Kristen Meistrell
Free guided tours of sunflower fields are being offered Saturday, August 4
to promote New Jersey Audubon’s S.A.V.E. ® sunflower birdseed program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Kristen Meistrell
New Jersey Audubon
(609) 861-1608 x29
For Immediate Release
Sunflower Weekend:
Guided Tours of “Jersey Grown” S.A.V.E.(R) Sunflower Fields
Saturday, August 4 in Warren and Somerset Counties
New Jersey Audubon launches its fifth annual S.A.V.E.(R) Sunflower Birdseed season with Free Sunflower Field Tours
Cape May Court House, NJ n August 1, 2012 n Free guided tours of sunflower fields are being offered Saturday, August 4 to promote New Jersey Audubon’s S.A.V.E. ® (Support Agricultural Viability and the Environment) sunflower birdseed program. There will be opportunities to take photographs and meet the farmers.
New Jersey farms hosting guided sunflower field tours are Gibbs Quest Farm in Allamuchy (Warren County) and Derwood Farms in Hillsborough (Somerset County). Brent Gibbs and Mark Kirby, the farm owners, will be present at their respective farms to greet attendees and answer questions. At each tour, an NJ Audubon staff member will be present lead the tour and talk about the organization’s collaboration with local farmers through the S.A.V.E.(R) program
The guided field trips are free, however, due to limited space, registration is required. To register, please contact Kristen Meistrell, Stewardship Technician for New Jersey Audubon, at 609-861-1608, ext. 29, or e-mail [email protected], no later than Friday, August 3, at noon.
The sunflowers are being grown by New Jersey farmers who are cooperating with New Jersey Audubon to produce certified Jersey Grown birdseed n the first product marketed under the NJ Audubon’s S.A.V.E.(R) brand. Revenue from birdseed sales benefits New Jersey farmers and directly supports NJ Audubon’s conservation mission. For every 5 acres planted in birdseed, New Jersey Audubon manages and maintains 1 acre of grassland habitat for threatened and endangered birds.
Now in its fifth season, the program has eight participating farmers and is growing 195 acres of sunflowers statewide. Sunflower tours resulted from the attention the sunflower fields have received year after year from onlookers, who come out to see and photograph the fields.
The summer 2012 crop of Jersey-Grown sunflower seed will be available for sale around October 1 of this year. NJ Audubon S.A.V.E. ® sunflower birdseed is available to purchase at New Jersey Audubon stores at locations across the state and at 38 retail locations throughout the state. To find one near you and learn more about participating farmers please visit us at www.njaudubon.org.
About New Jersey Audubon
New Jersey Audubon Society (NJA) is a privately supported, not-for profit, statewide membership organization. Founded in 1897, and one of the oldest independent Audubon societies, NJA has no connection with the National Audubon Society. NJA fosters environmental awareness and a conservation ethic among New Jersey’s citizens; protects New Jersey’s birds, mammals, other animals, and plants, especially endangered and threatened species; and promotes preservation of New Jersey’s valuable natural habitats. For more information about NJA and the S.A.V.E® Birdseed program, please visit www.njaudubon.org.

