From the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife:

Using $20.3 million in funds from a federal trust fund, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection will restore nearly 200 acres of Salem County wetlands and grasslands, create an oyster reef, and build a public boat ramp to compensate the public for ecological harm caused to the Delaware River estuary by the massive oil spill from the tanker Athos I in 2004.

The restoration of wetlands and grasslands at the Mad Horse Creek Wildlife Management Area in Salem County accounts for nearly $19.4 million in compensation from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. More than $391,271 will be used for the creation more than 50 acres of oyster reefs in the bay, as well as $466,536 to widen, lengthen and pave the boat ramp at Stow Creek, along the border between Salem and Cumberland counties to improve boating access to the lower Delaware River and upper bay.

Under the plan approved by the Coast Guard, the DEP will restore 95 acres of wetlands and 100 acres of grasslands at the Mad Horse Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lower Alloways Creek Township. This restoration will provide habitat for forage fish that are important to the ecological balance in the river and bay as well as habitat for many types of birds, including eagles, hawks, herons and ducks.

The oyster reef project, to be launched in the spring, will involve the planting of crushed clamshells in an area of the lower bay, likely off Cape May County's Reeds Beach, to serve as a foundation for oyster growth. As the oysters grow, they will be transplanted to beds fresher water farther up the bay, where they are less susceptible to disease and will be able to mature to market size.

For more details on the 2004 oil spill and the projects now being funded, view the NJDEP news release online.

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