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Upcoming Events...
- Bergen SWAN Online Auction Fundraiser - Coming this fall! Goal - to raise $10,000 for our Office/Resource Center in Westwood. Proceeds will help pay for overhead as well as setup and equipment costs....Details to be announced later this summer!
- Work in progress: A Watershed Stewardship Spring Garden Tour! Do you know any residents of our watershed whose homes, yards and/or gardens are exemplars of good environmentalism for our watershed? Please contact us if they would like to be included as a stop on our garden tour, being planned for May or June of next year.
Nature Program Cooperative Calendar
"Eco-Cruise
to Newark Bay"
Hosted/Presented by
Hackensack Riverkeeper
Captain Bill Sheehan invites NPC
members to explore the estuary of the Hackensack River and
beyond. He and Capt. Hugh Carola will take you downriver from
Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus aboard the Keeper Vessels Edward
Abbey and Robert. H Boyle. Among the things you’ll see are:
the Pulaski Skyway – America’s first superhighway bridge;
remnants of the Morris Canal aqueduct; the Federal
Shipbuilding site in Kearny; Honeywell’s ongoing $400 million
environmental cleanup in Jersey City; the Rutkowski wetlands
restoration in Bayonne; and ships at Port Newark. Before
heading back to the dock, we’ll detour through the marshes of
the Sawmill Creek Wildlife Management Area.
Reservations are required; call
Program Director Hugh Carola M-F to reserve: 201-968-0808
x102. The suggested donation is $25. See you
at the River!
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"Hudson
Sailing Trips on the A. J. Meerwald"
Hosted/Presented by
Tenafly Nature Center
Join TNC, ANJEC, and the Bergen
County Historical Society as they co-sponsor a series of
cruises on the beautiful Hudson River this summer! Enjoy the
experience of sailing on a magnificently restored 1928 two-masted,
115-foot Delaware Bay oyster schooner driven by over 3,500
square feet of sail—not your typical pleasure cruise! This
is a great opportunity to view the majestic Palisades from
the deck of the A. J. Meerwald, New Jersey’s official
tall ship. Pre-Registration
required For more information and to register
please visit or call the Tenafly Nature Center at (201)
568-6093.
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"Damselflies
& Dragonflies"
Hosted/Presented by
Flat Rock Brook Nature Center
Dragonflies and Damselflies are
among the oldest insects, and the most interesting! Join us
at Flat Rock Brook in Englewood and learn the history of
these miraculous creatures as well as their biology and the
myths that surround them. Kids will become dragonflies and
we’ll have a buzzing good time! Register early because space
is limited. Registration by
mail is required—click
here for registration form (.pdf file). $5 for members,
$8 for non-members.
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"Apple
Cider-Making"
Hosted/Presented by
Tenafly Nature Center
Discover the history behind a favorite
American beverage as you learn about the process of making this crisp
beverage. Help make it yourself and end the day with an under 21
version taste of this treat.
Pre-Registration required. For more information and to register
please visit or call
the Tenafly Nature Center at (201) 568-6093. Members: FREE/Non-members
$5 per person
Dragonflies and Damselflies are
among the oldest insects, and the most interesting! Join us
at Flat Rock Brook in Englewood and learn the history of
these miraculous creatures as well as their biology and the
myths that surround them. Kids will become dragonflies and
we’ll have a buzzing good time! Register early because space
is limited. Registration by
mail is required—click
here for registration form (.pdf file). $5 for members,
$8 for non-members.
Past Events...
Sunday, May 18 & June 8th, 2008 - Two Rain Garden Open Houses
Part of a series of watershed stewardship efforts funded by a grant from Conservation Resources, Inc. entitled Four Towns Watershed Stewardship Project - Boroughs of Emerson, Hillsdale, and Westwood; Township of River Vale
TIME: 11:30 AM-1:00 PM, both dates
PLACE: 317 Massachusetts Avenue, Haworth, NJ
Rain
gardens have been called a natural, on-site stormwater treatment
plant. Once filled with compost, mulch, and special absorbent plants,
rain gardens collect excess stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces
such as rooftops, driveways, and structures. Rain gardens filter
pollutants, preventing them from reaching our rivers and streams, and
create an ideal micro-ecosystem for birds and butterflies.
Created
by volunteers, the rain garden at the private home of the Merinoffs of
Haworth was built in connection with Bergen SWAN's June 9, 2007 Living Well in the Watershed Festival.
Our goal was to have it serve as a model for many others to be
constructed at homes and public places within the reservoir region of
the Upper Hackensack River Watershed.
Join
us to learn the simple steps to having your own beautiful, functional,
affordable rain garden-in your own yard and/or your town's public
places!
NOTE- Call or email us for a PDF version of the flyer below that you can print and post!
SPEAKERS:
MAY 18, 2008
Christina Shankar, Owner, Gardens by Chris, Nanuet, NY
Chris
Shankar attended the Cornell Co-op Extension Master Gardeners program,
and also has taken classes at the New York BotanicGardens toward a
Landscape Design certificate, currently in progress. Gardens by Chris is
a design company through which she helps homeowners select perennials,
shrubs, and trees that are most appropriate for their yard conditions.
Her goal is to help create gardens that require the least inputs in
terms oflabor, water, or chemicals, and are beautiful to behold. She
selects plants that can withstand our widely-varying weather
conditions, attract bees and butterflies, and provide food or coverto
birds.
Chris
recently participated as a landscape designer in planning public rain
gardens at several parks in Rockland County. She was chiefly
responsible for designing and selecting plant material for the Haworth
rain garden.
JUNE 8, 2008
Gregory
Rusciano, Program Associate in Water Resources, Rutgers Cooperative
Extension & New Jersey Sea Grant Extension Program, Dept. of Env.
Sciences, New Brunswick, NJ
As
a Program Associate with the Rutgers Coop Extension Water Resources
Program, Greg coordinates working groups in onsite wastewater treatment
systems management, nutrient management, and watershed management
across our region. He works to build a strong integrated watershed
management/water reuse/agricultural water management program in NJ.
Under these initiatives, Greg coordinates programs entitled “Stormwater
Management in Your Backyard” and “Restore a Waterway.” He has developed
successful, demonstration-based rain garden education programs in
numerous NJ counties.
Water Resources is one of many specialty programs under the NJ
Agricultural Experiment Station. The goal of the Program is to provide
solutions for many of the water quality and quantity issues facing NJ.
Sunday, April 27, 2008... Rain or Shine!
In the event of foul weather, we will conduct the entire program indoors at the River Vale Community Center...
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Annual Clean-up of Emerson Woods
Time: Starting @ 1:00 PM
Location: Emerson Woods Preserve, Main Street & Lakeview Terrace, Emerson, NJ
Please help us keep this natural treasure looking its best, and safe for its human visitors and wild inhabitants!
Bergen
SWAN will sponsor its annual clean up of the 19.5 acre Emerson Woods
Preserve, located along Main Street in Emerson. Supplies will be
provided for participants, who can park on Summer Street across from
Lakeview Terrace (off Main Street). The clean-up will begin at the
information kiosk at the preserve’s south entrance, a short walk east
of Lakeview Terrace.
Participants
will be provided with refreshments and will have a chance to win prizes
for the most trash collected and the strangest object cleared out of
the woods.
For further information on the clean-up or more detailed directions to the Woods, contact Lori Charkey at 201-666-1877 or bergenswan@sprynet.com, or Ken Hoffman at kayceehof@yahoo.com.
Thru March 31, 2008
Harrington Park Girl Scouts Troop 702 Silver Project
"Into the Woods!" Photography Exhibit
Locations:
Harrington Park Public Library, 10 Herring Street, Harrington Park, NJ
South Central Station, 88 LaRoche Avenue, Harrington Park, NJ, 201-768-2955 - call for hours & directions
Time: See this link for Library hours & directions - http://www.bccls.org/members/hapk.shtml
Now in 8th Grade, when the Scouts were in 7th Grade, they made a
commitment - to visit nearby 20-acre Beechwood Park every month and
photo-document what they observed of the woods, Blanche Brook, and the
Hackensack River. The girls realized that they knew very little about
the watershed areas right in their own backyard, and developed the
project with the goal of sharing their experiences while educating
themselves and the community. Originally, they tried capturing their
experiences through sketching and poetry, but settled on photography as
their favorite medium.
In November 2007, the Scouts met with Bergen SWAN's Mark Becker and
Lori Charkey and naturalist Ken Hoffman, walking the foot trails in
Beechwood Park and noting interesting flora and fauna. SWAN will work
with the Troop to capture the park's trails and interesting features in
a GIS-based map which will become part of a more extensive trail guide
for Beechwoods Park. The guide will be distributed to Harrington Park
schools and throughout the Borough.
The photography exhibit follows the Scouts' adventures from October
2006 through January 2008. The framed photos represent the girls'
collective favorites of the images they captured.
With this watershed eduction effort, the Girl Scouts are actively
pursuing a Silver Award - the second highest award in Girl Scouting.
We are anxious to help them achieve this honor.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
GeesePeace 2008 - Training Course/Refresher Workshop
for Bergen/Passaic/Hudson Counties
Time: Two Sessions - 1 to 3 PM OR 7 to 9:30 PM
Location: The Stable, 259 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ
The second annual GeesePeace Training Sessions led by David
Feld, Founder/National Director of GeesePeace will be held Thursday,
March 27th. The 2007 Canada goose population stabilization success in
the Village of Ridgewood is a direct result of the two hour hands-on
training workshops providing all of the necessary information,
strategies and expertise required to addle/oil Canada geese eggs in
your area. This non-lethal protocol is designed to stabilize the
Canada goose population in cooperation with USDA and US Fish &
Wildlife Service and endorsed by the Humane Society US and PETA. The
Village of Ridgewood Departments of Parks & Recreation and Public
Works in partnership with the League of Women Voters of Ridgewood
invite you to come be trained to help you make a difference in your
county/community.
To Register contact Geese Peace at: Tel: 201-670-5560
http://www.geesepeace.org/
Pre-registration required . Light refreshments provided.
"Battle of the Botanicals: Native versus Invasive Plants"
Hosted/Presented by Bergen SWAN & Greenbrook Sanctuary
Invasive
plants are threatening the ecology of our forests, fields, and
wetlands. Do your part in combating invasives by learning which natives
to plant in your own yard. Naturalist Ken Hoffman and nurseryman Bill
Kolvek will explain, demonstrate, and offer for sale regionally native
species. Identify some of our most invasive plants with Nancy Slowik,
Director/Naturalist of Greenbrook Sanctuary, who will give a color slide presentation followed by a guided walk through Poplar Sanctuary in River Vale. Meet at River Vale Community Center, foot of Prospect Ave. off River Vale Rd., River Vale. Call or email to register: 201-666-1877 / bergenswan@sprynet.com (subject: Register for Plant Walk).
A Walk Through Time: The Changing Landscape of Emerson Woods
– A Guided Walk by Ken Hoffman
NOTE CORRECTED TIME!!!
Time: 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM (please arrive at 10:15AM)
Location: Emerson Woods, Main Street, Emerson
Join citizen naturalist Ken Hoffman as he travels through the centuries, without the benefit of a time machine,
to explore the fascinating natural and human history of Emerson Woods. Part of a continuing series of nature walks
sponsored by Bergen SWAN, the outing will begin at the kiosk at the park's southern entrance. Come learn about
the region’s ice age past and how natural global warming made the preserve’s wetlands possible. Discover the plants
and animals that the Lenape Indians depended on and how the land use practices of early settlers drastically changed
the landscape and drove the Lenapes| away. As you walk along the trails, take a closer look at today’s forest species
and find out what has changed – for better and worse – since the primeval past.
Please park on Summer Terrace off of Main Street in Emerson. Walk across Main Street and down through
Lakeview Terrace to the trail leading to the Emerson Woods kiosk. Call for detailed driving directions.
June 9, 2007
Living Well in the Watershed
- A Sustainable Home and Garden Festival
A Bergen SWAN Fundraiser
Co-sponsored by the Borough of Haworth & Haworth Environmental Commission
Time: Saturday, June 9, 2007 - 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Rain Date: Sunday, June 10)
Location: 317 Massachusetts Avenue, Haworth, NJ - Home of Leigh Merinoff
Learn how you can make a difference in the environmental quality of our Upper
Hackensack River Watershed communities and the condition of our drinking water
reservoirs, rivers, and streams! "Living Well in the Watershed" will offer a series of informative
talks by experts, hands-on experiences, and live demonstrations about the
benefits of using safe "green" products and practices both in and
around our homes and also in our public spaces. The event will focus on
creating a healthy and sustainable natural environment at home AND in the
greater community. Topics of discussion will include:
- How the use of native plants and rain gardens can beautify your yard while
cleansing our waterways, increasing groundwater recharge, and providing habitat.
- Why organic gardening and non-toxic lawn care are better for you and for your
drinking water.
- Success stories about storm drain upkeep programs, backyard stormwater management,
and streamside stewardship and open space Preservation
- Lessons in stream hydrology
- How to adopt recycling programs to improve the sustainability of our local environment
- Come help set the final plants into the soil at a soon-to-be-completed
residential rain garden - one of the first in Bergen County.
- Take a guided walk to learn the useful and healthful side of common lawn and
garden weeds.
Children can watch a beekeeper perform his ecologically important craft, discover the secrets to
building one’s own bluebird box or creating art from simple materials found in nature, and witness
the special science of making compost from household scraps.
Festival goers will be treated to free refreshments, including locally produced, healthy refreshments
from area farms and other vendors. There will also be plenty of informative materials and green product
samples to take home – all free of charge. At the close of the day, there will be a raffle of ecologically friendly products.
A donation of $10 per person is requested.
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