The River-Friendly program is about people choosing to keep their environment and streams healthy, and we want to provide resources for you to learn and do more! Our River-Friendly lunchtime webinars focus on core topics related to water quality, water conservation, wildlife & habitat enhancement, and education.
Wednesday, April 8 – Rain Barrels and Rain Gardens
Learn how to use stormwater tools to reduce water pollution and reuse rain water!
This webinar will include how to design, install, and maintain a rain garden at home, how to capture and reuse rain water using a rain barrel, and how to install a decorative downspout planter.
VIEW ARCHIVED RAIN BARREL/RAIN GARDEN WEBINAR
Wednesday, APRIL 15 – New Jersey Wildlife
Coyotes & Bluebirds!
Learn about the life cycle of the beautiful native Eastern Bluebird and how to build, install, and monitor your own nest box from Lauren Theis, Director of Education at Raritan Headwaters.
In the second half of this webinar Hunterdon County’s Chief Naturalist Tom Sheppard, who will share how the population of coyotes in New Jersey has changed and how we can adapt to living with these New Jersey residents!
VIEW ARCHIVED NEW JERSEY WILDLIFE WEBINAR
Wednesday, APRIL 22 – Backyard Tree ID & Invasive Insects
We’ll hear from Michael Van Clef from The New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team on terrestrial invasive species management techniques.
Nick Zemlachenko from The New Jersey Water Supply Authority will present on identifying common New Jersey backyard trees, and current understanding of pests such as the spotted lanternfly and emerald ash borer.
View Archived Backyard Tree ID & Invasive Species Webinar
Wednesday, MAY 6 – Organic Yard Care and Lawn Alternatives
Everything applied to our yards eventually ends up in the waterways, so it is critical to minimize our chemical applications on our properties! Hear from Robert Shinn at SavATree on reducing synthetic herbicide and pesticide use, restoring green lawns without chemicals, and reducing irrigation needs.
Karen Walzer from Jersey-Friendly Yards will present how to beautify your property while reducing environmental impact and will discuss native plants and converting yards to gardens.
VIEW ARCHIVED MAY 6 WEBINAR ON ORGANIC YARDS
Wednesday, MAY 14 – Organic Pest Management – Plant This and Not That!
Learn about the basics of organic home gardening, identifying common garden pests, and using organic methods to manage pests on your vegetable and flowering plants. We will also discuss what native plants can be substituted for common invasive plants in landscaping.
REGISTER HERE FOR THE MAY 14 WEBINAR FROM 12-1:15
Harmful Algal Blooms and Aquatic Invasives – May 20 Webinar 12-1:15 p.m.
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) afflicted water bodies throughout NJ during the summer of 2019, while aquatic invasive species can also negatively affect water quality, recreation, and habitat. This webinar will first focus on the environmental and infrastructure threats of aquatic invasive species, review species of concern, and discuss how you can help through reporting and proper boat cleaning. The second half of the webinar will review what causes HABs, how they are managed professionally, what you can do to help, and the health and safety precautions you should take when a HAB may be present.
REGISTER HERE FOR MAY 20 WEBINAR FROM 12-1:15
Green Cleaning – June 3 Webinar 12-1:15 p.m.
Transitioning to household products and cleaners that are healthy for you and the environment can be tricky. Learn from Amanda Pae Simicsak, owner of Helping Hand House Cleaning, an all-organic, toxin-free cleaning company about how our household products affect our environment and our health, what greenwashing is and how to spot it, common chemicals in household cleaning products, safe alternatives to common household cleaners, and more!
