Programs

The Nature Club holds monthly programs the second Thursday of each Month from September through June which start at 7:00 PM and usually last from one to two hours. We have programs to educate our members on varied topics from plants, insects, birds, bees, amphibians, fossils, and mammals to constellations, local history, archaeology, conservation, and current events. Turnout for a Nature Club meeting is usually between 50 and 80 people of all ages. The Nature Club is always looking for new program ideas. If you have an idea for a program you can contact our program coordinator Rich Dilks at (856) 468-6342.

Here are some of our most recent programs:

2006 Programs

• May '06: The Race to Save the Lord God Bird: The Story of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker - The Club's own Kris Mollenhauer told the story of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. She told us of a fascinating and vital history; from the guys who loved them, shot them by the dozen, and sold them to collectors the world over, to the first modern ecologists who arose in the 1930s. The story of the Ivory-bill is a cautionary tale of how species become scarce, with lessons that are important in the context of other places and other species, including Gloucester County.



• April '06: Organic Farming and Sustainable Agriculture at The Muth Family Farm - We have all heard the words “organic” and “natural” in connection with food and agricultural products without perhaps knowing exactly what these words imply about the produce we buy. Bob Muth of The Muth Family Farm explained to us what organic farming really is and how sustainable agricultural practices that are in harmony with the environment can provide products that are wholesome, attractive and economically competitive. He revealed to us how a successful organic farm operates and explained the importance of these innovative techniques for the future of agriculture.



• March '06: 1491: The Americas before Columbus - The club's own Erik Mollenhauer presented a program that highlighted what was the New World like in the time before Columbus arrived. The wild, pristine American forest of the first colonists was in fact in the midst of violent change and demographic collapse. We learned of firemasters and 500 nations, of passenger pigeons and distant mammoths, of holocaust and survival.



• February '06: Nature Pictures and Pot Luck - Each Club member brought a favorite nature-related photo, painting, or drawing to share with the group. The stories that went with these items were just as fascinating as the pictures themselves. There was plenty of food for all, including some truly specatacular desserts. This club sure knows how to cook!



• January '06: Wilson, Audubon, Ord, and a Flycatcher - In advance of our March field trip to the first American residence of Audubon at Mill Grove, Jeff Holt spoke on the history of Audubon’s signature work. He explained how Audubon’s relationship with Alexander Wilson (the father of American Ornithology) influenced the publication of The Birds of America, and provided a glimpse into the complex process required in the early 1800’s to produce and publish such a unique historical and artistic work.

2005 Programs

• December '05: The History of the Christmas Bird Count - Various speakers explored the history of the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, explained how the Count is conducted, and shared some experiences of the Count.



• November '05: Bringing Water to South Jersey - Representatives from New Jersey American Water Company presented the full story on how their company helps provide drinking water to our region. They also told us all about the American Water Company, which has a long history back to 1886 and is currently serving over 16 million customers in several states by operating over 350 water and wastewater systems.



• October '05: Herpetology - Herpetologist Ed Kowalski from the Philadelphia Zoo presented a fascinating program on the subject of reptiles which focused mainly on turtles.



• September '05: Delaware River Oil Spil Cleanup with US Coast Guard - Jerry Conrad of the US Coast Guard spoke on the cleanup of the Delaware River following the Athos I crude oil spill. He gave us details on the response to contain the spill, as well as a current conditions.



• June '05: Annual Picnic, Alcyon Lake Park - About 35 club members met at the pavilion at Alcyon Lake park for some great food and good conversation. We had a chance to reflect on the past year and talk about current events. A nice and relaxed ending to a great year.



• May '05: Erik Mollenhauer, Insect Specialist - Often overlooked, insects are the most numerous and diverse animals on the planet. Erik brought the many families and terms to a level easily understood by all. With the many pictures and examples Erik provided all present left with a better understand of the insect world.



• April '05: Jonathan Woods and The Raptor Project - Again, Jonathan brought his amazingly diverse group of hawks, owls, and eagles to the Pitman High School for the Nature Club. To a standing room only crowd (over 700 people) Jonathan flew the owls and hawks in the auditorium over everyone's head. Many people in the crowd found the stories of the birds to be as fascinating and captivating as the birds themselves.



• March '05: Karl Anderson, Plant Communities of New Jersey - Karl took us from the North Western corner of New Jersey to the South Eastern end of New Jersey and all the plant communities in between. Everyone learned about the incredible diversity of our small state and saw some wonderful slides of the many native plants we have close to home. Karl is a wonderful speaker, and people were kept entertained with plant facts and amusing stories.



• February '05: Nature Art and Potluck Dinner - Each Club member brought some type of artwork to share with the group which included hand sewn quilts with pineland plant pressings, a collection of eggs from around the world (including ostrich), personal hand carved fish and eagle sculptures, various pressed plants and flowers, and many personal items that reminded that person of a trip or special place. Often the story that accompanied the artwork was just as impressive as the artwork itself. In addition, there were three tables of food brought to the meeting and some dishes could be considered works of art themselves. There was plenty of food and as always, the desserts were spectacular and there were plenty of them.



• January '05: Habitat Management at Lakehurst Naval Air Station - Often some of the last remaining, large tracts of land left undeveloped are in the hands of the military. Such is the case in New Jersey with Lakehurst Naval Air Station providing much needed breeding habitat for many grassland birds. John Joyce, Cultural/Natural resource manager forthe base, had pictures and details of these birds and their successes.

2004 Programs

• December '04: How to Attract and Manage Colony of Purple Martins - Allen C. Jackson, a Wildlife Biologist, shared with us the many locations he has helped to establish purple martin colonies in the State and in our County. His enthusiasm and dedication were evident in this wonderful slide presentation with examples of the houses used to provide a home for these beautiful birds.



• November '04: Who’s Living in our Streams & Lakes? The Fascination of Fish - Rudolf Arndt, a Stockton Professor & Vertebrate Zoologist showed us some of the fish we have in NJ waters at this annual joint meeting of the Federation of GC Watersheds, South Jersey Land Trust, and the Nature Club.



• October '04: Invasive Plants - Diane Suiter, a master gardener, brought in examples of the most common and destructive invasive species plaguing our ecosystems right now. She also discussed why these invasive species are a problem and potential ways to reduce the impact of these foreign invaders.



• September '04: Cape May, A Journey Through the Looking Glass - Kevin T. Karlson, a professional wildlife photographer and avid birder from Cape May County, presented a program featuring slides and including lots of Natural History illustrating the magic of Cape May.



• June '04: Annual Picnic, Washington Lake Park - About 25 club members met at the pavilion in Washington Lake park for some great food and good conversation. We had a chance to reflect on the past year and talk about current events. A nice and relaxed ending to a great year.



• May '04: Rails-to-trails Conservancy (RTC) - Tom Sexton, the Northeast regional director for the Rails-to-trails conservancy discussed the advantages of creating local and regional trails. He shared some of the current projects "in the works" for the RTC and why New Jersey is ripe for several RTC projects. We took a visual tour of some RTC successful conversions from old rail beds to active bike/hike trails as well. The group asked some good questions and is already looking at places in Gloucester County to develop trails.



• April '04: Birding in New Jersey - Lloyd Shaw shared many of his personal experiences and special moments. He also delved into the various guides to birding in NJ.



• March '04: Pelagic birding in the Mid-Atlantic - Paul Guris of See-life Paulagics gave a fantastic presentation of the many incredible animals you might see birding far from our shores of NJ. Paul explained the terms of the trade and had excellent pictures of the most likely seen birds and mammals (and some not so likely). To book a trip visit their website at www.paulagics.com



• February '04: Book and Dessert Night - Each Club member brought a book, poem, magazine/newspaper article or some other form of literature that was special to them and least we forget a dessert. Members had a chance to share thoughts and impressions on why their "book" was so important to them. As always, the desserts were spectacular and there were plenty of them.



• January '04: Alternative/Renewable Energy Sources - Tim Fostik of EIRC and Peter Burcat of Solara Energy presented many compelling reasons to switch from fossil fuels to alternative energies like wind, solar, or geothermal. A foam ball game and real solar panels made this an interactive and informative program.

2003 Programs

• December '03: Ancient Encampment in Gloucester County - Paul McEachern, an archaeologist from Grubb Associates of Cranbury, brought specimens from a dig conducted in East Greenwich. He stepped us through the dig process and the significance of the artifacts found at the site.



• November '03: For the Birds–Protecting Land in South Jersey: Preserving Oases along the Flyway - Dale Rosselet of the Cape May Bird Observatory investigated the need to save land for migrants and how migrants accomplish their amazing travel routines. This was a joint meeting with the South Jersey Land Trust and Federation of Gloucester County Watersheds.



• October '03: Unexpected Wildlife Refuge - The fascinating story of a couple who moved to Southern NJ and lived with wildlife, most notably beavers, was brought to the Nature Club by Sarah Summerville, who has assumed the responsibilities of director of the refuge after Hope Buyukmihci and her husband died.



• September '03: The Monarch Butterfly - Paula Hayes and Kris Mollenhauer presented the incredible life of the Monarch butterfly from egg to adult. They presented some wonderful pictures of their trip to Mexico to see the colonies of wintering Monarchs which can number in the tens of millions.



• June '03: Annual Picnic, Red Bank Battlefield Park - Club members met at the pavilion in Red Bank Battlefield Park for a chance to have some great food and conversation. A great ending to a great year!



• May '03: A Beekeeper's Life - David Garrett brought the tools of the beekeeper's trade and some wonderful stories of his work with bees. Click here for pictures from the May meeting.



• April '03: Catalysts for Conservation - The Club gathered eleven members to talk about twelve birds and why those birds were a catalyst for conservation for the conservation movement.



• March '03: Celebrating 100 Years of the National Wildlife Refuge System - Linda Ziemba, a biologist at Supawna Meadows NWR in Salem County NJ, presented the history of the National Wildlife Refuge system and the genesis of the system itself.



• February '03: Family Craft Night - Everyone enjoyed over ten possible crafts which varied from the pipe cleaner creatures, teasel mice, pomander oranges, snowflakes, and nature bookmarks to pinecone woodpecker feeders. Friends and family had a great time at craft night at our February meeting.



• January '03: Exploring the Night Sky - The Club was treated to a Portable Star lab (planetarium) viewing of the night sky while being instructed on the various constellations and the origins of many legends found in the night sky. We were treated to both a live viewing of the stars and moon through a real telescope and some wonderful slides of various celestial phenomenon.

2002 Programs

The Club learned how this current yearly tradition started over 102 years ago with some protesters who wanted to stop the killing of thousands of birds on our most popular holiday.


• November '02: American Indians in South Jersey: Their Highways, Homes & Hunting Grounds - Noted anthropologist, consulting archaeologist and author R. Alan Mounier, showed how American Indian archaeological sites reveal the patterns of land use of the early inhabitants of Gloucester County. Many of these sites are being destroyed by modern land uses and unregulated excavations. This program was presented collaboratively with the Federation of Gloucester County Watersheds and the South Jersey Land Trust.



• October '02: Exploring the Galapagos: The Significance of Islands - The isolation of these islands and the beauty of Ecuador was revealed by the camera work of Bob Cassel. While these volcanic islands resemble Hawaii, there is nothing quite like approaching a nesting Blue-footed Booby, completely unafraid of humans. But… as isolated bits of ecosystem, islands are also hotbeds of extinction. For the past 30 years ecologists used their studies of islands to unravel a dark story of worldwide ecosystem decay. The implications of their findings are more urgent than ever, for the world, and for the residents of New Jersey.



• September '02: The Epic Migration of the Monarch Butterfly - Our presenters explained the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly with hands-on exhibits and live materials. The Club Learned the wonderful story of this long-distance migrant and the incredible transformation from egg, caterpillar, pupae, and finally adult butterfly.



• May '02: Jonathan Woods and the Raptor Project - A spectacular program which included over 20 live Owls, Eagles, and Hawks. Jonathan flew the birds' right over the audience while he discussed the challenges these wonderful birds face in the wild.

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