Island Beach State Park Admission Free Saturday For 'Ocean Fun Day'

By Patricia A. Miller

With Memorial Day looming, the state Department of Environmental Protection is inviting Island Beach State Park lovers to a free ”Ocean Fund Day” on Saturday.

The annual environmental education event -- which is organized by the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium and the DEP -- will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visitors can take part in eco-tours of the island, hands-on activities, educational displays, a variety of classes, and exhibits that celebrate the real Jersey Shore, while offering tips on preserving our natural coastal resources for future generations, according to a DEP release.

“Ocean Fun Day is becoming a great tradition at Island Beach State Park and we’re excited to again provide some great recreation for our residents and to show off how fully our park has recovered from the battering it took from Superstorm Sandy,” said Island Beach State Park Manager Ray Bukowski. “Our beautiful barrier island, where visitors are always enjoying and learning about the environment and the park’s ecology, is a perfect setting for this fun and educational event.”

A large number of exhibitors have committed to be a part of the event. Activities will include seining, coastal crafts, an energy-saving scavenger hunt, youth fishing clinics, face painting, touch tanks, a student science fair competition and the NJSGC’s famous fiddler crab races. There also will be a clamming demonstration.

“There could not be a better place for Ocean Fun Days to begin than Island Beach State Park” said Claire Antonucci, Executive Director of the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium. “It is the perfect outdoor classroom to learn about the wonders of our coast.”

Visitors coming on Saturday to Island Beach State Park for Ocean Fun Day are directed to go to Ocean Bathing Area 1, which is about four miles past the park’s gatehouse.

Photo credit: Friends of Island Beach State Park