By: Michela Sales, NJSOC Executive Assistant
As 2025 comes to a close, we at the NJ School of Conservation are reflecting on a year marked by connection — to students, educators, researchers, partners, and the land that sustains our work. Across every department, our shared commitment to environmental education, stewardship, and community shaped a year of meaningful progress.
Guided by the mission of the Friends of NJSOC — to foster environmental knowledge and action through education in a natural setting — we continued to grow as a place where learning is experiential, inclusive, and deeply rooted in care for the environment.
Expanding Environmental Education
Education remains at the core of NJSOC’s work. In 2025, more than 2,000 K–12 students from 71 schools across New Jersey learned on our campus, exploring science, ecology, and leadership through immersive, hands-on experiences.
This year also strengthened our support for educators. The Climate Change Learning Collaborative, now in its second year, served 128 teachers with two additional workshops still ahead. Two more grant-funded initiatives, Botanical Literacy (with NJDEP) and Beaver STEAM, reached an additional 42 educators, expanding classroom impact well beyond our campus.
Our Education team grew with the addition of Aliza Kawecki, a new full-time educator, and our partnerships expanded to include organizations such as the NY/NJ Trail Conference, Sussex County ARC, American Exchange Project, The Watershed Institute, Beachy Birders Adventures, and Clean Communities.
We were proud to host our first annual Juneteenth celebration with Outdoors on Purpose, welcoming 45 community members for a day centered on reflection, connection, and time outdoors.
A newly formalized internship program welcomed two full-time summer interns who completed significant projects, including launching the Ecological Research as Education Network (EREN) class and developing a campus-wide Sustainability Plan. We also supported college service-learning and environmental groups from institutions across New Jersey and hosted three weeks of summer camps, including Stokes Music Camp and Camp Sojourner.
The year closed with the launch of our first Wapalanne Women’s Wellness Weekend, a new program that quickly generated strong interest and nearly reached capacity in its inaugural year.
Feeding Body and Community
Nourishment is an essential part of the NJSOC experience. In 2025, our Food Service team prepared and served more than 10,000 meals, supporting students, educators, staff, and guests throughout the year.
Highlights included the addition of a new salad bar, a fully operational second kitchen at Long House, and continued progress toward a Farm-to-Table program. We are also in the process of developing an internship partnership with Sussex County Community College’s Culinary Arts program to provide hands-on learning opportunities while strengthening our kitchen operations.
The team also focused on sustainability: reducing food and plastic waste, increasing scratch cooking of soups and sauces, upgrading tools and equipment, and completing major infrastructure repairs, including the freezer and hot truck. Close coordination with the Education team ensured that students with special dietary needs were fully supported.
Health, Safety, and Preparedness
The Health Department played a vital role in ensuring that NJSOC remained a safe and supportive environment for all who visited campus. In 2025, the team supported programming for 71 schools, renewed standing orders with Newton Memorial Hospital, and helped develop and review the Campus Critical Response Plan.
Additional accomplishments included hiring two part-time, on-call nurses, arranging Basic First Aid and CPR training for all staff, and conducting regular campus inspections to maintain health and safety standards.
Research and Collaboration
Research at NJSOC reached new milestones in 2025. A formal agreement with Rutgers University established NJSOC as the North Jersey Research Center, strengthening our role as a hub for environmental research and education.
We also launched a Research Consortium with more than eight universities, colleges, and county colleges. Collaborative projects explored forest productivity, vegetation indices, and temporal growth rates, alongside studies on amphibian health, urbanization, and disease dynamics with Montclair State University.
Ongoing campus-based research included work on vernal pool phenology, lake management, permaculture, and expanded citizen science initiatives through iNaturalist, connecting research directly to education and community engagement.
Investing in Campus and Infrastructure
Behind every successful program is a campus that is safe, functional, and welcoming. In 2025, the Facilities team completed major capital improvement projects, including rebuilding the warehouse, advancing renovations to the Kittatinny Hall Faculty Annex, and reconstructing the Main Office bathroom and business office.
Additional work included constructing a new north entrance to the North Hill toilet house, improving drainage systems, and refurbishing key spaces across campus, from cabins and lodges to the Welcome Center kitchenette.
Beyond these projects, the Facilities team managed the day-to-day care of campus year-round, supported by dedicated full-time and part-time crew members who ensured buildings, trails, and grounds were ready for every season.
Organizational Strength and Support
The Administration Department provided essential support across all areas of NJSOC’s operations. In 2025, this included donor and foundation outreach, fundraising, corporate sponsorship development, and implementation of new systems such as a donor software platform and capital projects tracker.
Administrative efforts also strengthened organizational resilience through upgraded insurance coverage, updated policies and manuals, legislative outreach, website and social media communications, Annual Report production, and partnerships, most notably a collaboration with Ramapo College students to develop a comprehensive NJSOC Business Plan.
Moving Forward Together
The accomplishments of 2025 reflect the collective efforts of our staff, volunteers, board members, partners, donors, and supporters. Together, we are nurturing curiosity, building knowledge, and inspiring stewardship, today and for generations to come.
Thank you for being part of the New Jersey School of Conservation community. We look forward to the year ahead.