SANDY HOOK — Folks who have had their fill of this winter’s big chill can soon take part in the “shore”-to-be-heated race to help name the State’s Top Ten Beaches for 2010, according to a release.
The New Jersey Top Ten Beaches project, created three years ago by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium/New Jersey Sea Grant, (NJMSC/NJSG) and the Richard Stockton College Coastal Research Center (CRC) has become a friendly but still competitive annual voting event among New Jersey beachgoers.
The project website, njtoptenbeaches.org, will officially open and begin collecting votes on Monday, February 22nd at noon. The title of New Jersey’s Top Beach gives the winner not only bragging rights but its day in the sun as well. Past winners (Wildwood in 2008 and Ocean City in 2009) have been featured on national television and in major publications including the Washington Post and New York Times.
The basic format of the survey remains the same this year: Users vote via the web for their favorite New Jersey beach in each of four categories. Last year input from tourism officials and other officials led survey managers to downscale the list to forty-eight shore communities. The revised list is expected to generate even greater voting activity and interest in the survey due to an even more narrowed focus. The Top Ten Beaches Survey will again have a presence on Facebook, the popular
social networking site which will allow voters and other users to keep updated on any Survey news.
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The project was developed by of Dr. Stewart Farrell, Professor of Marine Science at Richard Stockton College and Kim Kosko, Director of Communications for NJMSC/NJSG. It was originally designed to promote stewardship and pride in New Jersey’s beaches among New Jerseyans and help put a positive pre-seasonal spin on the benefits of visiting and vacationing at New Jersey beach communities from Sandy Hook to Cape May.
According to Project Coordinator Marsha Samuel, Communication Specialist for NJMSC/NJSG, helping promote New Jersey beaches and tourism is a primary objective for the project this year. “More people than ever will be considering day-trips closer to home and there will be greater competition for vacation and tourism dollars. We’re hoping as it’s done in the past that the survey will continue to stimulate excitement about the Jersey Shore and the local economy.”
Voting for the New Jersey Top Ten Beach Survey will continue through midnight on April 30.
The web site results will be tallied and then combined with the more objective beach data collected by Dr. Stewart Farrell and his team at the Richard Stockton College Coastal Research Center. The final results will be announced at the NJMSC/NJSG’s State of the Shore Media Event, which is set for May 27 at the Seagull’s Nest on Sandy Hook.
The New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium/New Jersey Sea Grant is an affiliation of colleges, universities and other groups dedicated to advancing knowledge and stewardship of New Jersey’s marine and coastal environment. NJMSC/NJSG meets its mission through its innovative research, education and outreach programs. For more information about NJMSC/NJSG, visit njmsc.org.
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