It will restore the salt marsh on the island
OCEAN CITY — During Earth Week, the state Department of Environmental Protection and Mayor Jay Gillian announced April 22 the city is getting a $5 million grant to restore salt marsh on Shooting Island.
“Ocean City has been a leader in investing in solutions related to habitat restoration and living shorelines during an era of rising seas,” the mayor stated in the NJDEP release. “The city is deeply grateful to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for the grant funding and the opportunity to partner in this important work.”
The $5 million is among $14.8 million in grants the NJDEP is providing through its Natural Climate Solutions Grant Program.
“These projects deliver on Gov. Sherrill’s mission to protect our communities from flooding and will directly protect property, infrastructure and local economies, and help avoid more costly repairs caused by severe storms,” acting Commissioner Ed Potosnak said.
According to the DEP, the innovative grant program supports projects that enhance salt marshes, tidal estuaries and forests to improve communities’ flood resilience. The grant awards, part of the program’s latest funding round launched in August 2025, were announced during a press conference at a salt marsh restoration project site in the northern Barnegat Bay region that will protect a school, drinking water infrastructure and homes.
The local project will restore 136 acres of salt marsh on Shooting Island, which is in the Intracoastal Waterway in Great Egg Harbor Bay, between Ocean City and the mainland.
The multi‑phase project begins with placing 11,200 cubic yards of dredged sediment to re-establish the island’s historical wetland footprint, the DEP reported.
Subsequent phases will entail application of thin layers of dredged sediment to interior ponds and low‑lying areas to support marsh creation and improve vegetation growth.
Restoring elevation across degraded areas of the marsh will enhance ecological resilience to sea‑level rise, protect community infrastructure and nearby homes, and support habitat goals for threatened and endangered bird species, including the black rail and salt marsh sparrow.
The project will provide a beneficial way to use material dredged from the city’s lagoons and waterways, according to a release provided by the city, which noted Ocean City Business Administrator George Savastano traveled to Point Pleasant on Earth Day for the announcement of the new awards.
The material will be used to restore the original outline of the uninhabited island, which covers about 150 acres near Ocean City’s Riviera and Ocean Reef neighborhoods. Material also will be spread in a thin layer to rebuild the marshes, the city reported.
The work will restore habitat and create a living shoreline to help protect plants and wildlife. It will rebuild an important buffer against coastal flooding.
Shooting Island shields year-round neighborhoods from storm surge, and healthy wetlands are a great defense. The project most likely will use material dredged from nearby state waterways that include Carnival Bayou, Venetian Bayou and Ocean City Lagoon, according to the city.
“In Ocean City, we’re blessed to live in such a beautiful place,” Gillian said. “But we also have a special responsibility to take care of our marine environment and to be prepared for the future. Everybody wins with this grant: boaters, fishermen, birders, kayakers … anyone who enjoys using our bay waters.”
“I want to thank the DEP, ACT Engineers, our city team and everyone who helped put this program together,” the mayor added in the release. “Ocean City continues to be a leader in seeking innovative solutions, and we now have received more than $15 million in grants since 2017 to maintain our bayside waters and wetlands.”
– By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
Photos courtesy of Ocean City