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
At the NJ School of Conservation, on Saturday, May 14th, six of our current Spring Fling students all progressed to landing bullseyes and/or piercing balloons at competition level placing! Consistency is the name of the game in Archery and their practice is paying off. We are so proud of their
We are all so pleased to share some pictures of our newest class of archers in our adult Spring Fling Program at the NJ School of Conservation! This group got an amazing start on Saturday, May 30th under the guidance of Ruth & John, our Class 3 Coaches/Instructors. This week’s
Saturday, April 23rd was a beautiful day on the NJSOC Campus for our wonderful Wild Edibles Program, led by Joanne Lockwood! Participants learned how to correctly identify nutritious and plentiful ingredients such as Trout Lily, Bedstraw, Garlic Mustard and more! If you would like to learn about foraging and the
We have been so proud to be a part of the NJDEP Sistas Afield Program that brings families together over a 6 week session to learn fishing, water ecology, specimen identification, catching (fly fishing & spin casting), preparing and ultimately cooking the “big catch”! This program is simply AMAZING and
We were honored to Co-Host the Stream Stomp Program with the NJ Watershed Ambassadors team on Saturday, 4/2/22 and help families learn about the aquatic Macroinvertebrates that live in the streams at the NJ School of Conservation and how they can be used to understand stream health.We found some amazing
On Saturday, March 26th, the NJ School of Conservation was proud to host part one of “Sistas Afield” Fishing Program by the NJ DEP Fish & Wildlife staff. In this introduction, women and their children mastered the basics of angling, knot tying, fishing safety, fish anatomy and casting techniques. You
The Friends of NJSOC is entering into the next phase of saving the School of Conservation with the Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) as our partners. We are meeting regularly with NJDEP and together we are learning as much as we can about the physical operation of SOC’s facilities. At
Couldn’t make it to our 70th Anniversary Celebration in October? We now have PDF versions of the program and SOC History available. Head over to our Media & Press page to download them!
Friends – We hope you are enjoying your winter. It has been a relatively mild one so far. Very little snow and no ice to skate on (yet!). Despite that, the Friends have decided to hold a winter weekend at SOC. We are planning to gather on Saturday, February 22
The 70th Anniversary of SOC will be a time to reflect on our shared history, engage in fun activities, enjoy good food, and sing around a campfire. Best of all, it will be a time to reunite with old friends, and share happy memories. For your convenience, here is the
A Gift from Friends The kiosk is delivered! We wanted to give our friends and members an opportunity to participate in the completion of the John J. Kirk Memorial Kiosk on Piney Point. The structure has been delivered and officers and members are working on finalizing the content that will
Our Annual Family Fun weekend, which is Saturday, October 12th through Sunday, October 13th, is now two full days of activities. On Saturday, we will celebrate the 70-year history of the School of Conservation from the early days to the present. We have assembled an exciting lineup of speakers to share
Dear Friends, it is with great pleasure that we tell you, that your officers unanimously voted to have Mary Jane Davis join us as an Officer of the Friends of SOC (read her bio here). Her reliable participation in Friends events, combined with her love of the SOC, knowledge of its history,
Friends – We are happy to report that the last of your Legacy trees will be delivered to Piney Point next week. This means that our magical place will be on track for full restoration. This could not have happened without your support and help. Thank you. On Sunday, May
Dr. John J. Kirk passed away peacefully on the morning of September 2nd, 2017. On the evening of September 7th, Jerry Schierloh, Assistant Director of NJSOC under Dr. Kirk, gave a special tribute. The transcript follows. Gathering of Friends and Family Goble Funeral Home Sparta, New Jersey September 7, 2017 JOHN
Friends of NJSOC Annual Meeting (download .DOC) January 14, 2017
The New Jersey School of Conservation
An NJDEP property under the management of the Friends of NJSOC
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