Story

The Bayshore Center at Bivalve operates the schooner A. J. Meerwald, New Jersey’s official tall ship, as an experiential classroom. This authentically restored 1928 Delaware Bay oyster schooner sails from her homeport of Bivalve, New Jersey as well as annual visits to cities and coastal towns throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware and occasional special trips into the Chesapeake Bay. Students range from fourth graders to senior citizens; subject matter ranges from the history of Delaware Bay oystering to present water quality issues. Motivating people to take care of the environment, the history and the culture of New Jersey’s Bayshore region are the primary goals of all activities on the A. J. Meerwald, regardless of their target audience, length of program, and/or port of origin. The Bayshore Center at Bivalve also conducts shore-based programs, lecture series, hosts Delaware Bay Day (the first Saturday in June), and provides leadership on watershed issues throughout the Delaware Estuary. Members and volunteers are the lifeblood of the organization and are always welcome.