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Plug in to Native Groundcovers

Zoom Webinar Morristown, NJ, United States

Come learn the benefits of using native groundcovers in the garden bed. Guest speaker, John Courtney, is the owner of Kind Earth Nursery and the supplier of many of the plugs used in GSWA’s Plant for Pollinators sale program.  John will discuss pollinator-benefiting native alternatives to some of the more traditional non-native groundcovers such as the dreaded vinca vine and pachysandra. John will share how to properly manage these groundcovers for visual and ecological impact. You will also learn more about getting "plugged in” utilizing landscape plugs for a more economical solution to covering large square footage areas of the yard without breaking the bank.       Register for the rest of the 4 part webinar series HERE This streamlined registration not only guarantees timely reminder emails with the Zoom link for each of the four talks, but also ensures that you receive recording links for all four webinars within 48 hours of each talk’s conclusion. For those interested in specific talks, you can register individually for the 2 remaining webinars:  Mar 13, 7-8 PM - Pollinator Conservation: Creating and Protecting Habitat for NJ’s Bees, Butterflies, and Biodiversity Apr 1, 12-1 PM - Native Pollinator Online Plant Program Overview While […]

Free – $40.00

Pollinator Conservation: Creating and Protecting Habitat for NJ’s Bees, Butterflies, and Biodiversity

Zoom Webinar Morristown, NJ, United States

Pollinators and other beneficial insects are experiencing drastic and widespread declines making pollinator conservation a national and New Jersey priority. However, we can all play a role in protecting pollinators and beneficial insects and the important ecological services they provide. Join the Xerces Society’s Kelly Gill to learn how you can best support pollinators in your NJ yard, garden, and local landscapes by planting native flowering plants, enhancing nesting and overwintering habitat, and reducing pesticide risk. Kelly will include case studies on pollinators included in this year’s plant kits and focus on pollinator needs throughout the seasons.     Register for the 1 remaining webinars in this 4-part series: Apr 1, 12-1 PM - Plant Sale Overview While this program is free for all participants, a suggested donation of $5-$10 is appreciated to help offset the cost of bringing you this great, nationally recognized speaker.  :-)   Mark Your Calendar: Apr 1, 1:30 PM - Native Plants for Pollinators online sale opens Apr 1 @ 1:30 PM and runs through Apr 19 @ 5 PM. Learn more about native pollinator plants, gardening, and GSWA's online plant sale HERE.

Free – $40.00

Plant for Pollinators Plant Sale Overview

Zoom Webinar Morristown, NJ, United States

There has been a change in speaker for this webinar. To launch Day 1 of our 4th Annual Native "Plant for Pollinators" sale, GSWA's Education, Land Steward, and Water Quality Associate, Ginger Van Ryzin, will provide an in-depth look at each of the 37 selections being offered as individual species and within six kits suitable for a range of garden conditions.  Ginger will review why native plants are important, cover the new species in this year’s sale, and delve into the various pollinator species these native plants will particularly attract.  Learn more about how to start, add, or amend your growing native pollinator garden.  You’ll leave energized knowing the amazing benefits these 37 different native species can bring to your yard and you'll be ready to shop the sale. We will also walk you through our online storefront, simple ordering process, and amazing online resources on the site. If you’re considering starting or expanding your native pollinator garden, you’re going to want to check this out! You will receive your Zoom link prior to the start of the webinar. While this speaker program series is free for all participants, a suggested donation of $5-$10 is appreciated to help offset the […]

Free – $40.00

Stream Assessment Training- FREE

Morristown & Morris Township Library 1 Miller Rd, Morristown, NJ, United States

Unless there's obvious pollution in the river or stream, to the untrained eye, the water may look healthy. But is it? This free training session, led by Sandra LaVigne, GSWA Director of Water Quality Programs, will provide you with all the necessary skills to make your own determinations. There will be an indoor training which will be hybrid for those who can not attend in person. This session teaches you how to conduct visual and biological stream assessments and recognize environmental factors that could impact stream health. This will be followed by a outdoor field training to practice your new-found skills at a local stream site. By the afternoon, you will be fully trained in visual and biological stream assessment. And if you are ready to take that next step, consider becoming a stream monitoring volunteer! Tools and supplies will be provided. It gets a little messy so wear your boots and bring clean shoes to change into afterward. Preferred volunteers are 15 or older.

Free – $40.00

Plant Program Panel / Q&A

Zoom Webinar NJ, United States

3 friendly, local native plant enthusiasts with years of experience will be available in an interactive webinar to help answer your questions and share advice about choosing, planting, growing and sustaining native plants. You will be able to email questions in advance or ask them during the webinar. Bridget Daley has been an avid gardener for 20+ years. In the last few years, she has immersed herself in learning about and planting native plants. In her yard, Bridget has been shrinking the lawn and removing non-natives -- many of which she previously planted -- including common invasives like English ivy. So far she has replaced them with 71 species of native plants, including trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. Bridget also co-led, with fellow Rutgers Environmental Steward Joan Maccari, the creation of Madison Public Schools Pollinator Habitat, a community project that replaced lawn and non-native shrubs with 600 native plants. She is a member of the Madison Environmental Commission. Jess Miller is a designer by trade and a native plant geek in her off time.  She is a volunteer with the NPSNJ and maintain a Little Native Seed Library outside of her South Orange home.  She works with her local community to […]

Free – $40.00

GSWA 2023 Water Quality Report Card – Free

Morristown & Morris Township Library 1 Miller Rd, Morristown, NJ, United States

GSWA will present the 2023 Annual Water Quality Report Card.  Join us for an evening briefing about the state of the water throughout the Great Swamp Watershed and the Upper Passaic River.  Sandra LaVigne, our Director of Water Quality Programs, and our dedicated Stream Team of Citizen Scientists collect water quality data throughout the year to determine the health of our riverine ecosystems and the state of the water.  This data forms the core of our water quality report and guides GSWA as we work together with state, county and municipal agencies as well as our local community members to protect and improve our streams. Here's what you'll learn: Assessments based on the combined data from visual, chemical, and biological assessments from each of our 21 sampling sites Information about PFAS in our stream water and the new EPA Regulations on PFAS in drinking water History and issues facing our streams, including our newest stretch of the Passaic River from Little Falls to Garfield. This is your chance to: Get informed about the state of our water. Ask questions and have your water quality concerns addressed by an expert. Become part of the solution for a healthier Passaic River. Don't […]

Free – $40.00

Plant for Pollinators Webinar #1: From Wasteland to Wonder: Biodiversity Shifts

Zoom Webinar NJ, United States

PLEASE NOTE - REGISTRATION CLOSES AT 5PM DAY-OF. TO RECEIVE A REPLAY OF THIS AND ALL 4 "PLANT FOR POLLINATOR" WEBINARS, REGISTER FOR THE FULL SERIES HERE.   From Wasteland to Wonder: Biodiversity Shifts That Can Heal the Earth with Basil Camu Our kickoff 2025 Plant for Pollinators webinar will provide an engaging overview of how we can improve our yards for biodiversity by working WITH, rather than against, nature. Join Basil Camu, a treecologist, arborist, and author who will focus on specific, actionable steps we can take to improve our yards for biodiversity, starting with simple changes and moving towards more radical ecological shifts that can help protect regional biodiversity. Basil is co-founder of Leaf & Limb tree care company in Raleigh, N.C., and author of “From Wasteland to Wonder: Easy Ways We Can Help Heal Earth in the Sub/Urban Landscape.” Please consider a $10 donation for each webinar you attend. Your gift helps us continue improving the quality, diversity, and draw of the speakers we provide and covers the increased program costs of securing our them and their information-packed presentations. This is the first of four monthly webinars for our highly anticipated annual Plant for Pollinators program. Register […]

Free – $40.00

SOLD OUT: Breakfast Briefing: Geology and Humans—The Making of the Great Swamp

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

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT. Please email ifilippini@greatswamp.org and ask to be added to the Waitlist for the Breakfast Briefing. Get ready for a fascinating opportunity to explore the natural and human-influenced evolution of our local wonder, the Great Swamp. Our Breakfast Briefings are back! Join us for a continental breakfast and a fascinating journey back in time through the Great Swamp. Presenter, Pat Wells, will trace the region’s transformation from a volcanic landscape to a swamp, farmland, and finally, a protected refuge. We will we explore the Great Swamp's historical and ecological insights and the rich context about the land’s past. Come enjoy the ride! Pat Wells is a historian, an educator, and a storyteller, and has been leading the Chatham Township Historical Society since 2015. She is an active volunteer with the Friends of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Pat is surrounded by history and resides at the historic Noe-Miller Farmstead, a 250-year-old property overlooking the Great Swamp. This is a fantastic event for history buffs, nature lovers, and anyone curious about how the Great Swamp became the ecological treasure it is today. Registration is limited and needed to get an accurate headcount for the breakfast. Please […]

Free – $40.00

Plant for Pollinators Webinar #2: Practical Gardening

Zoom Webinar NJ, United States

Native Garden Transformations with Bianca Wright Dig into the nuts and bolts of how to practically garden with natives. Area native plant expert, landscape designer, and gardener, Bianca Wright, has slowly transformed her central New Jersey yard from "standard suburban yard" to "native plant hotspot." She has created rain gardens and transformed her lawn into native packed garden beds. This FREE Zoom webinar offers practical steps, design advice, and ways to add creatively to a new or existing native garden. You will also get tips on the ongoing care of your native garden through the year, with tricks to help you get the most out of gardening native. Please consider a $10 donation for each webinar you attend. Your gift helps us continue improving the quality, diversity, and draw of the speakers we provide and covers the increased program costs of securing our them and their information-packed presentations. This is the second of four monthly webinars for our highly anticipated annual Plant for Pollinators program. Register for all four of the four-part webinar series here! This streamlined registration not only guarantees timely reminder emails with the Zoom link for each of the four talks, but also ensures that you receive […]

Free – $40.00

Breakfast Briefing: Colonial-Era Herbs and Vegetables at the Wick House Garden

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

Step back in time and discover the fascinating world of colonial-era gardening. Join us for a special Breakfast Briefing as members of the Northern New Jersey Unit of The Herb Society of America (NNJU-HSA) reveal the history and uses of herbs and vegetables cultivated at the Wick House Garden in Jockey Hollow. Learn how Mary Wick and her daughter, Tempe, may have relied on these plants to endure the brutal winter of 1779-1780, and explore the ongoing efforts to preserve and interpret this historic garden. Painstakingly researched and maintained by the NNJU-HSA in partnership with Morristown National Historical Park, the 18th-century herb and vegetable garden reflect the agricultural heritage of its time. Efforts have also been made to restore the colonial atmosphere of the entire farm, including the nearby barnyard, orchard, and open fields. Today, the Herb Society continues to steward the Wick House Garden at Jockey Hollow, ensuring its legacy remains intact. Whether you’re a history buff, an avid gardener, or simply curious, this event offers a unique opportunity to connect with the past — while enjoying a light breakfast. Space is limited, and registration is required to ensure an accurate headcount. About the Presenters: 🌿 Tish Cassa – […]

Free – $40.00