BioBlitz: By the Bay
Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Citizen Science
Help us catalog the species that can be found at Jones Beach State Park during the summer! Please have the free “iNaturalist” app pre-downloaded and bring your own smartphone to participate in this program.
We will be walking outdoors on our trails to find different species. Please dress for the weather.
Learn more about iNaturalist here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects
Fee: Free
Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors
Distance: Up to 1 mile of walking across sand and/or pavement
RSVP: RSVP Required
Winter Bird Walk
Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Walk
Come down to Jones Beach each week to visit diverse habitats to look for waterfowl, shorebirds, and elusive owls. We will learn about birds’ winter adaptations that keep them warm during the coldest parts of the year and look for special visitors that that only frequent Jones Beach when temperatures drop. Bring your hat, gloves, and a warm drink! Binoculars provided.
Fee: Free / Vehicle use fee may apply
Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors
Distance: a mile or so on sand and pavement
RSVP: RSVP Required.
Doors close 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.
Adult Craft: Wreath Making
Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Craft
Learn a new skill with us and create a craft to decorate your home, gift to a friend, or just to help you unwind and relax.
Theme: Wreath Making
Fee: $4 per program participant / Vehicle use fee may apply
Outdoors/Indoors?: Indoors
RSVP: RSVP Required.
Doors close 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.
BioBlitz: Winter Beach
Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Citizen Science
Help us catalog the species that can be found at Jones Beach State Park during the winter! Please have the free “iNaturalist” app pre-downloaded and bring your own smartphone to participate in this program.
We will be walking outdoors on our trails to find different species. Please dress for the weather.
Learn more about iNaturalist here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects
Fee: Free
Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors
Distance: Up to 1 mile of walking across sand and/or pavement
RSVP: RSVP Required
Adult Craft: Birdseed Balls
Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Craft
Learn a new skill with us and create a craft to decorate your home, gift to a friend, or just to help you unwind and relax.
Theme: Birdseed Balls
Fee: $4 per program participant / Vehicle use fee may apply
Outdoors/Indoors?: Indoors
RSVP: RSVP Required.
Doors close 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.
Photography Hike
Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Hike
State parks are a great place to explore from behind the lens of a camera! Photographers of all experience levels are invited to hike through the West End. Participants must provide their own camera equipment. Participants are welcome to use their phone cameras.
Fee: $4 per program participant / Vehicle use fee may apply
Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors
Distance: Up to 2 miles of walking on sand and pavement.
RSVP: RSVP Required.
Program departs 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.
BioBlitz: Changing Seasons
Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Citizen Science
Help us catalog the species that can be found at Jones Beach State Park during the summer! Please have the free “iNaturalist” app pre-downloaded and bring your own smartphone to participate in this program.
We will be walking outdoors on our trails to find different species. Please dress for the weather.
Learn more about iNaturalist here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects
Fee: Free
Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors
Distance: Up to 1 mile of walking across sand and/or pavement
RSVP: RSVP Required
Balloon Survey and Beach Cleanup
Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Volunteer Event
Ages 12 and up—all children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Plan to arrive by 10:00 am (schedule below). Help survey Jones Beach! NYS DEC and NYS Parks, with support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, hosts a Marine Debris survey and clean-up biannually. Come learn more about why this survey is so important! The duration depends on conditions but is expected to take 3-4 hours.
For this day at the beach, we will provide:
• PPE (gloves)
• Garbage bags
• Data recording materials
• Other equipment needed for the cleanup and survey
However, we ask that you please bring:
• Reusable water bottle
• Sun protection
• Weather appropriate clothing
• Closed toed shoes
• Lunch or light snack
Schedule:
10:00am—Welcome, Sign-in and registration (waivers and photo release) at Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center
10:30am—Introduction to staff, project, and research protocols
11:00am— Walk to beach
11:30 am—Survey and beach cleanup. Some groups will finish earlier than others. Survey's usually take between 2.5 - 5 hours depending on number of volunteers and the amount of trash present.
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Presented by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center with support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program
If there are questions, please feel free to reach out to francis.mcparland@dec.ny.gov or jbenc@parks.ny.gov.
Photography Hike
Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Hike
State parks are a great place to explore from behind the lens of a camera! Photographers of all experience levels are invited to hike through the West End. Participants must provide their own camera equipment. Participants are welcome to use their phone cameras.
Fee: $4 per program participant / Vehicle use fee may apply
Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors
Distance: Up to 2 miles of walking on sand and pavement.
RSVP: RSVP Required.
Program departs 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.
Fishing Clinic
Join an educator and learn about the fish that live in Jones Bay with our free rod and reel fishing clinic. All ages welcome. CATCH AND RELEASE ONLY
This program takes place at Jones Beach State Park Field 10 Fishing Piers
Adult Craft: Wire Wrap Jewelry
Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Craft
Learn a new skill with us and create a craft to decorate your home, gift to a friend, or just to help you unwind and relax.
Theme: Wire Wrap Jewelry
Fee: $4 per program participant / Vehicle use fee may apply
Outdoors/Indoors?: Indoors
RSVP: RSVP Required.
Doors close 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.
Photography Hike
Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Hike
State parks are a great place to explore from behind the lens of a camera! Photographers of all experience levels are invited to hike through the West End. Participants must provide their own camera equipment. Participants are welcome to use their phone cameras.
Fee: $4 per program participant / Vehicle use fee may apply
Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors
Distance: Up to 2 miles of walking on sand and pavement.
RSVP: RSVP Required.
Program departs 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.
Fishing Clinic
Join an educator and learn about the fish that live in Jones Bay with our free rod and reel fishing clinic. All ages welcome. CATCH AND RELEASE ONLY
This program takes place at Jones Beach State Park Field 10 Fishing Piers
Birding & Biking
Adults (Ages +12) | Bike Ride
Join us for a leisurely bike ride with rest stops for birding. Learn about the different habitats on Jones Beach and keep your eyes open for shorebirds, ospreys, warblers, tree swallows, and more. No experience required. Binoculars are provided--but bikes and helmets are not.
We will be meeting at the Center, going over a few basics of birding and facts and then participants will follow our educator via bike across the West End.
Fee: $4 per program participant / Vehicle use fee may apply
Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors. Will be cancelled via email in the case of inclement weather.
Distance: Up to 4 miles of biking.
RSVP: RSVP Required.
Program departs 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.
Adult Craft: Jar-O-Lanterns
Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Craft
Learn a new skill with us and create a craft to decorate your home, gift to a friend, or just to help you unwind and relax.
Theme: Jar-O-Lanterns
Fee: $4 per program participant / Vehicle use fee may apply
Outdoors/Indoors?: Indoors
RSVP: RSVP Required.
Doors close 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.
Monarch Tagging
Adults, and Families (Ages 6+) | Citizen Science
Join our educators for an exciting community science program to capture, tag, and release Monarchs. The Monarch Watch Tagging Program is a large-scale community science project that was initiated in 1992 to help understand the dynamics of the monarch's spectacular fall migration through mark and recapture.
1:30-1:40: Sign In, Volunteer Registration
1:40-2:00: What is a Monarch? Where are they migrating?
2:00-2:30: Capturing Monarchs
2:30-3:00: Tag & Release
Fee: Free / Vehicle use fee may apply
Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors
RSVP: RSVP Required.
Program begins 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.
Fishing Clinic
Join an educator and learn about the fish that live in Jones Bay with our free rod and reel fishing clinic. All ages welcome. CATCH AND RELEASE ONLY
This program takes place at Jones Beach State Park Field 10 Fishing Piers
Monarch Tagging
Adults, and Families (Ages 6+) | Citizen Science
Join our educators for an exciting community science program to capture, tag, and release Monarchs. The Monarch Watch Tagging Program is a large-scale community science project that was initiated in 1992 to help understand the dynamics of the monarch's spectacular fall migration through mark and recapture.
10:30-10:40: Sign In, Volunteer Registration
10:40-11:00: What is a Monarch? Where are they migrating?
11:00-11:30: Capturing Monarchs
11:30-12:00: Tag & Release
Fee: Free / Vehicle use fee may apply
Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors
RSVP: RSVP Required.
Program begins 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.
Monarch Tagging
Adults, and Families (Ages 6+) | Citizen Science
Join our educators for an exciting community science program to capture, tag, and release Monarchs. The Monarch Watch Tagging Program is a large-scale community science project that was initiated in 1992 to help understand the dynamics of the monarch's spectacular fall migration through mark and recapture.
1:30-1:40: Sign In, Volunteer Registration
1:40-2:00: What is a Monarch? Where are they migrating?
2:00-2:30: Capturing Monarchs
2:30-3:00: Tag & Release
Fee: Free / Vehicle use fee may apply
Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors
RSVP: RSVP Required.
Program begins 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.
Monarch Tagging
Adults and Families (Ages 6+) | Citizen Science
Join our educators for an exciting community science program to capture, tag, and release Monarchs. The Monarch Watch Tagging Program is a large-scale community science project that was initiated in 1992 to help understand the dynamics of the monarch's spectacular fall migration through mark and recapture.
1:30-1:40: Sign In, Volunteer Registration
1:40-2:00: What is a Monarch? Where are they migrating?
2:00-2:30: Capturing Monarchs
2:30-3:00: Tag & Release
Fee: Free / Vehicle use fee may apply
Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors
RSVP: RSVP Required.
Program begins 15 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.
Yoga on Deck
Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Class
A basic level yoga class with our yoga instructor that will take place outdoors on our ocean-facing deck.
Join the NYS Parks Wellness Challenge to win an exclusive sticker!
Fee: Free / Vehicle use fee may apply
Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors, weather allowing—otherwise will be indoors.
RSVP: RSVP Required.
Program begins 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.
Yoga on Deck
Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Class
A basic level yoga class with our yoga instructor that will take place outdoors on our ocean-facing deck.
Join the NYS Parks Wellness Challenge to win an exclusive sticker!
Fee: Free / Vehicle use fee may apply
Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors, weather allowing—otherwise will be indoors.
RSVP: RSVP Required.
Program begins 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.
Beach Cleanup
Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Volunteer
Help beautify our beachfronts by helping us on this cleanup.
10:00am-10:10am: Volunteer Check-in and Paperwork
10:10am- 10:15am: Introductions and Safety Talk.
10:15am- 1:00pm: Beach Cleanup. Distance walked and end time of cleanup dependent on amount of trash present.
Fee: Free / Please give your name to the West End 2 tollbooth to have your vehicle fee waived.
Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors. Will be cancelled via email in the case of inclement weather.
Distance: Up to 3 miles walking across sand.
RSVP: RSVP Required.
Program departs 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.
Please scroll down for further information.
For this day at the beach, we will provide:
PPE (gloves)
Garbage bags
Other equipment needed for cleanup
However, we ask that you please bring:
Reusable water bottle
Sun protection
Weather appropriate clothing
Closed toed shoes
Fishing Clinic
Join an educator and learn about the fish that live in Jones Bay with our free rod and reel fishing clinic. All ages welcome. CATCH AND RELEASE ONLY
This program takes place at Jones Beach State Park Field 10 Fishing Piers
CANCELLED: Astronomy Night with AOSNY at Jones Beach Bandshell
Updated 5:00pm 8/22: CANCELLED
Due to complications with the weather this week, tonight’s program is cancelled! The Jones Beach Bandshell and AOSNY may be rescheduling for tomorrow night, but please refer to their Facebook and website for more information:
Jones Beach Boardwalk Bandshell | Wantagh NY | Facebook
Long Island astronomy - Amateur Observers' Society of New York, Inc.
Sign ups for the rescheduling will not be handled by us—space would be available first come first served.
Speakers:
Amateur Observers’ Society of New York
Established in 1965, the Amateur Observers’ Society of New York (“AOSNY”) was created as a means for astronomy enthusiasts of all ages to meet together. Amateur Astronomy is about helping others, learning, doing, and having fun!
Their mission is to bring Long Island astronomy to the public and provide astronomy resources to members. This expresses their commitment not only to serve their members, but also to educate and inspire the public.