The Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore, which includes Monmouth and Ocean Counties, was recently honored for its outstanding effort to help educate the public about the danger of rip currents. The Jersey Shore Partnership, along
with The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC) and Stevens Institute of Technology, were primary partners
and mentors in the Girl Scout’s rip current awareness project.

As part of a special community service initiative proposed by The Jersey Shore Partnership, NJSGC worked with Stevens to design and offer several rip current education programs and outreach activities for the Girl Scouts to share in their communities.

This summer, Girls Scouts took inventory of posted rip current signs provided to towns up and down the Jersey Coast by NJSGC and placed QR tags on them to help educate beachgoers about rip current dangers and how to avoid them. When scanned with a smart phone or I-pad the tag connects users to the rip current pages of NJSGC’s website, which includes a video showing how to recognize and escape from rip currents.

According to Kim Kosko, Director of Communications for NJSGC, “Our organization has played a pivotal role in developing and overseeing rip current outreach and awareness projects, and the Girl Scouts have been a huge
asset to this summer’s efforts to spread the word about rip currents.” Kosko noted that NJSGC will continue to work throughout the winter months to have new rip current related projects and products ready for beachgoers
for the 2013 season.

The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium is an affiliation of colleges, universities and other groups dedicated to advancing knowledge and stewardship of New Jersey’s marine and coastal environment. NJSGC meets its mission
through its innovative research, education and outreach programs. For more information, visit NJSGC on the web
at njseagrant.org or on social media at facebook.com/NJSeaGrant and twitter.com/NJSeaGrant.