Nature Fest is a day filled with exciting activities for all ages. From a fascinating fungi foray to exploring the concept of Homegrown National Parks with Doug Tallamy, there’s something for everyone. Discover the diverse species of the Pinelands and learn about the amazing wildlife that thrives right in our own yards and communities.
Nature Fest takes place on September 22, 2024 and includes the following fun:
Morning Field Trips – FREE but Registration Required
Field trips take place at our offices, at Rancocas Cranberry Preserve in Pemberton and Smith Woods in Historic Smithville Park in Burlington County. You must register for these trips since space is limited but field trips are free.
Main Event – Pinelands Nature Fest from 12 noon to 5:00 PM
Lectures, nature activities for kids and adults, music, and presentations take place in the restored barn and on the property at the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. BYOP (bring your own picnic) and enjoy the beautiful PPA grounds. Our barn and facilities are handicap accessible. General Admission tickets are $15/person, and children (ages 7-12) are $5/child. Current PPA members can take 20% off using the promo code PPAmember.
Evening Program – Featured Presentation and Moth Night from 5:30 – 9:00 PM
This daylong event ends with a presentation by Douglas Tallamy, author, entomologist, ecologist and professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware followed by nighttime exploration of moths led by Ann-Marie Woods. Special tickets are required for this presentation $20/person. Current PPA members can take 20% off using the promo code PPAmember.
Master Schedule of Events
Click on the links to see a description of the program. We will do our best not to cancel our outdoor programs, but we will notify registrants if individual events need to be delayed or canceled due to inclement weather.
Morning Walks and Field Trips
Free but registration is required for each due to limited space
9:00 AM Morning Bird Walk led by Burlington County Naturalist, Jen Bulava
(Location: PPA Grounds). FREE but you must register – space is limited.
9:45 AM Fungi Foray at Smith Woods led by NJ Mycological Association. FREE but you must register – space is limited. OFF-SITE FIELD TRIP.
10:00 AM Botanical Walk at Rancocas Cranberry Preserve with naturalist and author, Allen Crawford. FREE but you must register – space is limited. OFF-SITE FIELD TRIP.
10:30 AM Dragonfly and Damselfly Walk led by Burlington County Naturalist Jen
Bulava (Location: PPA Grounds). Free but you must register – space is limited.
Main Event – Scheduled presentations with live animals and ongoing activities to enjoy (covered by general admission)
12:00 – 5:00 PM
Nature Fest Activities Begin
Nature activities take in our barn and on the grounds. Presentations take place in the barn. Learn more below.
Requires a Nature Fest General Admission Ticket.
12:00 PM Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Raptor Presentation with live Raptor
(Location: PPA Barn).
1:30 – 3:30 PM Music in the Meadow with The Morning Doves Bring your own picnic
1:30 – 3:30 PM Invertebrate and Insect Walk Groups will be held by local experts
3:30 PM Introduction to Fungi of the Pines Presentation by NJ Mycological Society
(Location: PPA Barn).
12:00 – 5:00 PM Crafting with nature, amphibians and reptiles of the Pine Barrens, fungi spore art, nature scavenger hunt, community science, and more
Evening Program – Reception, refreshments, and New York Times best-selling author and founder of Homegrown National Parks, Dr. Doug Tallamy (separate ticket required)
5:30 PM Homegrown National Parks with author & ecologist Doug Tallamy (Location: PPA Barn). You need a special ticket to attend this presentation. Your ticket includes food provided by Jeffrey Miller Catering at 5:30 PM. Presentation starts at 6:00 PM.
8:00 PM Moth Night Explore the fascinating world of moths led by Ann-Marie Woods (Location: PPA Grounds). You do not need a ticket to attend this fascinating program!
Register for Nature Fest
Use the button below to get your Nature Fest tickets and/or your tickets to attend the reception and the Homegrown National Parks presentation by Doug Tallamy.
free field trip DESCRIPTIONS
These field trips are offered in the morning before Nature Fest kicks off. They are free but registration is required because space is limited. Please use the button under each trip to register. If you can’t attend please tell us so someone else can take your spot.
Morning Bird Walk
Leader: Burlington County Naturalist, Jen Bulava
Time: 9 – 10:00 am
Location: Pinelands Preservation Alliance, 17 Pemberton Rd, Southampton NJ 08088
Walk the grounds of the Bishop Farmstead with Burlington County’s renowned naturalist and discover the numerous avian species visiting our native meadow and grasslands, Rancocas Creek Farm, and the transitional tree line. Approximately 90 different species have been spotted already this year. FREE but registration is required – space is limited.
OFF-SITE FIELD TRIP
Fungi Foray at Smith Woods
Leader: New Jersey Mycological Association
Time: 9:45 AM– 12:00 PM
Location: Meet at PPA HQ and carpool to Smith Woods
Join New Jersey’s fungi experts on a mushroom hunt in Smith Woods. Participants will meet at the Pinelands Preservation Alliance Headquarters and carpool to the event’s location where you will walk, learn about fungi, and search for seasonal mushrooms with local mycological enthusiasts. Meet at PPA at 9:45 AM to carpool. FREE but registration is required – space is limited.
OFF-SITE FIELD TRIP
Botanical Walk at Rancocas Cranberry Preserve
Leader: Naturalist and author, Allen Crawford
Time: 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Location: Rancocas Cranberry Preserve on Ong’s Hat Road in Pemberton
Join local author, artist, and naturalist Allen Crawford on an exploration of Pinelands Preservation Alliance’s new preserve in Southampton, NJ. An ecotone situated between the inner and outer coastal plains and adjacent to an ancient hardwood swamp (New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s Evert Preserve), participants will enjoy a stroll through old cranberry bogs learning about the numerous plant species of the Pine Barrens and, with Allen as your guide, so much more. Directions will be sent after you register. FREE but registration is required – space is limited.
Dragonfly and Damselfly Walk
Leader: Burlington County Naturalist, Jen Bulava
Time: 10:30 – 11:30 AM
Location: Pinelands Preservation Alliance, 17 Pemberton Rd, Southampton NJ 08088
Considered the most successful hunters in the animal kingdom, Odonates patrol the Bishop Farmstead from May to November. Discover the variety of dragonflies and their slimmer cousins the damselflies and how to distinguish them. Learn about their special adaptations and behaviors, their life cycle, and ecological significance. FREE but registration is required – space is limited.
Nature Fest Activities
Nature Fest takes place at the Pinelands Preservation Alliance (17 Pemberton Rd, Southampton, NJ 08088) from 12 noon to 5:00 PM. It includes ongoing nature activities, walks, and presentations. Purchase a ticket to attend!
INTERACTIVE STATIONS AND ACTIVITIES:
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pinelands with Jenkinson’s Aquarium:
Meet some of the unique cold-blooded vertebrates of the Pinelands and talk to the experts dedicated to educating the public on all aspects of marine life and its conservation.
Crafting with Nature Station
Make a bee/pollinator house or decorate a pot for a native plant
Mushroom Spore Art led by the New Jersey Mycological Association.
Nature Scavenger Hunt Station
Pick up your nature scavenger hunt guide and then get to work! Return completed scavenger hunt sheets for a prize.
Stepping Stones Nature Kids Activity
Stepping Stones is an indoor/outdoor school based in Medford, come explore with them! They will have a natural art station and a science station.
PROGRAMS INCLUDED WITH ADMISSION TICKET:
Invertebrate and Insect Walk from 1:30 – 3:30 PM
Explore the insects and other small creatures calling the Bishop Farmstead their home. From dazzling butterflies to prowling mantises, shrink down and discover the amazing diversity found in the “small world.” Randi V. Wilfert Eckel, PhD will lead this walk. She is an entomologist and owner of Toadshade Wildflower Farm.
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Raptor Presentation from 12 noon to 1:00 PM
Learn what a “raptor” is, their adaptations, their migration ecology, how to identify raptors in flight, the history of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, how we study migration raptors, conservation action steps to protect raptors, and of course, you will meet a live raptor ambassador on the glove. This presentation takes place on the second floor of PPA’s renovated barn and is presented by Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. There is an elevator to the second floor if needed.
Music in the Meadow with The Morning Doves from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM
Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the music of The Mourning Doves, a rising indie folk duo based in West Philadelphia. Enjoy original music and lyrics as well as covering traditional and contemporary folk songs from artists like Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss, Johnny Cash and more.
Introduction to Fungi of the Pines Presentation from 3:30 to 4:30 PM
Presenter: John and Nina Burghardt, New Jersey Mycological Association
Join experts from the New Jersey Mycological Association in an exploration of the fungal networks adapted to flourish in the acidic soils, decaying pitch pines and cedars, and iron rich bogs of the Pine Barrens. This presentation takes place on the second floor of PPA’s renovated barn. There is an elevator to the second floor if needed.
FEATURED PRESENTATION
We are honored to welcome Doug Tallamy to the Pinelands Preservation Alliance to present on the Homegrown National Parks initiative. Purchase a special ticket to attend Doug’s talk and to enjoy food from Jeffrey Miller Catering starting at 5:30 pm. You must have a ticket to attend this presentation.
Homegrown National Parks Presentation with Doug Tallamy
Food is at 5:30 PM and the presentation starts at 6:00 PM.
Doug Tallamy is an American entomologist, ecologist and conservationist. He is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware and has written and co-authored several popular books and papers.
Tallamy advocates for home gardens and landscaping that bridge the gaps between parks and preserves in providing habitat for native species. Popular books include “Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard” (2019) and “Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens” (2007). Mr. Tallamy is co-founder of the Homegrown National Parks (HNP) initiative which is a national challenge to create diverse ecosystems in our yards, communities, farms, and surrounding lands by reducing lawn, planting native, and removing invasives. The goal of HNP is to create a national movement to restore 20 million acres with natives, an area representing half of what is now in lawn, as well as millions more acres in agriculture and woodlots. Learn about the project and how you can join the movement.
Moth Night – Outdoor Activity from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Join local moth expert, Ann-Marie Woods to discover the lesser-known but more abundant side of the Lepidoptera family. While there are about 725 species of butterfly in the United States, there are about 11,000 moth species. Experience some of the local species that come out when the sun goes down as we set up a moth trap (hang a sheet and turn on a bright light) at the Bishop Farmstead.
Thank you to our amazing sponsors!
Premiere Level
Partner
Patron Level
Patricia Butenis
Chair of Pinelands Preservation Alliance Board of Trustees
