February Newsletter
skk...@gmail.com
CLOSTER NATURE CENTER NEWS
P.O. BOX 80, CLOSTER NJ 07624 closternaturecenter.org
By the pond on Ruckman Road
FEBRUARY 2018
FEBRUARY EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES:
FEBRUARY AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS:
Volcanoes!
Watch out!!! Mount Closter is about to erupt again!
This month's after school science program will focus
on everyone's favorite natural disaster – Volcanoes!
We will try to get outside each day, so please dress
for the weather.
Kids will make model volcanoes and we will erupt our
giant volcano simulator, Mt. Closter.
PK-K Feb 6th, 13th and 27th
1st and 2nd Grade Feb 7th, 14th and 28th
3rd - 6th Grade Feb 8th, 15th and March 1st
Cost: $40 members, $50 non-members
Time: 3:45pm - 5:00pm
To register online please go to REGISTER.CAPTUREPOINT.COM/CLOSTER and you will be taken to Community Pass, our online registration and payment
system.
If you would prefer to register in person, please call Marc Gussen at (201) 750-2778.
MEET THE ANIMALS
of the Closter Nature Center
Sunday, February 11th at 2 PM
Come visit the cabin by the pond and meet the animals of the CNC! Our collection of education animals delights children who come for our after-school programs and summer camp, and now it’s time for everyone to get to meet them!
The program is free, but donations will gladly be accepted.
Celebrate Valentine's Day!
Take your sweetheart for a walk on the RED trail this month.
(http://closternaturecenter.org/about-us-new/nature-center-map/)
Winter
Break Program
Tuesday February
20th - Friday February 23rd
Looking
for something for the kids to do during the winter break?
Here is the answer - Bring them to the Nature Center!
Our Break programs have been such a success, we are going to do them
again.
The topics will depend on the weather,
but they will definitely be fun and educational.
To help make these programs fit your schedule, the classes will
run for 4 days and kids can sign up for 1, 2, 3, or all 4 of the days.
We will try to spend time outside each day, so please dress for the
weather.
1st and 2nd grade: 9:00 - 11:30am
3rd thru 6th grade: 1:00 - 3:30pm
Cost: $80 full session for Members... $100 full session for NON-members
$25 per day for members, $30 per day for non-members
Feel free to sign up online with CommunityPass, if you are signing up
for the whole week.
For Daily Classes, please call Marc at (201) 750-2778 to sign up, then pay $25 by check or in cash on the day of the program.
PHOTO CONTEST AND EXHIBITION:
The 2nd Annual CNC Photography Contest & Exhibition will be held at the Closter Library during the month of April, 2018. The contest is open to children and adults alike! All photos must be taken at the Nature Center during any season of the year (past and present). The exhibition will be held at the Closter Public Library, 280 High Street.
The following rules apply:
All photos, either color or black-and-white, must not exceed 16" x 20" including a frame. Up to two photos may be entered, with selections made based on judges' choices and space availability. Each photo must have the artist's name, address, e-mail, phone and age (for children) affixed to the back of each entry. 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes will be awarded determined by a judges' panel. Recipients can select their prize of a Closter Nature Center sweatshirt, hat or t-shirt.
All participants will pay a $10. entry fee (for up to two photos), as a tax-deductible contribution to the Nature Center.
All entries must be received at the Library by Wednesday, March 28th. For additional information or questions, contact Susan McTigue at msm...@aol.com or 201-767-0955.
Naturalist’s Notes:
With the crazy swings in temperature we have experienced this winter, I have been asked many questions and heard lots of talk about climate change.
I try to clear this up as often as possible, since I feel it is very important to help people understand this topic. There is way too much political and economic pressure trying to water down what has become the consensus of scientists. The earth is warming... period. No matter what political party you belong to, or whether or not you have investments in solar energy technology or coal mining, the climate of earth is changing, the sea level is rising, and polar ice is melting. The opinions of financial gurus, politicians and talk show hosts are not science. I often hear comments like, "It was 9 degrees last night and you're gonna' tell me the climate of earth is getting warmer !?!”
One important distinction that many people have trouble grasping, and which prevents many from accepting the facts of global climate change is the difference between climate and weather. Stick your head out the window and take note of the temperature and conditions - that's weather. Do that every day for a hundred years, log all your data and put it on a graph - that's climate. This is a complicated issue both on the scientific side and the ramifications for humans, but I can only hope that we continue to embrace the findings of science and move forward making the best decisions we can.
Marc Gussen, Naturalist
Forest
Stewardship and Ash Tree ID Workshops
On Saturday,
January 13th, 21 adult volunteers participated in our first Ash Tree
Identification Workshop. Anticipating the arrival of the Emerald Ash
Borer, a small insect that will likely destroy 90% of our ash trees in the next
3 to 8 years, we are working to identify which areas of our forest will be most
affected. After an indoor learning session, volunteers spread out along
the White and Red Trails, recording the presence and general health of each ash
tree they encountered. The location of each tree was recorded by GPS on a
computer map - and marked in the field with 2 small pink dots, so the same tree
would not be counted again. Using the GPS data, we can return to each
individual tree and monitor its health. This way we can anticipate the
location of major changes in our forest canopy, perhaps plant replacement trees
ahead, and identify which dying trees might pose a risk to frequently used
trails. A second workshop was held on January 20th to continue with
this forest survey. Size and health data has now
been collected for more than 80 ash trees along the White Trail.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
CNC MONTH BY MONTH:
February 11th at 2 PM “Meet the Animals of the CNC”
February 20-23—Winter Break Classes, *Tuesday-Friday*
March “Last Chance Winter Hike” March 18th at 2 PM
Native Plant Society of NJ...Date and time TBA
Photo Contest: Entries Due on March 28th
April 9th – 12th Spring Break Classes
April 15, Soup Supper 5-7 PM
April 22, Earth Day
Photo Contest and Exhibit!
May – Annual Meeting
June 3rd - Pond Celebration (June 10th rain date)