Hammonton, N.J. - Nature enthusiasts on July 17 had the chance to explore the 1.1-million-acre Pinelands National Reserve by foot, on kayaks and from listening to botanists, wildlife biologists, Lenape elders and other experts at the Pinelands Summer Short Course, offered by Stockton University and the New Jersey Pinelands Commission. 

Field trips took participants hiking on the 1808 Trail through Wharton State Forest and paddling on Batsto Lake, where cedar waxwings sang and damselflies swarmed overhead.

Inside the classrooms at Stockton University Kramer Hall in Hammonton, participants met wild creatures like a pine snake and a red-tailed hawk from Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge while learning about the biodiversity of the different Pinelands habitats. 

Below is a visual account of a few sessions. To learn more about educational programming offered, visit the Southern Regional Institute and Educational Technology Training Center.  

Photo story by Susan Allen

 

Participants got a preview of what they would see and learn about on these Pinelands playing cards available in the Commission's Jersey Devil Outpost online shop. 

 

 

Sandra Hopkins, left, of Galloway, signed up for a kayaking field trip on Batsto Lake with Pinelands Adventures to experience her first paddle. The 2011 Literature graduate said, "It was tiring, but fun." The quietness is what stood out the most to her. She wants to kayak again, but would bring bug spray next time.  

 

A paddler stops to inspect the ecosystem growing on a stump in the lake. 

 

A damselfly molts its exoskeleton. 

 

A cedar waxwing perched overhead in the pines watches the paddlers pass through its habitat. 

 

Paddlers see Batsto Village''s Annie M. Carter Interpretive Nature Center. 

 

A great blue heron wades through lily pads to stalk prey. 

 

Cedars with black bark are a visual reminder of the back fire set to protect Batsto Village during the Wharton State Forest wildlife in 2023. 

 

A Lenape elder demonstrates the intricate beadwork loom. 

 

A beadwork pattern is prepped for the loom. 

 

Lenape elders gather for a prayer to express gratitude before sharing stories, crafts, dance and music. 

 

A Lenape elder performs a ceremonial dance. 

 

Lenape girls play with two-sided dolls showing a Lenape side and an alternate side that hides their Lenape identities. 

 

Jim Hansen, a staff member at Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge, holds Aldora, a red-tailed hawk, that was hit by a car and lost sight in one eye. The limited eyesight prevents the raptor from capturing prey. 

 

The name Aldora means "winged gift." The hawk arrived as a patient to Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge on Christmas day. 

 

Box turtles live their lives within one square mile.

 

 

Tyler Savage, a forestry technician at the Cape Atlantic Conservation District, shares the value of dead trees in a forest. Dead wood in the form of snags and downed trees create wildlife habitat and return nutrients to the forest. He shared ways it can be incorporated in landscapes. 

 

A quote from Ethan Trapper, author of "How to Love a Forest," emphasizes the value of dead wood.