SPRING PROGRAMS AT THE NATURE CENTER

The following is a list of activities being offered through the Nature Center at Washington Crossing State Park in Titusville, NJ. Some programs are offered free without registration requirements; some will require advanced registration as indicated below. A fee will be charged to motor vehicles entering the park on weekends and holidays 5/28 - 9/5 (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day). All programs will initially meet at the Nature Center unless otherwise indicated. Attendance is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Children must be accompanied by an adult. In the event of inclement weather, some programs might be canceled. It is always advisable to call ahead before coming out. Phone: (609) 737-0609.

PINE BOARD BIRDHOUSES
(6 - 11 yrs. old) Saturday April 2, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
With the breeding season underway, several species of common cavity-nesting backyard birds will be looking for places to nest. Come out and build a simple nest box that will accommodate these feathery critters. Bring your own hammer. Advanced registration required. Free

GOAT HILL OVERLOOK HIKE
(pre-teen - adult) Saturday April 16, 1:00.
Goat Hill Overlook is a relatively new state park acquisition. The tract sits on a bluff overlooking the Delaware River in W. Amwell Twp. and boasts commanding views of the Delaware Valley including portions of Lambertville, New Hope and areas north and west into Bucks County, PA. The tract contains extensive hardwood and mixed oak forests, open fields, numerous rock outcrops, a former diabase quarry and hiking trails. We will meet in Washington Crossing at the park pond on Church Rd and carpool to the overlook for an exploration hike. The terrain will be rugged and muddy in places. Wear hiking shoes and bring drinking water. Advanced registration required. Free.

HOPEWELL COME OUTSIDE POND STUDY
(All ages) Friday April 29, 4:15 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
This program is offered in cooperation with the Hopewell Twp. Municipal Alliance. Families may come out after school to forage the park pond for some unique aquatic organisms. Pond nets will be supplied. Free.

WILD EDIBLE PLANTS
(3 yrs. - adult) Sunday May 1, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Participants will learn to identify and prepare some of the many native and introduced plants which earlier inhabitants of the area used to supplement their diets. This program will be led by plant lore enthusiast Pat Chichon of Lambertville. Bring a pair of plant clippers and a garden trowel. Advanced registration required. Free.

COMPASS BASICS
(9 yrs - adult) Saturday May 7, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Participants will learn everything they ever wanted to know about the protractor compass. They will then use their new-found skills to navigate a compass course that will take them over hills, across streams, along trails and through forests to a mysterious hidden site known as "Haunted Hollow". Bring a protractor compass if you have an instrument of your own. If not, we will provide one. Advanced registration required after 4/5. Free

SPRING BIRD WALK
(All ages) Sunday May 8, 8:30 a.m.
Come and join Lou Beck of Washington Crossing Audubon as we peruse the park for spring migrants and summer resident bird species. Meet at the Nature Center. Free.

STREAM STOMP
(6 yrs. - adult) Saturday May 14, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Come out for a wet hike as we follow a park stream in search of crayfish, salamanders, caddisflys, frogs, minnows and other stream inhabitants. Advanced registration required after 4/12. Free

NATIVE AMERICANS OF THE AREA OF THE PARK
(All ages) Saturday May 21, 1:00 p.m.
Jim Wade, former archivist and researcher with the N.J. State Museum will discuss primitive stone tool use by Native Americans in central New Jersey. Emphasis will be on the significance and importance of the Indian way of life during the spring season, focusing on the activities of community fish gathering, hunting and village life. The program will include a slide presentation and Native American artifacts will be on display.

BALDPATE MOUNTAIN HIKE
(Pre-teen - adult) Sunday May 22, 1:30 - 4:00 p.m.
We will take the Summit Trail from its trailhead on Fiddlers Creek Rd. Meet at the parking lot by Neiderer's Pond (Church Rd).We will carpool to the trail. Advanced registration required after 4/19. Bring a water bottle and wear hiking shoes. Free

SOLAR OBSERVATION
(All ages) Saturday May 28, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
View magnetic sun storms safely through special filters via a telescope. Observe sun spots, solar flares, prominences and other solar phenomena. Learn how these storms can affect the earth as well as other interesting facts about Earth's closest star. Gene Ramsey of the Amateur Astronomer's Association of Princeton will lead this activity. Clear skies required. Park vehicle entrance Fee: $5.00/car.

SOLAR OBSERVATION
(All ages) Sunday May 29, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.
View magnetic sun storms safely through special filters via a telescope. Observe sun spots, solar flares, prominences and other solar phenomena. Learn how these storms can affect the earth as well as other interesting facts about Earth's closest star. Gene Ramsey of the Amateur Astronomer's Association of Princeton will lead this activity. Clear skies required. Park vehicle entrance Fee: $5.00/car.

PALEO LIFEWAYS AND STONE TOOL MAKING IN A NEW JERSEY ICE AGE
(All Ages) Monday May 30 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Jim Silk, reconstructive stone tool maker and lithic technologist, will take participants on a journey back in time to the end of the last Ice Age when the earliest Native American people entered into what is now New Jersey. The program will examine regional Paleo 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. A slide presentation will be included in the program. Paleo artifacts and tool replications will be displayed. park vehicle entrance Fee: $5.00/car.

BUILD A ROPE BRIDGE
(8 yrs. - adult) Sunday June 5, 1:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Participants will be instructed in some basic knots and rope riggings and then use their newly acquired skills to create a functioning suspended bridge over one of the park's stream ravines. Advanced registration required after 5/9. Park vehicle entrance Fee: $5.00/car.

STREAM STOMP
(6 yrs. - adult) Sunday June 12, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Come out for a wet hike as we follow a park stream in search of crayfish, salamanders, caddisflys, frogs, minnows and other stream inhabitants. Advanced registration required after 5/18. Park vehicle entrance fee: $5.00 per car.

GET OUTDOORS! - AND GEOCACHE WASHINGTON CROSSING STATE PARK
(Preteens - adult) Sunday June 19, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Geocaching is a high-tech update on the good old-fashioned scavenger hunt game utilizing GPS (global positioning satellite) 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, leaveing 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 Vehicle fee upon entering park: $5.00 per car. A limited number of GPS navigators will be made available to participants. Bring your own handheld GPS device if you have one.