreational use. This would be an irreversible mistake. Here I hope to provide you with some incite to what you are impacting.

Maritime forests are coastal woodlands primarily found on barrier islands and occasionally coastal areas where they are subject to the direct impacts of aerosolized ocean water. The fact that they exist in the presence of salt and high wind is unique as most plants do not survive being exposed to either as they dehydrate plants quickly. 

Maritime forests are the products of a long process called community succession. Succession is the process in which the mix of species and habitat change over time. Typically, the process on the shore begins with the formation of dunes with grasses like American beachgrass and herbaceous species like goldenrod or sea rocket. When those species die, they become incorporated into the nutrient poor sandy soil helping the soil develop and become more suitable for other plants that need more resources. This process continues, repeats and over time, the soil matures while getting protection from newly formed dunes in front of them allowing them to be more suitable for woody species. The dunes transition to thickets and then forests. First, it’s shrubs then eventually cedars, followed by cherries, oaks, maples and hollies. This process from start to finish takes a long time! You cannot simply age a maritime forest by aging the trees. You have to age it taking into consideration all the processes and habitats that came before that facilitated its existence. That being said, I must point out that after I surveyed Crescent Park, it’s clear there several trees that I would classify as old growth approaching the century mark. 

These forests are the outcomes of a long process that cannot be replicated or easily substituted by man. No one does nature better than nature! Proof of this is seen in multiple failed maritime forest restoration projects along the Atlantic coast. An example of a failed maritime forest restoration project in my opinion is the attempt of restoration in Bradley Beach. Several trees were planted in an attempt to recreate a maritime forest. Since several have died and the area is now full of invasive species. 

Maritime forests are rare. In New Jersey, less than three percent of coastal lands (barrier islands and near shore towns) are forested comprising less than one percent of the state’s total acreage. This to me suggests that maritime forests may be the most threatened ecosystem in New Jersey. Based upon historical records, the forests had twenty times the coverage they do now. While most of the state’s maritime forests are on public lands like parks, several acres occur on private lands as well. As such, many privately owned maritime forests have been eliminated or are currently threatened by development due to their prime location by the ocean. Three notable maritime forests in New Jersey occur at Sandy Hook (Gateway National Recreation Area), Island Beach State Park, and Cape May Pointe State Park. That’s it. What you have in Sea Girt is rare and I don’t believe any other borough in the state can boast about their maritime forest the way you could. It is a unique feature worthy of conserving and celebrating.

Maritime forests have tremendous ecological, economical, and societal value through the services they provide. Services that are provided by the tree species themselves include soil stabilization from erosion and hurricane protection even if the hurricanes cause severe damage to the trees. The trees act as a sink for increasing atmospheric carbon as well and are substantial for improving air quality. These forests act as a filter for the water, which primarily comes as precipitation, before it enters the aquifer below. 

In addition, maritime forests provide essential wildlife habitat particularly for amphibians, birds and mammals. The composition of the forest in Crescent Park is comparable to what is found at Sandy Hook. The holly forests in Sandy Hook, the northernmost part of the New Jersey shore, is a prime migration stop for more than 100 forest birds. I imagine that Crescent Park gets the same. Loss of perching spots, food sources, shade and protection would either lead to the disappearance of the species or force them into the neighboring properties. This includes deer. 

The forest provides invaluable green spaces which have been well demonstrated to improve mental health and well-being of all that use it. Green spaces also provide increased economic value to nearby property. 

It seems clear Sea Girt has so much to lose if Crescent Park is developed any further. Please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions. 

Best regards,

Pedram Daneshgar, Ph.D. Associate Professor

Department of Biology

Office Phone: (732) 571-4432 email: pdanesgh@monmouth.edu 

Re: Maritime Forest in Cresent Park

Maritime forest systems are quite rare in New Jersey. They occupy a very special niche in the coastal environment and have been encroached upon throughout the state. Crescent Park in Sea Girt is one of the few places where the holly-based marine forest continues to exist amidst the heavily residentially-developed land use. Sea Girt is applauded for its foresight to create and maintain this park. 

However, in view of the uniqueness of the maritime forest and its many challenges to persist, the effort should be on retaining all parts of the system rather than converting any of it to non-maritime forest use. I encourage Sea Girt to support the maintenance of the maritime forest ecological system and to provide for improvement of the park environs. This is an opportunity for Sea Girt to be a role model in the pursuit of ecological resilience regarding this unique area of maritime forest. It is an opportunity to protect every inch of the maritime forest system. 

Dr. Norbert P. Psuty, Professor Emeritus

Sandy Hook Cooperative Research Programs

Rutgers University - Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research 

Munsell McPhillips, Ph.D.

Scientific Advisor

Amelia Tree Conservancy

Amelia Island, Florida

To the community of Sea Girt,

What a beautiful, precious forest you have. Your efforts in protecting Edgemere and Crescent Park for future generations are inspiring.

My name is Munsell McPhillips. I am the writer and narrator of “Living in a Maritime Forest” produced by the Amelia Tree Conservancy in Florida. My doctoral education is in biomedical engineering. I focused my research efforts on the complex interactions between a living body and manmade devices. This is admittedly an unusual perspective for a forestry issue though it has turned out to be a productive one. Later in my career I spent 20 years as Principal Scientist of a firm conducting river and riverine forest restoration. Paying close attention to the interface between the living and the manmade served me well in both careers. I’d like to share with you some insights gained over long experience in both the laboratory and the field.

Although the natural world is complicated, Nature has a few rules of the road that we can all understand. First, your forest, like all others tends towards a state of equilibrium. Every disturbance produces a generally predictable response. We can like the forest response or not, but the forest will respond in ways to restore its equilibrium. Like many ecosystems, forests don’t respond well to fresh, sharp edges such as the proposed new court. The fresh, vertical edges are superb opportunities for invasive species, particularly vines, to penetrate deeper into the forest.  Like many of you I have struggled to control Japanese honeysuckle, knotweed and ivy in our forests. Cutting new slots in the canopy makes that job much harder. In addition, new edges expose trees to windfields from which they had previously been sheltered. Nor’easters have a new avenue to penetrate more deeply as well. Although maritime forests are singularly well adapted to salt spray, scour and deposition, a freshly exposed range of trees and shrubs may not have time to adapt to the new conditions and the tree loss may be far greater than those shown on the plans. Finally, everything adds up. It may seem churlish to object to removal of such a small portion of the forest. But the damage goes beyond this little bit and just this time.  I’ve noticed from historical aerial photos that the maritime forest has been nibbled away in a series of small projects over the past twenty years. There was a raised court one year and another parking area a few years later.  Each project had inevitable impacts well beyond the construction boundaries. There is no such thing as just one change. I don’t make the rules. I do acknowledge that Nature enforces them. It is important to note that unintended consequences are not unforeseeable.

The differences between the mighty live oak forest of my home and your beautiful holly forest are considerable. Each region of our coast has its own maritime forest community. Not only do maritime forests exist in a very slender ribbon along our coast but the nature of that ribbon changes dramatically from north to south. Every bit of these forests is vanishingly rare and precious. We are privileged people who live among them. I hope you are able to protect, enjoy and care for your forest.

Sincerely,

Munsell McPhillips

To the Community of Sea Girt:

As a conservation ecologist, I am continuously on the search for reference sites, those that are ideal in structure and ecological function that we can use as models to conserve or even restore. We recognize in the field of restoration that we can never improve upon what is naturally occurring for maritime forests. They are truly essential parts of our coastline that are unfortunately all too rare to encounter in our densely populated state. With Crescent Park, you are so fortunate to have an intact maritime forest – one that is capable of mitigating storm damage, providing a source of refuge for species and a place for people to explore and connect with nature. Therefore, it is incredibly disheartening to have just learned about the plans to destroy part of Crescent Park.

I fully acknowledge the need to foster outdoor recreation opportunities for people, but please understand that this should not be at the expense of one of the most threatened ecosystems. By altering even just a part of Crescent Park, you are opening up that invaluable ecosystem to intense damages associated with wind damage, storm surges, and invasive species. I am part of the chorus of thousands of others who are strongly opposed to development in Crescent Park and hope that my insight as a scientist, avid outdoors person, and New Jersey resident can help you to make decisions based on the long-term integrity of the shore. We cannot lose any more maritime forests than we already have.

Daniela Shebitz, Ph.D.

Executive Director and Associate Professor

School of Environmental and Sustainability Science Kean University, 1000 Morris. Ave. Union, NJ 07083

Thank you for your inquiry regarding proposed development of a paddle court at Crescent Park. While New Jersey Audubon developed the Forest Stewardship Plan for the park, we are not able to make specific comments on the proposed project. We do not have the capacity to engage in local zoning and development issues, but we certainly do encourage citizens to be active in local decision making.

We would however draw your attention to some information presented in the Forest Stewardship Plan, which does recognize important aspects of this forest patch that would be valuable to reiterate to the municipality regarding the potential impacts of the proposed project. Specifically, the plan notes on page 7:

"Being that Crescent Park is an isolated patch of forest lacking connectivity to other blocks of forest, it has minimal value for wildlife species other than birds. Because of the relatively small size of the park (within a forest context), there is little opportunity to create breeding habitat for many birds, however, because the park is one of the few remaining significant blocks of maritime forest along the coast in this area, it could be viewed as critical habitat for migrating birds. The mixture of trees and shrubs in maritime forests produce highly nutritious mast and seeds that sustain migrants as they travel between summer and winter ranges. Additionally, the forest patch provides resting cover where birds can stop during their journey and recuperate without the exposure that is found in residential landscapes"

I am writing to express our concern for Crescent Park and our support to you as you move forward with added recreational features. We understand through news coverage and outreach from residents that the Council is planning to add paddle ball courts to the park.

As you may be aware, our organization is 50 years old and works primarily for the protection and restoration of Barnegat Bay, which is the largest body of water in the state of New Jersey. While the Borough of Sea Girt does not fall within the Barnegat Bay watershed, it does share some unique ecological features — primarily a maritime forest which provides habitat for native flora and fauna at the Jersey Shore.

We hope that you will carefully consider your decisions as once this special habitat is lost, it is unlikely to be replaced because the shore area is so desirable and has been almost fully built-out. It is exactly spaces like this pocket park that give our neighborhoods that special feel of being away from urban centers and being closer to nature and the vibrations of the shore seasons and migrations. Wildlife also seeks respite here in this pocket park.

We know that you care and that you and your community organizations have done much already. We are writing tonight to offer additional support to you and to let you know that your decisions matter to all of us who value this unique environment at the Jersey Shore. You are the stewards of Crescent Park. If we can help you with resources like landscape architects, native plant experts, or wildlife biologists that specialize in these unique spaces, please let us know.

Some facts to consider:

• The park is a rare, 17-acre remnant of maritime forest in an otherwise largely-developed area at the Jersey Shore.

• Light emanating from the paddle ball courts will affect wildlife

• Vulnerable species such as the Cooper’s Hawk, which has been listed as endangered in NJ since 1974, have been sighted within the park.

• Because Crescent Park is one of the last remaining maritime forests in the area, it plays an important role as critical habitat for bird species and is an important stop in their migrations.

Please preserve the important maritime forest remnants at Crescent Park, Sea Girt, NJ 

New Jersey has two distinctions: it is the most densely populated state in the Unites States, and it lies right in the middle of the Atlantic flyway of migrating birds. The first contributes to our state being a crowded but exciting and vibrant place full of culture and opportunities. The second comes with the unique chance to experience biodiversity firsthand in the form of hundreds of bird species that visit our state biannually. It therefore also comes with an enormous responsibility: thousands of migratory birds converse twice per year on our state, and they need spaces to rest and to refuel on their often very long journey. This creates a known dilemma, as green spaces that can provide such rest havens for migratory birds are few and are today merely small, green islands in a sea of development. The maritime forest of Crescent Park is a prime example of such a crucial place. Research in our lab at Rutgers University Newark aims at understanding the role that small, scattered patches of vegetation within urban and suburban spaces have in sustaining bird migration. In New Jersey and beyond in the whole of the Northeast, the main migratory flyway overlaps the most urbanized region of North America, and which forms a potential physical barrier for migrants. We were able to show that many bird migrants rely on stop-over sites to replenish spent energy. Therefore, the presence of suitable habitats within a matrix of urban land is critical for the survival of many migratory bird species. 

With alarm I learned of plans to develop sizable parts of the maritime forest at Crescent Park. I urge you to find alternatives for such plans. We simply cannot afford to lose any more of the few remaining bird migration stopover sites. 

Yours sincerely, 

Dr. Claus Holzapfel

Re: SeaGirt Maritime forest

As part of my engagement in the New Jersey Landscape Change Project (https://crssa.rutgers.edu/projects/lc/), we have been mapping and monitoring the New Jersey Landscape for a number of years. This work has been entailed more detailed mapping and characterization of coastal ecosystems and habitats, so I am intimately familiar with natural areas up and down the Jersey shore.

Maritime forest systems are quite rare in New Jersey. They occupy a very special niche in the coastal environment and have been encroached upon throughout the state. Outside of Sandy Hook National Recreation Area and Island Beach State Park, Crescent Park in Sea Girt is one of the few places where the holly-dominated back-dune forest continues to exist along New Jersey’s Atlantic coast.  Crescent Park is especially notable in that it has a number of mature holly tree specimens and is protected from coastal storm surges (due to the houses that front the park).  Sandy Hook’s forest took a bad hit during SuperStorm Sandy.

I applaud Sea Girt for its foresight to create and maintain this park. However, in view of the uniqueness of the maritime forest and its many challenges to persist, the effort should be on retaining all parts of the system rather than converting any of it to non-maritime forest use. Further fragmenting this comparatively intact forest will open the remaining forest area to natural disturbances and invasive plants.  I encourage Sea Girt to support the maintenance of this unique maritime forest ecological system as a natural open space to its citizens.  This is an opportunity for Sea Girt to be a role model in the pursuit of ecological resilience through the responsible stewarding of this unique area of maritime forest.