The fun is over. Iconic boardwalk amusement park in Ocean City to close after 94 years

By Matthew Enuco | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The iconic Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, a family-run amusement park on Ocean City’s boardwalk for 94 years, plans to close after this summer due to financial hardship, the owner announced Friday.

“I tried my best to sustain Wonderland for as long as possible – through increasingly difficult challenges each year,” owner Jay Gillian said in a message posted on Facebook. “But it’s no longer a viable business. We will terminate our multi-year lease in a couple of months. The property is no longer mine, so I can’t speak to its future.”

Gillian, who is also Ocean City’s mayor, said he has been working at the amusement park since he was 13.

“After 47 years working on the Ocean City Boardwalk, I have little choice but to retire and close Gillian’s Wonderland Pier and 6th Street Pizza and Grill, embarking on a new chapter in my life,” Gillian said. ”The 94 years of tradition at Gillian’s amusements on the Boardwalk have been cherished by so many people, none more than me.”

The iconic facade of the park resembles a white and red castle and its 144-foot tall Giant Wheel that towers over the Ocean City beaches is visible from miles away, including the Garden State Parkway. The amusement rides include a historic carousel built in 1926.

Read the full story here


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Rutgers Environmental Courses and Certificate Programs

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Warnings issued for harmful algae blooms on NJ’s Lake Hopatcong

By MIKE CONDON STAFF WRITER, NJ Hills Media Group

Days and days of soaring temperatures have brought harmful algae blooms – or HAB’s – back to Lake Hopatcong.

Kyle Richter, executive director of the Landing-based Lake Hopatcong Foundation said on Thursday that on the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP’s) HAB Dashboard, there are six “Advisory Warnings” on Lake Hopatcong.

“Two of these have impacted swimming at beaches but have not impacted recreational uses on the rest of the lake and the lake is open,” he said.

“These HABs we have experienced this year are not widespread and are in isolated areas. Weather patterns this summer have not been kind,” he said, referring to the excessive and ongoing heat.

“We did receive word that sampling at Hopatcong State Park from earlier this week came back positive and swimming at Hopatcong State Park should be opening back up today and that the fountain should also be turned back on today as well,” he said.

Access the DEP dashboard here


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Four-year survey of New York Bight finished for offshore wind farm

The Fugro Enterprise at its berth in New Jersey. Fugro says its has recently completed a four-year program of site surveys for Atlantic Shores offshore wind projects. Fugro photo.

By Work Boat staff

Geotechnical data company Fugro says it has completed a four-year program of continuous survey operations in the New York Bight for Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, covering five project sites across three lease areas totaling 1,000 square kilometers.

The red hull of the 170’x40’x11’ survey vessel Fugro Enterprise has been a familiar sight to mariners during those years. During the effort, Fugro says, it “worked with Atlantic Shores to pioneer a new data collection and management approach that increased survey efficiency by 30%.”

That contributed to the recent federal approval of Atlantic Shores South, aiming for a turbine array with a nameplate rating  of 2,800 megawatts. The developers, a joint venture of Shell New Energies US LLC and EDF-RE Offshore Development, LLC. Under the partners’ plan the first turbines off Long Beach Island and Brigantine, N.J., would be followed by building on other leases in deeper water farther east.

“Traditionally, offshore wind site assessments have required multiple independent campaigns to gather oceanographic, seabed, soil and habitat data,” according to a statement from Fugro. The company says it consolidated and streamlined the process into  “a single, integrated program aligned with Atlantic Shores’ portfolio strategy.”

Read the full story here


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68.2 million people in the U.S. may be exposed to dangerous heat

Caution: 80° to 90°21% Extremecaution90° to 103°21% Dangerous103° to 125° Lowrisk< 80°F

By Naema Ahmed and John Muyskens, Washington Post

Forecast as of August 8 at 12:00 p.m.

The Post is tracking the potential for dangerous heat using the heat index, which accounts for the combined impact of temperature and humidity — the higher the humidity, the more difficult it is for the body to cool itself off through sweating.

Heat index forecast for today

Heat index is a measure of how hot it feels outside. It includes air temperature and humidity.CautionExtremeDangerousExtremelycautiondangerous80°90°103°125°F

Heat index forecast today

Heat index forecast, day 1

Saturday

Aug. 10

Heat index forecast, day 2

Sunday

Aug. 11

Heat index forecast, day 3

Monday

Aug. 12

Heat index forecast, day 4

Tuesday

Aug. 13

Heat index forecast, day 5

Wednesday

Aug. 14

Heat index forecast, day 6

Extreme heat kills more people in the United States than any other weather hazard, and the risk of longer and more frequent heat waves is only expected to increase as climate change worsens. Heat disorders such as heat stroke, heat cramps and heat exhaustion are possible with any extended exposure to a heat index at or above 90 degrees.

Heat illness can set in quickly — in as little as 10 to 15 minutes — when your body overheats and can’t properly cool itself off. This can lead to muscle cramps or spasms, heavy sweating, weakness or tiredness, abnormal pulse rate, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headache, confusion, fainting, loss of consciousness or death.


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New York proposes changes to endangered and threatened rules

Proposed Rulemaking Updates Status of Listed Freshwater Fishes, Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog, and Other Federally Protected Species

“DEC’s ongoing efforts to protect and restore threatened and endangered species are improving conservation status for several fish species, while others are recovering thanks to improved water quality across the state,” DEC Interim Commissioner Mahar said. “At the same time, DEC is noting declines in the conservation status of some vulnerable species due to climate change or loss of habitat. I encourage New Yorkers to comment on this draft regulation and help ensure the State’s full regulatory protection is applied appropriately statewide.”

New York’s list of endangered and threatened species was last updated in 1999, and does not currently reflect best available information on the distribution of species or their conservation status. The proposal released today is the first in a series of rulemakings to update the overall threatened and endangered species list and DEC anticipates addressing groups of related species in separate rulemakings over the next two years. 

The current proposed rulemaking will update the status of freshwater fishes based on research by DEC and partners over the last 25 years. Status assessment information for species addressed in this rulemaking is available on DEC’s website

DEC is holding two virtual public hearing sessions on Thursday, Oct. 10, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. The draft regulations and details for the hearing and comment period are available on DEC’s website.

Comments will be accepted through 5 p.m. on Oct. 18, 2024, and must be submitted in writing to rarefish@dec.ny.gov (subject: “Endangered Species”) or to: NYSDEC, Attn: Lisa Holst, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4753. 

Additional background information on New York’s endangered species regulations is also available on DEC’s website. 


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