Calling all would-be explorers, adventurers, and buccaneers! The Great Swamp Scavenger Hunt is back for another year of outdoor fun! Think you know a thing or two about New Jersey’s Great Swamp? Then it’s time to test your powers of navigation and observation to find out.
Join Blaine Rothauser for a fascinating introduction to moth ecology at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (32 Pleasant Plains Road, Harding). For this hands-on, outdoor workshop, Blaine will set up a sodium vapor lamp in the parking area. After a few minutes, an astounding array of moths will appear for you to observe, identify, and photograph. What you see will surprise and amaze you!
Join GSWA and Chatham Citizens Opposing the Oil Pipeline for a night of fun with a purpose at the new Twin Elephant Brewing Company in Chatham. $40 admission includes a taster flight, pint, and delicious hors d’oeuvres Proceeds from this event will be used for an independent, objective environmental study to counter any biased environmental claims made by Pilgrim Pipeline about the effect of their “hazardous liquids” pipelines on NJ’s fresh water supply. This effort is critical to help protect our water and our health.
Join us for a sunset hike as we explore the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. We’ll be listening to and identifying the sounds of a summer night – crickets, tree frogs, and maybe even some owls – as we traverse the boardwalk at the Wildlife Observation Center.
Join GSWA and speaker Mark Gallagher for an update on the proposed Pilgrim Pipeline, a 178 mile bi-directional pipeline that will run from Albany, NY to Linden, NJ, and how it will affect the Great Swamp Watershed. This evening briefing will take place at the Library of the Chathams. Registration recommended.
Experience breathtaking views of the city of Paterson, the New York City Skyline and much more as GSWA Education Associate Dan Ross leads a hiking expedition further down the Passaic! Designated as a National Natural Landmark within the National Park Service, Garret Mountain is a top birding location of both local and migratory species, and is home to a variety of wildlife and geological conditions to observe.
Join GSWA Education Associate Dan Ross as he leads a fun filled hike along the Horizon trail at the CMA and learn about why deciduous trees lose their leaves in the fall, why they change colors and other interesting facts along the way! Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for squirrels and chipmunks collecting nuts for the coming months, and observe the forest changing as it prepares for the cooler months to come.
Fertilizers are a traditional method of replenishing missing nutrients to the soil to enhance the growth of plants and trees. However, commonly used synthetic fertilizers are causing more harm than good. Not only are synthetic fertilizers dangerous to the health of our children and pets, their use has serious environmental repercussions. Join us as we discuss the far reaching and long lasting effects that synthetic fertilizers are having on our environment with Anthony Sblendorio, Founder of Back to Nature Home & Garden in Basking Ridge, NJ. As a nationally recognized social entrepreneur and one of the pioneers of sustainable and regenerative design in NJ, Mr. Sblendorio and Back to Nature are committed to the eradication of synthetic fertilizer use. As a show of this commitment, Mr. Sblendorio invites each attendee to bring a bag of synthetic fertilizer that they’re currently using in their garden and to exchange it for a bag organic fertilizer for free. (One bag for each attendee of this program.)
Embrace your inner Columbus and explore Giralda Farms in Chatham Township with GSWA. Hikers will have the chance to create some fall crafts before hitting the trails. Once the hike begins, your guides, GSWA’s director of education and outreach, Hazel England, and GSWA education associate, Dan Ross, will teach you how to look for signs of wildlife that are getting ready for winter or migrating through. Registration Required.
As the shadows lengthen and the day’s light grows shorter, enjoy some warm apple cider along a late afternoon hike as NPS Park Historian Eric Olsen and GSWA Education Associate Dan Ross tell seasonal stories about the origins of the Jack O’ Lantern, old time superstitions, and explore other tales and folklore to the backdrop of historic Jockey Hollow. You might just want to bring along your own lantern to ward off any evil spirits that might be lingering nearby!
