Come along as we learn all about sunflowers and other kinds of flowers! Our weekly preschool classes include crafts, outdoor exploration, and interactive games. Classes generally include a craft, hike, and activity for the week’s theme. We spend time outdoors each week, so come dressed for the weather with waterproof shoes.
This program is intended for children ages 3-5. Younger siblings are welcome to attend with a parent, but we ask that they do not participate in activities. Adult attendance and preregistration required- walk ins will not be allowed.
Join us for a guided tour of The Kate Gorrie Butterfly House to view and learn about local butterfly species. If time and weather allows, we will try catching wild butterflies in the field. Cameras welcome. Butterfly House Tours are held weekly on Thursdays from 10AM-11AM through the summer. Advance registration required.
The Kate Gorrie Butterfly House is handicap-accessible, free and open daily from dawn until dusk (mid-June through mid-September) except during a scheduled program or tour.
For all ages, children under 3 are free. Adult attendance required.
Explore the world of water! Join us as we take a walk to the Stony Brook and visit some macro invertebrates like mayflies, crayfish, and caddisflies. We will use nets and our hands to collect some of these creatures and return them back home into the stream. Wear your boots or water shoes and get ready for some fun in the water!
Ages 4 and up. Pre-registration and adult attendance required.
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Join Watershed Educator Alison Novobilsky to learn about different animals homes, how they make their homes and what is needed for their habitat. We will search for homes at the Watershed on our hike and make a cute craft. Classes generally include a craft, hike, and activity for the week’s theme. We spend time outdoors each week, so come dressed for the weather with waterproof shoes.
This program is intended for children ages 3-5. Younger siblings are welcome to attend with a parent, but we ask that they do not participate in activities. Adult attendance and preregistration required- walk ins will not be allowed.
There are approximately 1.4 billion insects for every human on this planet. Join Jeff Hoagland of the Watershed Institute and James Klett of Fairgrown Farms to meet a variety of them, discovering their secret lives and varied roles among your farm crops.
This event will meet at the farm: 260 Wargo Rd. Pennington, NJ 08534
Adults and families with children 6 & up. Pre-registration and adult attendance are required.
Join us for a guided tour of The Kate Gorrie Butterfly House to view and learn about local butterfly species. If time and weather allows, we will try catching wild butterflies in the field. Cameras welcome. Butterfly House Tours are held weekly on Thursdays from 10AM-11AM through the summer. Advance registration required.
The Kate Gorrie Butterfly House is handicap-accessible, free and open daily from dawn until dusk (mid-June through mid-September) except during a scheduled program or tour.
For all ages, children under 3 are free. Adult attendance required.
Pre-registration is strongly recommended.
Price: $10 per person or $30 per carload (up to six people).
The Butterfly Festival is held rain or shine. No refunds are offered in the case of inclement weather.
This event will be photographed and filmed. If you have any concerns, please speak with a member of our staff.
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Join Watershed Educator Alison Novobilsky for a fun filled tour of the Butterfly House, lesson of the butterfly’s lifecycle and venture out to the meadow with nets to catch butterflies. Classes generally include a craft, hike, and activity for the week’s theme. We spend time outdoors each week, so come dressed for the weather with waterproof shoes.
This program is intended for children ages 3-5. Younger siblings are welcome to attend with a parent, but we ask that they do not participate in activities. Adult attendance and preregistration required- walk ins will not be allowed.
All nine species of bats that live in New Jersey are insectivorous, eating only insects. In fact, each of these bats eats hundreds of insects on a typical night. Join Jeff Hoagland of the Watershed Institute and James Klett of Fairgrown Farms to meet a variety of them, discovering their secret lives and varied roles among your farm crops.
This event will meet at the farm: 260 Wargo Rd. Pennington, NJ 08534
Adults and families with children 8 & up. Pre-registration and adult attendance are required.
Join us for a guided tour of The Kate Gorrie Butterfly House to view and learn about local butterfly species. If time and weather allows, we will try catching wild butterflies in the field. Cameras welcome. Butterfly House Tours are held weekly on Thursdays from 10AM-11AM through the summer. Advance registration required.
The Kate Gorrie Butterfly House is handicap-accessible, free and open daily from dawn until dusk (mid-June through mid-September) except during a scheduled program or tour.
For all ages, children under 3 are free. Adult attendance required.
Join Watershed Educator Alison Novobilsky to learn cool things about spiders, their habitats, webs and how they help us. We’ll search for spiders around the Watershed, make a cute craft and play some fun games. Classes generally include a craft, hike, and activity for the week’s theme. We spend time outdoors each week, so come dressed for the weather with waterproof shoes.
This program is intended for children ages 3-5. Younger siblings are welcome to attend with a parent, but we ask that they do not participate in activities. Adult attendance and preregistration required- walk ins will not be allowed.
Join us for a guided tour of The Kate Gorrie Butterfly House to view and learn about local butterfly species. If time and weather allows, we will try catching wild butterflies in the field. Cameras welcome. Butterfly House Tours are held weekly on Thursdays from 10AM-11AM through the summer. Advance registration required.
The Kate Gorrie Butterfly House is handicap-accessible, free and open daily from dawn until dusk (mid-June through mid-September) except during a scheduled program or tour.
For all ages, children under 3 are free. Adult attendance required.
When: Monday, August 17 from 9:00AM-4:00PM
Where: The Watershed Institute
Schools are places for inspiration and change. By becoming a River-Friendly school, you can immerse your students in water related lessons and projects while improving the health of local waterways.
Our River-Friendly Teacher Academy will prepare you to get your school River-Friendly certified. The training will focus on the four tenants of the certification program:
You will learn from the Watershed Institute’s Educators, River-Friendly Coordinator, plus hear from local teachers who have successfully attained River-Friendly Certification.
All teachers will also become certified in Project WET (Water Education Today) and leave with a curriculum guide of lesson plans for use in your classroom.
This program is suitable for teachers in grade K- 12 who want to teach their students about clean water and help their school to become River-Friendly.
StreamWatch Schools is a water-quality monitoring program led by students. We focus on collecting data from a body of water close to your school, but you can still get involved if you don’t have easy and reliable stream access. Our biological and chemical tests for this program are hands-on, informative, and engaging for all grade levels. Students love it because it allows them to connect with nature and observe small animals living in the water. StreamWatch Schools lessons also touch on the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for science. This academy gives you a chance to practice collecting and analyzing water-quality data, so you’re prepared to bring those skills back to your classroom.
This program is intended for formal educators in public and private school settings. If you’re an informal educator please reach out to Davis [email protected] to see how this may be applicable to your students. Biological and Chemical monitoring equipment will be provided upon completion of the Academy and there is a potential for a stipend. You may also choose to request support from Watershed staff when you do the water quality testing with your students.
When: September 30, 2026 – November 4, 2026
Where: Self-paced course mostly online with live sessions on October 7 and November 3, 5:30 p.m. at The Watershed Institute and on Zoom. Optional Hike, Meet, and Learn on October 10 at The Watershed Reserve starting at 9 a.m.
Cost: Free. Suggested Donation of $30
Registration Deadline: September 30, 2026
*This class is designed for individuals 16 or older. There are no diploma or experience requirements for this class. We do not recommend younger students as the material requires a certain level of reading comprehension, writing, time management in a self-paced/online environment, and critical thinking skills.
The Community Watershed Advocate Program gives community members the information and training they need to be effective advocates for water-related environmental issues in their communities. Through the online training modules and regular check-in/support meetings, participants will:
Participants can go through online modules at their own pace anytime between September 30, 2026 to November 4, 2026. There will be an active online discussions board moderated by staff at The Watershed Institute throughout the course. Participants will also prepare a local advocacy project that they can implement in their own communities.
During two hybrid sessions, participants will have a chance to meet and learn from other guest local advocates, discuss issues and tips for local advocacy, and engage directly with staff on environmental advocacy opportunities.
With your support in advocacy, we can better protect our watersheds from issues such as flooding, climate change, and overdevelopment.
If you have any questions about the class, please feel free to contact us at [email protected]
Come join us to learn all about our mighty trees. We’ll discuss the parts of the tree, discover which animals use them, and branch off into so much more! Classes generally include a craft, hike, and activity for the week’s theme. We spend time outdoors each week, so come dressed in layers and waterproof shoes.
This program is intended for children ages 3-5. Younger siblings are welcome to attend with a parent, but we ask that they do not participate in activities. Adult attendance and preregistration required- walk ins will not be allowed.
Homeschool: Aquatic Creatures — multiple dates 
Learn all about what life is like in, on and under Nature’s woodpiles. We’ll be viewing and rolling logs to discover all the life our logs sustain. Classes generally include a craft, hike, and activity for the week’s theme. We spend time outdoors each week, so come dressed in layers and waterproof shoes.
This program is intended for children ages 3-5. Younger siblings are welcome to attend with a parent, but we ask that they do not participate in activities. Adult attendance and preregistration required- walk ins will not be allowed.
Homeschool: Aquatic Creatures — multiple dates
Wednesday, October 14, 6-8 pm (virtual)
Saturday, October 17, 9 am – 4 pm (The Watershed Institute)
Wednesday, October 21, 6-8 pm (virtual)
Saturday, October 24, 9 am – 4 pm (Ocean County College)
Audience:
No prior experience or knowledge needed, only and interest in learning practical skills for implementing native plants for stormwater management solutions!
What You’ll Learn:
Date: October 2, 2026 | 1 p.m.
On Zoom
Cost: Free but registration required
CEUs: 1.5 Continuing Legal Education (CLE) for Attorneys available for purchase ($35)
Speaker bios (coming soon):
The comment period is the public’s opportunity to weigh in on a proposed regulation or proposed permit. This is when the public can provide information, support an initiative, provide technical information, or explain the implications of a rule or section that an agency may not have considered.
In this webinar, learn how to review a proposal, effective ways to structure comments, when to submit an oral versus a written comment, and how you can make the most of the process. Additionally, the Federal and State rulemaking and comment period are not the same. Learn the differences. Discover how to make the most effective comments to support your position and influence the agency’s review.
This event will be 100% virtual. Recordings will be shared with attendees after the event. If you have any questions about the event, please feel free to contact Pri Oliveira at [email protected].
Crab spiders, jumping spiders, wolf spiders, orb and funnel weavers and more! Join our annual night hunt with a nocturnal naturalist. Bring your flashlight or headlamp to use as we navigate the trails in search of many different types of spiders.
Ages 5 and up. Adult attendance required. Dress for the weather.
7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Come learn all about the changes happening in autumn at the Watershed reserve. Classes generally include a craft, hike, and activity for the week’s theme. We spend time outdoors each week, so come dressed in layers and waterproof shoes.
This program is intended for children ages 3-5. Younger siblings are welcome to attend with a parent, but we ask that they do not participate in activities. Adult attendance and preregistration required- walk ins will not be allowed.
This program is intended for children ages 3-5. Younger siblings are welcome to attend with a parent, but we ask that they do not participate in activities. Adult attendance and preregistration required- walk ins will not be allowed.
Join us as we learn about one of the most common mammals of New Jersey: White-tailed deer! Classes generally include a craft, hike, and activity for the week’s theme. We spend time outdoors each week, so come dressed in layers and waterproof shoes.
This program is intended for children ages 3-5. Younger siblings are welcome to attend with a parent, but we ask that they do not participate in activities. Adult attendance and preregistration required- walk ins will not be allowed.
Contact E-mail
Join us as we explore the color black and the secrets of shadows! Classes generally include a craft, hike, and activity for the week’s theme. We spend time outdoors each week, so come dressed in layers and waterproof shoes.
This program is intended for children ages 3-5. Younger siblings are welcome to attend with a parent, but we ask that they do not participate in activities. Adult attendance and preregistration required- walk ins will not be allowed.
Contact E-mail
Sign up here: https://forms.office.com/r/FWEbdMckty
This course will have two sessions being taught simultaneously, in separate rooms. One room will be taught in English-only, and one room will be taught in Spanish-only.
This training is suitable for Department of Public Works crews, facilities staff, or landscape crews and leaders who maintain green infrastructure features like rain gardens, meadows, or naturalized detention basins.
This workshop provides practical training that crews can apply immediately when maintaining green infrastructure features in your town or at your facility.
In this workshop, you will learn:
How stormwater impacts local waterways
Inspection, care, and adaptive management of green stormwater infrastructure
Native plant selection and identification for BMPs
Common invasive species and management approaches
How to read, interpret, and contribute to BMP maintenance plans
Please register soon, as we have a limited number of spots! Registration ends October 23th or when class is full. If you have any questions, contact Olivia at [email protected]
This program is provided in partnership with the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council, Kean University, and Mercer County Community College.
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