History of local wetlands, back to Ice Age, discussed

Historical society hosts talk on history of town

Originally published to the Ocean Star on March 6, 2026

POINT PLEASANT — The Point Pleasant Historical Society held a talk Monday night on the history of the wetlands that are found throughout Ocean County.

Dennis Blazak, chairman of the environmental commission, led the address, beginning with the history of the area, going as far back as the Ice Age. Blazak concluded with projections of the future and what changes the area can expect depending on the actions that are taken in the coming decades.

Blazak said that understanding what the area looked like before it was developed may help people get a better understanding of what environmental measures will be most effective at combating issues like flooding, invasive species and global climate change.

What was Point Boro like?

The story of Point Boro began in the Ice Age, which ended more than 11,000 years ago, when the area was battered by centuries-long, 50 mph northeast winds. During that time, the land that is now called New Jersey was just south of the glacial ice margin, and was nearly 100 miles from the coast.

Blazak said that as far back as the Ice Age, the area was populated by Paleo-Indian settlers, also called Lithic peoples. These people are widely considered to be the first settlers of the Americas, and their name is derived from the archeological term “lithic flake,” which refers to the portions of rock that are removed when shaping a stone into a tool such as a knife or ax, the defining tool creation method of the era.

“I don’t think any members of the historic society were here during this time,” Blazak remarked.

Moving forward, Blazak showed maps depicting the area from when it was first colonized by Europeans in the 1600s up through the late 20th century. The purpose for leaving such a large gap in coverage was to highlight how drastically the area has changed in the last few centuries.

Blazak showed a map from 1675, created by cartographer John Seller, of the area that was called “New Jarsey” at the time, and pointed out that as far back as 350 years ago, the term “Barnegat Inlet” was being used.

One slide compared maps of Point Pleasant from 1947 and 1989, highlighting how post-World War II development and the creation of the Point Pleasant Canal drastically changed the ecological landscape of the area. High salinity levels threatened wildlife and changing tides eroded major areas of marshland. “Several hundred acres of marshland were wiped out,” he said. “Salt marshes serve as a buffer from the worst effects of storm surge and every acre of existing marsh is precious.”

Blazak cited a recent presentation given by the Bay Head Environmental Commission, which predicted near-daily flooding in the area by 2080 if action is not taken to mitigate flooding. He suggested raising roads as Point Pleasant Borough, Point Beach and Bay Head have done in the past, ensuring there are coastal evacuation routes that remain above the predicted water levels, and to raise the storm water outfalls.

“We don’t build for today, we build for 70 years from now,” he said. He also spoke of Slade Dale Sanctuary and Nellie Bennett Marsh. The Slade Dale Sanctuary is a 12.93-acre preserve maintained by the American Littoral Society. Blazak explained that one of the Littoral Society’s ongoing projects is to collect Christmas trees after the holiday season and strategically place them in the marsh in order to halt erosion. Nellie Bennett Marsh is a coastal wetland located south of Nellie Bennett Elementary School that has experienced severe degradation and loss of vegetation and is currently undergoing restoration efforts.