Stream Assessment Training is Back!

Great Swamp Watershed Association HQ 568 Tempe Wick Rd, Morristown, NJ, United States

Interested in learning how to monitor a stream or gaining a better understanding about stream health? This one-day, two-part training session is for you! An indoor classroom session teaches you how to conduct visual and biological stream assessments and recognize environmental factors that may impact stream health. An outdoor session lets you practice your new-found skills at a local stream site. By afternoon you will be a fully trained visual stream assessment volunteer and ready to conduct an assessment. Tools and supplies will be provided. Be sure to wear shoes that are suitable for walking outside and getting dirty, and bring a clean pair to change into. Preferred volunteers are 15 or older. Younger volunteers are welcome with parent participation. This training will be conducted in conjunction with the AmeriCorps New Jersey Watershed Ambassador Program. Registration required.

Fall-Fest Hard Cider Tasting

Great Swamp Watershed Association HQ 568 Tempe Wick Rd, Morristown, NJ, United States

This is not your father's hard apple cider. Spiked ciders have evolved significantly over the years. Just as different grapes produce a myriad of wine flavors, the same is true for apples and hard ciders. But why spend your hard-earned cash to narrow down your favorites? Join us and you will sip 'n sample 8 different hard ciders for free!* You will begin your hard cider journey with a scorecard to rate and rank your tastings. Along the way you'll enjoy complimentary snacks and can test your environmental knowledge with our pub-style quiz for a chance to win fun, fall-inspired prizes. *All this fabulousness is FREE to non-members as well as GSWA members who bring a non-member friend. GSWA members, a $25 suggested donation is appreciated. Registration is required. Must be 21 or older to consume alcohol. So c'mon out and taste the season - it's on us!

Get Tickets Free – $25.00

(Wo)man’s Best Friend Hike at the CMA

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

Calling all pooches! Grab your family and a leash, and c’mon out to the CMA for a crisp, pre-winter hike. We know you’re ready to get some fresh air and sniff new smells. This is your day! We only ask that you play nice with other dogs, remain on your leash for the full hike, and ask your humans to bring you some water in case you get thirsty, and clean up after you. There is a limit of 15 pups (but no limit on the number of humans) so shake a leg and register today! This event is free for GSWA members, non-members: suggested donation of $10 for adults 18+, $5 for children 6-17 years. Registration is required.

Get Tickets Free – $40.00

What’s New at the CMA / GSWA Annual Meeting

Kemmerer Library 19 Blue Mill Road, Harding Twp., NJ, United States

Join us for wine and cheese and see what we've been up to at our Conservation Management Area (CMA) on Tiger Lily Lane in Harding. Since our recent acquisition of 20 new acres, making our property over 70 contiguous acres, we have been busy! Work completed at the property from more than 2000 volunteer hours this year includes expanding our education areas to accommodate larger classes, felling more than 20 trees to block old hunting roads, creating 500 feet of boardwalk for trails, and planting 1000 native trees and shrubs. Hear about what else we've been working on as an organization. We are always hard at work on advocacy, education and water quality monitoring, in addition to our land preservation and stewardship efforts. Please join us. Registration is required. Must be 21 or older to consume alcohol.

NEW DATE: 12/8 – Post-Thanksgiving Cleanup and Hike

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

We all did it – we went for that extra helping of mashed potatoes… used a little extra whipped cream on our pumpkin pie… There’s no shame in that, especially when you head outside and work it off!  So, let's make a deal - you help give a little TLC to our Conservation Management Area (CMA) trails and as a reward we will take you on a hike! Come check out the great work our volunteers have been doing throughout the year on this end-to-end tour of the CMA and contiguous trails. Enjoy the new boardwalks and marvel at the sheer volume of native plants that have replaced the invasives. Can't do both? That's okay. Just let us know which works for you. Either way, we're working off our Thanksgiving meals together!

RESCHEDULED TO DEC 15: Behind-the-Scenes Talk & Tour at the Refuge

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

Grab your camera and join the adventure as we lead you on a special journey through the wildlife management area, not typically open to the general public. Staff and volunteers from GSNWR and GSWA will help identify wildlife and migratory birds and you may even spot a bald eagle or two! Following the hike, Nic Platt, Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) Board President, will provide a brief history of the Great Swamp that nearly became a jetport. This tour is co-sponsored by GSWA and GSNWR. Location: Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Bluebird Parking Lot, 197 Pleasant Plains Road, Harding Township. Please check refuge Facebook page for weather-related cancellation: https://www.facebook.com/GreatSwampNWR Registration is required.

Sold Out Free

Jockey Hollow Then & Now Hike

Visitor Center, Morristown National Historical Park 600 Tempe Wick Road, Morristown, New Jersey

To commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the first public announcement of the proposed 10,000-acre jetport, we invite you to spend the afternoon with nature and history. Together we will explore Jockey Hollow’s past, its present, and what might have been if the landmark victory over the jetport never happened, and the Great Swamp didn't exist. This special event is provided in partnership with Morristown National Historical Park and GSWA. Registration is required.

New Year’s Resolution Hike

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

With the hectic holiday festivities behind us let’s indulge in something a little different – nature! Kick off your new year with an energizing hike at our Conservation Management Area (CMA). It's a great way to burn off some of those holiday calories while treating yourself to the sights and sounds of the woodland creatures who call the CMA their home. Dress for the weather including your waterproof boots. Although we have built many boardwalks along the trails, there may be some snow and slush. Registration is required. This event is free to all GSWA members

Get Tickets Free – $40.00

SOLD OUT: Moonlight Hike at the Refuge WOC

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - Wildlife Observation Center https://goo.gl/maps/tLD3KapcRC21245c8, Harding Twp., NJ, United States

We're sorry, this hike is full. But while you're here check out our other upcoming hikes and programs! What is it about a winter night hike that's so peaceful? Maybe it's the muffled sound of boots crunching on the snow. Perhaps it's the curious owls asking "whoooooo's" there? There are only right answers. This is your opportunity to visit the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge's Wildlife Observation Center and find out for yourself. The full moon will illuminate the night's sky revealing more of the habitat and critters of the Refuge. And if you haven't experienced a night hike with GSWA's Hazel England, it's time to fix that! Dress for the weather and be sure to wear your waterproof boots.

Sold Out Free – $40.00

Cross Estate Gardens & Historical Hike

Cross Estate Gardens 61 Jockey Hollow Rd, Bernardsville, NJ, United States

SOLD OUT If you need to cancel or have questions over the weekend please call your tour guide, Adam Palmer, on his cell @ 908-399-5610. The gardens may be sleeping for the winter, but the diurnal (active during the daytime) wildlife will be very much awake as we check out the garden areas and buildings of the early-20th century Cross Estate Gardens. We will also venture through the site of George Washington and the Continental Army's encampment in the winter of 1779-80 during the American Revolutionary War. Located within the Morristown National Historical Park, this area is steeped in American history, and it remains a beautifully unspoiled place to get away and reconnect with nature. If there's snow we will look for fresh tracks to follow. Lots of winter birds like woodpeckers, juncos, and flickers will be flitting about so be sure to bring your binoculars. We will bring a few extras as backup. Dress for the weather and wear your well-tractioned, waterproof boots. This event is free to all GSWA members, a $10 donation is appreciated from non-member adults, $5 for children. Registration is required.  

Sold Out Free – $40.00