 Cattus Island is home to the Cooper Environmental Center, an educational center which displays collections of local wildlife including snakes, reptiles and aquatic animals.The center also provides educational programs and presentations to the public and organized groups.The first European explorer to set foot on what became Ocean County soil was Captain Cornelius Hendrickson, who in 1615 explored the New Jersey coast in the Onrust (or Restless) between the latitudes 38 and 40 degrees.