Geocaching: This Outdoor Game Might Become Your Next Passion

Learn geocaching basics at a workshop presented by Great Swamp Watershed Association and Northern New Jersey Cachers

You played Hide-And-Go-Seek and Capture The Flag as a kid, right? You did your fair share of scavenger hunts too. Now that you are grown up, and maybe have a family of your own, it’s time to up the ante a little bit, don’t you think?  It’s time to get outside and do a little geocaching!

Never heard of geocaching before? Well, it’s a game—a real-world, global treasure hunting game where the players use GPS devices (a navigation tool or GPS-enabled smartphone) to locate special containers hidden outdoors at special locations. 

Geocaches—the containers and objects you set out to find when you go geocaching—come in many different forms.  Traditionally, your coordinates will lead you to a container holding a log book where you record the date and time of your visit for posterity. Sometimes you will find an item that you can take as a keepsake, provided you leave another item of equal or greater value. Sometimes, finding one geocache gives you coordinates or clues for finding another, or points you toward an environmental landmark like an old tree or a bird’s nesting box.  Whatever turns up at your destination, it’s a good bet that the natural beauty you have seen and experienced on your way is what the game is all about.

Like all games, geocaching has rules.  The first two—recording your visit in a log book and only taking a geocached item when you can replace it with something else—were mentioned earlier.  Other rules include not putting yourself or others in danger, respecting local laws and property rights, and, minimizing your impact on the environment.

Before you start geocaching, you will want to make sure you are familiar with all its rules.  You will also want to make sure you know how to get out and enjoy our natural world without disturbing it.

If this sounds like a lot to consider for a simple treasure-hunting game, never fear!  Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) and Northern New Jersey Cachers (NNJC) have you covered.  The two nonprofit groups are teaming up on Saturday, November 5, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to teach you all the basics of geocaching—from selecting your equipment to maintaining the health and beauty of all the wild and scenic natural areas you visit.  This Introduction to Geocaching Workshop is open to all ages and skill levels, and will begin at GSWA’s office at 568 Tempe Wick Road in Morristown, NJ. After a quick class introducing you to basic geocaching concepts, the workshop will travel to GSWA’s Conservation Management Area (CMA) at 1 Tiger Lily Lane in Morristown.  The CMA—with its 53 acres of undeveloped fields, streams, and woodlands—is a perfect venue for testing out your newly acquired geocaching skills, and there are already several geocaches hidden there for you to find and enjoy. Please note that you do not need your own GPS device in order to participate. And, all the walking or hiking we do outdoors will be on easy, level terrain, so people of all ages will be comfortable, especially kids!

Advanced registration is required for participation in the geocaching workshop. GSWA asks all those who are not yet members of the organization to contribute $10 per person to help offset expenses.  Register online at http://www.greatswamp.org/EventReg.htm or call GSWA’s event hotline at 973-538-3500 x22.  Please remember to bring your boots or hiking shoes to the workshop—it’s been really wet the past two months! Please also remember to dress appropriately for the weather, and bring your own reusable water bottles and snacks for the outdoor portion of the program.

Get outside and enjoy the natural world! Give geocaching a try on November 5!

 

Bears In The Back Yard

The recent spate of bear sightings in Harding, NJ—one of the ten towns within the Great Swamp Watershed—put us in mind of a story one of our volunteers wrote for our last print newsletter.  In that piece, our volunteer, Jim Northrop, spins a tale about an imaginary encounter with a mother bear during one of his visits to GSWA's offices on Tempe Wick Road in Morristown.  As the fantasy unfolds, Jim takes the opportunity to relay some important information and insights about the ever-increasing frequency of interaction between bears and people in our region.

The story—which was inspired by a real-life bear encounter here at GSWA's offices over the summer—is reprinted here for you to read.  We hope you enjoy it!

 

Meet The New Neighbors
by Jim Northrop 

 

I am a GSWA volunteer.  Last week we had an early evening meeting.  It was hot and sticky; dusk had come as the meeting adjourned.  As I walked out of the GSWA building toward my car, I noticed a large black object up the hill near the woods.  O. M. G. ----- it was a large black bear sniffing her way toward our garbage cans.  I remembered that the night before, we had been guests here at a GSWA volunteer appreciation party.  Pizza was the main culinary attraction, and discarded pizza boxes (holding a few bits of uneaten pizza crust) would have smelled good even to me!

I froze, and the bear cautiously came closer.  I know that black bears are fast runners, even though they are the largest land mammal in New Jersey —in fact, I am told they can overtake a running deer when they want to.  I did not want to give the bear any cause for attacking me.  I stood frozen and still.

A few steps later the bear stopped, looked at me and said, “I smell pizza.  Can we share?”  

By this time I was the only volunteer around—the others had gone home.  I wished for someone else there who could assure me that the heat had not made me crazy.  Could this really be a talking bear?!!

Then I heard the bear speak again.

“I have two cubs with me, and my job is to teach them how to live off the land.  They know about berries and small succulent plants, but they have never heard of pizza.  I’m going to call them over.  Please do not spoil their lesson by yelling at them or throwing something at us.”

 I did not have to be told twice.  I knew that a mother black bear will get very violent, if necessary, to protect her young cubs.  So, I just stood there quietly and watched.  Oh, how I wished I had brought a camera!

Ten minutes later, they had shredded the pizza boxes and feasted on every last crust they could find.  The mother bear looked over at me and saw that I was not a threat, so she began a conversation.

“I’m new to these parts,” she said.  “I grew up in Sussex County, but recently there’s been so much residential development up there.  A lot of new bears have moved in too.  I had to find a new home.  I had to go where the people had not yet thought to guard their garbage from curious, hungry animals like me.  So, here I am, and I am loving it!”  

Remembering that a black bear’s choice of home range is largely determined by the types and availability of food, I wondered what she liked to eat when no pizza crusts were handy.

“Well,” she said, “most of the time I eat plants—especially their berries, fruit and nuts—but, I also like insects.  You know, finding an ant hill is really a treat.”

“I also like mice and other small mammals, and delicacies like the white-tailed deer carcass I found the other day.”

“I do not come across those tasty bits very often, but I am not choosy—any fresh roadkill will do just fine.  But, I am getting a bit spoiled from so much food.  You humans call it garbage, but I think it’s great!“

“My cubs have begun to associate garbage with people—not that they want to actually eat people, but if they smell humans around they assume that some tasty ‘garbage’ is nearby.”

“Sometimes this creates a problem.  When my cubs approach, people get frightened.  They think the cubs will try to make them their meal.  You see, sometimes bears are completely misunderstood.”

I felt sorry for the bear and her cubs.  After all, humans also get into trouble by misunderstanding the intentions of others.

“I am sorry you can’t be spared this grief,” I said, “but you should know that there are conservationists around who want to end the misunderstanding between people and bears.  They get other people to stop leaving their food and garbage around outside as ‘bait’.  In fact, in New Jersey, people can be punished with a fine for feeding the bears.”

“That’s very kind,” she said with a smile, “except that educating will mean no more pizza!”

“My favorite food is not really pizza, anyway.  I love finding a good-sized beehive.  You see, my fur is bee proof, and the occasional sting on the nose is well worth the sweet honey I usually find inside.”

About then, I noticed a very large shadow moving toward us from the woods.  The black bear noticed it, too, and told me that it was her mate coming from another part of the woods.  He was coming to investigate all the commotion.

The appearance of the second bear did not surprise me much.  You see, I had read once that black bears have a remarkable sense of smell, and that they have been known to smell a source of food more than two miles away.  They are also known for their good hearing and can see very well; although, they are said to be a bit near-sighted.  Their ability to see in color helps them forage for those fruits and berries they like so much.

As her mate approached, my new friend said, “I have to go.”

“My mate gets very upset when we do not save some good food for him, and my cubs and I have licked this area clean!”

As she turned to leave, I waved her a goodbye and wished her family a safe journey.

 

Photos From A Watershed Event: GSWA's 30th Anniversary Gala

Great Swamp Watershed Association's 30th Anniversary Gala, held on Thursday, October 13 at the Westin Governor Morris Hotel in Morristown, NJ, drew more than 300 people out in support of the organization and local environmental issues.  Here are some photos from this very special evening.  If you attended the gala and took photos that you would like to share here, please contact GSWA's Director of Communications & Membership Steve Reynolds at sreynolds@greatswamp.org or call 973-538-3500 x21.

Thank you to all who joined us at the 2011 gala and all those who supported the event but could not attend.

Gala Event Honors 30 Years Of Service To Local Environment

A Watershed Event—the aptly named gala event celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA)—drew more than 300 people to Morristown’s Westin Governor Morris Hotel last Thursday to support the health and beauty of the local environment.

Guests from throughout the region and all walks of life gathered together to honor Abigail Fair and Julia Somers, two local environmental heroes whose tireless efforts have helped preserve the integrity of water and land within the 55-square-mile Great Swamp Watershed over the past three decades.  In 1981, Ms. Fair, better known as Abbie, founded the Great Swamp Watershed Committee, a group that would eventually become the GSWA. Known throughout the region for her 22 years of service to the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC), Abbie also coordinated the Freshwater Wetlands Campaign which paved the way for passage of New Jersey’s Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act of 1987. Ms. Somers served as the Great Swamp Watershed Association’s first professional executive director, a position she held for 16 years, from 1992 to 2006.  Today, she serves as Executive Director of the New Jersey Highlands Coalition where she works to protect, enhance, and restore the lands and waters of northwest New Jersey’s entire Highlands region.

The evening kicked off in high gear as revelers gathered along the hotel’s second-floor mezzanine for cocktails and a performance by the local acoustic rock band Faded Genes.  For those looking for a bit of friendly competition, GSWA elegantly arrayed items from a 120-lot silent auction outside the dining room for all to peruse.  Guests swapped bids on everything from stays at luxury accommodations in Donegal, Ireland and Montana’s Big Sky Resort, to works of art created by local artists and private tours of Great Swamp’s remotest corners.  By evening’s end, the auction generated a substantial amount of financial support for GSWA’s ongoing environmental education, stewardship and advocacy programming.

Dinner was a grand, two-hour affair punctuated by remarks from GSWA’s current Executive Director Sally Rubin, Gala Chair David Budd, and the Chairman of GSWA’s Board of Trustees Ben Wolkowitz.  An army of servers distributed course after course of the evening meal to tables sponsored by event underwriters, including Pfizer, Chrysalis Pharma Partners, Merck Consumer Care, Novartis, Peapack-Glastone Bank, and United Water.  

As the feast proceeded, Ms. Rubin expressed her deep gratitude to the assembled guests.

“As I stand here and look out over all of you who have turned out tonight, I feel myself choking up a little,” Rubin said, “It’s wonderful to know that so many of you care about the Great Swamp and the important work done by this small organization.”

A delectable dessert course and reflections from guests of honor Abbie Fair and Julia Somers capped off the evening.  After receiving a framed print of the gala’s signature photograph—a great blue heron from Great Swamp captured in flight by photographer Ari Kaufman—Ms. Somers thanked all those in attendance.

“It is wonderful to see so many people come out for the Watershed Association, and for Abbie and me,” Julia remarked. “It is very humbling to be recognized for something I never did alone.  I know I could never have accomplished anything without broad support from folks who feel just as strongly as I do about the importance of protecting the watershed.”

Following the event, Ms. Fair offered the most compelling summary of the festivities.  In an email to members of GSWA’s staff she wrote:

The crowded room at the gala was a great testament to the work GSWA has done and continues to do to protect the Great Swamp Refuge and its watershed. Working for clean water is essential to the future.

As the celebration drew to a close—after the last speech had been delivered and the last silent auction prize claimed—the future of clean water in New Jersey was a little more secure.  Proceeds from ticket and auction purchases had exceeded all expectations, and, in the words of Gala Chair David Budd, the larger-than-expected turnout “…represented undeniable evidence that all those who live, work, and play in our region value the service done by Great Swamp Watershed Association.”  All proceeds from the gala will be used to support GSWA’s environmental education, stewardship, and advocacy work within and beyond the boundaries of the Great Swamp Watershed.

Profound thanks go out to all those who contributed to the success of A Watershed Event.  The Board of Trustees, staff and volunteers of GSWA look forward to seeing you at next year’s gala!

 

Fall Colors Hike: Photos from GSWA's Conservation Management Area

Great Swamp Watershed Association's Director of Education & Outreach Hazel England led a short, afternoon hike through the organization's Conservation Management Area in Harding, NJ. Despite the soggy conditions left over from Hurricanes Irene and Lee, seven hikers braved two hours of mud and the mosquitoes to learn a little more about the environmental significance of wetlands and New Jersey's Great Swamp.  See what they saw! Check out the slideshow below.

 

View more photos from the Great Swamp Watershed Association by visiting our Flickr profile at http://flicker.com/gswa.

Tame Flooding & Curb Pollution: Build A Household Rain Garden

Have you ever thought about all the water that runs off your roof and your driveway during a rain storm? Has the aftermath of Hurricane Irene made you ask how you can help prevent flooding in our area? 

With all of our roads, parking lots, driveways, offices and homes covered in hard, impermeable materials like concrete and asphault, our stormwater doesn't get much of a chance to sink into the ground like it should.  Instead, it gathers into fast-moving torrents capable of carrying away loose soil and debris, and pollutants like trash, motor oil, gas, and road salt.  When those torrents come together in the nearest stormdrain, the next stop along the line is the nearest river, steam, pond or lake. After you think about it a little, it is easy to understand why erosion and pollution from stormwter runoff represent one of the biggest threats to our supply of clean water in northern New Jersey and how all those hard surfaces worsen our flooding problems.

If you own a home with a yard, there is something you can do to help.  Build a rain garden.

A rain garden is little more than a depression in your yard filled with carefully chosen plants and shrubs.  Choosing a low spot lets you feed all the stormwater running off your home and your driveway into a place where it can soak into the ground. Filling the garden with native plants that can survive local environmental conditions helps pull that water into the soil faster.  What you get at the end of the rain gardening process is an attractive piece of landscape that can cut local water pollution up to 30%, curb erosion on your property and along your neighborhood stream, and lessen the chance of local flooding by putting thousands of gallons of water back into the ground rather than out in the street or down flood-prone stormdrains.  Since you will not need to water your yard so often, the savings on your water bill is not bad either.

Sound like something you want to learn more about?  Visit the Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) on Tuesday, October 4, 2011, for a special Rain Garden Workshop.  We will show you how to choose the best spot for your garden, how to make sure your gutters and driveways are properly drained, and how you can find the right native trees, plants and shrubs for your new garden plot.  Join us at 568 Tempe Wick Road in Morristown, NJ, between 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., to hear Hazel England, GSWA's Director of Outreach and Education resident rain garden expert, give you all the details. You will also have an opportunity to tour GSWA's own demonstration rain garden, installed in 2008.

Registration is required.  Attendance is free for current GSWA members. Non-member adults are asked to contribute $10.00 for participation. Registration and more information is available online at www.GreatSwamp.org/EventReg.htm. Please call 973-538-3500 x20 if you have any questions about this activity.

Fall Colors Hike In Great Swamp, Sunday, September 25

On Sunday, September 25, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Hazel England, GSWA's Director of Education & Outreach, will lead a tour of new trails and boardwalks at our 53-acre conservation management area (CMA) in Harding, NJ.  This beautiful forested wetland area positively teems with life and provides habitat for several threatened species, including wood turtles and barred owls.  Pools, streams, and woods line all the trails at the CMA and offer a fantastic opportunity to listen for birds, spot native plants, and watch the changing colors of fall.

There have been many changes at the CMA of late, the biggest and most impressive being a recently completed trail expansion.  That’s right; GSWA has almost doubled the total trail length! Thanks to an easement granted by Harding Land Trust, the  new extension finally allows hikers to take in the site’s beautiful swamp-forest area also known as the Case property.

In the wake of Hurricane Irene and the remnants of Hurricane Lee, this walk also will provide some insight into the extent of flooding and wind damage in the region.  Please note that the recent flooding will cause our trails to be quite muddy. Plan to  wear boots or other appropriate footwear. Please dress appropriately for weather conditions on the day and bring along a reuseable water bottle. Feel free to bring along field guides and binoculars if you have them.

Registration is required in order to attend this event.

What: Fall Colors Hike in the Great Swamp.

 

When: Sunday, Sep. 25, 2011; 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Where: GSWA Conservation Management Area, 1 Tiger Lily Lane, Harding, NJ

Registration: online at www.GreatSwamp.org or by telephone at 973-538-3500 x22.

Cost: Free for GSWA members and member families, $10 donation for non-members, $5 donation for non-member children (6-17 yrs.); $30 donation for non-member families.

We look forward to seeing you at the CMA! 

For a list of upcoming GSWA events, please visit:
www.GreatSwamp.org/EventReg.htm