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Get Jersey-Friendly Yards Certified!
If you’re a resident, school, or municipality located in the Barnegat Bay watershed, you’re eligible to enroll in one of our Jersey-Friendly Yards Certification Programs.

Who Can Participate?

Residents, schools and municipalities within the Barnegat Bay watershed are eligible to participate in this Program. All 33 municipalities in Ocean County and portions of four in Monmouth County (Millstone, Freehold, Howell, and Wall) lie within the watershed.

Ocean County Municipalities in the Barnegat Bay watershed:

  • Barnegat
  • Barnegat Light
  • Bay Head
  • Beach Haven
  • Beachwood
  • Berkeley
  • Brick
  • Eagleswood
  • Harvey Cedars
  • Island Heights
  • Jackson
  • Lacey
  • Lakehurst
  • Lakewood
  • Lavallette
  • Little Egg Harbor
  • Long Beach
  • Manchester
  • Mantoloking
  • Ocean
  • Ocean Gate
  • Pine Beach
  • Plumsted
  • Point Pleasant
  • Point Pleasant Beach
  • Seaside Heights
  • Seaside Park
  • Ship Bottom
  • South Toms River
  • Stafford
  • Surf City
  • Toms River
  • Tuckerton

Why Get Certified?

The main source of water pollution in the Barnegat Bay is non-point or “people” pollution coming from all over the watershed, the land area draining to the bay.

By enrolling in one of these three certification programs, you will learn about landscaping practices that reduce sources of pollution, conserve water supplies, and create valuable habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. The voluntary actions you take as a program participant and land steward will contribute to cleaner water and a healthier environment for everyone who lives, works, and plays in the Barnegat Bay watershed.

The three Jersey-Friendly Yards Certification Programs are voluntary and designed to complement each other from the individual to community level. We will work with you, providing technical information and guidance to help you reach your stewardship goals and get certified.

What are the Benefits of Certification?

  • A healthier yard for you, your family, and your community,
  • Cost savings by using low-maintenance land care practices, 
  • The knowledge that your actions are contributing to cleaner water and a healthier environment, 
  • The opportunity to set an example and be an environmental leader in your community, and 
  • Recognition of your commitment to landscaping for a healthy environment.

Enroll in a Jersey-Friendly Yards Certification Program.

The Barnegat Bay Partnership and Ocean County Soil Conservation District, a project partner, developed the Jersey-Friendly Yards Certification Program with Water Quality Restoration Grant funding from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

In the future, we hope to partner with other organizations to offer the Jersey-Friendly Yards Certification Program throughout New Jersey.
Do you represent such an organization?