Join us as we learn about our friends the geese. We will explore their behaviors and why they migrate! 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.
Join us on April 25, 2026 and volunteer to help remove trash from areas around local streams at our 20th Annual Stream Cleanup. Over the past decade, 9,700 enthusiastic volunteers have removed more than 166,000 pounds of trash from our communities. Our cleanup events are a great way to get outside, work together to keep our waterways clean, and improve wildlife habitat.
Trees NOT Tees! This year we will be offering cleanup volunteers a complimentary tree sapling to say thank you for helping keep our waterways clean! We will not be offering stream cleanup t-shirts as we typically do to reduce our environmental impact and conserve limited natural resources. One cotton t-shirt takes 650 gallons of water to produce while a single oak tree is a keystone species and can host more than 1,000 moth and butterfly caterpillars. In addition, one mature white oak can absorb over 2000 gallons stormwater per year which can reduce stormwater runoff pollution, flooding, and recharge groundwater.
We appreciate the continued support of our generous sponsors who make our cleanups possible. Bloomberg, PSEG, Colgate-Palmolive, American Rivers, and New Jersey Clean Communities have provided funding, volunteers and supplies.
Pre-registration is required!
Rain or shine event. Please bring your own gloves and (reusable!) water bottle. Long pants and closed-toed shoes are suggested for woodier areas. This is an in-person program. Masks are optional. A parent or legal guardian is required to attend with all children. To attend this event, you must agree to the terms of the waiver included during registration.
.jpg)
%20no%20qr.png)
This occasion is a celebration of YOUR Watershed Institute, recognizing all of the ways that our supporters experience and participate in the Conservation, Advocacy, Science and Education initiatives of the organization.
We will honor outstanding leaders and partners for their invaluable contributions with The Edmund W. Stiles Award for Environmental Leadership and The Richard Rotter Award for Excellence in Environmental Education.
Richard Rotter Award for Excellence in Environmental Education
Dr. Lauren Madden is a Professor of Elementary Science Education at The College of New Jersey, where she also coordinates programming in Environmental Sustainability Education. She holds a BA in Earth Sciences-Oceanography, MS in Marine Science and PhD in Science Education. Broadly, Dr. Madden’s work advocates for scientific literacy and the health of our planet through teaching and learning. Her research has been supported by grants from the New Jersey SeaGrant Consortium, National Science Foundation, and US Environmental Protection Agency. She has written a textbook on Elementary Science Teaching Methods, now on its second edition, along with more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. She was named the 2021 Outstanding Science Teacher Educator of the Year by the Association for Science Teacher Education and served as the inaugural iCAN STEM Role Model Award by the New Jersey STEM Pathways Network. In recent years, her work has focused directly on K-5 climate change education, and she was the lead author on the New Jersey School Boards’ Association & Sustainable Jersey For Schools’ Report on K-12 Climate Change Education Needs in New Jersey. Her expertise in climate change education in New Jersey has been featured prominently in many media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, NPR, and the Star Ledger.
Join us as we explore the wonderful world of plants, specifically their seeds! We will follow seeds on their journey and learn just how they become beautiful plants or yummy treats! 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.
A ginko is a haiku walk, where poets gain inspiration through observation and reflection. Join haiku poet and Naturalist Jeff Hoagland to discover the art of ginko on this communal walk to the Stony Brook. Here we will enjoy a unique habitat and meet a number of organisms up close and personal. The Brook promises discovery and surprise and participants will walk away with some new haiku.
This program is intended for adults and teens. Pre-registration is required.
Ahhhh, springtime! Enter the nocturnal world of frogs as we explore the dark, wet trails of the Watershed Reserve. We will search for frogs, enjoy their serenades, and meet some tadpoles along the way. We will meet at our pond for a unique adventure of a hike, mud included with admission.
Ages 6 and up. Adult attendance and pre-registration required.
Date: May 8, 2026 @ 12 p.m. On Zoom
Cost: Free but registration required
CEUs: 1.5 Continuing Education Credits for Professional Engineers (PEs) available for purchase ($35)
Municipalities throughout NJ are in the midst of developing plans, called Watershed Improvement Plans, to restore NJ’s waters and reduce flooding. As these plans are developed and projects are identified municipalities and their consultants should take a hard look at the types of projects used to address decades of impacts.
The go to techniques of porous pavement and bioretention, while important, may not been the most effective and least costly methods. Techniques that seek to restore and enhance our degraded wetlands, restore stream banks and floodplains, and restore and enhance riparian zones, may offer significant benefits at a lower cost.
Practitioners from RES will talk about their experiences in wetlands restoration and creation for the Pennsylvania DOT to meet its stormwater requirements among other projects. PennDot saved $40 million dollars over the traditional BMPs strategies usually used.
Can NJ learn from this experience? Can restoration and enhancement save NJ municipalities money and improve the environment? Join us on May 8th to learn more.
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 poliveira@thewatershed.org.
Contact e-mail: poliveira@thewatershed.org
Preschool Nature Class: Weather Watchers
Join us as we examine the many different types of weather we experience, from sunny skies to shocking storms! 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: ahill@thewatershed.org
Cost: $15.00 per Child (3-5 years)
Discover all the fun differences between our feet and animal feet. Learn how animals use their unique stompers and develop the skill to identify animals based off of their tracks! 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: ahill@thewatershed.org
Cost: $15.00 per Child (3-5 years)
More details and registration coming soon!
Meet the neighbors! The Watershed Reserve contains nearly 1000-acres of varied habitats – field, forest, swamp, marsh, pond and stream – all rich with plant, animal, and other life. Each ramble will explore a different trail location on the Watershed Reserve, dictated in part, by weather conditions.
Celebrate and explore the diversity of life on the Reserve with Watershed Institute staff naturalists, discovering firsthand some of the organisms that make this landscape home.
We will be documenting life along our Reserve’s trails using iNaturalist, a free app available on your phone. iNaturalist is an important resource tool for collecting, mapping and sharing observations of biodiversity. It also has an easy-to-use identification tool that is also backed up by other iNaturalist users.
9:00am – 5:00pm
Join us for a day of communion in nature with this gathering of haiku poets on the 950-acre Watershed Reserve in central New Jersey. Under the influence of field and forest, wetland and farmland, and near the song of the Stony Brook, we will celebrate the muse, as we explore, expand and create through the practice of haiku.
Inspiring for seasoned haiku poets and newbies alike, this event will include workshops, readings, music, a haiku marketplace, an open mic and more. We will gather under the large tent at the Watershed Center with time spent on the trail, in the emerging gardens and Butterfly House as well as in the Watershed Center. Morning refreshments and lunch are provided.
When: Wednesday, June 17 from 9:00AM-3:00PM
Where: The Watershed Institute – 31 Titus Mill Rd, Pennington, NJ
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 June 10th or when class is full. If you have any questions, contact Olivia at ospildooren@thewatershed.org
This program is provided in partnership with the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council, Kean University, and Mercer County Community College.
Site by Scout Digital
