Working with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Fish and Wildlife, the Center is working to conduct an assessment of wildlife habitats that are particularly vulnerable to impacts of climate change.  Through a review of the scientific literature and an expert panel process, the Center will identify New Jersey habitats that are expected to be most significantly impacted by predicted climate change impacts, including sea level rise, storm surges, increased high heat days and changed air quality.  Results from the project will directly inform the state’s efforts to incorporate management strategies in forthcoming updates to the state Wildlife Action Plan.

 

In collaboration with several project partners and led by Monmouth University, the Center is assisting a collaboration of Mid-Atlantic States (the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Oceans) in its effort sot to address regional priorities including increasing renewable energy supplies and protecting critical ocean habitats, in conjunction with other regional objectives such as maintaining robust and sustainable maritime commerce, fisheries, recreation and national security interests. More specifically, the project, which is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Regional Ocean Partnership Funding Program, will support the states’ efforts to enhance a Mapping and Planning Portal in order to:

• engage ocean users and key stakeholders in compiling, creating and vetting ocean use data, and integrate data into the Portal;
• enhance the current Portal to include “reporting” features that allow users to characterize different management options to inform ocean management decisions; and
• build stakeholder and decision-maker capacity to access and productively use the Portal as a tool to inform ocean management and planning.

 

The Center worked with both the NJ Department of Environmental Protection and NJ Department of Health and Senior Services to create a web-based mapping application that incorporated both publically available environmental and health data.  This application was shown at a number of focus groups across the State.  From those focus groups the Center made recommendations to the State of how the data should be displayed and what would be most useful to develop for its users.

The degree of coordination among the municipalities and counties of the Raritan River Valley offers a unique opportunity for FEMA to work through the Sustainable Raritan River Collaborative to assess public knowledge, economic impacts, and risk management in mitigation of flood hazards in a focused riparian corridor. The project team is working on framework issues that can form an assessment tool for communities to use in making land use decisions in light of storm surges and increased stormwater challenges in the region.

 

Progress Report Part 1 | Progress Report Part 2 | Progress Report Part 3

 

Rutgers University will work with The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), Child and Adolescent Health Program to establish a Healthy Homes Advisory Committee and a Strategic Plan to assist various state agencies in their data gathering, surveillance, and programs regarding lead, radon, and other home hazards.  The end result is to have a Healthy Homes Program for the State of New Jersey that is fully integrated into the various state agencies.

With a partnership that began in 2008, the Center has worked with the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to develop a web-based mapping application that identifies the lead-based paint condition of housing in New Jersey.  In 2007 DCA identified a need to replace its large, hard to use pdf document with an interactive web-based tool.  The web-based mapping application went live and available to the public on August 24, 2010 and currently identifies over 300,000 housing units across the state.  Housing units listed on the Registry have either been built after December 31, 1977, and are thus deemed lead free, or have undergone abatement treatments to control or eliminate lead-based paint hazards.  The four categories that are captured with all housing listed on the registry include Lead Free, Lead Abated, Lead Free Interior, and Lead Hazard Controlled properties.  The map uses a Google base map that enables the user to better visualize the surrounding neighborhood.  The map contains most of the features that users will be familiar with from using Google Maps to perform location searches.  When a user enters an address into the search box, a list of addresses will appear in the space below indicating addresses that are located in or near their search criteria.  If a user clicks on a particular icon within the map, a pop-up box will appear with more details about the location and its lead status.  To learn more about the Lead Safe Housing Registry or about the New Jersey Leadsafe Program please visit http://www.state.nj.us/dca/dcr/leadsafe/registry.html or http://www.state.nj.us/dca/dcr/leadsafe/

How can water utilities best communicate issues of water quality and water management to their customers? This research addresses the challenges of a shifting public approach to information and their perception of water quality issues. The results of the project will frame ways water education is conducted in future outreach efforts

Rutgers University will be providing support to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) in New York State’s implementation of New York’s Climate Smart Communities (CSC) program. Through a cooperative relationship with local governments, NYSERDA seeks to develop the guidance that approximately 100 local governments need to become active participants in the CSC program. Through this effort, Rutgers will work with NYSERDA, local governments, and CSC partners to develop and implement cost effective tools that will lead to measurable improvements in local climate mitigation, adaptation and sustainability planning. This effort will focus on providing support for local land use and transportation planning, and developing a land use, zoning, and transportation and building code toolkit.

Photo by Mario Burger

The more than 100 members of the Sustainable Raritan River Collaborative are working together to achieve the highest quality for the waters and riparian areas of the Raritan River basin including issues of economic growth, remediation of contaminated lands, restoration of habitat, and mitigating the affects of flooding. Visit the website for this project

 

The Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) is a collaborative effort among energy, environment and transportation Agency Heads of 11 Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states and the District of Columbia.  The mission of TCI is to foster opportunity for the states in the region to work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase energy efficiency in the transportation sector.  The Center provides assistance to TCI through a consulting arrangement with the Georgetown Climate Center which facilitates TCI.  The Center’s support for TCI includes assistance with overall strategic planning with a particular focus on TCI’s work related to development of state level sustainability policies.