(15/P66) TRENTON – The Harvest the Bay Festival, an event that celebrates ecology and its link to the economic resources of Barnegat Bay through family-friendly fun and interactive activities, returns to Island Beach State Park on Saturday, August 8.

The festival is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ocean Bathing Area 1 pavilion. The event is free with park admission. A rain date of August 15 is set in the event of inclement weather.

“We are very eager to host Harvest the Bay again this year, especially after seeing how popular the event has become with our summer visitors,” said State Park Service Director Mark Texel. “This is a great chance for kids and families to participate in interactive events, while also learning about the importance of Barnegat Bay to our environment, and to our local communities.”

Harvest the Bay is designed to foster public appreciation of the bay’s natural environment and the recreational and commercial fishing industries that depend on this watershed. Park naturalists will provide free clamming and seining tours, while also teaching visitors about the role of clams, crabs and fish in the Barnegat Bay ecosystem, and how they depend on a healthy bay.

Visitors will also learn proper techniques for harvesting these resources and will be able to sample locally caught seafood.

Media interested in covering Saturday’s event should contact the DEP Press Office at 609-984-1795.

Island Beach State Park, one of the crown jewels of the state park system, offers a collection of interactive and educational nature programs, including Harvest the Bay. The Harvest the Bay education program was developed in 2013. Island Beach State Park interpretive programs are created and run through a partnership of the Department Environmental Protection’s Division of Parks and Forestry, the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey and the Friends of Island Beach State Park.

To learn more about Island Beach State Park, visit:
www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks/island.html

To learn more about educational programs at Island Beach State Park, visit:
www.islandbeachnatureprograms.org