A Fun and Different Second Sunday in July
Doodle, Draw & Discover New Jersey Native Flowers
Sunday, July 11, 1:30 pm on Zoom

Learn to draw colorful native flowers while exploring the many ways they help support the health and well-being of New Jersey’s environment, wildlife and people. Our instructor is illustrator and Rutgers Environmental Steward Vicky Katzman.

Not artistic? No problem! No artistic experience or skills needed.

Suitable for teens or adults

Supplies: Paper, pencil, eraser, black pen or marker (thin or  medium tip).

Optional supplies: Colored pencils, colored markers, watercolor.

This program will help you improve your observation skills, perhaps encourage you to begin a nature journal, or just ramp up your doodling skills during interminable Zoom meetings.

Registration is encouraged and Zoom logon information will be sent at Noon on July 11 to all who register here.

For your convenience, Zoom logon may  be found under Upcoming Events on the left side of this page.

Second Sundays with Friends is sponsored by Friends of Great Swamp NWR with generous support from the Marta Heflin Foundation.

The Friends, working with Fish and Wildlife Service staff, are creating new signs for the four Wilderness Area Kiosks at Great Swamp NWR. As part of this project, we are looking for a really great photo for the signs.

So, this year we are including a special category, separate from the annual photo contest, in which we are looking for photos from within the Great Swamp Wilderness Area. Photographers may submit up to five additional pictures in this category, which will be judged separately.

We are looking for photos that convey a wilderness feeling and wilderness character. This category only is open to everyone — amateurs and professionals alike as well as FWS staff. The deadline is July 4, 2021. A special panel of judges will select the winning photo. The prize? Your photo will appear on all four of the Wilderness Area kiosks – with credit (and bragging rights!)

Use the entry form on the Friends website: Photo Contest Details and Entry Form. Be sure to select “Wilderness Area” as the category. Please indicate the nearest marked trail in the location line. Trails are: Orange, Blue, Yellow, Green, Red, Ivory, Beige, Silver. The White Trail, which is not shown on the map, is a Wilderness Area Trail and may be accessed from the Morris County Outdoor Education Center Parking Lot.

Map of Wilderness Area Boundaries

Download a Wilderness Area Trail Map

What are you waiting for? Pick up your camera, put on your boots, and head out to the Wilderness Area to take some spring photos!

Did you know, you could play, explore, and learn about the refuge from your phone? Friends of Great Swamp is introducing an exciting new nature activity at the Wildlife Observation Center called Agents of Discovery. It’s a free smartphone app with exciting challenges to help you discover more about the great outdoors.

Download the app from any online app store (we suggest doing this before you visit).  Mission “challenges” are GPS-triggered. The first Mission begins at the entrance to the boardwalk trails with challenges all along the trail to the Sportsman’s’ Blind. As you move along the mission route, your mobile device will alert you when you get near the location of the next challenge. When a new challenge appears on your screen, tap to open it. You will learn fun facts about nature and wildlife, and then get a puzzle to solve.

Solve all the challenges to complete the mission!

The challenges are specifically designed to help learn about the wildlife and habitat at the Wildlife Observation Center. Additional missions and challenges will be added in the future. In the meantime: “Your Adventure Is About To Begin” Are you up to the challenge?

For more information and tips to get you started, check out our YouTube video here.

Join self proclaimed conservation nerds Michael Bianchi and Joan Maccari on an adventure.

They started on a project to renovate and modernize their Madison, NJ home, learned a lot along the way, and ended up with an energy efficient Passive House. Follow their journey and discover some energy saving changes you can make in your own home … without doing a complete renovation.

Registration is requested. April Online Registration

Zoom logon information will be sent to everyone who registers an hour prior to the program on April 11 or you may find the Zoom logon information in our Events calendar.

Second Sunday programs are sponsored by Friends of Great Swamp NWR with generous support from the Marta Heflin Foundation.

Just what we needed – another exotic invasive insect species. And although it’s very colorful, it’s very destructive. This plant hopper feeds on 70 different types of plants and trees, particularly some economically important plants including fruit, ornamental and woody trees. It also secretes a sugary, sticky substance which can affect our quality of life and enjoyment of the outdoors.  

Spotted Lanternfly – Managing the Menace, March 14, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. via Zoom

Learn more. Join us for a special virtual Second Sunday program about the spotted lanternfly. We have a trio of speakers from the US Department of Agriculture and the NJ Department of Agriculture. They’ll cover the biology of this insect and the history of its introduction. Find out what these agencies are doing to curb the spread. There will also be suggestions on how individuals can help.

As this is a Zoom event, registration is required. You may sign up here. The Zoom logon information will be sent Sunday morning, March 14. 

Sign Up For Happenings: Friends are publishing a new monthly digital newsletter called Happenings. It will announce upcoming events, both virtual and in person, as well as covering news and seasonal activities at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Sign up for the monthly Happenings here.

There has been a great deal of publicity in the news media recently around the successful resurgence of the bald eagle in New Jersey. For the first time, more than 200 pairs of bald eagles have been recorded nesting and they are now confirmed to be nesting in all 21 counties. This is quite a comeback from the early 80’s when only one pair of nesting eagles was reported. And it shows what’s possible when people get together and put forth the effort.

The program is a partnership between the NJ Department of Environmental Protection and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation assisted by more than 100 volunteers who monitor the nesting sites and locate new ones. One of those volunteers, Jim Mulvey, monitors the eagle nest here at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Jim reports that last year there was one eaglet that was large enough for him to be confident that it was the only nestling. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, volunteering was not allowed on the refuge so the survey could not be continued. However, Jim reports seeing an immature bald eagle recently, and this may have been our addition for the 2020 season.

Jim’s report from his first survey of 2021, on January 11, is that the eagles are not on the nest but they are nearby. Apparently, this is pretty routine and he expects eggs will be laid in the next week or two. The eagle nest may be viewed from the Chandler S. Robbins Memorial Viewing Platform at the Wildlife Observation Center.

Last year, before the shut-down, eagles were frequently seen flying over the wetlands or perched in nearby trees. If you visit the Wildlife Observation Center, remember to observe Covid-19 safety protocols, maintain a safe distance from others and wear a mask. And enjoy sightings of our nation’s symbol of freedom.