NJ Teachers for Biodiversity

Free Fall Gathering in Cape May, New Jersey for educators and their families

On Saturday, September 25, 2010, from 10 am to 2 pm, New Jersey Teachers for Biodiversity (NJT4B) and Monarch Teacher Network (MTN) will hold their annual Fall Gathering at Cape May Point, New Jersey. 

The 2010 Fall Gathering is an opportunity for people to experience the peak of monarch butterfly migration at Cape May, and a prime time for hawk and songbird migration. 

All teachers, educators, families and guests are invited to attend the Fall Gathering, which will be self-guiding and free.  Maps, information and directions will be available to show how to get to the best sites for viewing monarchs roosts and to view migratory birds. 

Fall Gathering organizers are collaborating with Sue Slotterback of NJ Audubon Society’s Nature Center of Cape May to use that facility as an initial gathering point.  The Nature Center of Cape May is located at 1600 Delaware Ave in Cape May, NJ  08204.  The Gathering organizers will meet people at the Nature Center at 10 am.  From there people can go (or go directly) to Cape May Point State Park/Cape May Lighthouse to walk the several trails that originate from the Lighthouse parking lot.  These boardwalk trails pass through marsh areas and dunes, ending at the beach, with great vantage points along the way of goldenrod and the migration.   

A hawkwatch platform just off the parking lot offers sweeping views.  Nearby banding and tagging demonstrations of hawks and monarchs are open to the public. 

Bicyclers (bring your own) can park in the State Park parking lot and bike to the Pavilion Circle Gardens and other sites of monarch activity, including roost sites. 

Organizers and participants plan to convene at noon at the State Park picnic pavilion (closest to the parking lot entrance) for a bag lunch (bring your own). At this time, a variety of information will be available about projects including MTN’s new student assembly program “Sustainable Earth”, its curriculum guide “Transformations:  Global Warming, Climate Change and Sustainable Retreat”, Voices from the Land project connecting children and nature through language and landscapes, MTN trips and teacher fellowships to explore Mexico’s monarch butterfly colonies in February/March, future Earthwatch Expeditions and more.

Attendance at the 2010 Fall Gathering is free to educators and their families… but to receive advance maps and self-guiding directions, persons must register by email.  Send an email to one of the contacts below and request “Information materials for 2010 Fall Gathering in Cape May”.

Target Audience:  Classroom teachers and other educators

 Date:  September 25, 2010

Location:  The Nature Center of Cape May,1600 Delaware Ave, Cape May, NJ  08204. 

Time:  10 am to 2 pm, longer if desired

Cost:   Free

Registration:  By email

Contact:  Brian Hayes/Erik Mollenhauer

Email:  bhayes@eirc.org   or erikm@eirc.org

Phone:  856-582-7000 x110 or x128

Website:  www.MonarchTeacherNetwork.org      

2010 SPRING GATHERING FEATURES

The GLOUCESTER COUNTY BIRD QUEST

On Saturday May 1, 2010, New Jersey Teachers for Biodiversity and Monarch Teacher Network will hold theirSpring Gathering in conjunction with… and showcase… the Gloucester County Bird Quest.  In our continuing search to bring new, interactive, and unusual experiences to our friends and colleagues we decided to change the date of the Spring Gathering by one week to take advantage of this wonderful event that explores and celebrates the diversity of birds in Gloucester County and the state of New Jersey.

What is the Gloucester County Bird Quest?   

• A way to discover local parks and natural areas

   

• A way to discover the unique birds that live in and throughout our State

   

• A chance to learn how to identify birds by sight, sound, behavior, and habitat

   

• A chance to have fun with friends and colleagues

   

• A light-hearted competition

   

The Bird Quest is organized by volunteers of the Gloucester County Nature Club, a non-profit group with a 61-year history of providing environmental education and stewardship to Gloucester County and beyond.   For the past eleven years, the Club has organized its Bird Quest on the first Saturday in May.  About 250-300 people participate, including teachers, students, families and people of all ages.

The May 1, 2010 event is held at James G. Atkinson County Park in Gloucester County.  It is located on Delsea Drive and Bethel Mill Road,Hurffville, NJ 08080.  Use www.mapquest.com for driving directions.  Enter the park off of Bethel Mill Road.

How does the Quest work? 

From 7 AM to 12 noon, families and teams visit parks and natural sites in Gloucester County and find as many different bird species as they can.  At noon, all teams and groups report to Atkinson Park for lunch, prizes and to report results.  Here is how you can participate:   

·         You will join a Bird Quest bus.  These buses are led by skilled birders and visit several parks on May 1.  Walking the park trails participants explore and discover local bird life with the help of the guides. The buses return to Atkinson Park at noon for lunch, prizes and to report results. 

·         Leading up to Bird Quest you could participate in free training sessions held mornings, evenings and weekends prior to the Quest.  Each training session is led by a skilled birder who teaches a variety of birding skills.  Most training sessions are held at local parks and involve a short walk; a few sessions take place indoors. 

There is a $12 registration fee required for this event.  Participants must pre-register.  See below for the registration or additional information can be found at www.MonarchTeacherNetwork.org or by email bhayes@eirc.org or phone 856.582.7000 x110

The May 1, 2010 Bird Quest runs from 7:00 am to noon, followed by lunch and a live bird presentation.  The $12 event fee includes:

·         lunch at Atkinson Park

·         a unique t-shirt with this year’s theme of migratory birds 

·         this year’s unique poster about NJ migratory birds

·         possible door prizes

·         a presentation (with live birds) by from Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge

·         time to chat with recent and past Monarch Teacher Network and Spring Gathering members.

To pre-register, visit www.gcnatureclub.org – click on Bird Quest for the registration form.  When filling out the online form write in NJ Teachers for Biodiversity as the team name

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