Spotlights

Wharton State Forest is New Jersey’s Largest state forest. It encompasses approximately 125,000 acres covering parts of Atlantic, Burlington and Camden counties providing a variety of recreational activities including hiking, biking, swimming and horseback riding. You can find more information about Wharton State Forest and other New Jersey state parks on our website at njparksandforests.org.

Tune into nature, it is the best way to relax!
The team at FREC are ready to show you how with 
many forest-focused educational experiences.
Peruse and pre-register for our small-group outdoor nature programs here:

More than a year after closing for an extensive $1.3 million exterior and interior renovation project, Barnegat Lighthouse will fully open on Saturday, June 10 for park visitors to climb or tour the iconic structure, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced today.

The Great Swamp Watershed Association’s 3rd annual, online Plant for Pollinators Native Plant Sale will once again provide a full selection of attractively priced native perennials and simple guidance for planting delightfully alive pollinator gardens that will thrive with minimal care.

The City of Hoboken and its Shade Tree Commission to host 2nd Annual Arbor Day Free Tour on April 28!

The Duke Farms bikeshare program has re-opened for 2023! The Bike Rental Program allows visitors to rent bicycles to explore the property to see areas they haven’t made it to yet on foot through pedal power.

With New Jersey now in peak wildfire season, the Forest Fire Service is reminding the public of important safety tips to help reduce the possibility of wildfires across the state.

Anglers may cast their hopes for a great catch this weekend, as New Jersey waterways – freshly stocked with more than 180,000 rainbow trout – are ready for the beginning of spring trout season on Saturday, April 8.

New Jersey, with its Outside, Together! partnership, wants your input as we update the State’s five-year Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan. 

WASHINGTON (Jan. 5, 2023) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $500 million loan to the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank to modernize wastewater and drinking water systems serving over 10 million people throughout New Jersey.

Stop by the Johnson Education Center to enjoy thebeautiful pieces of art now on display.

Recycling Education and Outreach Grant Program, Accepting applications until 1/16/2023

This guide provides information for native plant species beneficial to wildlife of the Coastal Plain region of New Jersey. These plants can be used to help establish wildlife habitat areas on your property. The plants are listed in the categories of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. In addition, environmental parameters for the use of these plants are identified in terms of soil moisture conditions, light preference and plant characteristics. Most of the plants in this guide are readily available from the nurseries and garden centers in this region.

The Jersey Shore is a seasonal home to several species of seals or pinnipeds during the late fall, winter, and early spring; sometimes even year-round as every so often a juvenile seal might be spotted during the summer. Seals are protected pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, meaning that it is illegal to harm or harass them.

In recognition of the 10th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, we pause to reflect and evaluate on how our state has become more resilient to environmental impacts, with an emphasis on storms and extreme weather. Join us for this webinar series as we learn from experts on how New Jersey has become more resilient.

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ has partnered with Union County to stream this falcon nest live from the roof of the County Courthouse in downtown Elizabeth, New Jersey!

D&R Greenway’s president and CEO Linda Mead invites the public to join D&R Greenway’s Garden Steward Lara Periard to celebrate the newly planted historic garden at Point Breeze and its first harvest season 

Since 2006, over 5.7 million bats have died from White Nose Syndrome, a devastating disease that destroys their wing tissue. Despite many inaccurate myths about bats, they are important providers of ecological services, particularly as insect pest managers. Please help us monitor bat populations in New Jersey by letting us know if you have an active bat colony on your property!

For about six centuries during a period called the Late Woodland Period (ca. A.D. 1000 A.D. -1600) the entire region now identified with New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, southern New York, and the northern portions of Delaware and Maryland, was the homeland of the ancestral Lenape and related tribes. 

Spend the morning with experienced birder Bob Leifeste and Rancocas naturalist Mary Belko looking for shorebirds staging along the beaches of Brigantine Island. Large flocks can be seen sometimes at this time of year. 

Queen Nur of New Jersey presents a collection of biographic vignettes highlighting outspoken African American women of the 19th Century, the period connecting the end of the American Revolution to the opening of the Wallace House as a museum 125 years ago. The Voices of Courage featured include Sojourner Truth, the activist embodying the Afro-Dutch heritage of old New Netherland in New York and New Jersey, alongside Harriet Tubman, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell, and Mary McCleod Bethune. This one-woman performance explores themes of courage and fortitude while revealing each heroine’s oratory style and the fashion of the period.

Take a moment to really look at one of your local streams. At first glance, it may look completely fine. But to the trained eye, it could be a very different situation. How can you tell? This FREE, one-morning/two-part training session will show you how to gain a better understanding of stream health!

Come stroll with local herbalist Reid Giacomarra as we look for native and non-native medicinal & edible plants of late summer! 

New Jersey is already experiencing severe flooding, especially in low-lying and vulnerable parts of the State. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and widespread, and development compounds the volume of stormwater runoff, causing strains and failures of water infrastructure, such as combined sewer overflows into city streets and homes. It is imperative that we take action to protect our infrastructure, environment and people. This webinar will help equip municipal employees and local leaders with the knowledge and resources to mitigate flooding by utilizing stormwater utilities and green infrastructure.

With support from the Climate Preparedness and Land Restoration Grant, Groundwork Elizabeth is collaborating with the City government and community groups to plant four microforests to address climate risks in formerly redlined neighborhoods and brownfield areas.