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February Programs at the Nature Center at Washington Crossing State Park in Titusville

The following is a list of activities being offered through the Nature Center at Washington Crossing State Park in Titusville, New Jersey. All programs are offered free of charge. Some will require advanced registration as indicated below.  Attendance is always limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.  Programs will commence at the Nature Center unless otherwise indicated.  An adult must accompany all children..  In the event of inclement weather some programs might be canceled.  It is always advisable to call ahead before coming out. These events are intended for families and individuals only. Programs for scouts, schools and other groups are scheduled separately by special arrangement.  Phone : (609) 737-0609

NATURE VIDEO Saturday February 4, 12:45 p.m. From Poles to Tropics . The Earth as a whole is consdidered with a view towards the main factors that have manipulated the planet’s natural history.
 
GEOCACHE WASHINGTON CROSSING STATE PARK ( preteens – adult) Sunday February 5, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Geocaching is a high-tech update on the good old-fashioned scavenger hunt game utilizing GPS (global positioning system) technology to locate objects hidden among the forests, fields and trails of parks, playgrounds, natural areas and other open lands.  Participants will learn how to obtain information and hints from the Geocaching.com website, on the location of over a dozen geocache sites located in and around the state park. They will then use handheld GPS devices to go out and find as many caches as possible. Once a cache is found, participants typically will sign in on the log contained within and then take an object from the cache box after leaving a trinket for subsequent geocachers. Participants should bring a pocket full of trinkets to exchange when they locate caches. Trinkets can include small toys and balls, plastic jewelry, pens, pencils, scratch pads, patches, action figures, coins, etc. Advanced registration required after 1/10. A limited number of GPS navigation devices will be made available to participants. Bring your own handheld GPS device if you have one.

NEW JERSEY PALEO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES, TOOL MAKING INDUSTRIES AND ICE AGE LIFEWAYS
Saturday February 11, 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.  Jack Cresson, Archaeologist, and Jim Silk, Lithic Technologist will take participants on a journey back in time when the earliest Native American people entered into what is now New Jersey.  The program will examine regional Paleo archaeological sites, aboriginal human lifestyles, arctic landscapes and unusual prehistoric animals.  Also, this program will demonstrate and explain the manufacture of specialized stone tools that were used by indigenous Ice Age people in adapting to their harsh environment 10,000 to 13,500 years ago.  Paleo artifacts and tool replications will be displayed.

NATURE VIDEOS Saturday February 18, 12:45 p.m. The Poles. The advance and retreat of polar ice is the real challenge to life. In Antarctica all animals flee except the emperor penguin. Meanwhile, in the Arctic, the polar bear must swim long distances to obtain food. Learn how wildlife survives in some of the most challenging places on the planet.

NATURE VIDEO Saturday February 25, 12:45 p.m. Forests. From the evergreen forests of the frozen North to the deciduous dry forests of the tropics, these woodlands illustrate the intense seasonality of the Earth. As the tallest, largest and oldest organisms on the planet, trees are home to a fascinating range of wildlife.

MAPLE SUGARING (All Ages) Sunday February 26, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. This event is a participatory demonstration in the procedures of home maple sugar production.  Advanced registration required after 1/24.