Speaking of the Pines, did you know there’s so much to learn about one of the Earth’s most unique places right here in New Jersey? From the comfort of your home, your office, or while listening on a walk, the Pinelands Alliance is creating an online webinar series for members to engage and learn more. Learn about the complex interwoven topics that make up the Pine Barrens. Join Pinelands experts to speak about the tapestry of history, policy, science, and more that make up the cultural and natural resources of the Pinelands. From law to food systems to your front lawn, there are impacts all around us that create and carry the significance of the Pine Barrens. Each month at lunchtime, listen in as experts and organizations discuss how various themes help keep the Pinelands wild and protected.
Join Us!
Members-Only Webinar Series
You must be a member to join the webinar series. Not a member? Join now for only $25 a year. Get access to members-only events, 10% off at our gift shop and with trips at Pinelands Adventures, and more. Have questions? Contact Membership Manager, Kayla Harris at kayla@pinelandsalliance.org or call 609-859-8860 ext 132.
Once you register, you will receive the Zoom link via email prior to the event. Registered but can’t make the event? You will be provided with access to a recorded version of the event after the event.
Members Only – Upcoming Programs:
- August 19, 2026, Stephen Elliott: Community Conservation
- September 16, 2026, Michael Klein: The Pinelands Alliance in Court
- October 14, 2026 – Jason Howell: Mullica River
- November 18, 2026- Heidi Yeh: The Oceanography of the Pinelands
Register Today!
Click on the link under each description to sign up. You will be emailed a link to join by Zoom.
Community Conservation: How Native Gardens Can Support Our Communities
Date: August 19, 2026, Stephen Elliott: Community Conservation
Time: 12 noon to 1 PM
Stephen Elliott, the Director of Watershed Programs at the Pinelands Alliance. Stephen was an AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassador for the Rancocas watershed.
What if your yard could become one of the busiest places in your neighborhood? Imagine butterflies drifting through native wildflowers, hummingbirds visiting colorful blooms, fireflies lighting up summer evenings, and birds raising their young just outside your window. Every landscape, whether it’s a backyard, schoolyard, community garden, or even a few pots on a patio, has the potential to support life.
Join the Pinelands Alliance for a visual journey through the remarkable connections between native plants, pollinators, birds, and the wildlife that share our communities. Through beautiful photography, inspiring examples, and practical ideas from our Landscape Makeover Program, you’ll discover how creating habitat at home can also improve water quality, reduce flooding, support biodiversity, and strengthen resilience to a changing climate. Whether you’re just getting started or looking for new ideas, you’ll leave inspired to create a landscape that’s beautiful, resilient, and alive.
The Pinelands Alliance in Court
Date: September 16, 2026, Michael Klein: The Pinelands Alliance in Court
Time: 12 noon to 1 PM
Michael Klein, JD, Ph.D., is the Director of Government Relations at the Pinelands Alliance. After a career in state government, including serving in the administrations of governors Tom Kean and Christie Whitman, he advocated for public higher education and then led the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University. He has a law degree and a PhD in higher education.
Protecting the Pinelands sometimes means taking the fight to court. Discover how legal advocacy plays a vital role in conservation and how your support helps make this work possible. Learn about some of the dozens of lawsuits that the Pinelands Alliance has either led or supported. These issues include proposed pipelines through the Pinelands, the integrity of New Jersey’s State parks, and retaining long-sought flood mitigation rules known as the NJ REAL Rules. You’ll hear how your support helps us hire lawyers to represent us in these cases and advocate for your interests.
The Mullica – NJ’s Wildest River – A Virtual Tour and “National Wild and Scenic” Designation Discussion
Date: October 14, 2026 – Jason Howell: Mullica River
Time: 12 noon to 1 PM
Jason Howell has been a Public Lands Advocate with the Alliance since 2015. He is a New Jersey Volunteer Master Naturalist and Wilderness First Responder.
Jason Howell, Pinelands Alliance’s Public Lands Advocate, will take you on a virtual tour of the Mullica River and its tributaries and discuss the current effort to designate the Mullica River as a National Wild and Scenic River.
The Mullica Valley (the area in which the River is fed by), is over 568 square miles and contains portions of Camden County, Atlantic County, Burlington County, and Ocean County. The river is named after the family of Eric and Ingrid Mullica, who settled along its banks in the late 1600s and raised their family at a location we now call Lower Bank. The Lenni-Lenape lived and used the river for thousands of years, predating Mullica’s arrival, and their legacy is still evident in the settlement patterns, trails, and the names of many of the tributaries. The River today runs through many towns and nature preserves, including Wharton State Forest, Bass River State Forest, Penn State Forest, Greenwood WMA, and Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. You will gain a broad understanding of the area’s geography and the sights and sounds of the unique places along the River and in the Mullica Valley.
The Oceanography of the Pinelands
Date: November 18, 2026- Heidi Yeh: The Oceanography of the Pinelands
Time: 12 noon to 1 PM
Dr. Heidi Yeh is Policy Director at the Pinelands Alliance. She received her Ph.D. in Oceanography from Rutgers University and completed her dissertation research at the Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory.
The Oceanography of the Pinelands: The New Jersey Pinelands may seem far removed from the ocean today, but its history and ecology are deeply intertwined with the sea. This presentation explores the geologic formation of South Jersey and the powerful role that ancient oceans played in shaping the region’s landscape, soils, waterways, and ecosystems.
Participants will learn how past and present connections to the Atlantic Ocean continue to influence the Pinelands’ unique ecology, from groundwater and wetlands to rare plant and animal communities. The program will also examine how these coastal influences have shaped human settlement, industry, agriculture, transportation, and resource use throughout the region’s history.
Join us for a fascinating journey through time to discover how the ocean helped create the Pinelands and continues to influence life in South Jersey today.
