Sunday, June 6th 2010

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey is pleased to co-sponsor a series of Get Outdoors! events with New Jersey Parks and Forestry and the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Free Fishing Days are held annually in conjunction with National Fishing and Boating Week, and on these days anyone may fish the Garden State’s public waters without a license or trout stamp. All other regulations, including size and daily catch limits, remain in effect. New Jersey’s two Free Fishing Days offer a great introduction to freshwater fishing in the Garden State and the perfect time for families to enjoy two days of outdoor fun for free. Though youngsters under the age of 16 don’t need a license, these days provide a special benefit to adults who can join in the fun without having to purchase a license. That is, until they get hooked on a sport that just might become a lifetime of fun for the whole family. Visit the NJ Fish and Wildlife’s web site for more information. http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/ffd.htm

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey is pleased to co-sponsor a series of Get Outdoors! events with New Jersey Parks and Forestry and the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.

June is one of Cape May’s wettest and wildest months. Explore the puddles along the Red Trail with dip nets as you look for tadpoles, frogs and insect life. Check the bugs and spiders out with a magnifying glass. Look for birds (with binoculars on loan) then learn how to look them up in the field guide. Find the secret hideouts of the tree frogs and finally do a good deed for wildlife - save a tree’s life by removing some invasive aliens! An old-fashioned outdoors bonding experience for kids, parents and grandparents!

Suitable for families with children of all ages.

Meet at the park office.

For more information, call (609) 884-2159.

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey is pleased to co-sponsor a series of Get Outdoors! events with New Jersey Parks and Forestry and the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.

The Eastern Bluebird is making a comeback in New Jersey thanks to you. Bring your favorite grown-up to help you build more bluebird boxes to place in the park. Volunteer to monitor the boxes throughout the year and stop invasive species from using them.

Suitable for families with children ages 6 – 12.

Meet at the far end of the parking lot.

Registration is required; please call (908) 852-3790.

Lighthouses and lighthouse keepers have stood guard over New Jersey’s dangerous coastline for hundreds of years. Learn about the unique relationship between the lives of the lighthouse keepers and the natural environment – such as the weather and the changing seas. Measure wind speed using a wind turbine, spot ships approaching the harbor through telescopes and climb the south tower into the lantern room.

Suitable for families with children ages 8 and up.

Registration is required; please call Twin Lights at (732) 872-1814.

Slog for a frog. Hug a water bug. Wish for a fish. Try for a dragonfly. Come out of your cybershell and have some good old-fashioned outdoor fun catching critters at the pond. Children will use pond nets to collect and examine the various organisms that inhabit this ecosystem.

Suitable for families with children ages 6 to 12.

Meet at the pond by the park service entrance off Church Road in Titusville.

Registration is required; please call (609) 737-0609.

Come on out and experience a naturalist-led canoe tour of Batsto Lake. The lake is nearly a mile and a half long, nestled deep in the interior of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Batsto Lake offers the canoeist the opportunity to experience wetlands typical of the region. Atlantic white cedar, blueberries, cranberries and carnivorous plants line the lake’s shore. The carpenter frog, red belly turtle, great blue heron and bald eagle are among the many forms of animal life that can be observed here.

Suitable for families with children ages 8 and up.

Meet at the Nature Center (by the lake), Batsto Village, Wharton State Forest.

$5 per car entrance fee to the park.

Registration is required; space is limited; please call (609) 567-4559.