Welcome to the virtual home of the Sandy Hook Herbarium. On this site, you will find a comprehensive encyclopedia of plants found in the coastal ecosystems of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. This is a Directed Field Research Project of the Marine Academy of Science and Technology which is part of the Monmouth County Vocational School District. The instructors and directors of this course are Ms. Cheryl McDonald and Mr. David Alfonse.
Classroom Closeup NJ
This 30-minute television program features New Jersey students, school staff and community members and can be seen on NJTV. The Sandy Hook Herbarium has been regularly featured for this Emmy-nominated program, and will be aired on October 13th, October 19th, November 17th, and November 23rd, 2013. Check your local listings for more details.
Effects of Super Storm Sandy
Hurricane Sandy had a devastating impact on not only the Sandy Hook environment but also to the herbarium plant collection. Most of our collected specimens and paintings of environmental zones were either destroyed or badly damaged.
Gateway National Park was closed to the public until May 1st, 2013. Our Directed Field Research class began collecting and replacing these damaged/destroyed items in May 2013. Herbarium members assessed the damage to the plant community within our herbarium zones.
As of Now:
Currently the Herbarium students in the MAST Class of 2015 are furthering the Sandy Hook Interactive Herbarium, collecting and cataloging more plants, as well as constructing a mobile app. Additional progress includes translations in four languages, which are to come. This year’s members have high hopes for improving the Herbarium.
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