On February 19th, the Barnegat Lighthouse State Park Interpretative Center, will be holding a seminar on the winter population of seals and the work the Marine Mammal Stranding Center does to rehabilitate injured marine life. In conjunction with Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce's LBI Chocolate Week, each attendee will receive a chocolate kiss. Information: 609-494-2016
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC)is a private non-profit organization based in Brigantine, New Jersey. Since the Center's founding in 1978, staff and volunteers have responded to over 3610 calls for stranded whales, dolphins, seals and sea turtles that washed ashore on New Jersey beaches. These animals range from a 5 lb. Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle to a 25-ton Humpback Whale (both of which are endangered species).
Barnegat Lighthouse was re-illuminated on January 1, 2009 - exactly 150 years to the day that it was originally lit in 1859. Thanks to the Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse, the nonprofit group dedicated to preserving and promoting the park, funds were raised to purchase a new Coast Guard-approved lens. The new light creates a single beam that can be visible for up to 22 nautical miles. In 1927, the original lens was removed, and was replaced by a lightship anchored off the coast of Barnegat light. The original lens is still on display down the road at the Barnegat Lighthouse Historical Society's Museum.
A panoramic view of Island Beach, Barnegat Bay, and Long Beach Island awaits visitors at the top of Barnegat Lighthouse. The lighthouse is open daily from 10 AM to 4:30 PM (weather permitting) from Memorial Day through Labor Day and weekends in the winter. There is a $1 fee per person to enter the lighthouse from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Children under 12 are free and must be accompanied by an adult. Visitors can also catch the views from the top without climbing the 217 steps thanks to four cameras that transmit live images of the view to a display in the adjacent Interpretive Center.
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