The Pinelands Preservation Alliance (PPA) is celebrating its 35th anniversary of protecting the Pinelands with a Pinelands Nature Fest.
From a fascinating fungi foray to exploring the concept of Homegrown National Parks with Doug Tallamy, to discovering the diverse species of the Pinelands and learning about the wildlife in one’s own backyard, there’s something for all ages at PPA.
The Pinelands Nature Fest will be a full-day event on Sept. 22, starting with morning field trips either on PPA grounds at 17 Pemberton Road, Southampton, or off site. The schedule is as follows:
- 9 a.m. Morning bird walk led by Burlington County naturalist Jen Bulava.
- 9:45 a.m. Fundi foray at Smith Woods led by New Jersey Mycological Association.
- 10 a.m. Botanical walk at Rancocas Cranberry Preserve with naturalist and author Allen Crawford.
- 10:30 a.m. Dragonfly and Damselfly walk with Bulava.
The days’ main event will run from noon to 5 p.m. Participants will be able to get close and personal with some of the unique cold-blooded vertebrates of the Pinelands including, a raptor. There will be lectures, nature activities for kids and adults, music and presentations that will take place in the PPA’s restored barn.
Activities are at the following times:
- Noon. Hawk Mountain Sanctuary live raptor presentation
- 1:30-3:30 p.m. Music in the Meadow with The Morning Doves. (Bring your own picnic lunch).
- 1:30-3:30 p.m. – Invertebrate and Insect walk. Groups will be led by Dr. Randi V. Wilfert Eckel, entomologist and owner of Toadshade Wildflower Farm.
- 3:30 p.m. Introduction to Fungi of the Pines presentation by the New Jersey Mycological Society.
The evening program will feature a presentation and moth night from 5:30 to 10 p.m. with Douglas Tallamy, an author, entomologist, ecologist and professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. His 6 p.m. lecture will be followed by a nighttime exploration of moths led by Ann-Marie Woods at 8 p.m.
Founded in 1989, PPA is the leading voice for protecting the natural and historic resources of the New Jersey Pinelands. The Pinelands Natural Preserve is the largest forested area on the Eastern Seaboard between Maine and the Florida Everglades, with more then 800,000 acres of forest that include the Pinelands, according to the PPA’s website.
“We advocate for enforcing and improving the Pinelands Protection Act and Comprehensive Management Plan as the best way to protect the Pinelands’ against sprawl, poorly-designed development and other abuses of land and water,” notes the PPA’s mission statement.
“The most important features of these laws are the setting of strict boundaries on development, the sustainable use of the aquifers, the protection of rare species habitats and the creation of approved areas for new development that are compatible with protecting the Pinelands’ natural resources.
For more information, visit pinelandsalliance.org.
