Ocean Fun Days 2017 Press Release

May 5th, 2017

 

Kick Summer Off with a Splash at Ocean Fun Days!

Now celebrating its fourteenth consecutive year, Ocean Fun Days will be held on Saturday, May 20th at Island Beach State Park in Seaside Park and Sunday, May 21st at New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium’s headquarters in the historic Fort Hancock section of Sandy Hook. Both events take place rain or shine from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. As always, admission and parking are free to all attendees.

Ocean Fun Days is a weekend of eco-friendly fun the whole family can enjoy. Many popular exhibitors are scheduled to return in 2017. They’ll offer a diverse array of educational displays, nature tours and interactive programs focused on coastal stewardship and energy conservation. Activities at both locations include seining, coastal crafts, an energy scavenger hunt, youth fishing clinics, face painting, touch tanks, games and exciting giveaways.

New this year at Island Beach State Park, join students and faculty from Project Terrapin and the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES) as they release young diamondback turtles back into their natural habitat. Space is limited for what’s sure to be a new Ocean Fun Days favorite.

On Sandy Hook, along with NJSGC’s famous fiddler crab races, the NOAA/National Marine Fisheries laboratory will host an open house where scientists and researchers eagerly await to share their influential work. The Sandy Hook Lighthouse and Officer’s Row living quarters will be open for tours. Don’t miss the WWII action at Fort Hancock’s Battery Gunnison. The National Park Service, in conjunction with the Army Ground Forces Association, will lead gun drills and demonstrations on Sunday. Complimentary shuttle bus service is provided to take visitors to all tour sites.

Ocean Fun Days is presented by founding sponsor New Jersey Natural Gas, in partnership with New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, Asbury Park Press, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, National Park Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Visit njseagrant.org/education/special-events/ocean-fun-days for more information, and view the entire Ocean Fun Days schedule here.

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 about NJSGC visit njseagrant.org.