'Two Rivers, One Future' Public Meeting in Red Bank

RED BANK, NJ - The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection announces a public open house for the New Jersey Fostering Regional Adaptation through Municipal Economic Scenarios (NJ FRAMES) project.

The open house will take place on Thursday evening, Feb. 23 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and will be held in the lobby of the prestigious Two River Theater in downtown Red Bank.

The goal of NJ-FRAMES is to help communities in the Two Rivers region prepare for and respond to coastal hazards and the risk of flooding by incorporating state-of-the-art science on sea level rise and coastal storm risk into local and regional resiliency plans. This event, themed "Two Rivers, One Future," is designed specifically for the general public to learn about the planning process and provide some initial input into their priorities for the Two Rivers Region.

The open house format will allow participants to come and go at any point during the evening and will feature several stations for both information dissemination and public engagement. Activities will include:

• A general background information station on the scope and goals of the project, along with information about other public engagement opportunities
• A more technical information station with information on sea-level rise and technical reports
• A keypad polling activity that will survey participants on their values and priorities for the region
• A photo booth and social media station to help build energy and momentum around the project
• A "Kids Corner" featuring the NJDEP Education and Outreach team, who will engage our youngest participants in the basics of ecology and resiliency of the region.
• And of course, refreshments!

The NJ FRAMES project is a regional and collaborative effort to understand our future flood vulnerability. The end result of the project will be a long-term resilience plan for the 15 municipalities surrounding the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers. This plan will identify ways our communities can reduce risks and impacts together. The project is led by the Two Rivers Council of Mayors and is funded by a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

You can find additional information on the NJ-FRAMES website http://www.nj.gov/dep/oclup/njframes.html