Spotlights

Enjoy an evening climb up the Barnegat Lighthouse and enjoy a view of the sunset from the top! Event is free and runs from 7-9PM. Sponsored by Friends of the Barnegat Lighthouse State Park.

Enjoy a free, moderate-paced hike in Bass River State Forest and hunt for wildflowers. Hike begins at 9AM and will be three to five miles long; bring a drink and lunch. Severe weather will cancel.

Enjoy an afternoon of free 18th century themed activities for children at Rockingham Historic Site! Period activities related to childhood in the 18th century may include:  trying on clothes; writing with a quill pen; and playing with games and toys such as trap ball, battledore and shuttlecock, buzz saw and cup-and-ball.

Spend a summer afternoon at Holmdel Park and enjoy one of America’s favorite pastimes and see how it started. Monmouth Furnace Boys (formerly known as the Bog Iron Boys) will be playing vintage base ball, using rules from the 19th century.

Each year this 2-day festival highlights the region’s arts community, the City of Lambertville, the Delaware River, and of course, the area’s favorite fish, the Shad! The Shad Festival has evolved from a local art show into a nationally recognized award-winning event.

New Jersey is a wild place, celebrated through art in many creative and unique ways. NJ Audubon Plainsboro Preserve is hosting the third annual juried art exhibit of all artwork representing the wild life of New Jersey, flora and fauna. 

Enjoy a fun-filled evening at Sports Domain Academy (SDA) in Clifton, and help support CWF's amphibian programs at the same time!

Celebrate Earth Day at Liberty State Park with a free all-day event featuring food, rides, giveaways, vendors and live entertainment. There will also be a 5K race and Walk for Liberty State Park.

Bring plants in one-quart, one-gallon or two-gallon containers to Deep Cut Gardens, Middletown, and take home the same size and number of plants!

Lusscroft Farm will host a guided hike to search for vernal pools and the creatures that inhabit them. Explore these habitats and learn why these sites are important to many species of amphibians, reptils, insects, and other wildlife.

Schiff Nature Preserve is the host to an Environmental Book Club. Members of Schiff gather monthly to discuss a previously selected environmentally focused book together in the Nature Center of the Schiff Nature Preserve. New members are always welcome. 

Bring the whole family for an Easter Egg Hunt at Belleplain State Forest's Lake Nummy picnic area at 10 AM on March 24. After the hunt, enjoy free refreshments and an Easter craft.

Vernal ponds, unique temporary wetlands, are the breeding grounds for a number of amphibians and other aquatic species. Join us for a short introduction at the Park Office, and then we’ll travel to a handful of High Point’s ponds for a first-hand look at these fascinating habitats.

Learn some of the common fish found in the reservoir at Spruce Run Recreation Area. We will make prints with paint on paper or you can bring a plain t-shirt or pillow case to make prints on.

The art of maple sugaring, a harbinger of spring, will be featured in a series of educational programs for groups and the public at Washington Crossing State Park from the middle of February through early March.

Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center boasts 670 acres of fields, woodlands, and a formal garden designed by Mrs. Hutcheson, one of the first women landscape architects in the United States. Visit the center on Friday, March 30th, 2018 for the 2018 Owl Calling event.

Visit Washington Crossing State Park on Sunday, February 11, 2018 at 1:30 p.m and lean about the Paleo and Archaic Indians of NJ. Jim Wade, former archivist and researcher with the N.J. State Museum will take participants on a journey back to the time of the last ice age, when the earliest Native American peoples entered what is now New Jersey.

Join Chuck Slugg and CMBO Naturalists for the "Longtails in Love" event. Long-tailed Ducks court during the weeks surrounding Valentine’s Day, with the males yodeling melodically to their mates. We’ll search for Long-tailed Ducks and other waterfowl in the ocean, bays, inlets and ponds from Avalon to Cape May Harbor. Meets at the 8th Street and Avalon Avenue intersection in Avalon. 

Visit the Round Valley Recreation Area and hike the trails around the reservoir. Dress in layers and hike the Cushetunk trail. Winter hiking brings solitude and quiet beauty, but it has its dangers. Learn the dos and don’ts of winter hiking. The nine-mile Cushetunk Trail and the three-mile lower service road are multi-use trails that pass through open and heavily wooded areas.

Tired of being cooped up inside? Join us for a brisk hike (or snowshoe) in the wild winter woods of Kittatinny Valley State Park! Afterwards, warm up with a cup of hot chocolate and cookies in our visitor center.

Washington Crossing State Park Nature Center will host a free cross country skiing workshop on January 21st. In this workshop, participants will learn about the different types of cross-country ski equipment that are available and what to look for in selecting your first pair of skis. Other topics will include: how to dress and where to go skiing in New Jersey.

Visit Kittatinny Valley State Park on January 20th and add a little intrigue to your next winter walk. Learn to identify the beautiful dried remains of wildflowers with your own take-home field guide! This indoor program will meet at the Kittatinny Valley State Park Visitor Center, located 1 mile north of Route 206, off Goodale Road in Andover Township.

On Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 1:00pm visit the Raptor Trust Education Center for an hour long educational program focusing on the amazing Great Horned Owl. Participants will also leanr about two owls that are winter visitors to New Jersey, and be introduce you to one of the Raptor Trust Education Center's permanent resident owls.

Visit the New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center in Edison, NJ for the 35th annual Garden State Outdoor Sports Show. The event will feature top seminars, attractions, and exhibits designed to speak to sportsmen and women of all ages, with a focus on activities the whole family can enjoy. 

Kick off the new year with a free hike with friends. Visit the Hill and Dale Preserve in Tewksbury on Sunday, January 7, 2018 from 12-2pm. Participants will join Marie Newell, Project Coordinator, for a "Year of the Dog" hike through beautiful fields and forests. Bring your furry pals along for the day!