Nature Walk in the Great Swamp Watershed, Friday, July 22

Don't forget! GSWA Education & Outreach Director Hazel England will be guiding a tour of GSWA's 53-acre Conservation Management Area in Harding, NJ this Friday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) owns 53 acres of land in Harding Township that is maintained as a Conservation Management Area. This forested wetland contains vernal pools, streams, and woods with wildflowers and wildlife aplenty.

 We will take an early evening stroll along the boardwalk trails, listening for birds and searching for native plants. This is an easy-paced hike at an important restoration area. Children are welcome.

Location: GSWA Conservation Management Area, 1 Tiger Lilly Lane, Harding, NJ. Please register to attend at http://tinyurl.com/6khfr57 or visit www.greatswamp.org.

Cost: Free for GSWA members, $10 for non-members, $5 for non-member children under 5, $30 for non-member families.

Phone: 

973-538-3500

News from @GSWA for July 2011

Check out what's up in The Great Swamp! Read @GSWA's e-Newsletter for July at http://p0.vresp.com/dxRhT7.

Sign up to receive our monthly e-Newsletter and other communications from the Great Swamp Watershed Association via email. Just complete the sign-up form on our home page located at www.greatswamp.org.

BioBlitz 2011 A Success!

Over a 24-hour period between 5 p.m. on Friday June 17 and 5 p.m on June Saturday, June 18, Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA), the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Friends of the Great Swamp (FGS) led more than 150 scientists, volunteers and participants in a concerted effort to find and identify as many different plant and animal species as they could within the confines of the northern New Jersey’s 7,768- acre Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. As data continues to roll in from the event, BioBlitz 2011—the third of its kind to be held in the Great Swamp watershed since 2007—seems poised to exceed all the scientific and educational benchmarks established by past BioBlitz gatherings.

Although a final tally of all the different plants and animals seen at BioBlitz 2011 is still a few days away, we can give you an update on some of the weekend’s highlights and show you some amazing photos from the event.

Event Highlights:

• More than 100 members of the public (non-scientists) participated in the event.
• More than 60 scientists volunteered their time to study the wide variety of plants and wildlife found in the Great Swamp.
• Some unusual wildlife species were seen or heard, including the following:

1. Federally-endangered Blue-spotted salamanders (Ambystoma laterale)
2. Hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus)—water fowl that are usually only present during winter months
3. More than 25 species of Crane fly – the long legged weak flying insects that look like giant mosquitoes and throng the porch lights
4. A couple of much-talked-about, but, as yet, unidentified woodland orchids, amongst 200 species wildflowers seen.
5. More than 15 species of freshwater fish netted in Passaic River tributaries.

We’ll have more details about the plants and animals spotted this year once the scientists (and GSWA staff!) rest up a bit from their 24-hour biological marathon. (Yes! There were many people there for the entire 24-hour period. Just ask the Chiropterologists—bat scientists—and their assistants who were out past 2 a.m. Saturday morning collecting their specimens.) In the meantime, check out some of the amazing event photos we’ve posted on our Flickr account. (Note: you do not need a Flickr account to view the photos.)

What’s a BioBlitz?

If you’ve never heard of a BioBlitz before, here’s a crash course.

A BioBlitz is an intensive snapshot survey—part contest, part scientific research & part educational opportunity—bringing together biological experts from local scientific institutions, nature clubs, & government wildlife agencies. Every major group of animals & plants will have a team assigned to look for as many species as possible in 24-hours.

Why do a BioBlitz?

A BioBlitz serves 4 main goals. It—

• Raises Public Awareness: A BioBlitz is held in order to increase your awareness of the variety of life in your immediate neighborhood, as well as teach about how plants & animals improve your quality of life;
• Excites Kids About Science: A BioBlitz gives local schools & school students an opportunity to gather scientific information the same way real scientists do;
• Generates Data: A BioBlitz generates an important list of plant & animal species found in a particular area; and it
• Celebrates Biological Diversity: A BioBlitz celebrates the diversity of life in an area like the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.

Visit GSWA on the web at www.greatswamp.org.

Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/GreatSwamp or on Twitter at twitter.com/GSWA.

Don't Miss GSWA's May Events

May Day Hike
Sunday, May 1, 5-6:30 p.m.
GSWA's Conservation Management Area, Tiger Lily Ln, Harding Township
Long ago young maidens would arise and wash their faces in the dew on May Day to stay young forever. We can’t promise eternal youth, but we do promise you’ll feel rejuvenated after a spring hike around the 50 acres of GSWA’s Conservation Management Area. Listen for returning neo-tropical migrant birds, watch for wildflower blooms peeking out and enjoy the frog chorus in a gentle family-friendly hike along the trails of GSWA’s flagship restoration area.

A Passaic River Journey...in Words and Pictures
Thursday, May 5, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
GSWA Offices, 568 Tempe Wick Road, Morristown
Local area resident and West Morris Mendham High School teacher Bruce Taterka, and his paddling companion Juergen Englerth, paddled the entire length of the Passaic River from source to sea. They completed their journey in stages whenever free time allowed over the last several years. Bruce and Juergan will share their incredible stories and pictures about this fascinating trip along one of the most interesting rivers in New Jersey. Through changing river widths, seasons, economic conditions and habitats see the Passaic through a kayak paddlers perspective and camera! Enjoy wine, snacks and a Passaic river cocktail created especially for the evening!

These programs are free for members. The fee for non-members is $10 per adult, $5 for each child five or over and $30 per family. Register at www.greatswamp.org.

Tomorrow Night at GSWA...

...David Wheeler will be here, author of Wild New Jersey! We are so excited to have him here and would love for everyone to join us. The program will begin at 7 pm and end around 9 pm and will be held at 568 Tempe Wick Rd. in Morristown, NJ.

There is no cost to members, for non-member adults it will be $10, $5 for children under five years old, and $30 per family.

For more information on Mr. Wheeler please visit his website and the release for tomorrow night.

http://wildnewjersey.tv/2011/03/22/wild-nj-road-trip-wild-new-jersey-slithers-to-the-great-swamp.aspx?ref=rss

For more information on GSWA or any questions, please visit http://www.greatswamp.org/ or call 973-538-3500

See you tomorrow night!

An Evening with David Wheeler

David Wheeler, author of “Wild New Jersey: Nature Adventures in the Garden State’” will be the special guest of GSWA where he’ll give a presentation on his exploration of our state’s biodiversity. Refreshments will be served. Free for GSWA members. The fee for non-members is $10 per adult, $5 for each child five and over, and $30 per family. For additional information on Mr. Wheeler and his new book, visit wildnewjersey.tv. Pre-register for this event by visiting www.greatswamp.org or call 973-538-3500 x22.

The event will be held from 7-9pm at Great Swamp Watershed Association (568 Tempe Wick Rd., Harding Twp).

We would love to see all of you there!

Scott Baxter-Green and GSWA Present Breakfast Briefing

The Great Swamp Watershed Association and Scott Baxter-Green, Water Quality Manager with NJ American Water will discuss water quality concerns and maintaining the underground infrastructure. The program will begin at 8 am and go until appx. 9:30 at GSWA Headquarters: 568 Tempe Wick Rd, Morristown, NJ. The program will be free for GSWA members, $10 for non-member adults, $5 for non-member children under five, and $30 per family (if non-members.) To become a member and attend most programs for no additional cost please visit http://www.greatswamp.org/ or inquire on the day of the Breakfast Briefing. To pre-register please visit our website (above,) email ddolan@greatswamp.org, or call 973-538-3500 x 22. Hope to see you there!