Spotlights

The New Jersey WILD Outdoor Expo celebrates the state's bountiful natural resources and rich outdoor heritage. The event is held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both September 8 & 9 at the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area in Jackson Township, Ocean County.

Kids ages 10+ and adults of all ages are welcome to join as David Alexander teaches the technique and value of harvesting bark for containers. Participants will craft their own with cardboard.

Join local science experts from around the region to learn about all the natural plants, insects, animals in the Pinelands! July is a great time to look for insects, fish, frogs, turtles, moss, ferns, flowers, butterflies, moths, dragonflies and more!

Join us at Howell Living History Farm for a truly enjoyable day! The fair includes animal shows and exhibits, homemade ice cream, hay rides, pony rides, music, magic shows, and farm tours. Check out displays by the Rutgers Master Gardners of Mercer County, Mercer County Wildlife Center, Mid-State Beekeepers Association, and many more! 

The Bordentown City Green team will host it's Green Fair on June 9.  The fair will feature over 60 eco-friendly vendors and services, local restaurants, music and children's activities, all helping support and encourage a sustainable lifestyle. This is a free, rain or shine event.

Bring a picnic blanket and a late night snack to enjoy a quiet summer evening with Schiff and Joe Molnar from the Morris Museum Astronomical Society for a night of star gazing! Participants will meet at the nature center and walk as a group to the great meadow for a tour of the summer sky and gazing through a telescope.

Learn about amphibians and reptiles of New Jersey and how they live throughout the seasons! What do they eat? Learn about their offspring. Join us for a walk in hopes that we can spot some in the area. The walk will be on natural trails, protective footwear is recommended. Event is FREE.

Kickoff the Blueberry Harvest Season in the Birthplace of the Blueberry! Visit the Whitesbog Historic Village on June 23-24th. SO many blueberries: taste the berries from our neighbor's farm and take home a pint or a flat, pick berries fresh on the original heritage plants in the fields, eat them in locally made pies, muffins, cakes, jams, preserves, fried, blueberry drinks, blueberry wine, cider, syrup and so much more. 

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.