Tag: New Jersey Conservation Foundation
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Inspiring a sense of wonder in the universe
By Jay Watson You don’t have to be a space geek or even a casual “Star Trek” fan to be mesmerized by the images recently released by NASA. The stunning images of star clusters and other celestial phenomena were made possible by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which launched on Christmas Day 2021 and…
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Acorn booms and busts – a nutty tale
By Alison Mitchell If you have out been outside recently enjoying your yard, strolling through neighborhood streets or city parks, or hiking along wooded trails, you may have spotted lots of acorns, hickory nuts or beech nuts on the ground. Or maybe you noticed the opposite – a lack of acorns and other nuts in…
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Accessible trails make nature available to all
By Tom Gilbert Before being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2009, Karen Richards was an athlete. She could hike for miles on rugged mountain trails and she regularly swam distance laps in a pool. Having multiple sclerosis changed all that for Karen, who is the New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s director of finance and administration. She…
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Protect Liberty State Park’s Caven Point as urban natural area
By Jay Watson In the most urban area of the nation’s most densely populated state, there is a small peninsula along the Hudson River where it widens into Upper New York Bay. It is an amazing haven for nature and wildlife. Migrating shorebirds, including ospreys and American oystercatchers, stop at Caven Point in Jersey City…
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Do nature a favor – leave falling leaves alone this year
By Alison Mitchell If you love fall’s spectacular colors, but not raking leaves, here is some good news: You can stop! By leaving your leaves alone, you will help your lawn, local wildlife and the environment. Leaves falling from trees should not be seen as trash to be collected and hauled away. Decomposing leaves are…
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Former Gov. James Florio was a conservation trailblazer in New Jersey
By Alison Mitchell The pristine wilderness of the New Jersey Pine Barrens may seem worlds apart from the state’s polluted industrial sites in need of cleanup and restoration. But one thing they had in common was James Florio in their corner. Florio – a former New Jersey governor, U.S. congressman, state assemblyman and chair of…
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10 years after Sandy, are we safer from flooding?
By Tom Gilbert Nearly everyone who lived in New Jersey 10 years ago has vivid, and possibly traumatic, memories of Superstorm Sandy slamming this state we’re in. Thirty-eight lives were lost. More than 300,000 homes were either completely destroyed or so badly damaged as to be uninhabitable. About 2.7 million people were left without power,…
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New Black Heritage Trail to boost pride and tourism
By Jay Watson For four centuries, the Black community in New Jersey has been helping shape the state’s history, culture, arts, sciences, government, educational and religious institutions, and business and industry. For just as long, Black residents have been seeking equality, justice and an end to racism. From north to south, this state we’re in…
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Maureen Ogden was a conservation trailblazer
By Alison Mitchell The year was 2011 and former state assemblywoman Maureen Ogden was worried about the future of open space in New Jersey. The nation was in an economic downturn, but Ogden wanted New Jerseyans to understand the need to create a permanent, dedicated source of funding to preserve large swaths of the state’s…
