The 100th anniversary of the publication of “The Plants of Southern New Jersey” by Witmer Stone will be celebrated with a three-day event beginning Sept. 30 in Medford. The gathering will also recognize Catoxen Cabin, built in 1889 by Stone’s friends and fellow naturalists as base camp for their nature studies. The cabin is still in use today at Camp Dark Waters, located in Medford, along the southwest branch of the Rancocas Creek. Registrations for the Witmer Stone Weekend are now open and can be made at www.witmerstoneweekend.com.
Several environmental organizations have come together to plan the weekend, which will kick off on the evening of Sept. 30 at Medford Leas retirement community with a dinner and introductory talk about the great naturalists that preceded Stone. October 1 will feature presentations about Stone and his work, linking today’s plants, birds, insects and habitats to those he researched and reported. At mid-afternoon, attendees will adjourn to Camp Dark Waters to visit Catoxen Cabin and engage in the natural science pursuits Stone and his colleagues would have enjoyed there so long ago. The day will conclude with a rustic dinner and music around the campfire.
Field trips “in the footsteps of Stone” will be offered on Oct. 2, including botanical and avian car caravans. The presenters and field trip leaders are all respected naturalists, scientists and historians well versed in Stone’s writings.
Witmer Stone (1866–1939) was a giant among naturalists. He was both the last of the Victorian gentlemen scientists and the first of the professional natural scientists. After earning a Sc.D. at Penn, he spent his entire career at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, starting as Jessup Fund Student and ending as Emeritus Director and Vice President 51 years later.
Stone’s many accomplishments flowed from his profound interest in nature. He wrote three publications that are still valued by naturalists today: “Bird Studies at Old Cape May,” “The Mammals of New Jersey,” and “The Plants of Southern New Jersey,” as well as numerous papers and monographs. He was a member and officer of many national and international scientific organizations.
The cost of the complete Witmer Stone Weekend is $75, although registrations may be made for Oct. 1 only at $45. The weekend schedule and downloadable registration forms may be found on line at www.witmerstoneweekend.com. For more information, please call Janet Jackson-Gould at 609–654–6485 or email [email protected].
