Belmar NJ EnvironmentThe Borough of Belmar New Jersey | Home

Hello world!

Belmar — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 23:27:28 +0000

Welcome to The Borough of Belmar New Jersey. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Mommy & Me Donations

mcampbell — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:25:17 +0000

The Belmar Recreation Department hosts a Mommy & Me Program every Wednesday at 10;00 am in the Municipal gym, in January and February. The program is open to all, including non residents. The program is free for the participants. We are looking to receive donations of gym appropriate toys for the kids. Little tykes slides, Inflatables, plastic tonka trucks etc. If it is in good shape and your children have out grown it, we will be glad to recycle it. Contact Michael Campbell at recreation@belmar.com or 732-681-3700 dial 9 then 211.

Town Wide Clean Up – Presented by Beautification Committee

thea — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 12:55:21 +0000

Volunteers are needed to help with Belmar’s “Make-a-Difference-Day” activities, on Saturday, October 23rd from 9-12.

Tools and clean up materials will be provided.

Volunteers should meet at 9:00am on the Sixth Avenue side of the Municipal Building, at 601 Main Street.

Please come out and help make a difference.

For more information contact Claire Deicke at 732-681-0522 or email ctd@verizon.net

Energy Audits

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:38:28 +0000

Energy Audit – Municipal Building – 601 Main Street

Energy Audit – Taylor Pavilion – 5th & Ocean Avenues

Energy Audit – Union Fire House – Ninth Avenue

Whale off the Coast of Belmar Beach

admin — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:27:34 +0000

Over the past week boaters and beach goers have seen whales off the coast of Belmar Beach.

Local group counts Horseshoe Crabs

elippincott — Sat, 15 May 2010 01:36:24 +0000

Did you know that the Shark River Bay is a haven for nesting Horseshoe Crabs? Each spring and summer the Shark River Cleanup Coalition hosts a Horseshoe Crab count in Shark River and people are encouraged to come out and learn about these ancient and fascinating creatures.

The American horseshoe crab, Limulus Polyphemus, occupies a critical niche in both the ecology of the Atlantic Ocean and in human pharmacology. Each spring as the crab comes ashore to spawn, its eggs provide food for hundreds of thousands of shorebirds flying north from South America to breeding grounds in the Arctic. There is an amazing documentary called A Tale of Two Species about the relationship between Horseshoe Crabs and the endangered shorebird the Red Knot. In human medicine, the crab is bled, with no apparent harmful effects, to procure a compound that is used by the pharmaceutical industry to test intravenous drugs for dangerous bacteria. Yet despite the horseshoe crab’s importance, no one knew much about its population status until recently.

In 1990, Delaware Sea Grant organized the first census of breeding horseshoe crabs in Delaware Bay. The Shark River Cleanup Coalition began surveying the Shark River Bay in 2006. Now, every spring on several peak spawning days, volunteers donate their time to count crabs on key beaches in Delaware and New Jersey.

People interested in seeing this sight first hand can come and volunteer by meeting with the survey teams at the “L” St. Beach in Belmar at the following dates and times:

Wednesday, May 12 6:45 pm
Friday, May 14 8:00 pm
Sunday, May 16 9:30 pm

Tuesday, May 25 6:00pm
Thursday, May 27 7:30pm

Saturday, May 29 9:00 pm

Thursday, June 10 6:30pm
Saturday, June 12 7:45 pm
Monday, June 14 9:30 pm

Thursday, June 24 6:30pm

Saturday, June 26 8:00pm

Monday, June 28 9:30pm

Volunteers will learn how to conduct the survey, how to properly record data and how to distinguish between male and female horseshoe crabs. For more information or to register for the training, please contact Ed Lippincott at chefed@mac.com or call 732-681-0059

Belmar Spring Fling & Kite Festival

mbrabazon — Fri, 14 May 2010 20:12:26 +0000

NJ Kites will be flying their awesome display at the 5th Ave Beach on Saturday & Sunday

free kites to the first 50 kids.

Townwide Yard Sale- pick up a map at the Belmar Chamber Office 1005-1/2 Main St.

Free Scavenger Hunt from 10:00am-4:00pm, Childrens Activities in Pyanoe Plaza

Oystercatchers nest on Belmars Natural Beach

elippincott — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:52:00 +0000

A pair of American Oystercatchers have begun nesting on Belmars Natural Beach between the Belmar Fishing Club and the Shark River Inlet. This area has been kept in its natural state and is one of the only natural beach habitats between Sandy Hook and Island Beach State Park. The endangered Least Terns have been nesting there for a number of years but Oystercatchers are a new neighbor that Belmar residents should become familiar with.

American Oystercatchers

The American Oystercatcher is found on the Atlantic coast from New England to northern Florida. In the 1800s they became locally extinct in the northeast due to market hunting and egg collecting. After receiving protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, their range extended northward to re-occupy historical habitat in New England.

Oystercatchers are closely tied to coastal habitats. They nest on beaches on coastal islands and feed on marine invertebrates. The large, heavy beak is used to pry open bivalve molluscs. Oystercatchers raise a clutch of two or three eggs. In winter, they are found in flocks along the coast from central New Jersey to the Gulf of Mexico.

Although Oystercatcher populations are low, the species is not protected under the Endangered Species Act. Oystercatchers are listed as a species of concern in several states because of low and declining populations, and threats to coastal habitats. Threats include development and recreational use of nesting beaches.

You can learn more about Oystercatchers here

So make a trip down to Belmars Natural Beach and check out these gorgeous birds but remember: bring you binoculars, leave your dog at home, observe all posted signs and watch them from a safe distance.

Dogs on the Beach

elippincott — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 10:21:27 +0000

As the summer season approaches Belmar residents are reminded that the seasonal regulations for dog walking on the beach are about to change. In Belmar, dogs are not allowed on the boardwalk and dogs are prohibited year round on the Natural Beach between the Belmar Fishing Club and the Shark River Inlet. All of these areas are clearly marked with signs.

signs posted by Belmar DPW on the Belmar Fishing Club pier

You can read the Belmar Ordinances, Chapter XVIII section 2.7 here. Belmar residents are still allowed to walk dogs on the beach until April 30th when the new seasonal rules take effect. Of course, all dog walkers are required to have a leash and a bag or device to remove droppings. Until then, enjoy the beach with your best friend and then we all have to make room for our summer visitors.

Belmar buildings inspected as part of Local Gov't Energy Audit Program

emilykellis — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:18:23 +0000

Birdsall Services Group conducted an Energy Audit in Belmar this past Friday as part of the New Jersey Clean Energy Program’s “Local Government Energy Audit Program.” Belmar’s Green Team and Environmental Commission selected three buildings for the initial audit: Borough Hall, Taylor Pavilion and Union Fire House. The Green Team had provide three years of baseline energy data and other information to qualify for the state program, which subsidizes 75% of the audit’s cost. Belmar is eligible for the remaining 25% as well as other incentives if the town follows up on any of the recommendations in the audit report, which should be complete next month. The recommendations are expected to improve energy efficiency and reduce operating costs. Borough resident Tom Latza, who was recently certified as an Environmental Steward by Rutgers’ Environmental Stewardship program, has volunteered to oversee the audit process in these buildings and work with the engineers.

[Gallery not found]