Children (Ages 7-12) | Class 

Slap on those gloves and get your dissection tools ready because we’re diving into the anatomy and survival adaptions of the squid. Join us for a guided squid dissection for a deeper understanding of these magnificent marine animals. 

All kids must be accompanied by an adult. 

Fee: $4 per program participant / Vehicle use fee may apply 

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors on tables. 

RSVP: RSVP Required.  

Doors close 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend. 

All Ages, preferred ages 8 and up | Citizen Science Event

Join an educator to learn all about seine fishing and learn all about the aquatic organisms that call Jones Bay home.

Seine fishing employs a large net (seine) with two poles. Two people stand parallel to the shore, each holding one pole. As it sweeps the water, the net catches aquatic organisms. After surveying these organisms, we will be releasing them to the bay.

We will meet at the Center to check-in and use the restrooms, and then you will get back in your vehicle and follow us to the seining site.

Please arrive on time, program departs 10 minutes after start time. If you have any questions, call 516-809-8222.

We will provide:

• Seine net

You MUST bring:

• Clothes you are comfortable getting wet.

• Closed-toe water shoes. NO SANDALS OR FLIP FLOPS.

• Water

• Sunscreen

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Class 

A basic level yoga class with our yoga instructor that will take place outdoors on our ocean-facing deck. 

We encourage attendees to bring their own yoga mats. We have a limited amount of yoga mats at the Center—first come, first served.

Join the NYS Parks Wellness Challenge to win an exclusive sticker! 

Fee: Free / Vehicle use fee may apply

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors, weather allowing—otherwise will be indoors. 

RSVP: RSVP Required.  

Program begins 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend. 

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Volunteer

Help beautify our beachfronts by helping us on this cleanup. 

9:30am-9:40am: Volunteer Check-in and Paperwork 

9:40am- 9:45pm: Introductions and Safety Talk. 

9:45am- 11:30am: Beach Cleanup. Distance walked and end time of cleanup dependent on amount of trash present. 

Fee: Free / Please give your name to the West End 2 tollbooth to have your vehicle fee waived.

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors. Will be cancelled via email in the case of inclement weather. 

Distance: Up to 3 miles walking across sand. 

RSVP: RSVP Required.  

Program departs 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend. 

Please scroll down for further information.

For this day at the beach, we will provide:

• PPE (gloves)

• Garbage bags

• Other equipment needed for cleanup

However, we ask that you please bring:

• Reusable water bottle

• Sun protection

• Weather appropriate clothing

• Closed toed shoes

Adults & Teens (Ages +12) | Wellness Activity

Stretch out along our ocean-facing deck and observe the sun and watch as it goes down across the horizon.  

Join the NYS Parks Wellness Challenge to win an exclusive sticker! 

Fee: Free 

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors, but we will move indoors in the case of inclement weather. 

Distance: We will be mostly stationary, but may have a 0.25 mile walk or stretch depending on time available. 

RSVP: RSVP Required.  

Program departs 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend. 

All Ages | Talk + Activity

Celebrate the solstice! Join us with our guest, AOSNY, for an evening of night skies! The program will start indoors for a brief talk on the winter sky before heading outside as the sky darkens. On our back deck, we will use multiple telescopes to focus on the various celestial bodies.

Fee: Free

Outdoors/Indoors?: Indoors and Outdoors

Weather: In the case of inclement weather, we will notify folks of cancellation via-email, and we will update this webpage morning-of.

RSVP: RSVP Required.

Speakers:

Amateur Observers’ Society of New York

Established in 1965, the Amateur Observers’ Society of New York (“AOSNY”) was created as a means for astronomy enthusiasts of all ages to meet together. Amateur Astronomy is about helping others, learning, doing, and having fun!

Their mission is to bring Long Island astronomy to the public and provide astronomy resources to members. This expresses their commitment not only to serve their members, but also to educate and inspire the public.

Website: jonesbeachenc.org

Instagram: @JonesBeachENC

Facebook: Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center @JonesBeachENC

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Citizen Science

Help us catalog the species that can be found at Jones Beach State Park during the summer! Please have the free “iNaturalist” app pre-downloaded and bring your own smartphone to participate in this program.

We will be walking outdoors on our trails to find different species. Please dress for the weather.

Learn more about iNaturalist here:

https://www.inaturalist.org/

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects

Fee: Free

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors

Distance: Up to 1 mile of walking across sand and/or pavement

RSVP: RSVP Required

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Craft

Learn a new skill with us and create a craft to decorate your home, gift to a friend, or just to help you unwind and relax.

Theme: Solar Printing

Fee: $4 per program participant / Vehicle use fee may apply

Outdoors/Indoors?: Indoors

RSVP: RSVP Required.

Doors close 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.

All Ages, preferred ages 8 and up | Citizen Science Event

Join an educator to learn all about seine fishing and learn all about the aquatic organisms that call Jones Bay home.

Seine fishing employs a large net (seine) with two poles. Two people stand parallel to the shore, each holding one pole. As it sweeps the water, the net catches aquatic organisms. After surveying these organisms, we will be releasing them to the bay.

We will meet at the Center to check-in and use the restrooms, and then you will get back in your vehicle and follow us to the seining site.

Please arrive on time, program departs 10 minutes after start time. If you have any questions, call 516-809-8222.

We will provide:

• Seine net

You MUST bring:

• Clothes you are comfortable getting wet.

• Closed-toe water shoes. NO SANDALS OR FLIP FLOPS.

• Water

• Sunscreen

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Craft

Learn a new skill with us and create a craft to decorate your home, gift to a friend, or just to help you unwind and relax.

Theme: Paper Mache Beads

Fee: $4 per program participant / Vehicle use fee may apply

Outdoors/Indoors?: Indoors

RSVP: RSVP Required.

Doors close 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Volunteer

Help beautify our beachfronts by helping us on this cleanup. 

1:30pm-1:40pm: Volunteer Check-in and Paperwork 

1:40pm- 1:45pm: Introductions and Safety Talk. 

1:45pm- 4:00pm: Beach Cleanup. Distance walked and end time of cleanup dependent on amount of trash present. 

Fee: Free 

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors. Will be cancelled via email in the case of inclement weather. 

Distance: Up to 3 miles walking across sand. 

RSVP: RSVP Required.  

Program departs 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend. 

Please scroll down for further information.

For this day at the beach, we will provide:

• PPE (gloves)

• Garbage bags

• Other equipment needed for cleanup

However, we ask that you please bring:

• Reusable water bottle

• Sun protection

• Weather appropriate clothing

• Closed toed shoes

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Class 

A basic level yoga class with our yoga instructor that will take place outdoors on our ocean-facing deck. 

Join the NYS Parks Wellness Challenge to win an exclusive sticker! 

Fee: Free / Vehicle use fee may apply

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors, weather allowing—otherwise will be indoors. 

RSVP: RSVP Required.  

Program begins 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend. 

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Citizen Science

Help us catalog the species that can be found at Jones Beach State Park during the summer! Please have the free “iNaturalist” app pre-downloaded and bring your own smartphone to participate in this program.

We will be walking outdoors on our trails to find different species. Please dress for the weather.

Learn more about iNaturalist here:

https://www.inaturalist.org/

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects

Fee: Free

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors

Distance: Up to 1 mile of walking across sand and/or pavement

RSVP: RSVP Required

CANCELLED: Inclement Weather

Adults (Ages +12) | Bike Ride

Join us for a leisurely bike ride with rest stops for birding. Learn about the different habitats on Jones Beach and keep your eyes open for shorebirds, ospreys, warblers, tree swallows, and more. No experience required. Binoculars are provided--but bikes and helmets are not.

We will be meeting at the Center, going over a few basics of birding and facts and then participants will follow our educator via bike across the West End.

Fee: $4 per program participant / Vehicle use fee may apply

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors. Will be cancelled via email in the case of inclement weather.

Distance: Up to 4 miles of biking.

RSVP: RSVP Required.

Program departs 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Craft

Learn a new skill with us and create a craft to decorate your home, gift to a friend, or just to help you unwind and relax.

Theme: Shell Books- Make a mini-book using paper and foraged shells!

Fee: $4 per program participant / Vehicle use fee may apply

Outdoors/Indoors?: Indoors

RSVP: RSVP Required.

Doors close 10 minutes after start time. Please cancel your reservation if you cannot attend.

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Volunteer

Happy Earth Day! Help beautify our beachfronts by helping us on this cleanup.

1:30pm-1:40pm : Volunteer Check-in and Paperwork

1:40pm-1:45pm: Safety Talk and Introductions

1:45pm- 4:00pm: Beach Cleanup. Distance walked and time of cleanup dependent on amount of trash present.

Fee: Free

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors.

Distance: Up to 3 miles walking across sand.

RSVP: RSVP Required.

For this day at the beach, we will provide:

• PPE (gloves)

• Garbage bags

• Other equipment needed for the cleanup and survey

However, we ask that you please bring:

• Reusable water bottle

• Sun protection

• Weather appropriate clothing

• Closed toed shoes

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Citizen Science

Help us catalog the species that can be found at Jones Beach State Park during the winter! Please have the free “iNaturalist” app pre-downloaded and bring your own smartphone to participate in this program.

We will be walking outdoors on our trails to find different species. Please dress for the weather.

Learn more about iNaturalist here:

https://www.inaturalist.org/

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects

Fee: Free

Outdoors/Indoors?: Outdoors

Distance: Up to 1 mile of walking across sand and/or pavement

RSVP: RSVP Required

All Ages | Talk + Activity

Join us with our guest, AOSNY, for an evening of night skies! The program will start indoors for a brief talk on the winter sky before heading outside as the sky darkens. On our back deck, we will use multiple telescopes to focus on the various celestial bodies.

Fee: Free

Outdoors/Indoors?: Indoors and Outdoors

Weather: In the case of inclement weather, we will notify folks of cancellation via-email, and we will update this webpage morning-of.

RSVP: RSVP Required.

Speakers:

Amateur Observers’ Society of New York

Established in 1965, the Amateur Observers’ Society of New York (“AOSNY”) was created as a means for astronomy enthusiasts of all ages to meet together. Amateur Astronomy is about helping others, learning, doing, and having fun!

Their mission is to bring Long Island astronomy to the public and provide astronomy resources to members. This expresses their commitment not only to serve their members, but also to educate and inspire the public.

Website: jonesbeachenc.org

Instagram: @JonesBeachENC

Facebook: Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center @JonesBeachENC

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Event

To celebrate Autism Awareness Month, we are offering a free day of drop-in activities geared towards adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

This day of fun activities includes:

All Day: Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt

• Come to our front desk to get a sensory scavenger hunt! Return with a completed sheet to earn a prize.

10:00am-3:00pm: Collage and Coloring

• Our craft room full of coloring pages, and a collage station, will have you feeling creative and inspired.

10:00am-12:00pm- Touch Tank

• Our educator will introduce you to hermit crabs and snails, some of which you might recognize from around Long Island!

1:00pm-2:00pm - Meet the Turtles

• Learn more about native species of turtles, and meet some of our animal ambassadors.

2:00pm-2:30pm - Meet the Gecko

• Our educator will introduce you to our leopard gecko, Theo!

Fee: Free

Outdoors/Indoors?: Activities are both indoors and outdoors.

RSVP: No RSVP needed, walk-ins welcome.

All Ages | Volunteer Event

Protect the Piping Plovers by assisting the park with sectioning off their nesting habitat.

Volunteers at this event will walk across the beachfront with Parks staff preparing the string fencing for our endangered species. Includes at least 1 mile of walking across sand. Any volunteers under the age of 16 MUST have a parent or guardian onsite.

We ask that you please bring:

• Water bottle

• Sun protection

• Weather appropriate clothing (jackets, scarves, hats, gloves, warm footwear)

• Closed toed shoes

• A light snack

Schedule:

9:00am – Check-in and Fill out volunteer forms

•               Please arrive on time to complete volunteer paperwork and get checked-in.

•               If you would like a certificate of volunteer hours for your school please let staff know right away.

9:15am — Receive volunteer group assignments and group leaders

9:30am – Start working on the beach!

There is no specific end time for this program. If you need to leave before work is completed, please notify your group leader.

Thank you for volunteering to protect our endangered species!

Adults & Teens (Ages 12+) | Volunteer Event

Ages 12 and up—all children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Plan to arrive by 8:30 am (schedule below). Help survey Jones Beach! NYS DEC and NYS Parks, with support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, hosts a Marine Debris survey and clean-up biannually. Come learn more about why this survey is so important! The duration depends on conditions but is expected to take 3-4 hours.

For this day at the beach, we will provide:

• PPE (gloves)

• Garbage bags

• Data recording materials

• Other equipment needed for the cleanup and survey

However, we ask that you please bring:

• Reusable water bottle

• Sun protection

• Weather appropriate clothing

• Closed toed shoes

• Lunch or light snack

Schedule:

8:30am—Welcome, Sign-in and registration (waivers and photo release) at Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center

9:00am—Introduction to staff, project, and research protocols

9:30am— Walk to beach

10:00 am—Survey and beach cleanup. Some groups will finish earlier than others. Survey's usually take between 2.5 - 5 hours depending on number of volunteers and the amount of trash present.

---

Presented by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center with support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program

If there are questions, please feel free to reach out to francis.mcparland@dec.ny.gov or jbenc@parks.ny.gov.

Adults, Families (All ages) | Citizen Science

Help us catalog the species that can be found at Jones Beach State Park during the winter! Please have the free “iNaturalist” app pre-downloaded and bring your own smartphone to participate in this program.

We will be walking outdoors on our trails to find different species. Please dress for the weather.

Learn more about iNaturalist here:

https://www.inaturalist.org/

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects

Adult Craft | Activity

$4 fee per program participant

Activity: Get a headstart on spring decorating and paint stones for your garden.

RSVP required. Doors close 10 minutes after program start time.

Please call 516-809-8222 or email jbenc@parks.ny.gov to cancel your reservation if you cannot attend so your spot can be made available to others.

Families (All Ages) | Walk

RSVP REQUIRED

$4 fee per program participant

In the winter, Jones Beach welcomes back its winter seal population. Learn about these incredible marine mammals and their migration to Jones Beach, and go for a walk to spot Harbor and Gray Seals feeding in our bay.

We start at the Center, with a talk about seals, and then participants follow our educators in their personal vehicles over to the seal-watching spot for a guided 1.5 mile walk on the sandy beach.

This program has portions both INDOORS and OUTDOORS. Dress appropriately.

Please wear:

• Warm coat

• Gloves, Scarf, Hat

• Boots or other warm closed-toe footwear

If you need to cancel your reservation, please call 516-809-8222 or email jbenc@parks.ny.gov so your spot may be made available to others.

Families (All Ages) | Walk

RSVP REQUIRED

$4 fee per program participant

In the winter, Jones Beach welcomes back its winter seal population. Learn about these incredible marine mammals and their migration to Jones Beach, and go for a walk to spot Harbor and Gray Seals feeding in our bay.

We start at the Center, with a talk about seals, and then participants follow our educators in their personal vehicles over to the seal-watching spot for a guided 1.5 mile walk on the sandy beach.

This program has portions both INDOORS and OUTDOORS. Dress appropriately.

Please wear:

• Warm coat

• Gloves, Scarf, Hat

• Boots or other warm closed-toe footwear

If you need to cancel your reservation, please call 516-809-8222 or email jbenc@parks.ny.gov so your spot may be made available to others.