Local Planning Departments can be wonderful resources for maps and information regarding a specific regional issue. For example: Steve Kehs, Director, Cumberland County Office of Planning, Recommendations for Managing Land Use Along the Lower Cohansey River, (609) 453-2175.

Chart tidal influences of the bay using maps.

Determine the watershed of your school/home town using a variety of maps.

Compare population densities of Down Jersey towns and/or counties to those in North Jersey.

Draw a map of Cumberland County and mark the locations of the lighthouses. Tell some interesting fact about each lighthouse. (Or choose another prominent landscape feature.)

Describe the tests utilized to determine water quality. Investigate a nearby waterway to see if there is any group that monitors it.

Investigate where you get your drinking water. How much water do you and your family use each day? Each week? Each year? What is the total for the class? The school? The community? What can be done to reduce the water consumption?

Find out what plans for development are being made for your community. Where are new homes being built? Can the schools reasonably handle the increase in student population? What other changes will occur?

Why does the “Down Jersey” region still maintain its quaint charm and “separation” from the rest of the state? Why is this area unique?

Define and describe the term watershed. What are the factors that influence the water quality? From what part of the Delaware Bay watershed is your school?

Investigate what initiatives and efforts at land preservation and conservation are underway in the “Down Jersey” region, in your town, in your county. (For example, the areas that are included as part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail will have special signage and designation and will be highlighted in the National Park Service’s publications; the Delaware Estuary recently completed the process of being part of the National Estuary Program; Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Inc. was instrumental in designating the Maurice River as a National Wild and Scenic River and introduced the film Down Jersey and this teacher’s guide.)