PLEASE CHECK BACK WITH US- OUR PROGRAM LIST IS UPDATED FREQUENTLY!!

ALL PROGRAMS REQUIRE PRE-REGISTRATION PRIOR TO THE DAY OF THE EVENT.

~~TO PRE-REGISTER FOR FREE PROGRAMS~~
call 973-543-6004 or email us schiffnaturepreserve@yahoo.com

~~TO PRE-REGISTER FOR FEE PROGRAMS~~
send payment to 339 Pleasant Valley Road Mendham, NJ 07945.
Include participant's name, phone number and the name of the event that you are registering for.

Space will not be guaranteed until full payment is received.
Refunds are provided if we are notified of your cancellation within seven days prior to the start of the program.

~2008 Programs~

May

Health Hike
Friday May 2nd 9:15 am
COST: FREE (Adults only)
Join us for an invigorating walk on our nature trails. Get your heart pumping and enjoy the sights and sounds of the forest and meadows. Open to all ages (strollers/backpacks welcome) but pace will be moderate. Please wear appropriate footwear and bring water. Pre-registration is required.
Other 2008 Dates: June 6

Mud Monsters
May 2
Wednesdays (Ages 3-5) 10-11 am OR 1-2 pm
Fridays (Ages 2-3) 9:30-10:30 am
Cost per class: $10 Members, $15 Non-members
Preschoolers and their caregivers will enjoy a wonderful lesson, hike and craft all related to mud.

Introduction to Ring-necked Pheasants
Saturday May 3rd 3- 4:30 pm
COST: Donation (All ages)
Join Alex Warcola, 14 year old pheasant farmer, to learn all about the natural history of the Ring-necked Pheasant. Alex will present a slide show about this fascinating species and he'll bring along some newly hatched chicks for the audience to meet.

Native Plant Garden Work Day
Sunday May 4th 9 a.m. (Ages 12 to adult)
Volunteer your time and work with Schiff staff to get the garden ready for Spring!

Homeschooler Spring Semester
Topic: Invasive Plants
Time:12:45-2:15 p.m.
Grades K-6: May 2 or 5
Grades 7-12: May 12
COST (Per semester): Please Inquire
Schiff Nature Preserve is proud to offer a unique curriculum especially designed for homeschooled students. Each class is taught by an experienced teacher and provides opportunities to use nature education to stimulate learning.

Frogs
May 7 & 9
Wednesdays (Ages 3-5) 10-11 am OR 1-2 pm
Fridays (Ages 2-3) 9:30-10:30 am
Cost per class: $10 Members, $15 Non-members
Preschoolers and their caregivers will enjoy a wonderful lesson, hike and craft all related to frogs.

Baby and Me Hike
Tuesday May 13th 9:30 am
COST: $1 per adult (Families)
Grab your little bundle of joy and join other moms and dads for a hike around Schiff. Children must be carried in a backpack

Schiff Environmental Book Club
Tuesday May 13th 7 p.m.
COST: FREE (adults only)
The Schiff Nature Preserve sponsors an environmental book group that connects adult readers who are interested in environmental literature. We will meet to discuss Silence of the Songbirds: How We Are Losing the World's Songbirds and What We Can Do to Save Them by Bridget Stutchbury

Thorns and Prickles (Hike Only)
May 14 & 16
Wednesdays (Ages 3-5) 10-11 am OR 1-2 pm
Fridays (Ages 2-3) 9:30-10:30 am
Cost per class: $10 Members, $15 Non-members
Preschoolers and their caregivers will enjoy a wonderful lesson and hike to learn all about thorns and other forest prickles.

Spring Birding at Schiff
Sunday May 18th 8 a.m.
COST: FREE (ages 10 and up)
Join us for an early morning jaunt around the Preserve's woodlands in search of spring migrants. All levels of birding experience are welcome and we have loaner binoculars if you would like to borrow a pair.

Schiff Annual Members Meeting & The Strange World of Reptiles
Sunday May 18th 1 p.m.
COST: FREE (all ages)
At 2 p.m., after the public meeting, we’ll be joined by Bill Boesenberg of Snakes-N-Scales and Turtle Tales. He will present The Strange World of Reptiles where the four main groups of reptiles; crocodilians, turtles, lizards and snakes are discussed. As part of the program, behaviors, habitats, adaptations, predator-prey relations, relationships with humans, individual animal personality and whether these animals are appropriate pets will be introduced. Space is limited so please register early.

Recycling: What’s New Under the Sun?
Thursday May 22nd at 7:30
COST: FREE (ages 12 to adult)
The Morris County MUA will present a program that will use nature’s best recyclers as a source for inspiration. A slide show will begin with dung beetles and cover various waste prevention and disposal strategies for humans. Informational materials will be available to take home. This event is co-sponsored by Schiff, and the Mendham Township and Mendham Borough Environmental Commissions.

Ferns
May 28 & 30
Wednesdays (Ages 3-5) 10-11 am OR 1-2 pm
Fridays (Ages 2-3) 9:30-10:30 am
Cost per class: $10 Members, $15 Non-members
Preschoolers and their caregivers will enjoy a wonderful lesson, hike and craft all related to ferns.

June

Flowers
June 4 & 6
Wednesdays (Ages 3-5) 10-11 am OR 1-2 pm
Fridays (Ages 2-3) 9:30-10:30 am
Cost per class: $10 Members, $15 Non-members
Preschoolers and their caregivers will enjoy a wonderful lesson, hike and craft all related to flowers.

Health Hike
Friday June 6th 9:15 am
COST: FREE (Adults only)
Join us for an invigorating walk on our nature trails. Get your heart pumping and enjoy the sights and sounds of the forest and meadows. Open to all ages (strollers/backpacks welcome) but pace will be moderate. Please wear appropriate footwear and bring water. Pre-registration is required.

Follow Your Nose (Hike Only)
June 11 &13
Wednesdays (Ages 3-5) 10-11 am OR 1-2 pm
Fridays (Ages 2-3) 9:30-10:30 am
Cost per class: $10 Members, $15 Non-members
Preschoolers and their caregivers will enjoy a wonderful lesson and hike to explore woodsy smells.

Focus on Ferns
Saturday June 14th 10am (ages 12 to adult)
COST: FREE
Learn about many of our native non-flowering plants during a guided walk on our trails and through our native plant garden with ecologist Dr. Michael VanClef.

Bluebird Day
Sunday June 15th 1 pm
COST: FREE (ages 10 to adult)
Our staff naturalists will discuss the biology, ecology and management techniques associated with the eastern bluebird. We’ll also hike to the Great Meadow to see the bluebird trail that was established at Schiff in 2003.

Schiff Environmental Book Club
Tuesday June 17th 7 p.m.
COST: FREE (adults only)
The Schiff Nature Preserve sponsors an environmental book group that connects adult readers who are interested in environmental literature. We will meet to discuss Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan

July & August

Schiff Summer Nature Programs for Kids
5 weeks for kids ages 6-12

June 23-27
July 7-11
July 14-18
July 28-August 1
August 4-8

1 week for young adults ages 13-15
August 18-22

Baby and Me Hike
Tuesday July 22nd 9:30 am
COST: $1 per adult (Families)
Grab your little bundle of joy and join other moms and dads for a hike around Schiff. Children must be carried in a backpack.

Fungus Foray
Date: Sunday July 27th 10 am
COST: FREE (ages 12 to adult)
Join the NJ Mycological Society for their annual foray (fungus hunt) at Schiff!! Tag along with experts who will search for interesting specimens to add to our species inventory of all fungi found on the Preserve. Bring a lunch to enjoy while everyone shares their discoveries.

Perseids in the Great Meadow
Tuesday August 12th 9 p.m.
COST: FREE (All ages)
This meteor shower never fails to render an impressive display and, due to its summertime appearance, it tends to provide the majority of meteors seen by non-astronomy enthusiasts. Bring a blanket and enjoy the show from the Great Meadow.

September

Schiff Environmental Book Club
Tuesday September 9th 7 p.m.
COST: FREE (adults only)
The Schiff Nature Preserve sponsors an environmental book group that connects adult readers who are interested in environmental literature. We will meet to discuss Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Chouinard

Schiff Scavenger Hunt & Picnic
Saturday September 20th 11 a.m. (Raindate Saturday September 27th)
COST: FREE for Members, $5 per family Non Members (All ages)
Join in the fun for this scavenger hunt to find natural objects around Schiff. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy afterwards. Space is limited.

Stories that Tweet, Hiss and Howl
Saturday September 20th 6:30-8:30 p.m. (Raindate Saturday September 27th)
COST (per person): $13 This is a members only event
Take a sunset hayride to our campsite where we’ll have a campfire and listen to professional storyteller Carol Titus and folk singer Ken Galipeau share stories and songs of forest animals and their close cousins. Smore’s included. Please bring a blanket to sit on.

Baby and Me Hike
Tuesday September 30th 9:30 am
COST: $1 per adult (Families)
Grab your little bundle of joy and join other moms and dads for a hike around Schiff. Children must be carried in a backpack

October

Sock Walk
Wednesday October 15th (ages 6-8) 4-5:30 pm
Tuesday October 14th (ages 9-12) 4-5:30 pm
COST: $10 M, $13 NM
We’ll see what kinds of seeds we can collect while on a hike with our socks on the outside of our shoes. Then, we'll create sock gardens to grow our collections. (Ecojournal- page 9)

Schiff Environmental Book Club
Tuesday October 21st 7 p.m.
COST: FREE (adults only)
The Schiff Nature Preserve sponsors an environmental book group that connects adult readers who are interested in environmental literature. We will meet to discuss Wandering Home: A Long Walk Across America's Most Hopeful Landscape: Vermont's Champlain Valley and New York's Adirondacks by Bill Mckibben

November

Full Moon Hike
Thursday November 13th 7 p.m.
COST: $5 per person Members, $8 per person Non-Members (age 8 to adult)
Leave your flashlights at home, bundle up and take a guided night hike around Schiff to enjoy the Full Beaver’s Moon. Inclement weather will cancel this event.

Baby and Me Hike
Tuesday November 18th 9:30 am
COST: $1 per adult (Families)
Grab your little bundle of joy and join other moms and dads for a hike around Schiff. Children must be carried in a backpack

December

Schiff Environmental Book Club
Tuesday December 2nd 7 p.m.
COST: FREE (adults only)
The Schiff Nature Preserve sponsors an environmental book group that connects adult readers who are interested in environmental literature. We will meet to discuss Song of the Dodo by David Quammen

**All programs meet at the Schiff Nature Center at the Marge Davidson Building unless otherwise noted**