A 120-acre tract of land remains underutilized in Ventnor West.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR The city will hold a community cleanup April 5 at Ventnor West, a 120-acre vacant piece of waterfront land that the city wants to turn into an ecological park.
The Board of Commissioners March 25 passed a resolution authorizing grant writer James Rutala of Rutala Associates, Inc. of Linwood to apply for a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation National Coastal Resilience Fund grant, which requires a 1:1 cash or in-kind match from the city.
Ventnor West is one of the last remaining tracts of maritime uplands and coastal forests on Absecon Island.
The grant can be used for planning, design and restoration of lands to protect against storms and floods.
The city is collaborating with several technical organizations including Stockton University Coastal Research Center, Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, Atlantic County Utilities Authority and the Ventnor Board of Education and Ventnor Green Team.
Approximately $34 million is available to coastal municipalities in 2021 to increase protection from storms, sea level rise and erosion, and improve habitats for fish and wildlife. Grants of $250,000 to $5 million will be awarded based on program priorities, such as site assessments and design to restoration and monitoring. Awards will be announced in November.
Commissioner Tim Kriebel said he would like to see Ventnor West turned into an eco-park that could include a kayak launch, wildlife education area, birdwatching perch, small boardwalk, an observation area to view the Monarch butterfly migration, and an area for crabbing and fishing. The city has ordered Monarch butterfly kits that will raise butterflies for release in the area.
Ventnor West was once slated for residential development and later used as a landfill. The city's Master Plan includes developing an eco-park at the site.
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