Ocean County Parks and Rec Fall Program Guide Now Online

Oct 20, 2023

By Juliet Kaszas-Hoch | on August 09, 2023

ROAM: Cloverdale Farm County Park in Barnegat Township, shown above, will host a number of events this autumn, including bird walks, cranberry bog rambles and a Plein Air Weekend. (Photo by Ryan Morrill)

Ocean County’s Department of Parks and Recreation has released its fall guide online, with information about a multitude of programs, events, classes and more. Registration begins Thursday, Aug. 31.

Among the programs this fall are historical nature walks in Cedar Bridge County Park, as well as bird walks and cranberry bog rambles at Cloverdale Farm County Park. Both parks are located in Barnegat Township.

Cloverdale Farm County Park will also host a Plein Air Weekend in October. As the brochure explains, the park will open “its gates for all types of artists from dawn to dusk. Bring your own blank canvases and medium materials and get ready to create in this plein air style (outside in the open air) event.”

Residents can also board a bus for one of the county’s scheduled day trips, which this fall include: a journey to Cape May, for birding; to Long Beach Island, for a history and nature tour; to drive along Seven Bridges Road, which travels the length of the Great Bay Wildlife Management Area; to visit Barnegat Lighthouse State Park and the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge on LBI; and to “the north shore” of Ocean and Monmouth counties to see over-wintering waterfowl.

Many other programs are listed in the guide, such as art classes; health and wellness courses; fun for kids; lectures; CPR training; and pickleball and disc golf clinics, as well as other recreational opportunities.

In addition, the brochure details upcoming annual events at the county parks, from the Barnegat Bay Decoy and Gunning Show, on Sept. 23 and 24, to the Pine Barrens Jamboree on Oct. 14.

The guide also includes an update on the county’s recent land acquisition in Little Egg Harbor: approximately 32 acres located in the Osborn Island section of the township. As the county explains, “The property is adjacent to 46.68 acres of existing Natural Lands Trust Fund open space and is adjacent to thousands of acres of U.S. Fish & Wildlife refuge property.

“N.J. Department of Environmental Protection mapping indicates that the site is home to endangered and threatened species habitat such as the bald eagle, osprey and cattle egret. There are also various sections of the Big Creek Tributary flowing through the property. The surrounding property consists of preserved open space and limited residential development.”

Osborn Island North was added to the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Program in May 2023, and the program now boasts a total of 29,545.19 acres of preserved open space throughout the county.

Visit oceancountyparks.org to view the program brochure and access the registration form. Register by mail or in person at Wells Mills County Park in Waretown, the Ocean County Parks Administration Office in Toms River or Jakes Branch County Park in Beachwood.

For additional information, call 732-506-9090. —J.K.-H.

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