Spotlights

Guest speaker, naturalist Don Torino, discusses how to turn your yard into a haven for butterflies! Advance registration is required. This event is virtual. 

The Gloucester County Bird Quest is a great way to discover Gloucester County’s parks and natural areas, discover the unique birds that live in and migrate through our region, and learn how to identify birds by sight, sound, behavior, and habitat. Advanced registration is required. The registration deadline is Saturday, April 30, 2022. 

The Dr. James Still Historic Office Site is dedicated to teaching, restoring and preserving the legacy of herbalist Dr. James Still, renowned as "The Black Doctor of the Pines."  Come by to see exhibits and learn more about Dr. Still and the Still family legacy! 

An important component of the newly signed Mayors' Monarch Pledge is planting milkweed in Cape May Point, NJ.  This is critical since milkweed serves as the only "host" plant for Monarch caterpillars. Without milkweed there would be no Monarch butterflies! This initiative aims to help reverse the dramatic decline of Monarch butterflies, an important pollinator species.

This annual program is one of the most anticipated gem & mineral shows in the northeastern United States. It features a variety of dealers displaying a vast assortment of rocks, minerals, gemstones, fossils, jewelry, lapidary, and rockhound supplies. Dealers display specimens from all over the world, as well as numerous local spots. This is also an educational opportunity for students and scout troops.

The Sea Isle City Environmental Commission is giving away 30 free trees this spring! Enter to win a tree, which will be planted on your local property free of charge.

New Jersey is making free seedlings available throughout the state to help tree lines recover after losses from recent natural disasters. The seedling giveaways occur on various dates around Arbor Day, which falls on Friday, April 29, 2022 this year.

The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) is offering a $1,200.00 scholarship for a student entering her or his junior or senior year at a New Jersey college or university. The Lechner Scholarship Fund is a living memorial to Hermia Lechner in recognition of her many years of dedicated service and contributions to the preservation of open space and natural resources in New Jersey. The scholarship is granted to encourage qualified students to pursue a career in a field related to environmental protection.

This one-hour virtual informational class will take a deep dive into what Cordyceps culture looks like in our country now, from growing to consuming.

This guided tour is an introduction to a little bit of everything that the New Jersey Pinelands has to offer! Let one of our knowledgeable guides introduce you to the local history, culture, ecology and other unique features of the last wilderness in South Jersey.

Ely Creek, Swan Creek, & Alexauken Creek took substantial damage during Hurricane Ida, leaving garbage and debris in its wake. In response, the City of Lambertville and a host of volunteers have organized the Lambertville Creek Cleanup on Saturday, April 2, 2022, from Noon to 4:00 p.m. The rain date is Sunday, April 3, 2022 from Noon - 4:00 p.m.

As part of the Exploring Watershed Event Series, participants will join Rahway River Watershed Association President Dr. Kirk Barrett on a walk through Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ during Cherry Blossom season!

Registration is now open for Clean Ocean Action's 27th Annual Spring Beach Sweeps on Saturday, April 9, 2022 from 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.!

The Sustainable Minds series will break down important sustainability topics into paired evening sessions, exploring complex issues just one hour at a time. During the first session, a local thought leader will provide insights and expert insights on a regional climate concern. Then, a week later, an action leader will host the second event to provide practical examples of how residents can help address these complex issues. The first pair of events will focus on stormwater.

In this talk, Adriana Compagnoni will share fun facts about bees that she learned in her years of beekeeping, some little-known facts about bees & beekeeping, and share recommendations on what suburban gardeners in North Jeresey can do to help the bees. Because of the susceptibility of bees to pesticides, the synergy between gardening and beekeeping leads to environmentally-friendly gardening practices. 

Join us for our final clean-up on Saturday, March 26, 2022 from 12:00-3:00 p.m. before the beach area of Two Mile Beach Unit closes in April. Every year, according to federal environmental laws, the beach area closes until September 30 to protect the beach nesting of endangered birds and the migratory bird population who stop for an undisturbed rest on our peninsula

Attend one of these "drop-in" sessions on March 15, 16, 24, and 25, 2022 to learn more about the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Climate Corps Program. EDF Climate Corps Fellows provide no-cost expertise and support for school districts and municipalities to take advantage of utility and New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program (NJCEP) incentives for energy efficiency audits and facility and/or equipment upgrades to help save energy and money. 

Join naturalists at The Nature Conservancy’s South Cape May Meadows for this 2-hour walk around The Nature Conservancy's South Cape May Meadows property! Spring birding can be very rewarding at this freshwater wetland for lingering waterfowl and migrant shorebirds. The series takes place from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on March 21, March 28, April 4, April 11, April 18, April 25, May 2, and May 9, 2022. 

Join the Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge for an evening of floral fun! Make a flower craft, plant a flower to take home, and enjoy a warm fire. 

Please join the Society of Women Environmental Professionals New Jersey Chapter and Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey for a virtual event on Thursday, March 10, 2022 @ 4:30-5:15 p.m.! It will feature a presentation on migratory shorebirds and navigating through the regulatory process for rare, threatened, and endangered species as part of land use permitting. 

On Saturday, March 5, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Jersey Shore Chapter of Surfrider Foundation is hosting a beach cleanup in Ocean Grove, NJ in Monmouth County. 

Bee-killing pesticides have driven bee populations down for decades. But not for much longer in New Jersey, where thousands of citizens succeeded in standing up for our best pollinators by advocating for the passage of Bill S1016/A2070.  This Bill classifies neonicotinoid insecticides, also known as neonics, as restricted-use pesticides. New Jersey is the sixth state to adopt this save-the-bees policy, which limits non-agricultural uses of neonics. 

The State of NJ Pinelands Commission Climate Committee’s upcoming meeting shall take place on Friday, February 25, 2022 @ 9:30 a.m. The meeting will include discussion of a draft resolution amending Pinelands Commission Resolution PC4-20-37 to express the Commission’s support of the goals of the New Jersey Global Warming Response Act and intention to implement strategies that will contribute to the State’s meeting its 2050 greenhouse gas emission target.

Harriet Tubman is legendary for her intelligence, sense of justice and, above all, extreme courage in repeatedly risking her life to help some 70 people escape slavery.

What else did it take for Tubman to lead her charges hundreds of miles to freedom in the 1850s while eluding capture? Exceptional outdoor skills.

D&R Greenway Land Trust, a leading conservation nonprofit dedicated to preserving and caring for land across central New Jersey, today announced that the family of the late Betty Wold Johnson has gifted to the organization the renowned philanthropist’s nearly 800-acre historic Hopewell farm. Betty Wold Johnson supported the land trust’s mission for more than a quarter century. With this exceptional gift, D&R Greenway begins 2022 with more than 22,000 acres of land preserved in New Jersey.