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SOLD OUT: Vernal Pool Exploration

Great Swamp Watershed Association's CMA 1 Tiger Lily Ln, Morristown, NJ, United States

SORRY, THIS HIKE IS SOLD OUT. With temperatures rising, the forest floor will be hopping with new life as frogs and other amphibians crowd into shallow puddles of water to breed and lay their eggs. These puddles, called vernal pools, provide a perfect opportunity to learn more about Mother Nature here in New Jersey. But we have to hurry as they disappear quickly! This annual nighttime Vernal Pool Exploration provides a fun, outdoor learning experience for kids and adults alike. Discover the differences between a spring peeper, a chorus frog, and a wood frog. Find out how far an endangered spotted salamander will walk to find a mating pool. And, learn how much everything we have come to appreciate about springtime depends on  some unassuming puddles of water on the forest floor. Warm clothing and waterproof footwear, especially hiking boots, are strongly recommended. Registration is required.

Get Tickets Free – $40.00

CANCELLED: Pup Hike

Great Swamp Watershed Association's CMA 1 Tiger Lily Ln, Morristown, NJ, United States

Sorry, this hike has been cancelled due to the weather .   It's been a looong winter so, we've decided to sneak in an extra hike. Treat your best friend (and yourself) to some fresh air with a leisurely, early-spring hike in the woods. Flowers are peeking out of the ground, trees are budding, and birds are finding their way back. With so much to see, smell, and hear, your pooch is sure to have a great night's sleep after this big adventure! All pups must remain on a leash for the full hike and play nice with other dogs. Please come prepared to clean up any messes. Space is limited to 10 pups, and 8 humans. This is one of our more popular hikes so register today. GSWA Members $5, non-members $10, children under 18 free.

Sold Out $5.00 – $40.00

SOLD OUT: Spring into Spring Hike @ the Refuge

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - Bluebird Parking Lot Bluebird Parking Lot, Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, NJ, United States

Sorry, this event is sold out. Please check out our other events.   Blooming flowers, budding branches, and a glimpse of our forest critters are all indicators that spring is here! The red-winged blackbirds and eastern phoebes are the first to get the memo that it's time to return and start nesting, while woodpeckers and spring peepers make their presence known more by sound than by sight. Don't miss this glorious time of year to be in the great outdoors. Step on out and inhale the earthy spring smell that the land produces this time of year. GSWA Education Associate, Adam Palmer, will guide you along the relaxing trails of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge for this family-friendly stroll. Registration required. Space is limited so register today!

Get Tickets Free – $40.00

(Location change) Early AM Birding Hike @ Primrose Farm

Primrose Farm (Enter from Barrett Field) Barrett Field, 1413-000460000-000020001-00000, Morristown, NJ

THIS HIKE HAS BEEN MOVED TO PRIMROSE FARM We will meet at the Harding Land Trust's Primrose Farms Parking Lot at 7am. This can be a difficult location to get the GPS to bring you to properly as it doesn't have an exact address, and it often wants to take you to a location much further away. The baseball field (Barret Field) where parking is available is located on Brook Dr S, Morristown, NJ off of Bailey's Mill Rd, off of Route 202. Look for the sign saying Barret Field entrance Click HERE for a map of the exact location. If you enter "Brook Dr S, Morristown, NJ" into your GPS it should take you to the correct road but please double check to make sure that it is the one off of Baileys Mill Rd. If you have a problem finding the location, please call Adam at 908-399-5610    New Jersey birding reaches its peak in May! So start your work day off right by exploring the woods of Jockey Hollow with some of the most popular bird watching trails in the area. The park contains important breeding habitat and is home to more than 120 bird species throughout the […]

Sold Out Free – $40.00

Sustainable Foraging Hike – The Basics

Great Swamp Watershed Association's CMA 1 Tiger Lily Ln, Morristown, NJ, United States

Foraging: To search for a particular food or foods, often in the wild. Curious? Come learn more. GSWA's Education Associate and resident foraging expert, Adam Palmer, will guide you through the woods to discover the various types of forageable (and unforeagable) foods that can be found throughout the Great Swamp watershed and beyond. It's important to know how to forage safely and ethically before you try this yourself. This is an informative hike only - we will not actually be foraging. But, if you're anxious to give it a go, join us again on May 17, 5-6 PM for a "Cook with GSWA" Zoom webinar. We will show you how to prepare a delicious garlic mustard pesto made from foraged wild garlic mustard. Register on our website under "events."

Get Tickets Free – $40.00 -1 tickets left

Volunteers Needed to Spruce-up CMA

Great Swamp Watershed Association's CMA 1 Tiger Lily Ln, Morristown, NJ, United States

Ready to get a little dirty and sweaty in the swamp? Need community service hours. College students - looking for something to add to your resume? Join us on Friday mornings at the GSWA Conservation Management Area (CMA) to help us steward the land on the following days: July 16, 23, 30, and August 20, 27. We will work from 9 AM to 12:30 PM and enjoy some well-earned snacks provided by GSWA Director of Land Stewardship, Hazel England. We could really use your help getting our CMA tidied up by helping us with the following tasks: Carry in lumber, build and elevate boardwalks which will allow hikers to get through now flooded areas, clear branches and limbs that came down in recent storms, remove invasive plants, and woodchip the trails. Be sure to wear long pants, long sleeves, and hiking boots or old shoes you don’t mind getting muddy. Bring a hat and a reusable water bottle. We will provide bug spray, sun block, gloves, and all tools you will need. You’ll work hard, share some laughs, and enjoy some snacks. What better way to spend a Friday morning? See you there!

RSVP Now Free

Volunteers Needed to Spruce-up CMA

Great Swamp Watershed Association's CMA 1 Tiger Lily Ln, Morristown, NJ, United States

Ready to get a little dirty and sweaty in the swamp? Need community service hours? College students - looking for something to add to your resume? Join us on Friday mornings at the GSWA Conservation Management Area (CMA) to help us steward the land on the following days: July 23, 30, and August 20, 27. We will work from 9 AM to 12:30 PM and enjoy some well-earned snacks provided by GSWA Director of Land Stewardship, Hazel England. We could really use your help getting our CMA tidied up by helping us with the following tasks: Carry in lumber, build and elevate boardwalks which will allow hikers to get through now flooded areas, clear branches and limbs that came down in recent storms, remove invasive plants, and woodchip the trails. Be sure to wear long pants, long sleeves, and hiking boots or old shoes you don’t mind getting muddy. Bring a hat and a reusable water bottle. We will provide bug spray, sun block, gloves, and all tools you will need. You’ll work hard, share some laughs, and enjoy some snacks. What better way to spend a Friday morning? See you there!

Free

Twilight Hike @ CMA in Harding Twp.

Great Swamp Watershed Association's CMA 1 Tiger Lily Ln, Morristown, NJ, United States

Registration for this hike closes Friday, July 23 @ 3 PM   C'mon out for a twilight hike with GSWA’s own Hazel and Sandra at our 73-acre Conservation Management Area (CMA) in Harding Twp. As the sun sets and the stars come out, we will walk and talk about the major wetlands restoration that happened this past January and all the great new builds at the CMA. We'll also check out the marsh, upland beech forest and vernal wetlands. Special gathering points have been built around the trails through our stewardship days providing plenty of space to spread out and take in the scenes. An evening summer hike is a great way to relax our minds, bodies, and souls so, sign up today! If the hike is sold out, or if you are unable to attend please email nrago@GreatSwamp.org  to be added to a waitlist. Space is limited. If you are sick, have a fever, or have been exposed to someone who may have COVID-19, for the safety of everyone, please do NOT attend the hike and cancel by emailing nrago@GreatSwamp.org so we can invite the next person on the waitlist as space is very limited What to Bring: A tight […]

Free – $40.00

Volunteers to Spruce-up CMA – July 30

Great Swamp Watershed Association's CMA 1 Tiger Lily Ln, Morristown, NJ, United States

Ready to get a little dirty and sweaty in the swamp? Need community service hours. College students - looking for something to add to your resume? Join us on Friday mornings at the GSWA Conservation Management Area (CMA) to help us steward the land on the following days: July 30, and August 20, 27. We will work from 9 AM to 12:30 PM and enjoy some well-earned snacks provided by GSWA Director of Land Stewardship, Hazel England. We could really use your help getting our CMA tidied up by helping us with the following tasks: Carry in lumber, build and elevate boardwalks which will allow hikers to get through now flooded areas, clear branches and limbs that came down in recent storms, remove invasive plants, and woodchip the trails. Be sure to wear long pants, long sleeves, and hiking boots or old shoes you don’t mind getting muddy. Bring a hat and a reusable water bottle. We will provide bug spray, sun block, gloves, and all tools you will need. You’ll work hard, share some laughs, and enjoy some snacks. What better way to spend a Friday morning? See you there!

RSVP Now Free

SOLD OUT – 8/10: Drew Forest Hike

Drew University Forest Preserve’s Zuck Arboretum Madison, NJ, United States

THIS HIKE IS SOLD OUT. Please email NRago@GreatSwamp.org to be added to the waitlist.   Friends of the Drew Forest invite GSWA supporters on a special, guided tour. It's an easy, mostly flat walk and takes just over an hour to complete. You’ll visit ponds and view wildlife. You will also learn how protecting this area from deer and invasive plant removal have brought back lost or diminished plant species, pollinators, food webs, and forest structure. We'll be walking on unpaved paths that may be damp in spots, so wear appropriate shoes, long pants with socks and long sleeves or carry bug spray. There are no rest room facilities. If you have binoculars bring them along! It takes 10 minutes to walk from Drew's visitor parking lot, so please arrive early. The Drew University Forest Preserve, in Madison, is 53 acres of unusually contiguous natural forest, a biodiversity hotspot because of its diversity and extent, and because of 12 years of successful forest restoration, on much of the Preserve’s acreage. The Preserve is one of the only forests in the county with a native understory, where beech and sassafras seedlings thrive, where pollinators and other insects survive along with the birds […]

Free – $40.00