Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Sandy Hook Opens May 1

Fishing off beach at Sandy Hook

It was good to see that there was another sign of spring and of recovery of the beach areas at the Gateway National Recreation Area which includes NJ's Sandy Hook with the issuing of a Spring Guide with listings of programs.

The Sandy Hook Unit will open on May 1st. Three beach areas, (B, Gunnison and North Beach) will open on Memorial Day weekend. The repairs to the wastewater treatment plant will not be finished by this date, so some beach areas may be serviced by temporary restroom facilities. The repairs to the ferry service and bike path at Sandy Hook may not be completed by Memorial Day weekend.

Established in 1972, Gateway National Recreation Area offers more than 26,000 acres of marshes, wildlife sanctuaries and recreational athletic facilities, miles of sandy beaches; indoor and outdoor classrooms; picnicking and camping areas, as well as historic structures and military installations, airfields, a lighthouse, and adjacent waters around New York harbor. The park offers urban residents in two states a wide range of recreational opportunities year round. With more than nine million visitors a year, it is the third most visited national park in the country.

Information about all of Gateway's public programs: www.nps.gov/gate/

Wildflowers in the dunes


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do you knwo where you can see the seals this weekend, with sandy hook still closed?

Ken Ronkowitz said...

I'm not sure if you are referring to something specifically - and I don't know if anyone can guarantee a sighting, but they have been seen all along the coast including Seaside Park and Island Beach State Park.

You might get information from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine http://www.mmsc.org/ because, unfortunately, there have a been a good number of seal strandings in New Jersey.

This is actually a time when it is not unusual for gray and harbor seals to be found malnourished and suffering from respiratory infections and parasites.