We are so thankful to our recent intern, Melinda, for spending her summer here at SOC! Melinda was a big help to us over the past few months, and we will miss her deeply as she returns to school this semester
The New Jersey School of Conservation is developing a new plan to safeguard the long-term health of Lake Wapalanne. Lake Wapalanne is a sacred place on our campus, where students and visitors can enjoy canoeing, fishing, and fun
At the New Jersey School of Conservation, our top priority is to ensure our campus is accessible and sustainable for every student who comes to learn. Through a series of renovations over the past three years, we have successfully re-imagined, revitalized and upgraded our buildings across campus to create a
On October 11th, 2023, Kerry Kirk Pflugh, President of the Friends of New Jersey School of Conservation (Friends) was awarded the Above & Beyond Award by Julia Somers and David Budd on behalf of the New Jersey Highlands Coalition.
Over the summer, the New Jersey School of Conservation made a few exciting discoveries of endangered or rare, insects and plants living on our campus!
We’ve passed many milestones in the past year and last week we celebrated another big one! For decades, the NJSOC was known for its exceptional teacher professional development trainings. Teachers learned techniques in “hands-on, field-based, experiential, social emotional learning and differentiated education” before any of those terms ever existed. For
The New Jersey School of Conservation is excited to announce our recent partnership with Trail Blazers! Trail Blazers is a Brooklyn-based organization with a 1,0000-acre site in Sussex County, New Jersey, and a rich history of nurturing outdoor education. The partnership is set to spark a deeper connection between children
Since the Friends took over stewardship of the NJSOC and even more recently signed a 20-year lease with the state, our campus in Stokes State Forest has seen some major restoration efforts. With more than 50 buildings, 240 acres of recreational land, Lake Wapalanne, a dam, and more –
When building for a warming climate, does a cement parking lot or a tree-lined garden help keep temperatures low? These were the types of questions that seventh grade students from Garwood were trying to answer in innovative new program hosted by the New Jersey School of Conservation last week. Climate
The Friends of The New Jersey School of Conservation are thrilled to welcome our newest Enivronmental Education Coordinator, Allyson Lance! Allyson is a skilled educator and environmentalist who discovered her passion for conservation in college at Miami University (Ohio). She was an active member of many conservation and wildlife focused
On Friday, March 31st, 2023, the Friends of the New Jersey School of Conservation and NJ Youth Corps of Phillipsburg celebrated the 90th Anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) with a flag raising ceremony commemorating this historic program. The NJ Youth Corps members proudly acted as Color Guards raising
About the Friends of the New Jersey School of Conservation The Friends of the New Jersey School of Conservation (FONJSOC) unites people from all walks of life whose lives have been influenced through participation in programs at the School of Conservation. Our members are teachers, university professors, researchers, former students,
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 17, 2022 Contact: Ed PotosnakCell: (732) 991-7574Office: 609-331-9922 Environmental Advocates Hail Final Passage of Bill to Preserve Renowned New Jersey School of Conservation Environmental supporters across New Jersey have issued the following statements celebrating final passage of legislation designed to preserve the internationally recognized New Jersey
The Friends of NJSOC are hiring an Environmental Education Coordinator (EEC) to employ interpretive, outreach and administrative skills in support of its mission of environmental education and stewardship.
The 2nd Annual Forest Fun Day took place on Saturday, August 13th and a fantastic time was had by all who participated. Gifted with beautiful weather, the day was filled with family activities, reunions with old friends, making new friends and of course, fishing, archery, boating, rock painting, hiking essentials, s’mores and ice-cream! Special
Archery can challenge students mentally and physically as the eyes, brain and body must all work in combination. On this 3rd session of the Super Summer Program, our students upped their skills and gathered focus for a new set of fun challenges like the tic-tac-toe competition and our Coach’s festive
It was a genuine pleasure to welcome the Cub Scouts of Pack 84 and their families to the New Jersey School of Conservation on July 9th! NJSOC has a long tradition of seeking to inspire the spirit of natural conservation in youth groups across the state, and with activities like
We were very fortunate to have Mike Lefebvre’s expertise on hand for our Native Plant Walk event that gave attendees a chance to identify and learn the history of the various species of flora in the pristine Stokes Forest! It was a very warm day, but our trees gave the
Yesterday, July 9th, our youth and adult Summer Archery programs began under the leadership and guidance of Ruth & John Goralski, our Level III Certified Coaches. The improvements to posture, stance and manual agility were already showing in our students who were scoring bullseyes by the end of the program!
On Sunday, July 3rd, foragers welcomed the cool breezes and luscious greenery of the forest on campus as they learned about all the precious nutrients right at our feet! This course, taught by Joanne Lockwood, is one of our most popular due to the increased interest in learning about local
It was a day of new experiences and hands-on ecological education for the 6th graders of Bedminster Township on June 7th! The students participated in a busy day of canoeing, water ecology, archery, metal smithing and fishing in Lake Wapalanne. The beautiful day culminated with dinner around the campfire at
The NJ School of Conservation was very proud to welcome the 5th graders of Kent Place School to our campus for a day of learning and fun! The students got to experience hands-on instruction in areas such as Wildlife Ecology, Archery, Canoeing, Water Ecology and Fishing, while being outdoors in
On Sunday, June 5th, 2022 the NJ School of Conservation was thrilled have families gathered to participate in the NJ Divison of Fish & Wildlife Annual Youth Fishing Competition! We had multiple winners in our categories of: First Caught, Largest (from head to tail), Smallest (from head to tail), Most
In four weeks, under the careful guidance of our Coaches, Ruth and John, these students progressed so much! We saw an increase in confidence, strength and accuracy with several different types of bows and at increasing distances. It was a real treat to watch this growth, and we hope the
The New Jersey School of Conservation
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