Archive for April, 2010
Is Long Beach Island Your Favorite Beach?
Posted by: | CommentsVote Long Beach Island as New Jersey’s Top Ten Beaches
Use the links below to cast your vote now!
There are 48 shore communities represented, from Sandy Hook to Cape May. In your opinion, which represents the best beach? Once again, there are four categories in which to rate your best beach. We’ve given you some tips to get you started. Let the competition begin!
Family Destination | Day Trips | Ecotourism | Shore Events
The results of the 2010 New Jersey’s Top Ten Beaches Survey will be featured during NJMSC/NJSG’s annual State of the Shore Media Event which will take place on Thursday, May 27, 2010, just before the Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of the summer season.
Long Beach Island-LBI-Harvey Cedars Beach Replenishment Project-Newest Photos
Posted by: | CommentsThe nice weather enabled the Harvey Cedars Beach Replenishment Project to go uninterruped for more than two weeks. The storms this winter pushed the project end date into June. The project lost 50 days due to weather conditions. There are about 30 days of dedging work left. The dune grass plantings will have to wait until fall since the warmer weather hit and plantings can only be done in the cooler weather while the plants are dormant.
New photos were taken of the Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Island beach replenishment project. The street links with new photos taken on April 20, 2010 are below. Go to each link and scroll to the bottom to see the newest photos and progress.
Surf City –Long Beach Island Fertilizer Rules
Posted by: | CommentsSurf City joins Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom and Harvey Cedars in adopting a fertilizer ordinance. Beach Haven is currently drafting one.
Excess fertilizer runoff into the bay damages the bay. The ordinance chapter is called “Chemical Application Requirements” which regulates the use of fertilizers especially those high in phosphorus. Phosphorus is less desirable than nitrogen because nitrogen-based fertilizer is available in slow release formulas and are not as a big of a problem that propagate algae blooms in the bay.
The ordinance will hopefully lesson the effects of chemicals that get washed into the local waters. Some common sense points are: Don’t fertilize in the winter when melted snow washes the chemicals out to the bay. Don’t leave fertilizer products outside where rain can contaminate runoff.
To prevent excess fertilizer and runoff, feed the soil by working compost and plant food thoroughly into the soil before you plant. It makes polluting run-off just about impossible.
Compost is available at the Ocean County Recycling Center, on Recovery Road off Route 72 in Manahawkin. It is available to Ocean County residents. Bring your own containers and a shovel. Top soil, peat moss or mushroom soil or a combination can be used instead of compost.
Surf City’s code enforcement is handled through its police department. The borough’s penalty code provides for fines ranging from $100 to $2,000 determined by the municipal judge.
Long Beach Island Beach Wheels Program
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Started in 1992, the LBTBP Beachwheels program is one of the largest beach wheelchair programs in the country.
The Beachwheels (or Surf Chairs®) are made from lightweight PVC tubing and oversized wheels so that they can handle difficult terrain such as the beach.
Anyone staying at a Township of Long Beach address is eligible to reserve and use a Surf Chair® at no charge. However, we cannot lend chairs to people staying at hotels unless special security arrangements have been made in advance. Additionally, chairs may only be used within Long Beach Township
The Beachwheels program is funded by donations from Long Beach Island businesses and service organizations and by contributions from individual residents of Long Beach Township and Long Beach Island.
The program currently has five chairs for children and thirty-four chairs for adults. This includes two daily adult chairs permanently located at Bayview Park. The remaining are available on a weekly basis with one chair specifically designed for fishing.
Reserving a Surf Chair:
It is necessary to make reservations in advance because there are a limited number of Surf Chairs®.
The Surf Chairs® can be reserved for up to one week (Saturday through Saturday). One chair is designated as a daily chair available at Bayview Park.
To reserve a Surf Chair®, call the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol at (609) 361-1200.
Please provide your full name, home address, local address, and phone numbers for both addresses, along with the dates (Saturday through Saturday) you wish to reserve the Surf Chair®.
In addition, you will need to provide an I.D. mailed or faxed to (609) 361-1210 (i.e.: Driver’s License, Passport, or Military I.D. etc.) at time of reservation.
You do not have to pick up the chair; we will deliver it to your residence. All drop offs and all pick ups will be made on Saturday. You should also include any special instructions for the delivery.
You are required to confirm your reservation two days prior to the date of delivery.
Care & Operation:
An attendant is needed to move the chair; it cannot be moved by the person using it.
The chairs are equipped with retractable or removable footrests, safety restraints, removable umbrellas and anti-roll handles. Eleven have removable armrests.
The anti-roll handles are located behind the rear axle. They are engaged by aligning the pins with the entrance slots and turning the handle one-quarter turn.
The umbrella is attached to the right side of the chair’s backrest. To secure the umbrella, tighten the pressure coupling on the umbrella shaft.
Please use care when operating the chair to avoid accidents.
Please hose off the chair on a daily basis to remove sand and salt.
Please do not leave the chair unattended, and please store the chair in a secure place when not in use.
If there are any problems with the chair—or if you have any questions or comments—please call the Beach Patrol office at (609) 361-1200.
Long Beach Township Beach Patrol Beach Wheels
Ramps for the Physically Challenged at 4th, 8th, 9th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 20th, 21st. & 25th streets in Ship Bottom. BeachWheels available from Ship Bottom Beach Patrol. Call to reserve in advance.
Beach Patrol Office Phone – 609-494-9481
Red Cross Blood Drive
Posted by: | CommentsWhat: American Red Cross Blood Drive
Where: EJ Cafeteria
When: Friday, April 23rd from 3:00-8:00pm
Please visit www.pleasegiveblood.org to schedule an appointment.
Why Should You Donate Blood?
You don’t need a special reason to give blood. You just need your own reason.
Some of us give blood because we are asked by a friend. Some of us give blood because we know a family member or a friend might need blood someday. Some of us give blood because we believe it is the right thing to do.
The need for blood is constant. Your contribution is very important to maintain a healthy and plentiful blood supply. When you donate through the Red Cross, you help save lives by gibing of yourself in just about an hour. You may never meet the person who receives your blood, but you’ll feel good knowing you helped change a life.
What are the Basic Eligibility Requirements?
If you are at least 17 years old, weigh a minimun of 110 pounds and are in general good health and feeling well on the day of donation, you may be eligible to give blood. Eligible blood donors can give every two months.
What Can You Expect?
Come Prepared. Make sure you’ve had a light meal and plenty to drink. Bring your photo ID and the names of medications you are taking.
Registration. Our staff and volunteers will sign you in and go over basic eligibility and donation information.
Brief health history. You will be asked to fill out a brief health history questionnaire so that we can better determine your eligibility to give on the day you come to donate. This process is private and confidential. We measure the number of red blood cells present in a sample of blood.
Donation. The actual donation takes about 6-8 minutes, during which you will be seated comfortably. The process is safe and sterile. Red Cross staff and volunteers will be available if you have any questions or concerns.
Refreshments. After donating, we will provide you with free snacks and refreshments and a place to rest and relax for about 15 minutes.
The Long Beach Island Education Assoication PRIDE team will be providing some of the refreshments.
Check out LBI Fest on Long Beach Island
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Another exciting event taking place in the next few months is LBI Fest! This first annual event takes place on Saturday June 12 from 11 am – 6 pm at the Long Beach Township Municipal Complex on Long Beach Island. Featuring an awesome collection of LBI restaurants, artists, entertainers, non-profit organizations, and other businesses, this festival is sure to kick off summer with a sizzle!
WHO: A collection of LBI’s restaurants, retail shops, artists, businesses, entertainers, and non-profit organizations.
WHAT: A FREE day of early-Summer fun, featuring local restaurant fare, local artists, clothing and surf accessories, activities for all ages, entertainment, and MORE!
WHEN: Saturday June 12, 2010 from 11 am – 6 pm. There is no rain date.
WHERE: Long Beach Township Municipal Complex (for directions, click on “Driving Directions” in side navigation)
WHY: To help support Re-Clam the Bay and celebrate the beautiful Island we love by enjoying the company and talents of everyone who makes LBI the REAL Jersey Shore!
and last but not least…
HOW MUCH: Admission to the festival is FREE! Other goods, services, and activities will be priced by their providers. Portions of proceeds will be donated to Re-Clam the Bay.
Visit the website below:
If you have any cool family ideas for games, let me know in the Comments section right away!
Long Beach Island Earth Day Event Information
Posted by: | CommentsAlliance for a Living Ocean Cleanup – LONG BEACH ISLAND, NJ April 24
on April 24, 2010 10:00am – 1:00pm – LBI, NJ |
Created by Alliance for a Living Ocean
Alliance for a Living Ocean’s (ALO) 17th annual Earth Day Clean Up will take place from 10 am – 1 pm, Saturday, April 24 rain or shine. This year, the Long Beach Island Business Alliance’s (LBIBA) “Green Up Clean Up” will support ALO’s efforts by using their resources to clean up along the Boulevard.
MEET AT:
Cedar Bonnet Island (in the Dutchman’s parking lot), Ship Bottom at the public dock and boat ramp, Beach Haven- Center Street at the ocean beach, Surf City, 16 St. and Bay Beach, Barnegat Light at the end of Broadway, and Holgate.
ALO board members will be on hand by to sign people in, distribute bags, gloves, and data cards to track the debris.
Volunteers can just show up at one of the sites the day of the event. Groups should call the ALO office to register so the executive director can coordinate the manpower most effectively. Volunteers should wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts in light colors, wear sneakers or boots (not sandals), and bring sun block. Younger children must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, email alolbi@verizon.net or call ALO at: 609-494-7800.
Gathering to be held afterwards – food and prizes!
Celebrate Earth Day on Long Beach Island
Posted by: | CommentsJust Bead It would like to invite everyone to join them for the Green Up Clean Up- an event supporting the Alliance for a Living Ocean’s 17th annual Earth Day Clean Up. This event encourages everyone to “Go Green!” by cleaning up the beautiful LBI area on April 24th from 9 am – 12 pm, on Long Beach Island, New Jersey.
For the green thumbs on Long Beach Island, attend “Gardening on the Island” at the LBI branch of the Ocean County Library on April 14th 10 am. Get advice and guidance on the types of plants that thrive in the seashore environment from the LBI experts (members of the Garden Club of Long beach Island).
The following is a list of plants that perform well according to a specific zone at the seashore.
Zone 1- Primary Dunes, oceanfront, exposed to salt and wind
Zone 2- Secondary dunes, first block, more sheltered
Zone 3- Lee side, even more sheltered, bayside, exposed to winter, winds, and flooding
Some trees, shrubs, grasses, and groundcovers are listed below according to zone:
Zone 1
Trees
Serviceberry
American Holly
Eastern Red Cedar
Japanese Blace Pine
Black Cherry
Shrubs
House Hydrangea
Inkberry
Pfitzer Juniper
Wax Myrtle
Bayberry
Beach Plum
Sumac
Rugosa rose
Vines & Groundcover
Shore Juniper
Seaside goldenrod
Boston ivy
Grasses
American beachgrass
Zone 2
Trees
Sycamore maple
Colorado spruce
Pitch pine
Golden weeping willow
American holly
Japenese flowering cherry
Shrubs
Wintergreen barberry
Blue spirea
Black chokeberry
Winged Euonymous
Japenese Holy
Chinese Holly
Winterberry
Honeysucklr
Rose
Juniper
Yew
Vines & Groundcover
Switch grass
Virginia creeper
Zone 3
Trees
Red maple
Atlantic white cedar
Pitch pine
White, Green ash
Virginia pine
Laurel leaf willow
Sassafras
Flowering dogwood
Crabapple
Shrubs
Japenese barberry
Butterfly bush
Scotch broom
Keep Long Beach Island Beaches Clean
Posted by: | CommentsThe idea of protecting our Earth is slowly catching on with the increase in green products and services. There are so many small things that each individual can do to contribute to keeping Earth healthy.
This time of year on Long Beach Island is exciting as the warm days increase and the cold ones disappear. Many people start cleaning up their yards and cleaning off the lawn furniture so it’s ready when those warm days arrive.
Living and raising a family on Long Beach Island is special. It’s early spring and the kids already had some beach playtime. Let’s face it…Sand is fun! The kids can’t wait to run around on the beach and plop down and play in it.
My concern arises when my little ones start shoveling sand into their buckets and there are more cigarette butts than seashells in their little beach pails.
How big is the problem?
It is estimated that several trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide every year. That’s billions of cigarettes flicked, one at a time, on our sidewalks, beaches, nature trails, gardens, and other public places every single day. In fact, cigarettes are the most littered item in America and the world.
Cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate (plastic), NOT COTTON, and they can take decades to degrade depending on environmental conditions. The toxic residue in cigarette filters is damaging to the environment, and littered butts cause numerous fires every year, some of them fatal.
But beyond the plastic, the filters contain trace amounts of toxins like cadmium, arsenic and lead. When smokers discard their butts improperly, they are essentially tossing these substances into the environment.
What are the dangers of littered cigarette butts?
When it rains, the water carries cigarette butts and trash via storm drain systems and waterways right out to the ocean, where currents wash it up onto the beach.
In addition to polluting streets and beaches, plastic pieces, such as cigarette butts can pose a health hazard to animals. Marine animals can mistake butts as food. If plastic blocks their digestive track, animals may become ill or even starve. Animals can also become entangled in trash, which restricts their ability to eat, breath and swim, often with fatal results.
“ Cigarette filters have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales and other marine creatures who mistake them for food … Composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic, cigarette butts can persist in the environment as long as other forms of plastic.”–Clean Virginia Waterways
People need to be educated of the negative impacts that cigarette butts have on the environment and animals. Each cigarette butt is so small, people don’t even think about the consequences of littering butts.
There is legislation that would ban smoking at beaches, amusement parks and racetracks in New Jersey but it is on hold and it’s not known when a vote may be scheduled. State Sen. Andrew Ciesla of Ocean County wants to prohibit smoking on state-owned beaches.
So, when you visit Long Beach Island, do your part in maintaining our beautiful beaches and keep them clean!
References:
The Daily Green – A Consumer’s Guide to the Green Revolution
N.J. beach-smoking ban is on hold
Environmental Research and Public Health
Long Beach Island Oceanfronts in Harvey Cedars
Posted by: | CommentsOceanfront homes in Harvey Cedars on Long Beach Island have new height exceptions. Refer to the ordinance below for details.
