EVENTS & SEMINARS

A good list of watershed-related events is maintained by the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program, at www.bbep.org/events.htm. We wish to call special attention to the annual Barnegat Bay Festival.

Pinelands to Tidelands, Seminar on Water Quality and Quantity

This intriguing seminar will be held on Wednesday, February 27, 2008, from 7 pm - 8:30 pm in Mancini Hall, Toms River Branch of the Ocean County Library at 101 Washington Street in Toms River. Speakers include Nicholas Procopio from the Pinelands Commission, Richard Bizub from the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, and Stan Hales from the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program. Learn about the intimate connection between the water resources of the New Jersey Pineands and the Barnegat Bay Estuary! Call 609-859-8860, extension 16, for more information.

Clean-up of Riverwood Park, Toms River Township

Join the BBWF for a clean-up of this heavily used park. The clean-up is tenatively scheduled for Saturday, April 12, 2008. The entrance to the park is off Whitesville Rd.

Barnegat Bay Festival

The annual Barnegat Bay Festival is a fun, educational day for the whole family. This highly anticipated, public-outreach program is sponsored by the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program. 2007 marked the 10th year of the Festival, which was held on June 3rd in Island Heights. Watch here or www.bbep.org/events.htm for news about the next festival.

The purpose of the Barnegat Bay Festival is to provide the public with programs and activities that inform them about the watershed and the importance of protecting Barnegat Bay. Numerous vendors from various environmental non-profit organizations attend the festival to provide demonstrations and/or hand out materials relevant to their organizational missions and things local citizens can do to protect the bay. The Festival includes craft vendors, food vendors, children’s activities, live entertainment and much more.

Various unique events are conducted each year, including ecotours by bus, boats and canoes; field trip; slide shows; fishing demonstrations; lectures; tours; seining of the bay and other activities related to Barnegat Bay and its watershed.

Barnegat Bay does not exist as a single ecosystem, but is the terminus of several watersheds that directly affect the health and welfare of the bay. It is the intent of the Festival to focus on the watershed, so that the public can understand the importance of protecting Barnegat Bay and how the Barnegat Bay watershed is managed—or not managed—to insure the life and future of the bay. Below are some photographs from the 2004 festival.