Speaker Programs

  1. Events
  2. Speaker Programs

Events Search and Views Navigation

Event Views Navigation

Today

Water Quality Update on Zoom – FREE

Registration closes at 1 PM on Friday, March 19. Scroll down for Zoom technical assistance links. Human beings can survive 3 weeks without food, but only 3 days without water. How important is it to you that your water is clean? Join GSWA Water Quality Director, Sandra LaVigne, for an in-depth review of the water quality in the Great Swamp watershed and in the Passaic River region. This brief presentation will highlight the results of the sampling and testing we performed on our local streams throughout 2020. Sandra will also provide an overview of our recently added testing protocol for PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl) manmade chemicals also called "forever chemicals." PFAS is an emerging threat to the health of the waterways in the US and in other industrialized countries. Join us for this informative report on your water with a Q&A session at the end. Registration is required. A Zoom link will be sent to you post-registration.   Having issues joining the session? Please review the Zoom Help Center. How to Join Zoom Meeting, click here for video tutorial.

Free

Intro to Rain Gardens on Zoom – FREE

Registration closes at 5 PM on  Thu., March 25! – Scroll down for Zoom technical assistance links.   Thinking of adding a rain garden to your yard? Smart choice! A rain garden is a beautiful addition to your landscape that also provides a valuable function. By causing water to absorb slowly into the ground it reduces and sometimes even prevent flooding. A rain garden also helps keep stormwater run-off from carrying pollution to our drinking water sources. Join us for an in-depth review of the benefits of installing a rain garden at your home and get some basic how-to suggestions. At the end of this program, Summit and Summit area residents you can also register for a free, 30-minute consultation scheduled for April 8, 5-8 PM. Rutgers University engineers and landscape architects will work with you to plan and lay out a rain garden specific to your yard. You will leave with a design plan and a list of recommended plants. You MUST attend the March 25th program to qualify for the April 8 design session. No exceptions. Take advantage of these two free Summit Area Rain Garden programs, co-hosted by GSWA & Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program. Registration […]

Free

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED: Gardening for Pollinators – Plant It, They will Come

Sorry - registration has closed for this event. If you build it, they will come. Imagine you and your family relaxing in your yard, watching the butterflies, dragonflies, hummingbirds, and other beautiful pollinators and wildlife frocking in your pollinator garden. This doesn't have to be a distant dream - it's an attainable reality! Join Hazel England, GSWA Director of Education, Outreach, and Land Stewardship (and our resident pollinator expert) on Zoom for the low-down. Learn the appropriate native plants you will need to attract pollinators and why this type of garden benefits your yard, your neighborhood, and our shared watershed. There will be a 15-minute Q&A session from 12:30-12:45 so bring your questions! Register, then check out our native pollinator plant sale taking place April 1-22 here.

Free – $40.00

Houseplants: Health Benefits & Tending Tips – Zoom

Registration closes April 18 @ 12 noon.   Houseplants help improve indoor air quality because they help to filter out air pollutants and clean the air within your home. This past year as we've spent more time at home, houseplant sales have taken off! Whether you're considering picking up one or two, or have had a green thumb for many years, this Zoom program is right for you. Amy Seuberth, General Manager of Back to Nature Home & Garden, will broadcast from her store in Basking Ridge to introduce her top 10 favorite plants and explain why they are on her list. This is also your chance to ask an expert about your own plants. Join us for this unique opportunity to learn more about these decorative and oxygen producing flora that brighten up our homes and our moods. All who register and attend will be entered in a free raffle to win a plant from Back to Nature! Registration is required.

Free – $40.00

Rolling Knolls Landfill Superfund CAG Meeting – April 27

April 27: This meeting is a follow-up to the April 15 Meeting. This will be a special session to address public comments from the April 15 meeting.   April 15: This is a public meeting on the status of the Rolling Knolls Landfill in Green Village, Chatham Township. If you are interested in joining a Community Advisory Group (CAG) and attending the April 15 meeting, please register here. The CAG will provide a public forum for the community to discuss their concerns and offer input to the EPA on the cleanup as it moves forward. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link to attend the session. Click here to download the meeting agenda for April 15. Click here to visit our Rolling Knolls page with full history and document archive.

Free

Landscape Design: Creating Native Habitat

Great Swamp Watershed Association HQ 568 Tempe Wick Rd, Morristown, NJ, United States

Let's talk about the evolution of a habitat garden. What does that mean? It's the concept of creating a native habitat garden focusing on 3 main fundamentals: careful design, correct installation, and ongoing maintenance. Mike Devos of Indigenous Ingenuities (and the lead of the recent wetlands restoration at our Conservation Management Area) will take us through it all. Learn how native plants can be incorporated into all types of design from formal gardens to naturalized plantings, how they are installed in ecologically sensitive ways, and how to care for them moving forward. This program will take place on Zoom and in person for a maximum of 9 attendees (first come first serve.)

Free

Cook with GSWA: Garlic Mustard Pesto & Beyond

This event has been rescheduled for Monday, May 24 at 5 pm.  Let’s get wild! Join us for a cooking demonstration where we will showcase items we have foraged and then turn them into food. We will talk about the benefits of foraging for edible invasive (non-native) species, for example, garlic mustard. Garlic mustard is one of the worst invaders of Northeast and Midwest American forests, reducing the diversity of all species. April through end of May is garlic mustard season so you will be able to easily find it and make your own pesto. Come learn about these and other types of plants where we can reduce their presence simply by eating them!

Free – $40.00

Evening Briefing (POSTPONED): What’s this PFAS doing in my water?

Great Swamp Watershed Association HQ 568 Tempe Wick Rd, Morristown, NJ, United States

Our Evening Briefing has been postponed because the PFS data was delayed. We will announce the new date and reopen registration soon for in-person or via a Zoom webinar to learn all about PFAS (Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) - what they are, how they impact our waters, why you should care, and how we are testing for them. Come get the low-down from Sandra LaVigne, GSWA Director of Water Quality Programs. This talk will also include an update on microplastics. If you plan to access the talk via Zoom, log-in info will be emailed to you prior to the event. For those who plan join us in person, light refreshments will be served. For the safety and comfort of all, we do ask that you wear your mask while indoors. Space will be limited to the first 15 people to register. Please email Nancy: nrago@GreatSwamp.org for the following reasons: to be added to a waitlist if you are unable to attend (so we may extend the invitation to the next person on the waitlist) 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 program […]

Sold Out Free – $40.00

Evening Briefing: Wow! Major Wetlands Restoration at the CMA!

Great Swamp Watershed Association HQ 568 Tempe Wick Rd, Morristown, NJ, United States

Our Conservation Management Area (CMA) underwent some major transformations at the end of 2020! After nearly a decade in the works, Hazel England, GSWA Director of Land Stewardship, and Mike Devos of Indigenous Ingenuities led this wetland project. Come hear about the important restoration efforts that took place to help restore our CMA closer to its natural state. Hazel and Mike will walk us through the restoration of the Silver Brook, the creation of 360,000 square feet of vernal habitat, the plugging a 350-foot drainage ditch and so much more that occurred over the course of five frantic weeks. Additionally, you will learn of the changes brought about by this project, like the increased water being held on the property (that's a good thing!) and the ongoing stewardship that will now be require need to manage these changes. GSWA Members: FREE, Non-members: $10.

Sold Out Free – $40.00

REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED – Evening Briefing: Put Your Garden to Bed (Zoom meeting)

Zoom Webinar Morristown, NJ, United States

SORRY, REGISTRATION FOR THIS PROGRAM HAS CLOSED. PLEASE CHECK OUT SOME OF OUR OTHER PROGRAMS AND HIKES. As the days shorten and the temperatures begin to drop, what should you do to help your garden get ready for the winter? We have answers. Join Hazel England, GSWA Director of Education and Stewardship (and our resident green-thumb guru) for best practices, tips, and tricks on closing your garden down for the season. Your garden worked hard for you all summer. Let us help you make sure it is in the best shape possible for another bountiful growing season! Join us via a Zoom webinar. In-person attendance is limited to 12 people on a first-come-first-served basis. Zoom login details will be emailed to you prior to the program so, be on the lookout!

Free – $40.00