The following is a list of activities being offered through the Nature Center at Washington Crossing State Park in Titusville, New Jersey. All programs are offered free of charge. Some will require advanced registration as indicated below. Attendance is always limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Programs will commence at the Nature Center unless otherwise indicated. An adult must accompany all children.. In the event of inclement weather some programs might be canceled. It is always advisable to call ahead before coming out. These events are intended for families and individuals only. Programs for scouts, schools and other groups are scheduled separately by special arrangement. Phone: (609) 737-0609
NATURE CENTER CLOSED Sat. Dec. 24, 2011 - Tues. Jan 3, 2012
Have a Happy Holiday Season
BLUE DOT TRAIL “FIRST DAY” HIKE (9yrs. –adult) Sunday January 1, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. This will be a naturalist-guided winter hike of approximately 2.5 miles, through the heart of Washington Crossing State Park. First Day Hikes are a nationwide effort promoting outdoor events on New Years Day.Wear sturdy footgear and bring drinking water.
NATURE/HISTORY VIDEO Saturday January 7, 12:45 p.m. The Civilian Conservation Corps. This PBS presentation chronicles the history of the CCC program in which workers fought fires, built roads, bridges, trails and worked on a variety of conservation projects in the nation’s parks and forests during the Great Depression era.
NATURE VIDEO Saturday January 14, 12:45 p.m. Along the Delaware. This videotakes the viewer on a trip down the length of the Delaware River from its source near Narrowsburg, NY to its mouth at Cape May and presents the various fish, shellfish and other resources that can be harvested along the way.
NATURE/VIDEO Saturday January 21 12:45 p.m. Living with New Jersey Black Bears Ths intriguing video provides an inside look at one of the state’s most interesting wildlife species and gives some clues on how to safely share the landscape with these anmals.
BALDPATE MOUNTAIN HIKE (pre-teen – adult) Sunday January 22, 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. We will take the red trail from its trailhead on Church Rd. to the top of the hill. Meet at the parking lot by Niederer’s Pond (Church Rd). Advanced registration required. Bring a water bottle and wear hiking shoes.
NATURE VIDEOS Saturday January 28, 12:45 p.m. Turning the Tide. This half-hour documentary showcases the hidden beauty of the tidal areas in and around the Hackensack Meadowlands of northern New Jersey and the Hamilton-Trenton Marsh just south of the state capital of Trenton. The Highlands Rediscovered focuses on the rich natural history and the water resources in northern New Jersey.
NATURE VIDEO Saturday February 4, 12:45 p.m. From Poles to Tropics . The Earth as a whole is consdidered with a view towards the main factors that have manipulated the planet’s natural history.
GEOCACHE WASHINGTON CROSSING STATE PARK ( preteens – adult) Sunday February 5, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Geocaching is a high-tech update on the good old-fashioned scavenger hunt game utilizing GPS (global positioning system) technology to locate objects hidden among the forests, fields and trails of parks, playgrounds, natural areas and other open lands. Participants will learn how to obtain information and hints from the Geocaching.com website, on the location of over a dozen geocache sites located in and around the state park. They will then use handheld GPS devices to go out and find as many caches as possible. Once a cache is found, participants typically will sign in on the log contained within and then take an object from the cache box after leaving a trinket for subsequent geocachers. Participants should bring a pocket full of trinkets to exchange when they locate caches. Trinkets can include small toys and balls, plastic jewelry, pens, pencils, scratch pads, patches, action figures, coins, etc. Advanced registration required after 1/10. A limited number of GPS navigation devices will be made available to participants. Bring your own handheld GPS device if you have one.
NEW JERSEY PALEO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES, TOOL MAKING INDUSTRIES AND ICE AGE LIFEWAYS
Saturday February 11, 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. Jack Cresson, Archaeologist, and Jim Silk, Lithic Technologist will take participants on a journey back in time when the earliest Native American people entered into what is now New Jersey. The program will examine regional Paleo archaeological sites, aboriginal human lifestyles, arctic landscapes and unusual prehistoric animals. Also, this program will demonstrate and explain the manufacture of specialized stone tools that were used by indigenous Ice Age people in adapting to their harsh environment 10,000 to 13,500 years ago. Paleo artifacts and tool replications will be displayed.
NATURE VIDEOS Saturday February 18, 12:45 p.m. The Poles. The advance and retreat of polar ice is the real challenge to life. In Antarctica all animals flee except the emperor penguin. Meanwhile, in the Arctic, the polar bear must swim long distances to obtain food. Learn how wildlife survives in some of the most challenging places on the planet.
NATURE VIDEO Saturday February 25, 12:45 p.m. Forests. From the evergreen forests of the frozen North to the deciduous dry forests of the tropics, these woodlands illustrate the intense seasonality of the Earth. As the tallest, largest and oldest organisms on the planet, trees are home to a fascinating range of wildlife.
MAPLE SUGARING (All Ages) Sunday February 26, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. This event is a participatory demonstration in the procedures of home maple sugar production. Advanced registration required after 1/24.
MAPLE SUGARING (All Ages) Saturday March 3, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. This event is a participatory demonstration in the procedures of home maple sugar production. Advanced registration required after 1/31.
MAPLE SUGARING (All Ages) Saturday March 10, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. This event is a participatory demonstration in the procedures of home maple sugar production. Advanced registration required after 2/7.
MAPLE SUGARING (All Ages) Sunday March 11, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. This event is a participatory demonstration in the procedures of home maple sugar production. Advanced registration required after 2/16.
WINTER BIRDS OF THE PARK (All Ages) Sunday March 18, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Come join veteran birder Lou Beck of Washington Crossing Audubon as we walk the trails in search of a variety of winter bird species and perhaps some early spring migrants. Advanced registration required after 2/21.
EARLY SPRING TWILIGHT HIKE (Adult) Thursday March 29, 7:15 p.m. We will search the park’s remote northern sections for early spring twilight and nocturnal phenomena such as woodcocks in courtship, spring peepers and other breeding amphibians, owls, etc. Advanced registration required, Meet at the parking lot by Niederer’s Pond (Church Rd). Wear boots and bring a flashlight. Advanced registration required after 2/28.
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