Tag: New Jersey Conservation Foundation
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What’s happening in nature during winter’s chill?
By Alison Mitchell New Jersey was quite frigid in December, but temperatures warmed as the new year arrived. So what was happening in our forests and streams between the cold nights and mild days? Endangered tiger salamanders might be breeding while you read this. These large amphibians are in a group called mole salamanders, which…
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Plastic bag ban, Save the Bees bill among 2022 environmental highlights
By Tim Gilbert The year 2022 will go down in history as one defined by many challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic dragged into its third year, the war in Ukraine destabilized world security and finances, and record heat, droughts and storms again brought home the reality of a changing climate. New Jersey, like everywhere else, shared…
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New Jersey historic sites prepare for nation’s 250th anniversary
By Jay Watson Each year at Christmas, New Jerseyans are reminded of our state’s key role in the American Revolution as historic re-enactors pile into wooden rowboats on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River and paddle toward our shore. The re-enactment commemorates Gen. George Washington’s bold Christmas night 1776 crossing of the Delaware with…
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The State We’re In: Kick off 2023 with a ‘First Day’ hike
By Tom Gilbert, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to get outside and exercise more, here’s a great way to start 2023 on the right foot: Join a “First Day” hike on Jan. 1. Across New Jersey, guided New Year’s Day hikes are being organized to help…
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Planning begins for two new urban rail trails in northern New Jersey
By Alison Mitchell Long before the rise of interstate highways, railroads were king. During the golden age of rail transportation in the late 1800s and early 1900s, passengers and freight relied on trains to get everywhere from the next town to distant locations. But as cars and tractor-trailers took over, many rail enterprises were doomed.…
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Sourland Mountain Region gains 10K trees in 2022
For Hillsborough Township resident Jennifer Bryson, the “tremendous loss of ash trees” in the area in and around her property has been “devastating.” That is why when the Sourland Conservancy (SC) expanded its efforts to include plantings directly on private land through a grant from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) in partnership with the FoHVOS…
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Un-pave the parking lot, put up a paradise
By Jay Watson In her 1970 song “Big Yellow Taxi,” Joni Mitchell sang, “They paved paradise, put up a parking lot,” a commentary on nature’s beauty being lost to development. Mitchell did not write the song about New Jersey, but it might seem that way, considering how much green in the Garden State has been…
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How Native Americans created ‘a vast food network’
By Alison Mitchell In stories of the first Thanksgiving more than 400 years ago, Native Americans are often portrayed as skilled hunter-gatherers who also grew crops like corn and squash. Native plant expert Jared Rosenbaum believes this view does not recognize the sophistication of indigenous people’s land management. Recent archaeological studies, he said, suggest that…
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New Jersey voters choose ‘green’ to preserve open space
By Tom Gilbert There has been a lot of talk about who voted “red” or “blue” during the Nov. 8 midterm election, but at least one issue on many ballots was nonpartisan “green” – open space preservation. Across the country, voters of all demographics and political parties overwhelmingly supported ballot questions aimed at creating greener…
