Lend a hand in the Pennypack Preserve for a few hours of service in honor of Presidents Day. You will work with our staff to learn about ecological restoration and assist with an active project. Dress in layers and wear sturdy boots. Groups and individuals are welcome. Minors under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult parent/guardian. Adult(s) and the Minor(s) for whom they are responsible, should register in the same transaction. Registration is required by February 13th.

If you have a group, more than 5 people, please reach out to Kroth@pennypacktrust.org to make sure we can accommodate your group.

Join the Delaware Highlands Conservancy and take a scenic drive on a heated bus throughout the Upper Delaware River region while you look for and learn about eagles and their habitat. Tickets sell out annually and advance registration is required.

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a community science project launched in 1998 in the US that expanded worldwide in 2013. Join thousands of birders reporting their data over a four-day period. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations. Meet at the Visitor Center at 8 am for a brief introduction to the count and then let’s take a bird walk! Dress for the weather.

The event is free, but register is required by 2/13/25.

Join us on February 12th at 7:30 PM, via Zoom, for a Delaware River Greenway Partnership Heritage Lecture. Millions of tons of salt are applied to roads across the country every winter to melt snow and ice for safe travel. Though road salt is an effective tool to keep roads clear, it sticks around! New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection data show that salt levels in many of the state’s freshwater bodies exceed acceptable limits – harming aquatic ecosystems, endangering wildlife, and polluting drinking water sources. Salt also corrodes roads, bridges, and vehicles, leading to costly infrastructure repairs.

NJ Salt Watch was launched in December 2020 by The Watershed Institute, in New Jersey, to monitor the effects of winter road salting on our freshwater streams and lakes. Since then, about 550 volunteers have collected more than 3,000 chloride measurements across New Jersey, helping to fill in gaps in our understanding of the extent of this issue. In this lecture, Erin Stretz, Assistant Director of Science at The Watershed Institute, will discuss road salt use in New Jersey and how it impacts our freshwater resources. She will share NJ Salt Watch data and explore chloride trends in relation to changes in weather and land use. Most importantly, we'll discuss solutions for municipalities, property managers, and homeowners to reduce their salt footprint. Join us to learn how to put New Jersey freshwaters on a low-salt diet this winter!

Free registration: https://shorturl.at/dUgQv


About the Presenter
Erin Stretz is the Assistant Director of Science at the Watershed Institute, in Pennington, NJ. She leads the New Jersey Watershed Watch Network, a cooperative program of The Watershed Institute and the NJ Department of Environmental Protection that bridges the gap between regulatory agencies and dozens of community water monitoring programs throughout NJ. She has specialized in NJ water quality for 15 years, beginning in 2007 as an Americorps NJ Watershed Ambassador for the Crosswicks Creek watershed. Erin joined The Watershed Institute in 2011 to coordinate the StreamWatch volunteer water monitoring program and continued as the Assistant Director of Science in 2016, training thousands of volunteers along the way. She holds a Professional Science Master in Environmental Science with a focus on water resources from Oregon State University and a Bachelor of Science in Geographic Science from James Madison University. Erin is on the board of trustees for Bingo’s Foundation, the no-kill cat shelter in Bucks County where you can find her and her husband, Adam, doling out food and snuggles most Friday evenings.

About DRGP
The Delaware River Greenway Partnership (DRGP) sponsors lectures about different aspects of the Delaware River's cultural, recreational, and natural resources and heritage. An environmental nonprofit, DRGP supports the Delaware River Scenic Byway, the Lower Delaware Wild & Scenic River, the Delaware River Water Trail, and the Delaware River Heritage Trail.

If you enjoy our Heritage Lectures, please donate https://delawarerivergreenwaypartnership.org/index.php/donate.
To view previous Heritage Lectures, visit https://www.youtube.com/@delawarerivergp

$3 per person, Climb into a bald eagle’s nest, crawl into a bat cave, explore a beaver lodge, and dig in a fossil pit! Explore this indoor discovery room and enjoy hands-on exhibits on natural history, sustainability and the local environment. No registration required. 

$5 per person, Come learn how to use a map & compass on our orienteering course. We will show you the basics before you try to find all the points. Space is limited – call early to register.

$10 per person, The Delaware Water Gap has quite a few waterfalls within the park that all flow into the Delaware River. Join us for the morning as we check out some of the larger and well-known falls in the park. Payment is due at registration.  Spaces are limited so call early!

Adults $260 / Child, Commuter, Day Rates Available, Bring your friends and family to experience PEEC in the wintertime. There will be plenty of programs to pick from, such as cross-country skiing, animal tracking, nature hikes, campfire and more! Price includes three nights of lodging and meals from Friday dinner through Monday lunch. Join us for a wonderful winter weekend!

Join current Preserve Manager Preston Wilson, past Preserve Manager Jack Stefferud, and Events Coordinator Tianna Godsey for a guided hike at Diabase Farm Preserve. Together, we’ll get to know other outdoor-loving friends during mid-winter at the preserve. Whether you’re a seasoned hiker or a beginner, the trails offer a mix of challenges and rewards for all levels.

We’ll make a few stops along the way to point out preserve highlights and the land management strategies we use to enhance wildlife habitat and facilitate public use.

$5 per person, Learn the basics of outdoor survival and weather preparedness. Build a shelter, try your hand at starting a fire, and learn other useful skills for wintertime in the outdoors. *This program is best suited for individuals aged 12 and up.* Please call to register.

$20 per person, Together we'll craft a delicious medicinal tea using wild plants. Easy-to-identify wild plants can be found in your own backyard, gardens, and forested areas and provide medicinal properties that can support our health and well-being. Learn how to identify these wild plants, how to make a medicinal infusion, and the medicinal benefits of our featured plants. Pre-registration is required. Please call to register.

$20 per person, Even in our winter landscape, edible and medicinal plants abound. Winter is an excellent time to work with evergreen plants, barks, and roots. Learn how to confidently identify our wild edible and medicinal plants, how to ethically harvest them, and how to weave them into meals, teas, and topical preparations.Pre-registration is required. Please call to register.

Join PA IPL for a series that invites you to wander through Pennsylvania’s watersheds - their problems, their people, and how we can protect them. In our final session in this series, we will learn from the experience of communities who have embarked on watershed stewardship journeys. We will hear the stories of four congregations, each will share about a watershed project they undertook, what inspired them to do it, and what impacts this has had on their community. We will also hear from Monte Garber at Stroud Water Research Center about some small and big steps that congregations can take to begin stewarding waters in their local community.

Speakers for this session include:

Monte Garber, Watershed Restoration Coordinator, Stroud Water Research Center

Abdel Nassani, Foundation for Islamic Education, Exton PA

Representative from Akron Mennonite, Akron PA

MORE COMING SOON!

Registration Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1028648193437?aff=oddtdtcreator

In this new year, it’s ever more important to be vigilant and hold our environmental agencies accountable to their commitments to protect our waters. Join us on January 14th to learn about the public engagement opportunities under the Clean Water Act and how to utilize them to speak up for the issues in your watershed. Hosted by CDRW, Presented by River Network and the Water Center at Penn.

Registration: https://nwf-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAvd-2rrTspGNbtfScjEN5Fs6WipuuMgIPr

$5 per person, Join us for an evening stroll in the light of the Wolf Moon! We will learn about the moon and its phases, as well as other astrological events. Please call to register.

$3 per person, Climb into a bald eagle’s nest, crawl into a bat cave, explore a beaver lodge, and dig in a fossil pit! Explore this indoor discovery room and enjoy hands-on exhibits on natural history, sustainability and the local environment.

$20 per person, No leaves, no problem! Learn how to identify trees by leaf scars, bundle scars, buds, and bark. Our program will consist of a basic dendrology lesson to acquaint us with the identifying features we will want to consider to confidently identify a tree and the terms we can use to describe these features. We'll then go for a walk and practice using a tree key to identify the trees around us. With this knowledge, you'll be able to identify trees anywhere you go! Pre-registration is required. Please call to register.

$5 per person, Learn how different plants and animals survive the winter. Join us on a hike and experience PEEC in the wintertime. All ages welcome. Please call to register

Learn how different plants and animals survive the winter.  Join us on a hike and experience PEEC in the wintertime.  All ages welcome. Please call to register. 

$5 per person

Climb into a bald eagle’s nest, crawl into a bat cave, explore a beaver lodge, and dig in a fossil pit!  Explore this indoor discovery room and enjoy hands-on exhibits on natural history, sustainability and the local environment. No registration required.

$3 per person

Spend the morning watching our feeders and putting together your own unique and custom bird feeder from a variety of recycled materials just in time for winter.  We’ll provide everything you need, but you are welcome to bring your own supplies. Please call to register.

$5 per person

People want to know, "Can I turn on the tap? Is my water safe to drink, Is my backyard going to flood? Can I swim in my river? At the 2024 Jersey Water Works Conference on December 13 at The College of New Jersey, you can join state and local decision-makers, practitioners, and stakeholders who are determined to ensure our One Water future by seeking equitable and sustainable water solutions. This full-day event includes two keynote speakers, featured speakers, seven workshops, lunch, and a ten-year celebratory toast. The theme of the conference is The Power of Collaboration: Towards a One Water Future.  Learn more and register today.

Join Jersey Water Works on December 13 at The College of New Jersey from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This full-day event includes two keynote speakers, featured speakers, seven workshops, lunch, and a ten-year celebratory toast.  Learn more and register today.

Join us on December 11th at 7:30 PM, via Zoom, for a Delaware River Greenway Partnership Heritage Lecture on the history of the Tocks Island dam controversy and the project that led to the creation of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
The Delaware River is the longest undammed river east of the Mississippi. This was almost not the case as a massive dam, planned for just north of the Water Gap, was authorized by Congress in 1962. As a result, thousands of area residents lost their homes and other properties to government acquisition. David Pierce will share the fascinating story of the fight to defeat the Tocks Island dam during the dawn of the modern environmental movement. Starting with one local citizen, a grassroots coalition brought attention to, and ultimately, stopped the dam and changed the course of local history.
Free registration: https://shorturl.at/dUgQv

David C. Pierce is an author and retired journalist who has extensively researched the Tocks Island Dam project and the creation of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. His book, Tocks Island: Dammed If You Do, The Homegrown Movement that Defeated the Delaware River Dam, recounts the contentious and heart-wrenching history of the federally approved dam.

A 1974 graduate of Stroudsburg High School, Pierce earned his bachelor’s degree from Goddard College in Vermont. His journalism career included work at the Alaska Public Radio Network, the Kodiak Daily Mirror, the Hamburg Sun, the Springville Journal, and the Pocono Record.

His work has been recognized by several journalism organizations including the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, which awarded him the G. Richard Dew Award for Journalistic Service in 2004. In 2003, he was named a fellow of The Knight Center for Specialized Journalism at the University of Maryland.
In 2017 and 2018, Pierce served as a summer interpretive ranger for the National Park Service at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. He currently sits on the board of Friends of the DWGNRA. Pierce resides in Smithfield Township with his wife, Mary, and they have four children.

About DRGP
The Delaware River Greenway Partnership (DRGP) periodically sponsors lectures about different aspects of the Delaware River's cultural, recreational, and natural heritage. An environmental nonprofit, DRGP supports the Delaware River Scenic Byway, the Lower Delaware Wild & Scenic River, the Delaware River Water Trail, and the Delaware River Heritage Trail.

If you enjoyed our Heritage Lectures, please donate https://delawarerivergreenwaypartnership.org/index.php/donate.
To view previous Heritage Lectures, visit https://www.youtube.com/@delawarerivergp

Join PA IPL for a series that invites you to wander through Pennsylvania’s watersheds - their problems, their people, and how we can protect them.

In this third seminar, we will hear from folks who hold responsibility to protect and regulate Pennsylvania’s waterways. A representative from the PA Department of Environmental Protection as well as the Environmental Protection Agency Region 3 will join us on this call to share about the water work their offices are engaged in. We will additionally hear from experts in water policy and conservation about some of the ways they are working on the ground and in the halls of power to enact positive change for our waterways.

Speakers for this session include:

Amani Reid, Office of Environmental Justice, PA Department of Environmental Protection 

Nicole Lick, Environmental Protection Agency, Water Division

Michael Mehrazar, Advocacy Manager, PennFuture

Lindsey Walker, Senior Manager Education & Community Conservation, National Wildlife Federation

Registration Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1028629838537?aff=oddtdtcreator

Learn some beginner techniques on how to frame a picture and then apply those skills on our trails.  Great for children and those starting from scratch.  Participants will need a camera for pictures, even a phone camera will do! Please call to register. 

$5 per person

Put on your lab coats and prepare to conduct some crazy experiments!  You’ll get to create your very own slime, oobleck, and attempt to launch a rocket into space. Please call to register. 

$8 per child

Create your own holiday decorations using natural materials!  We provide evergreen boughs and materials for you to make wreaths, swags, and table decor.   Come join us as we introduce making swags from hangers.  You can also bring your own supplies and decorations – we’ll bring the music, drinks, and snacks!  Preregistration is required. 

$25 per wreath

$5 per person -- Animals leave behind clues that give us glimpses into their lives.  Explore our natural areas for tracks, trails, scat, territory marks, chew marks, and other signs animals leave as they travel through the fields and forests of the Poconos. Please call to register.