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Online Photo Gallery Shows Off Shark River Images

Riverfront in Wall, Avon, Belmar

Photographers on the online photo sharing website Flickr have uploaded hundreds of images of the Shark River, many showing waterfowl on the river and other activity. Check out this slideshow, arranged chronologically with the most recent photos tagged with "Shark River." Some photographers used the tag for images taken in or nearby. Many photos are of foliage and water fowl, while others show the landscape and activity surrounding this body of water. Visit the photo gallery here.

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Finding the Geocache Along Shark River Woods

Geocaching as a way to get the kids out and moving

The countdown started at around 300 feet and grew louder as we walked closer.  My eldest child, holding the GPS device, shouted ever-lowering numbers as we walked closer to our destination a mile deep into the woods at Shark River Park. “Two hundred,’’ she said. “One hundred feet! We’re almost there!” My other two kids wondered aloud what the treasure was gong to be at the end of this muddy hike. Their excitement was palpable, and gleefully unexpected. It was, after all, a hike through the woods, with nary a game system or television in sight. Yet these young digital natives, inundated with more media than any generation of humans preceding it, were actually enjoying walking through the mud on a sunny day in search of hidden treasure…

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Hurricane Sandy

Belmar Marina 9th Ave. Pier, Mini-Golf Reopens Months After Hurricane Sandy Damage

Borough paid for repairs with bond, expecting FEMA reimbursement

Time to grab a putter or simply go for a jaunt: Belmar Marina's 9th Avenue Pier and its mini-golf course have reopened. Monday was the first day of operation, with 11 a.m. being the first tee time for the season at the mini-golf course. Though some additional work needs to be done at the marina, the 9th Avenue Pier is now open, in a week expected to have temperatures regularly reaching the mid50s and sunny. The Monday reopening marks another open facility shuttered for months by Hurricane Sandy. Though the mini-golf course is normally closed for winter, this winter saw the marina pier undergo renovations after Hurricane Sandy. The 9th Avenue Pier bar is closed currently, but could open this weekend after completing a borough inspection of …

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UPDATE: When Is This Going Away?

Abandoned boat in Shark River Harbor now collecting graffiti

Friday: The small boat abandoned in the Shark River Harbor just off Belmar Boulevard on Friday appears to have beached itself along the shoreline on the south side of Belmar's Maclearie Park. Still no word from police or the DOT on when The Spain -- so-named for the graffiti that now graces its hull -- might be plucked from the harbor. Prevously: It's an eyesore that's just getting worse. An abandoned boat, left in the harbor of the Shark River just off Belmar Boulevard, has been riding the tides for months, sometimes on its side, sometimes upright. And now it has attracted the attention of local graffiti artists who have practiced their craft on its hull. Belmar officials say that the owner has been contacted numerous times, to no avail, …

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Hurricane-Damaged Monmouth Waterways' Cleanup Contract Awarded

CrowderGulf, headquartered in Theodore, Alabama, will undertake local cleanup and dredging effort

An Alabama company will undertake a massive cleanup and debris removal effort in waterways following Superstorm Sandy. State authorities have removed more than 1,000 boats since the storm hit, but the remains of many others, plus debris resulting from everything from destroyed homes to derelict vessels previously undetected pose a threat to navigation as the spring boating season draws near. Three companies were awarded contracts to clear New Jersey's waterways of debris, hopefully before spring arrives. Donjon Marine will be responsible for the northern portion of the state, from the New York border to Raritan Bay. CrowderGulf, of Theodore, Alabama, will be responsible for the central portion of the state, from the Navesink River in …

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Traffic on the Shore

Route 71 Bridge Reopens Between Belmar, Avon

Span over Shark River closed after Hurricane Sandy

The Route 71 bridge over the Shark River is now open. A detour that rerouted Route 71 traffic onto Route 35 in Belmar since Hurricane Sandy is over. State Department of Transportation officials announced the span between Belmar and Avon-by-the-Sea, at the north end of Main Street in Belmar reopened to vehicular traffic. Repair work after the storm is complete "days ahead of schedule," said NJDOT Commissioner James Simpson in a news release today. “We are pleased to get this bridge back in service ahead of schedule because we understand its importance to residents, business owners and visitors," said NJDOT Commissioner James Simpson. Since the storm forced the bridge's closure for electrical repairs, detours on both sides of the river put …

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Belmar Mayor Concerned Over Bridge Privatization

Mayor Matt Doherty said he first learned of the privatization vote from a report on Patch

  Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty asked the Board of Chosen Freeholders to keep municipalities informed about the process of privatizing the county’s movable bridge operations. The board voted on Nov. 9 to unanimously approve a $1.485 million one-year contract with Florida-based Drawbridge Services, Inc. The contract was subsequently assigned to Drawbridge Services, Inc.’s newly-formed affiliate, East Coast Drawbridge Corporation. Doherty addressed the freeholder board during its regular meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at the Hall of Records building, explaining that he first learned of the privatization effort from a report on Patch. “I am an advocate for privatization of services where it makes sense. My concern on behalf of my residents and, in …

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Hurricane Irene

L Street River Beach Closed in Belmar

Precautionary measures taken after manholes overflow

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is reporting that the river beach at L Street in Belmar has been closed. In a bulletin posted on NJBeaches.org, the DEP explains that overflowing manholes as a result of Hurricane Irene are the reason for the precautionary closing. The DEP is currently testing water samples from the area and expects to have results later today or tomorrow. The River Road section of Route 35 along the Shark River was hit especially hard during Hurricane Irene this weekend. The Belmar Police Department and the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office blocked off a large portion of the road to traffic in both directions as a heavy storm surge overtook the road between Route 71 and 16th Avenue. L Street beach is a …

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Newark Students Learn to Sail in Belmar

A day on the Shark River yields life lessons for inner-city youth

For sixth-grade students from the Robert Treat Academy in Newark, a day on the Shark River was more than just fun in the sun. As the classmates assisted one another in mounting and launching kayaks from a floating dock near Belmar's L Street beach, one holding the boat firmly against the bulkhead while the other steadied themselves atop the craft, then handing them their paddle and seeing their friends hit the water, the lesson becomes clear. They're learning about themselves. For the sixth year, students from the Newark-based charter school came to the Shark River basin through the City Sailors program and the Friends of Belmar Harbor. The sailing lessons have since been incorporated into Academy curriculum. For Paul Perotta, a physical …

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Body Found Floating Off Avon

Coast Guard transport dead, floating body to Shark River Station

A body was discovered floating in the Atlantic Ocean in Avon-by-the-Sea near the Shark River bridge by fishermen, authorities reported on Tuesday. The body, which was spotted drifting in the water by Avon-by-the-Sea police around 5:30 p.m., was transported by U.S. Coast Guard boat to the Shark River Coast Guard Station in Avon around 6 p.m. The Monmouth County Prosecutors Office arrived on the scene to investigate the death. There is no word from authorities yet as to the identity of the person, other than it was a male wearing swim trucks. Belmar and Bradley Beach police were also at the scene. Last week, a 15-year-old boy from Neptune went missing while swimming off Bradley Beach's Brinley Avenue. Hampered by severe weather, a search for…

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