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Water Quality Update on Zoom – FREE

Registration closes at 1 PM on Friday, March 19. Scroll down for Zoom technical assistance links. Human beings can survive 3 weeks without food, but only 3 days without water. How important is it to you that your water is clean? Join GSWA Water Quality Director, Sandra LaVigne, for an in-depth review of the water quality in the Great Swamp watershed and in the Passaic River region. This brief presentation will highlight the results of the sampling and testing we performed on our local streams throughout 2020. Sandra will also provide an overview of our recently added testing protocol for PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl) manmade chemicals also called "forever chemicals." PFAS is an emerging threat to the health of the waterways in the US and in other industrialized countries. Join us for this informative report on your water with a Q&A session at the end. Registration is required. A Zoom link will be sent to you post-registration.   Having issues joining the session? Please review the Zoom Help Center. How to Join Zoom Meeting, click here for video tutorial.

Free

Become a FrogWatcher

Like frogs? Hop onto our "citizen science" Zoom training session to learn more about our amphibian friends including how to distinguish between a spring peeper and a wood frog, and how to identify many other local frogs and toads. Feeling inspired to do more? Become an official FrogWatch volunteer. Eric Jackson, Environmental Educator at Cora Hartshorn Arboretum, will train you how to properly log and report your sightings in a nationwide database. It's fun for the whole family and it's free! This training program is held in association with Cora Hartshorn Arboretum. Registration is required. Zoom link will be shared prior to the event.

Free – $40.00

Cook with GSWA on Zoom – Plant-based Recipes

Registration closes at 3 PM on Tuesday, March 23. Scroll down for Zoom technical assistance links. Our "Cook with GSWA" series has a guest chef this month! Cook along with Chef Dianne Wenz or simply relax with your favorite beverage and enjoy the show. Author of 3 plant-based cookbooks and an established cooking instructor, Chef Wenz invites us (virtually) into her kitchen to prepare a tantalizing vegan dinner of Cauliflower Piccata that's nut-free, gluten-free, and soy-free. Accompanying this meal is a Greek salad with homemade balsamic dijon vinaigrette dressing. This dinner is sure to amuse everyone's taste buds. This is our third Zoom cooking program in this popular "Cook with GSWA" series.   Registration is required for this free program. You will receive the recipes and Zoom link via email prior to the event.  Questions? Email [email protected].     Zoom technical assistance links. Having issues joining the session? Please review the Zoom Help Center. How to Join Zoom Meeting, click here for video tutorial.  

Free

Intro to Rain Gardens on Zoom – FREE

Registration closes at 5 PM on  Thu., March 25! – Scroll down for Zoom technical assistance links.   Thinking of adding a rain garden to your yard? Smart choice! A rain garden is a beautiful addition to your landscape that also provides a valuable function. By causing water to absorb slowly into the ground it reduces and sometimes even prevent flooding. A rain garden also helps keep stormwater run-off from carrying pollution to our drinking water sources. Join us for an in-depth review of the benefits of installing a rain garden at your home and get some basic how-to suggestions. At the end of this program, Summit and Summit area residents you can also register for a free, 30-minute consultation scheduled for April 8, 5-8 PM. Rutgers University engineers and landscape architects will work with you to plan and lay out a rain garden specific to your yard. You will leave with a design plan and a list of recommended plants. You MUST attend the March 25th program to qualify for the April 8 design session. No exceptions. Take advantage of these two free Summit Area Rain Garden programs, co-hosted by GSWA & Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program. Registration […]

Free

SOLD OUT: Vernal Pool Exploration

Great Swamp Watershed Association's CMA 1 Tiger Lily Ln, Morristown, NJ, United States

SORRY, THIS HIKE IS SOLD OUT. With temperatures rising, the forest floor will be hopping with new life as frogs and other amphibians crowd into shallow puddles of water to breed and lay their eggs. These puddles, called vernal pools, provide a perfect opportunity to learn more about Mother Nature here in New Jersey. But we have to hurry as they disappear quickly! This annual nighttime Vernal Pool Exploration provides a fun, outdoor learning experience for kids and adults alike. Discover the differences between a spring peeper, a chorus frog, and a wood frog. Find out how far an endangered spotted salamander will walk to find a mating pool. And, learn how much everything we have come to appreciate about springtime depends on  some unassuming puddles of water on the forest floor. Warm clothing and waterproof footwear, especially hiking boots, are strongly recommended. Registration is required.

Get Tickets Free – $40.00

CANCELLED: Pup Hike

Great Swamp Watershed Association's CMA 1 Tiger Lily Ln, Morristown, NJ, United States

Sorry, this hike has been cancelled due to the weather .   It's been a looong winter so, we've decided to sneak in an extra hike. Treat your best friend (and yourself) to some fresh air with a leisurely, early-spring hike in the woods. Flowers are peeking out of the ground, trees are budding, and birds are finding their way back. With so much to see, smell, and hear, your pooch is sure to have a great night's sleep after this big adventure! All pups must remain on a leash for the full hike and play nice with other dogs. Please come prepared to clean up any messes. Space is limited to 10 pups, and 8 humans. This is one of our more popular hikes so register today. GSWA Members $5, non-members $10, children under 18 free.

Sold Out $5.00 – $40.00

Native Pollinator Plant Sale

We have restocked! Place your order now through April 22.   Native Plant Pollinator gardens are delightful for homeowners and necessary to sustain wildlife. Finding a full selection of native perennials that will thrive in our local area can be hard, so we've done it for you! Pollinator garden plans, kits, and a full selection of robust plants Easily to follow How-to resources Consultation with volunteers experienced with native plant gardening in yards like yours   Click HERE to view and purchase Here’s how our plant sale works: Peruse the native pollinator plant kits and individual species add-ons in our Catalog.  Take advantage of the easy Garden Resources page to make your decision Place your orders no later than April 22. We encourage you to decide early because quantities are limited and we will sell out! Pick up of your orders will occur on either May 1 or 2. You will be assigned to one of  based on your town of residence. If you are not a resident of one of these towns, you will be assigned to a nearby pickup site. Questions about the plants or garden designs should be directed to [email protected] Enjoy spring to fall blooms and amazing butterflies and other pollinators beginning this summer and […]

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED: Gardening for Pollinators – Plant It, They will Come

Sorry - registration has closed for this event. If you build it, they will come. Imagine you and your family relaxing in your yard, watching the butterflies, dragonflies, hummingbirds, and other beautiful pollinators and wildlife frocking in your pollinator garden. This doesn't have to be a distant dream - it's an attainable reality! Join Hazel England, GSWA Director of Education, Outreach, and Land Stewardship (and our resident pollinator expert) on Zoom for the low-down. Learn the appropriate native plants you will need to attract pollinators and why this type of garden benefits your yard, your neighborhood, and our shared watershed. There will be a 15-minute Q&A session from 12:30-12:45 so bring your questions! Register, then check out our native pollinator plant sale taking place April 1-22 here.

Free – $40.00

Stream Assessment Training on Zoom-FREE!

Registration closes at 11 AM, Friday, April 2 Scroll down for Zoom technical assistance links.   Interested in the health of your local stream? Concerned about clean water? Perhaps you've even considered becoming a stream monitoring volunteer. If any this makes you raise an eyebrow, this free virtual training session is for you! Sandra LaVigne, GSWA Director of Water Quality Programs, will join you virtually to teach you how to conduct visual and biological stream assessments, identify macroinvertebrates, and recognize environmental factors that may impact stream health. By the end of the hour, you will have the skills you need to conduct your own assessments for fun or as a visual stream assessment volunteer! (Preferred volunteers are 15 or older.) You will receive the link to this training session post-registration.   Zoom technical assistance links: Having issues joining the session? Please review the Zoom Help Center. How to Join Zoom Meeting, click here for video tutorial.  

Get Tickets Free – $40.00

SOLD OUT: Spring into Spring Hike @ the Refuge

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - Bluebird Parking Lot Bluebird Parking Lot, Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, NJ, United States

Sorry, this event is sold out. Please check out our other events.   Blooming flowers, budding branches, and a glimpse of our forest critters are all indicators that spring is here! The red-winged blackbirds and eastern phoebes are the first to get the memo that it's time to return and start nesting, while woodpeckers and spring peepers make their presence known more by sound than by sight. Don't miss this glorious time of year to be in the great outdoors. Step on out and inhale the earthy spring smell that the land produces this time of year. GSWA Education Associate, Adam Palmer, will guide you along the relaxing trails of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge for this family-friendly stroll. Registration required. Space is limited so register today!

Get Tickets Free – $40.00