Upcoming Events...
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...
MAP TO AREA:
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.
Nature Program Cooperative Calendar
"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).
"Meadowlands Marsh Paddle"
Hosted/Presented by Hackensack Riverkeeper
Help Hackensack Riverkeeper kick off the 2008 paddling season! Join us in a kayak or canoe for a guided exploration of the Sawmill Creek Wildlife Management Area and the Kingsland Marsh in the Hackensack Meadowlands. Enjoy a heron’s eye view of saltmarshes and skylines while scanning for migrating shorebirds, raptors and more. Check-in time is 12:30 PM at the Paddling Center at Laurel Hill County Park, Secaucus; boats launch at 1:00. Reservations secured with a credit card are required ($25 for NPC members – be sure to mention “NPC” when you call – and $30 for nonmembers). Prior paddling experience is not necessary but some age restrictions apply. Call Hugh Carola at 201-968-0808 for more information and to reserve your seats today. See you at the river!
"Birding at the Celery Farm"
Hosted/Presented by The Fyke Nature Association
Join members of The Fyke Nature Association as we explore central Bergen County’s best birding hotspot during the best time of the year: the Celery Farm Natural Area in Allendale. This 107-acre preserve in the heart of suburbia is home to more than 240 species of birds throughout the year including 54 nesting species. The Celery Farm features several distinct wildlife habitats – open water, wetlands, riparian woodlands and open fields – all of which are accessible along its well-groomed, 1-mile loop trail. There is no fee for this birding trip but registration is required and donations are welcome. Contact Penny Whitlock at 201-445-4386 or via e-mail at Whitlockdp@aol.com for more information and to reserve your spot(s) on the trail. Don’t forget your binoculars!
Past Events...
June 30, 2007
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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