August 20th, 2016
Imagine Your Park, Imagine The Art
New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium has partnered with local artist Lisa Bagwell to bring attention to local art, our national parks and environmental science. Bagwell specializes in creating sculptures out of discarded plastics and other trash. See some of her art on her website.
This project is part of a collaboration by Monmouth Arts with National Park Service and Gateway National Recreation Area – Sandy Hook to engage the public with local national parks through art.
During this summer, Bagwell worked with campers at the Consortium to create art out of recycled materials found around Sandy Hook.
You can see Bagwell in action during the Zero Waste Arts Fest, a festival meant to engage diverse communities through an array of arts, environmental and historical education activities, public art and battery tours, games, arts and food vendors, and free family fun. The festival will take place on September 17 and 18. Bagwell will create a sculpture during the festival created from garbage thrown out during the two day event.
Other organizations partnered with artists for this Monmouth Arts project include Clean Ocean Action, American Littoral Society and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Learn more about the projects and Zero Waste Arts Fest here.
June 30th, 2016
If it is summertime, you can be pretty sure that most New Jersey residents have plans to make it to the beach. And with so many miles of wonderful coastline, why wouldn’t they? Whether it’s for a day trip or a whole week, New Jersey beaches are prime locations for summer fun in our great outdoors.
This poll was created in 2008 as the New Jersey’s Top Ten Beaches Survey to encourage stewardship and pride in the state’s beaches while promoting a little healthy competition between New Jersey’s favorite beach towns. It is a way to celebrate everything there is to love about the Jersey Shore. We’ve conducted this poll since 2008 to call attention to New Jersey’s amazing beaches. Over time we’ve learned a thing or two — mostly that New Jerseyans are passionate about all the beaches up and down our coast. So, in order to better recognize every inch of our wonderful coastline, this year we will recognize a number one beach in each of New Jersey’s four coastal counties as well as a favorite beach overall.
This year after nearly 10,000 votes cast in a public poll, New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium revealed the winners in Ocean City, the defending champion of the poll.
In the news
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June 13th, 2016
As summer approaches, sharks are often the center of media attention as swimmers enter the water and habitat of these creatures. However, only 6 deaths occur worldwide due to shark attacks while more than 100 people per year die as a result of rip currents in the United States.
Throughout the summer, Dr. Amy Williams will discuss the important of her exciting new trivia game – fittingly deemed Ocean Hazards: Rip Currents vs. Sharks – at libraries and schools throughout local coastal communities. Dr. Williams, New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium Coastal Ecology Extension Agent will present on June 22 to raise awareness about rip currents and what to do if you are caught in one.
For additional information on New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium’s Rip Current Awareness program, please visit https://njseagrant.org/ripcurrents/.
May 17th, 2016
View the Ocean Fun Days schedule schedule here.
Ocean Fun Days are here again! Enjoy two days of free family fun at this annual event focused on New Jersey’s coastal environment. On Saturday May 21 Ocean Fun Days takes place at Island Beach State Park in Seaside Park, N.J. and on May 22 the event will be held on Sandy Hook at New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium’s headquarters in the historic Fort Hancock section of the park. Both days are rain or shine from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and admission and parking are free.
Bring the entire family for a day of coastal crafts, touch tanks, energy conservation exhibits, energy scavenger hunts, eco tours, youth fishing clinics, face painting, giveaways and our famous fiddler crab races. On Sunday, there will also be an open house of the NOAA Marine Lab at Sandy Hook and tours of Fort Hancock’s historic sites.
Be sure to enter the free drawing for a chance to win a Jenkinson’s Family of Five Fun pack. This prize includes passes to the beach, amusements and mini golf, plus admission to Jenkinson’s Aquarium in Point Pleasant Beach.
New for this year is the “Picture-This, Caption That!” challenge. Students in grades 3-5 and 6-8 created photos with captions depicting how they conserve energy and help preserve our natural resources. At Ocean Fun Days, visitors will be able to cast their vote to select two winners who will receive guided field trips for their entire class to either Island Beach State Park or Sandy Hook.
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 and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“Each year we look forward to partnering with New Jersey Natural Gas and all our partners and exhibitors to offer this free event to the public. Everyone involved is truly committed to our state’s incredible shoreline and shares in our goal to educate the public about its sustainable use and care,” notes Claire Antonucci, executive director of New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium.
Visit njseagrant.org/education/special-events/ocean-fun-days.
May 6th, 2016
Please join us on May 19th for a special screening of Ocean Frontiers II at Maris Stella Retreat and Conference Center in Harvey Cedars, N.J., followed by a Q&A with a panel of local and regional experts on ocean stewardship and the Mid-Atlantic’s first-ever regional ocean plan! In a region steeped in old maritime tradition, the film tells the story of a modern wave of big ships, offshore wind energy and a changing climate, and how people are coming together to plan for a healthy ocean off their coast.
When:Thursday, May 19, 2016; Reception: 6:30 p.m.; Film and Discussion: 7:00-8:45 p.m.
Where: Maris Stella Retreat and Conference Center,
7201 Long Beach Boulevard,
Harvey Cedars, NJ 08008-3135
Free admission & refreshments
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