Spring Sightings
Here are some of the sightings reported by visitors at the Wildlife Observation Center. Mark your calendars and come to Great Swamp NWR to experience the arrival of spring. March Listen for the “peent” call of the American woodcock. It’s peak duck season through mid-April, but that “quacking” call you hear may be the wood […]
Double Discount Days Are Coming
Friday, November 30 through Sunday, December 2, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Start your holiday shopping at the Friends Nature Shop. 10% discount on all items – 20% discount for members Not a member? Join any time. Your membership discount is effective immediately. Check out our unique and original gift items for kids and adults; […]
A Perfect Holiday Gift – Commemorative Brick
Don’t wait – Order Deadline is December 31 Friends of Great Swamp NWR is bringing back our commemorative brick campaign for a limited time. You can purchase a commemorative brick to be placed in the patio at the Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center through December 31, 2017. Your donation will help enrich and expand visitor […]
Saving the Great Swamp Documentary Debuts Primetime on NJTV
In December 1959, the powerful Port of New York Authority announced plans to build a 10,000 acre jetport right here in the Great Swamp. If you have visited the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, then you know the Port Authority was not successful, but that was due to a grassroots movement that is a model […]
2017 Photo Contest Winners Announced
The winners of the 2017 Photo Contest were announced at the 18th annual Great Swamp Fall Festival on September 16, 2017. We received 193 entries – a new record high. Thank you to all of the 47 photographers who participated in our contest and congratulations to our winners. Our Photo Library now contains more than […]
Memorialize Your Love
Commemorative Brick Campaign Relaunch Friends of Great Swamp NWR is bringing back our commemorative brick campaign for a limited time. You can purchase a commemorative brick to be placed in the patio at the Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center through December 31, 2017. Your donation will help enrich and expand visitor experiences at Great Swamp […]
Thank You Photographers
Thank you to all the photographers who have submitted photos for the Friends Refuge Photo Contest. We received many spectacular and interesting photos. Winners will be announced at the annual Fall Festival on Saturday, September 16, at the Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center. It’s a fun day of activities, exhibits, crafts for kids, and free […]
Great Backyard Bird Count
February 17 – 19, 2017, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm every day Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center Join us for three days of birding fun. Be a citizen scientist and help count the birds at the feeders from inside the Visitor Center. Learn to identify common feeder birds. Ongoing activities for kids include: make a […]
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
Story and photos by Dave Katz Ruby throated hummingbirds are beautiful, feisty, precision-flying machines that bring joy to thousands of people in New Jersey. They are the only species of hummingbird in the eastern part of North America and spend the spring and summer here nesting. In the fall they make the long journey to […]
Calling All Photographers
Photo Contest Deadline June 30 The first Refuge Photo Contest was held in 2001, and since that year, thousands of photographs have been submitted, creating a goldmine of images of the birds, wildlife, plants, and scenic shots of Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. This digital library is used on a regular basis by the Friends […]