Barnegat Bay Ecosystems, Ocean County NJ

Barnegat Bay's ecosystems have been declining for years due to overdevelopment in the Barnegat Bay watershed area which has resulted in ‘over-paving' of land, which causes storm-water runoff from lawns, roadways and parking areas that carries nitrogen and phosphorus into the bay, causing algal blooms that choke oxygen off from native eel-grass and shellfish.

Barnegat Bay stretches approximately 30 miles along the coast of Ocean County, between Barnegat Peninsula and the mainland. The Toms River and Forked Rivers are among several rivers that wind through the bay's 660-square-mile watershed on their way to its inner shore.

This unique area is rich in marine life. Commercial and recreational fishing, and related recreation and eco-tourism, contribute approximately $3.5 billion annually to the region's economy.

Legislators have yet to pass the Assembly and Senate environment committee's bill recommendations.  Let's remember that a healthy Barnegat Bay is necessary for ALL our livelihoods along Ocean County's Jersey Shore.

 

 

Karl Hess, Your Agent on The Jersey Shore, Search for Homes, Barnegat Bay

 

 

 

Waterfront Home, Pebble Beach, Barnegat NJ

Boaters Paradise on The Jersey Shore!

Searching for a buyer for this beautiful, updated two story home on one of the largest lagoon lots in Barnegat. Shore living at it's best!  Lounge around in your 20 X 40 heated in-groung pool.  Crab and fish from your backyard and park your boat along the 93 feet  of bulkhead.  Minutes to bay and ocean by boat.

 It's a short walk to the beach and public dock. Or you can relax and watch the boats cruise by in the 3 season room.  Easy access to parkway, shopping and 15 minutes to Long Beach Island. This home features an updated kitchen with granite countertops and new appliances.  It has central air conditioning, new Perfection Siding, new roof, custom window treatments, hardwood floors and attached garage.

Barnegat is located in the southern half of Ocean County, and covers an area of approximately 35 square miles. Barnegat is 60 miles east of Philadelphia and 90 miles south of New York City. It is bordered on the east by Barnegat Bay and separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the barrier island of Long Beach. 

Karl Hess, Your Agent on The Jersey Shore

Handwriting Analysis at Ocean County Library

Don't we all enjoy the idea of someone looking at our palm or reading tarot cards and telling us (obvious) things about ourselves?  This is a similar concept, except Graphology has been accepted as a true methodical gauge of personal qualities and behavior analysis and is widely in use today by government and industry.

There will be Handwriting Analysis at Ocean County Library, Stafford Branch, Thursday, October 28 from 1:30 to 3:30 PM.

Unconvinced?  Let me give you a personal anecdote: Many years ago, I was a headhunter (recruiter) in Houston; a gentleman came into my office who was employed by the FBI as a Handwriting Analyst. He was helping his son find a position.  Deciding to have a little fun (and being more than a little skeptical), I asked him if he would look at my writing and tell me something about myself. I was shocked by the accuracy of his analysis without me giving him any real verbal clues as to my past or persona.  I was not longer a skeptic and it was a lot of fun.

Graphology - the study of handwriting and handwriting analysis - is now an accepted and increasingly used technique for assessment of people in organizations. Handwriting analysis is an effective and reliable indicator of personality and behavior, and so is a useful tool for many organizational processes, for example: recruitment, interviewing and selection, team-building, counseling, and career-planning.  

Here is an example of a REALTOR's analysis:

At the Stafford Township Library starting at 1:30, there will a half-hour lecture and then Bernice Krieger will be available to analyze handwriting.  She has 30 years experience in the field.  This is sure to be entertaining and enlightening afternoon in Manahawkin.

Karl Hess, Your Agent on The Jersey Shore, Search for Homes in Ocean County

 

 

Neil Sedaka at Ocean County Library, Toms River

Neil Sedaka at Ocean County Library, on The Jersey Shore

Neil Sedaka, the iconic pop singer, pianist, and songwriter will be at the Ocean County Library, Toms River Branch on November 7, at 3:00.  His career has spanned over 50 years, during which time he has written many songs for himself and others.

Between 1960 and 1962, Sedaka had eight Top 40 hits, The British Invasion of 1964 eroded Sedaka's career, and from then until 1966, only three of his singles made it into the Top 100. Although Sedaka's stature as a recording artist was at a low ebb in the late 1960s, he was able to maintain his career through songwriting. He had hit songs recorded by The Monkees, The 5th Dimension and Frankie Valli.

In the 1970's, Sedaka wrote songs for and/or recorded with such icons as Elton John, Elvis Presley and wrote a huge hit for The Captain and Tennille.  In 1975, Sedaka recorded a new version of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do". The 1962 original #1 hit was an upbeat pop song, while the remake was a ballad and it hit #8 on the Hot 100 in early 1976, making him the first artist--and after nearly 35 years, he remains the only one--to hit the U.S. Top 10 twice with entirely different versions and arrangements of the same song. Sedaka's second version of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" topped Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart in 1976.

Sedaka is also composer of "Is This the Way to Amarillo" written when he moved his family to the UK in the early 1970s. It reached only #18 on the UK charts in 1971, but then hit #1 for seven consecutive weeks on the UK singles charts when reissued in 2005, thanks to a music video starring comedian Peter Kay. It was Britain's most popular single for the year.

Sedaka continues to tour and write music to this day.  He will be at the Ocean County, Toms River Branch to perform his latest album, "Waking Up is Hard to Do" which is a collection of classic Neil Sedaka hits that have been reinvented as Children's songs. 

Karl Hess, Your Agent on The Jersey Shore   Search for Houses in Ocean County

 

Halloween at Batsto Village

Halloween at Batsto "Haunting the Pines"

This event is for children 12 years old and younger with parents and will be held on October 24, 2010 from 12 noon to 3:00 pm. This is an annual event held on the Sunday before Halloween.

Batsto Village, is a New Jersey historic site located in the South Central Pinelands, which is administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Parks & Forestry. This site is nationally recognized for its historical significance and beauty. The roots of Batsto Village can be traced back to 1766. Two centuries of American history are available to visitors, with the Pinelands environment as a scenic backdrop.

Karl Hess, Your Agent on the Jesey Shore

 

Southern Regional High School Battle of the Bands

Southern Regional High School Calvacade of Bands

The Southern Regional Band Parents Organization will host it's 19th Annual Cavalcade of Bands NJ Regional Championships at 6:00 PM on October 23rd at the Southern Regional High School campus.

Marching band contests are held each weekend throughout the fall, concluding in four championship classification contests, which are held at the end of the marching season. Each show usually consists of seven to twelve bands in one or more of the four classifications.

At the Southern Regional event, seven bands will compete in separate divisions, determined by the number of musicians.  Several award-winning local bands will play including Barnegat High School, Lacey High School and in addition to the local bands participating will be bands from Cinnaminson, Delsea Regional, Oakcrest, Riverside and Winslow Tonwship.

About 40 years ago "Cavalcade" was born. Its birth was a necessity because a few far-sighted band directors, in the area, recognized their bands and the related music and marching programs, a competitive atmosphere had to be created. Today, Calvacade operates under an executive committee that is elected by the body for a two-year term.

Karl Hess, Your Agent on The Jersey Shore.  Search for homes in Ocean County.

Princeton University Tour from Waretown

Princeton University Tour from Waretown

"The Gargoyles of Princeton and Morven House Walking Tour" is a three miles long and is sponsored by the Ocean County Department of Parks and Recreation, here on The Jersey Shore.

The garish, grotesque, and yet grand gargoyles are a humorous addition to the gothic architecture of Princeton University. Enjoy this "walking tour de farce" that will be followed by a more refined look at historic Morven museum and garden.

 For centuries scholars have asked why gargoyles inhabit their most solemn churches and institutions. Fantastic explanations have come down from the Middle Ages. Some art historians believe that gargoyles were meant to depict evil spirits over which the Christian church had triumphed. One theory suggests that these devils were frozen in stone as they fled the church. Supposedly, Christ set these spirits to work as useful examples to men instead of sending them straight to damnation. others say they kept evil spirits away.

 Why does Princeton have gargoyles? Here's one excuse:

...If the most fanciful and wildest sculptures were placed on the Gothic cathedrals, should they be out of place on the walls of a secular educational establishment? ("Princeton's Gargoyles," The New York Sun, May 13, 1927)

Morven House is situated on five pristine acres in the heart of Princeton, New Jersey, and serves as the gateway to this university town. Located in the former New Jersey Governor's Mansion, Morven showcases the cultural heritage of the Garden State through exhibits of fine, folk, and decorative arts and educational programs.

Pick-up will be at 8:30, Friday October 22, in the parking lot of Wells Mills County Park, Waretown.  Call 1-877-OCPARKS, ext 5940 to register.

Karl Hess, Your Agent on the Jersey Shore, Search for Homes, Ocean County Real Estate

 

Ocean County Planetarium

Ocean County Planetarium Re-Opens 

The new Novins Planetarium Sky Theater at Ocean Community College features some of the latest projection technology to bring you the universe in innovative and exciting new ways. The planetarium dome is a virtual 3-D video space, no longer restricted to simply an earthbound view of the sky, they can now take you on a journey from the smallest size scales to the edge of the universe. To see the night sky as viewed from Earth, the new fiber-optic star projector will provide a beautiful, crisp view of the night sky.  

The newly renovated planetarium remains one of the largest and most active planetariums in New Jersey. New technology provides Planetarium staff with exciting new ways to bring you the wonders of the universe and you'll find a variety of programs for all ages. With new opening shows, younger visitors can take an exciting journey through the solar system with Secret of the Cardboard Rocket. The feature presentation is Dawn of the Space Age, an incredible and inspiring look at humanity's venture into space, past, present and future. Of course, the night sky is not to be ignored; Exploring the Fall Skyis our chance to bring out the beautiful starfield of the brand new Zeiss star projector and show you some of the bright stars, constellations and other celestial highlights of the current night sky.  

School field trips to the planetarium have resumed and they offer a variety of shows for school groups, each based on grade level and specific topics. In addition, they continue to offer traveling school programs where experienced presenters are available to bring these programs to students. Reservations are now being accepted.

For more information:
Recorded information:    732.255.0342
Planetarium Office:         732.255.0343
Planetarium Director:     732.255.0400 ext 2111
Email: planetarium@ocean.edu

Karl Hess, Your Agent on The Jersey Shore; Search for Homes in Ocean County

 

Halloween Haunted Seaport

Haunted Seaport on The Jersey Shore with HayridesOctober 22 and 23 from 6PM to 9PM
Come experience the fun of pirates and sea captains long lost at sea as they stroll the creepy boardwalk for a night of screams for children of all ages. Other fun will include hayrides, a phragmites maze, food, entertainment and a non-scary pumpkin patch for the little ones.

Black Pearl Haunted Boat Rides will also be available.
Tickets for Boat Ride: $10.00 per person.

Be sure to sign up for your Ghost Imaging Photo at the Seaport. Please call 609-296-8868 to register. All images are being taken from October 22nd & 23rd from 6pm to 9pm.

 Admission $8.00 non members, $5.00 members, hayrides $2.00 with paid admission, hayrides free for members. Members must show membership cards.  The seaport is located at 120 West Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ.


Karl Hess, Your Agent on The Jersey Shore Ocean County Real Estate, Homes for Sale in Ocean County

Surflight Theatre in Beach Haven to Remain Open

The Surflight Theatre, in Beach Haven, will remain open for at least another season after the recently hired chief financial officer revealed that he had miscalculated the debt owed by the group.  It was originally estimated that the theatre owed more than $500,000, but that approximation was off by about $370,000. 

The theatre company officials said several measures will help keep the Surflight open through the off-season.  The theatre will not have to make principal payments on its bonds for the next 6 months and more cash will be used to pay down short-term loans.  The top staff at the theatre will also be working without pay for one year.

The Surflight Theatre first opend it's "doors" in 1950 in Beach Haven Crest, on Long Beach Island, in a shaky 2,200-seat tent with a cast of 60, a 12-piece orchestra and a season only 3 weeks long.  Today the Theatre seats over 450 and has had total attendance of Surflight performances over 60,000 in a year.

Upcoming shows include Neil Simon's "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" and concerts by Rich Little, The South Jersey Area Wind Ensemble and Puccini's "Tosca" presented by the Center Stage Opera.

Beach Haven is in Ocean County, on The Jersey Shore. The borough is located on Long Beach Island (LBI) with a permanent population of 1,278 residents. It was ranked the ninth best beach in New Jersey by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium.

Karl Hess, Your Agent on The Jersey Shore

Search for Beach Haven Real Estate.

 

The Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey 2010

 Lighthouse Tour on The Jersey Shore

The Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey 2010 is a two-day event along The Jersey Shore on October 16th & 17th, rain or shine; when twelve land-based lighthouses are opened for visitation and climbing; Two Museums displaying the Fresnel lens; One life savings station and an opportunity to take a trip to see the Water lights. 

 

This year you have an opportunity to board the Spirit of New Jersey and head out to the Delaware Bay where you can see the Water Lights firsthand; or come visit the Hereford Inlet and take a challenge break with a wonderful presentation of our water lights, given by our Friends of Delaware Bay Lighthouse Keepers.  During this weekend on The Jersey Shore, the public is invited to visit any or all of the sites along the Challenge route.

 

The Challenge can take you to 15 different locations, from Sand Hook to Barnegat Light to Cape May.  Whichever lighthouse you choose to begin your journey on The Jersey Shore during the Challenge, a trifold souvenir pamphlet will be available for a purchase price of just $1.00. As you visit each lighthouse your souvenir will be stamped as a proof of your visit. This will be your souvenir to commemorate your participation in the event. The lighthouses encourage the public to take advantage of this special weekend to financially support and preserve our maritime history.

  Karl Hess, Your Agent on The Jersey Shore

Habitat for Humanity Bike to Build in Beachwood

Beachwood Bicycles and the Habitat for Humanity's Northern Ocean County office will host their Habitat for Humanity Bike to Build event in Beachwood for the second year in a row this Sunday, October 17, 2010. This year, there will be four separate rides: a one mile fun run for kids, a 10 mile ride, a 23 mile scenic course through Toms River and Barnegat Bay and a 50 mile ride that continues on through the Jersey Pine Barrens. After the ride, all participants get to enjoy food and fun at the Berkeley Island Park's picnic.

All rides will begin at the Beachwood Bicycles shop (101 Hwy 166, Beachwood, NJ) at 9am sharp. Contact Beachwood Bicycles to register for this great event. If you register early, you are guaranteed your very own Bike to Build T-shirt! Fees for riders to participate are:

50 mile ride = $50
23 mile ride = $23
1 mile fun ride or 10 mile ride = $10

Make sure to register right now to participate in the Habitat for Humanity Bike to Build event in Beachwood this Sunday, October 17th. It's a fun, healthy way to raise money for the local Northern Ocean County Habitat for Humanity.

Karl Hess, your Barnegat real estate specialist

4-H Club of Ocean County and Rutgers University

Is it just where I live, or do all kids want to be a marine biologist when they grow up?  Anyway, we tend to have unrealistic expectations of those types of jobs or don't really understand the requirements.  But, there is a way for our children to get some idea of exactly what kind of education is needed or what the job would be like...and aren't we always asking our kids to get more 'involved.' Here's a great way for them to do just that.

4-H is a national youth organization that prepares young people to step up to the challenges in their community and the world.    Young people who are a part of 4-H have the opportunity to explore all types of science, health, and citizenship programming delivered through 4-H clubs and camps, as well as afterschool and in-school.

4-H'ers across the nation are responding to challenges every day in their communities and their world.   With an expansive network reaching every corner of the country, 4-H is the nation's largest youth development organization. More than 6 million 4-H youth in urban neighborhoods, suburban schoolyards and rural farming communities stand out among their peers: building revolutionary opportunities and implementing community-wide change at an early age.  

As the youth development program of the nation's 109 land-grant universities and the Cooperative Extension System, 4-H fosters an innovative, "learn by doing" approach with proven results.  The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, a longitudinal study conducted by the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts University, shows youth engaged with 4-H are:

• Nearly two times more likely to get better grades in school;
• Nearly two times more likely to plan to go to college;
• 41 percent less likely to engage in risky behaviors; and
• 25 percent more likely to positively contribute to their families and communities.

With 540,000 volunteers, 3,500 professionals, and more than 60 million alumni, the 4-H movement supports young people from elementary school through high school with programs designed to shape future leaders and innovators. Fueled by research-driven programming, 4-H'ers engage in hands-on learning activities in the areas of science, citizenship and healthy living. 

Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension of Ocean County provides research-based information for our county residents in the areas of 4-H Youth Development, Agriculture and Resource Management, Family and Community Health Sciences, Lawn & Garden, and Marine Resources

Karl Hess, Your Agent on The Jersey Shore,

Ocean County Homes

Pine Barrens Jamboree at Wells Mills Park

A Blue Grass Jamboree....in New Jersey?

If you were somehow to find yourself at today's Pine Barrens Jamboree, you would be hard pressed to think you were in NJ.  From the Ol' Time Bluegrass music to traditional food and beverages this feels more like Kentucky or Tennessee, not the most densely populated state in America. 

The Pine Barrens is an exquisite ecological system. The vast unbroken forest of pine, oak and cedar is the largest tract of open space on the mid-Atlantic coast.  You can search shady cedar swamps for the rare curly grass fern or hike through a forest of pygmy pine trees no taller than a man. 

The pure, slow moving streams are fed by a huge underground aquifer of seventeen trillion gallons which supplies the marshes and bays of South Jersey with some of the cleanest water in the world. 

The population of this vast area once depended on natural resources for its survival.  The pines were used for charcoal making, the cedars for lumber, the naturally formed bog iron was melted down for pots, pans, kettles, stove pipes and later, cannons and cannonballs. 

The sand was used to make glass, the clay for brick and tile making.  The land produced an abundance of blueberries, cranberries, pine cones and sphagnum moss.  Families depended on deer, rabbit and waterfowl for meat on the table.  Clamming, oystering and fishing also proved profitable. 

For their cultural entertainment and recreation, the people of the pines would get together to have country "hoe-downs".  Whoever was good at whatever instrument would have a turn at pickin' and singin'.   

Which gives us today's Pine Barrens Jamboree at Wells Mills Park

 ALL DAY LONG.....

• Live Country, Blue Grass and Folk Music on the Stage by Albert Music Hall musicians
• Vendors and Exhibits
• Regional Food Specialties - Taste the "Piney Vittles" we're famous for!
• Appearances by SMOKEY BEAR
• Canoe Rentals on the scenic Wells Mills Lake
• Children's Games
• Face Painting
• Directions to Wells Mills Park, click here.

Karl Hess, Your Agent on The Jersey Shore

 

SNL Star at Ocean County Library, Toms River, NJ

Jim Breuer at Ocean County Library, Toms River, NJ

Jim Breuer from Saturday Night Night Live fame will be at the Ocean County Library on Thursday, October 7, at 7:00 PM. Breuer will be discussing his book, I'm Not High. In this book Breur reveals the complex man behind the simpleminded persona, bringing to life true stories from a career that has spanned two decades.

Jim talks about his years on SNL and the cast of characters in I'm Not High includes Chris Farley, Dave Chapelle, and Tracy Morgan- all who taught Jim lasting lessons about the high-stakes game of fame.

Breuer, as I mentioned, first rose to fame as a cast member of Saturday Night Live. On SNL, Breuer's characters included "Goat Boy." He has previously guest starred in Home Improvement.

A native of Long Island, New York, Breuer got his start working in comedy clubs around the country before deciding to concentrate his talents on the New York club circuit. Shortly after his return to New York, he enjoyed a stint on the nationally syndicated "Uptown Comedy Club," where he remained for two seasons.

Breuer earned fame on SNL for his uncanny impersonations of Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro. Breuer hosted the third season of the VH1 show Web Junk 20. The season began on November 17, 2006. He replaced Patrice Oneal, who hosted the first two seasons of the show. In 2009, Jim Breuer's second one-hour Comedy Central special, "Let's Clear the Air," premiered and came in as one of the highest rated comedy specials in Comedy Central's history.

So come on out to the Toms River Branch of the Ocean County Library and meet the hilarious and insightful Jim Breuer.

Karl Hess, Your Agent on the Jersey Shore

Open House in Beachwood, NJ

Open House, 408 Seaman Ave, Beachwood, NJ Sunday October 10, 12:00 to 3:00

Open House in Beachwood, NJ.

See the full gallery on posterous

Updated throughout with nothing to do but move in. Large master with walk-in closet. Stainless steel appliances and a large walk-in pantry. Entire house wired for cable and security system. Very large paved driveway leads to stone-paver walkway and your front door surrounded by beautiful stone garden walls. Professionally landscaped with manicured front lawn and back yard big enough for pool. Basement ready to be finished. Local school rated 10 out of 10 by GreatSchools.com! Garden State Parkway is minutes away, as is Beachwood beach, golf course, ball fields, parks and marina. Quite street in great neighborhood.
Karl Hess, Your Agent on The Jersey Shore

Property Rights and Public Beach Access on The Jersey Shore

Property Rights, Beach Replenishment and Beach Access on The Jersey Shore


Beach Erosion


Beach replenishment, beach access and private beach ownership has long been a contentious issue along The Jersey Shore. Property owners have maintained that they have a right to own the beach in front of their homes or businesses while advocacy groups have argued that the beach is for everyone.

The issue is closer to being resolved after a recent New Jersey Supreme Court ruling on the estate of a business owner whose lawyers argued that the estate owned the land (not the city) even if the state or federal government paid for a beach replenishment project which actually increased the size of the beach (land) in question.

The New Jersey Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a lower-court ruling that a beachfront-property owner is not entitled to compensation for land created by a publicly funded beach-replenishment project. One might ask; how would a ruling on one piece of property located on small stretch of beachfront impact the rest of The Jersey Shore? Well the court ruling is significant to the future of beach access and sand replenishment along The Jersey Shore.

The court cited the legal principle that the state holds "ownership, dominion, and sovereignty" over tide-flowed lands "in trust for the people," and traces its origins to Roman jurisprudence. The public-trust doctrine was common law in England, where the king held title to tide-flowed lands. After the American Revolution, title to those lands in New Jersey passed from the king to the state. The state, therefore, owns all lands that are flowed by the tide up to the mean high-water line or mark.

Environmental and beach-access advocacy groups had closely followed the case as this decision has far-reaching effects on the entire 127 miles of The Jersey Shore with regard to future beach replenishment and access.

This decision makes it clear that the public owns the land on which beach-replenishment projects are done.

Without the ruling, there would continue to be questions about precisely who owns the land created and maintained by government-sponsored beach-replenishment projects.

The Supreme Court referenced the public-trust doctrine, and that is the premise of what needs to guide a lot of decisions that are made and will be made in the state with regard to beach access.

Knowing about accretion and littoral rights is fundamental knowledge for REALTOR's, but this is a perfect example of why everyone needs to hire a real estate attorney.

Karl Hess, Your Agent on the Jersey Shore