New Web Site Will Provide Beach Access Information

NJ MARINE SCIENCES CONSORTIUM
SANDY HOOK — The New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium/NJ Sea Grant
(NJMSC/NJSG) has been awarded a mini-grant from the National Sea Grant Law Center (NSGLC) to develop a new public access web site to help New Jersey waterfront users, coastal communities, and land owners address coastal access issues. The web site will offer specific legal tools that address defined coastal access needs and build the capacity of communities to confront these issues cooperatively and hopefully without litigation.
The project will be modeled on an existing Maine-based public access website (accessingthemainecoast.com) created in 2007 with funding from the NSGLC. Following a review of the Maine web site, the NSGLC determined that the vast majority of its legal content can be easily applied to coastal and Great Lakes states throughout the United States.
Robert Kempf, a fourth-year law student at Rutgers University was recently recruited by NJMSC/NJSG to research New Jersey public access laws and regulations and compile information about resources relevant to the state for the new web site. He’ll also draft the website text based on his research and compilation.
The New Jersey website will be similar in design and function to the much visited and successful website developed by Maine Sea Grant. Users will be directed to begin their search by identifying the stakeholder category they represent. From that point, they will be guided through a series of questions tailored specifically to that stakeholder group.
Further exploration will direct users to various legal tools that can be applied to their specific issue. The site will feature links to Common Law and Statutes relevant to New Jersey, and a number of pre-designed pages and pre=determined topics including a Coastal Access Toolkit, Frequently Asked Questions, Resources, Glossary, Site Map, and a Site Search.
It’s expected the research and information compilation phase of the website project will begin this summer and be completed by the end of this year.
NJMSC/NJ Sea Grant is an affiliation of colleges, universities and other groups dedicated to advancing knowledge and stewardship of New Jersey’s marine and coastal environment. It meets its mission through its innovative research, education and outreach programs. For more information about NJMSC/NJ Sea Grant, visit njmsc.org