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Barnegat Bay Service, New Jersey

October 7-13, 2012

Barnegat Bay, New Jersey

Trip Number: 12340A
Price: $595
Deposit: $100
Capacity: 10
Staff: Herb Wolff

Highlights:

  • Enjoy Jersey seashore and wetland habitat while performing a variety of land protection services
  • Explore the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail, Maritime Museums, and the Barnegat Lighthouse
  • Experience Island Beach State Park, a 3,000-acre undeveloped barrier island ecosystem

Includes:

  • Indoor lodging at the Lighthouse Center near Waretown, New Jersey
  • All meals
  • Scheduled excursions to historic sites, wildlife management areas, and nature preserves

The Trip

Barnegat Bay, New Jersey
Photo: George Snyder

We’ll assist the Natural Resource Education Foundation (NREF) of New Jersey with its forest, marsh, and meadow conservation efforts at the Lighthouse Center in Waretown, NJ. NREF -- a non-profit corporation dedicated to environmental leadership through public outreach, interpretation, education programs, and marine research -- conserves and operates the protected and state-owned 194-acre Center adjacent to Barnegat Bay in the mid-coastal region of New Jersey, with suburbia to its west, the Pine Barrens to its southwest, and many preserved wetlands to both south and east.

We’ll participate in a variety of work activities at The Lighthouse Center while enjoying this diverse coastal habitat. Lodging is provided on the premises, where we can also attend presentations by regional naturalists and participate in workshops. In our other free time, we’ll visit cultural and historical points of interest and explore other beautiful coastal habitats while observing a variety of wetland flora and fauna.

The Project

Our group will assist the NREF with trail development and maintenance, invasive species removal, plant pruning, debris cleanup, building maintenance, and habitat improvement.

Itinerary

We'll meet on Sunday, October 7 at the Lighthouse Center and have our first meal together for supper. Please plan on arriving on Sunday no later than 5 p.m. We will perform all work on the Lighthouse Center property, then spend afternoons on group outings to places of interest or enjoying free time. Our trip ends shortly after our group breakfast on Saturday, October 13.

Getting There

Barnegat Bay, New Jersey
Photo: Pola Galie

The nearest airports are Newark Liberty International and Atlantic City International. The NJ Transit system runs bus services from the airports to the vicinity of the trip site. Let us know if you need bus information to travel from the airports to the bus stop in Waretown, NJ where we can then pick you up.

Accommodations and Food

The group will lodge at the Lighthouse Center. All meals are included and will be vegetarian friendly. We will attempt to accommodate reasonable dietary requests.

Trip Difficulty

The difficulty level of this trip is Moderate.

Equipment and Clothing

The Lighthouse Center will supply all necessary work tools. Participants must provide their own work clothing.

References

  • Mountford, Kent, Closed Sea: From the Manasquan to the Mullica - A History of Barnegat Bay. 2002. Down The Shore Publishing.
  • Leopold, Aldo, A Sand County Almanac. 1989. Oxford University Press.
  • Cox, Donald D. A Naturalist's Guide to Seashore Plants. 2003. Syracuse NY: Syracuse U.
  • Dodds, Walter K., Laws, Theories and Patterns in Ecology. 2009. California: U Presses of California, Columbia, and Princeton.
  • McPhee, John, The Pine Barrens. 1968. New York: Ferrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Conservation

Barnegat Bay, New Jersey
Photo: Pola Galie

Over the course of the week, participants will perform a variety of land protection activities.

Trip Price

See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy.

The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.

Staff

Herb Wolff has led and participated in many service outings along the eastern seaboard, from Florida to Maine. He is also an active volunteer with the National Wildlife Refuge system with particular interests in wetland habitats and the Great Appalachian Valley. Herb lives in Warwick, NY.

E-mail: herbwolff@optonline.net


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