Their 'seal' of approval

For many people who live in Wantagh, Jones Beach State Park is considered their go-to beach. But what they don’t know, is that there are other ocean-dwelling mammals who also call the beach their home. 

Last Sunday, the Theodore Roosevelt Nature Center at Jones Beach held one of its many educational seal walks at the park, open to anyone who was interested. With as many as a dozen harbor seals bobbing their heads in and out of the tides, onlookers took pictures and watched in amazement from the shoreline of Field 10.

“Most people don’t even realize that seals come here or that the nature center even exists in Wantagh,” park educator Patrick Kaminski said. “It’s good for kids to know this is here because it exposes them to all of the educational opportunities we offer at Jones Beach.”

Jones Beach first started hosting seal walks in 2002, when naturalists saw a growing interest in the animals that stopped in every winter. It was in 2008, when the park decided to expand the family program and hold almost a dozen walks during the months of January, February and March. 

The walks, which are led by two guides, usually last for about two hours, with a short 30-minute seminar in the beginning. It’s during this time that the park educators teach children about the different types of seals and why they venture out to Jones Beach. 

“For the most part, we just try to do our best to get little kids to see a seal and get them excited,” Kaminiski said. “We also try and keep our PowerPoints fairly short and aim to hit the main bullet points, like what types of seals there are, the differences between a male and female, and what it’s actually doing out there in the water.”

Although the animals are only taking a pit stop on their journey to the north, it’s guaranteed that they will be back every winter. “The reason they come during the cold months is because seals have such a high body temperature,” Kaminski said. “But once it hits April, they are off to Canada, where the waters are cooler.”