National Get Outdoors Day & upcoming events

'Tis the season for getting outdoors!  I wanted to share some upcoming tri-state area events that help you get out and experience nature, and in many cases, observe ecology first-hand. I have created a Google Calendar to help keep track of some of these events.

National Get Outdoors Day – June 8, 2013.

In NJ, there two official event locations affiliated with GO Day:

    Morristown National Historical Park - Jockey Hollow, Morristown, NJ

• Three FREE ranger-lead hikes:

• 10 am: 2.25 mile hike discovering Civilian Conservation Corps lasting impact on the park.
• 1:30 pm & 3: 30 pm: 1.13 mile nature discovery hike along the primrose brook trail.

    Field Station: Dinosaurs, Secaucus, NJ

•  Four, hour-long naturalist-lead boat tours through the Meadowlands. See their website for prices and times.

I did not know there was an animatronic dinosaur “field station” in NJ before this blog post, so I haven’t been, but I imagine it has the potential to be ridiculously fun, in a ridiculous kind of way.  If any of my students go, please take a silly photo of yourself at a dino exhibit and send it to me!

Additional Interesting Ecology and Outdoors related events coming up:

Ranger-led Waterfall Walk, Dingmans Falls Visitor Center, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

• Ranger lead walks along the ½ mile boardwalk through shady hemlocks to the parks most cherished waterfalls.  These FREE guided-walks run from 2 pm to 3 pm on Saturdays and Sundays from May to Sept. 2, 2013.

Ecology note: Eastern Hemlocks are greatly threatened by the non-native invasive insect hemlock woolly adelgid.  Go see these beautiful trees while you still can!

National Park Service programs in New Jersey 

• The NJ webpage lists lots of great events, especially in the Sandy Hook and Delaware Water Gap areas.
  

Ninth Annual Union County Bio-Blitz, June 14-15

• Naturalists, scientists, and nature enthusiast are encouraged to join the hunt for species in Nomahegan, Lenape, and Echo Lake Parks – no prior knowledge of species identification is required.  Novice naturalists will be grouped with experts to aid in cataloging all of the species possible in a 24-hour period.  Visit the bio-blitz website to learn about educational programs (e.g., wild edibles walk, nighttime frog walk, owl prowl) and other details for this FREE event.

 By L. Shappell
June 5, 2013

Lenape & Nomahegan are actually sites in which I have, and am currently, collecting data for my dissertation research.  Lenape in particular has some beautiful wetland areas! (Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend this event.)

Image right: Harlequin blueflag (Iris versicolor), taken June 5, 2013, in Lenape Park, NJ. This Iris species is native to New Jersey, unlike Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus), which is often found is similar freshwater marsh environments.

Sunset Ecology Cruise around Jamaica Bay, June 23, 5-8 pm

• Hosted by the American Littoral Society, $55 cruise fee includes snacks, drinks, cheese, and wine. (Romance and ecology in the same place!)

Horseshoe Crabs and Terrapin Walk, June 29, 2013, 1-3 pm

• Hosted by the American Littoral Society.  "Meet at the Jamaica Bay NWR Visitor Center for a [FREE] hike around the West Pond to look for mating horseshoe crabs and shorebirds. Hikers will also look for diamondback terrapins coming ashore to lay their eggs."

National Pollinator week: June 17-23

• To learn more about pollinators visit the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pollinator page.

National Moth week: July 20-28

• This international celebration of moths has expanded rapidly since it began in New Jersey in 2011.  
• Check out the map below for a (FREE) event near you!  Interested in hosting an event?  Visit the NMW website to learn more.

Map Key: Green markers show public events – Blue markers show private events – Red markers link to country maps

View 2013 NMW USA Events in a larger map.