Somerset County Park Commission

Park Features

Special Events
Annual events at the Environmental Education Center provide the general public with a wide array of fun-filled and educational experiences.

Maple Sugaring
Maple sugaring is a tradition in the Northeast that began centuries ago with the Native Americans and colonists. People of all ages are invited to see this tradition brought to life at the Environmental Education Center (EEC). You will see how trees are tapped, view sap-collecting methods past and present, and see the boiling process that produces delicious New Jersey maple syrup. This 90-minute program is conducted at our Sugar Shack, a ½-mile hike from the EEC. Please arrive at the EEC 20-30 minutes before the program start time. Organized groups (such as schools) may schedule weekday demonstrations by calling the EEC at 908 766-2489 ext. 332.
FREE
January 26, 27 February 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 2008
10:00am, Noon, and 2:00pm

Project E.A.R.T.H
EARTH: Environment, Awareness, Responsibility, Teaching, and Hope - the new special event at the Environmental Education Center! See fine nature artwork, meet some live wild animals, and learn about the environment in which you live. Experts in various fields will share information about current environmental topics such as global warming, recycling, composting, and habitat restoration projects. Find out how you can make a difference protecting your environment and how your actions have a global impact. Hands-on activities for children.
Rain or Shine!
$4 per person suggested donation
Sunday, April 27, 2008
10:30am-4:30pm
Sponsored by:

The Lord Stirling 1770s Festival
Colonial history lives at the Somerset County Park Commission's annual 1770s Festival when Lord Stirling's grand manor house and estate come to life in Lord Stirling Park in Basking Ridge, NJ. Colonial craftspeople ply their trades and a Revolutionary War military detachment camp on the former estate lawns and conduct maneuvers. The event promotes historical and environmental education by familiarizing people with the rich local history of Basking Ridge, highlighting an unsung Revolutionary War hero, demonstrating the colonial heritage of New Jersey, and recreating a typical autumn afternoon in 1770. In 2001, the Lord Stirling 1770s Festival won the New Jersey Recreation and Park Association's Excellence in Educational Programming Award. Nearly 50 people attired in replicas of 1770s clothing participate in the festival demonstrating their trades and crafts (no crafts are sold). These crafts people make articles such as buttons, rifles, brooms, furniture, lace, stained glass, redware pottery, and powder horns. Other trades and crafts include a blacksmith, tinsmith, wool spinning, decoy carving, and colonial herbs. Children of all ages enjoy the hayrides, clay crafts using Stirling clay, stenciling, and toy making. Visitors may try on colonial costumes and have their photograph taken while restrained to the Somerset Gaoler's wooden stock.
$4 per person suggested donation
Sunday, October 5, 2008
10:30am - 4:30pm

The Nature of Halloween
Calling all ghosts, pirates, and scarecrows to a fun and informative Halloween stroll on the boardwalk at the Environmental Education Center. Led by a guide, children and their parents will walk shadowy paths to meet and learn about misunderstood, but very important animals, such as a sly fox, a splendid skunk, and buzzy bee. Come dressed in costume for added fun!
Tickets must be purchased in advance. They are not available at door on the night of the program. Walk is approxomately 45 to 60 minutes in length.
Limited to ages 3-6 with parent
$4 per person
Friday, October 24, Saturday, October 25, and Sunday, October 26, 2008
Tickets are designated for staggered start times from 6:00pm-7:30pm

35th Annual Festival of Trees - 2008
Early December is the time to join the Somerset County Park Commission and the Somerset Hills YMCA and get into the holiday spirit. The Festival of Trees at the Environmental Education Center is an indoor display that includes more than fifty trees decorated by community groups and individuals. A silent auction of selected festival trees and many other delightful items is conducted through the event's closing date. Please call 908 766-2489 for a schedule of musical performances and to make group reservations.
$4 per adult suggested donation/ $2 per child or senior suggested donation
Friday, December 5 through Sunday, December 14, 2008
9:30am-4:00pm
Thursday, December 11, 2008
9:30am-8:30pm

Family Program Series

Amazing Animal Adaptations
Animals adapt for protection, to find food, and to survive in their environment. See and hear how some interesting live creatures from all over the world use adaptation and why it works so well for them. Travis Gale from “Eyes of the Wild” will present this program that is sure to be fun and educational for all ages!
$4 per person suggested donation
Saturday, March 1, 2008
1:00pm-2:00pm

Africa’s Wild Painted Dogs
Meet Alison Nicholls, the artist of our exhibit “Painting the Painted Dogs”. Hear about her adventures in Africa as she followed the Painted Dogs roaming Zimbabwe. Alison will talk about the habits and habitats of these highly social cooperative hunters that wander the eastern and southern areas of Africa. Alison’s exhibit is on display in the EEC Exhibit Hall during the month of May. Ages 10 through Adult.
FREE
Sunday, May 18, 2008
2:00pm-3:00pm

Exhibits

Nature Through a Child’s Eye
This annual children’s environmental art exhibit features Somerset County kindergartners through sixth graders who have expressed their love of our natural world, our environment, and our Earth through their artwork.
FREE
Wednesday, January 2 through Sunday, February 10, 2008
9:00am-4:30pm except holidays

Butterflies, Moths, & Pollinating Insects of the East Coast
The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators has created 42 paintings of the symbiotic relationship of insects with the specific plant or plants vital to their survival. Each illustration depicts all or part of the life cycle of a butterfly, moth or insect found on the east coast. Engaging, educational, and exciting – this exhibit should not be missed.
FREE
Saturday, February 16 through Sunday, March 16, 2008
9:00am–5:00pm except holidays

The Art of Nature Show
This year our Art of Nature Show will take the form of a month long exhibit leading up to our inaugural Project E.A.R.T.H. event. See some of your favorite wildlife and nature artists exhibit fine artwork from around the world.
FREE
Wednesday, March 26 through Monday, April 28, 2008
9:00am–5:00pm except holidays

Painting the Painted Dogs
The wild painted dogs of Africa are rapidly disappearing. Alison Nicholls has returned from Zimbabwe with a collection of her watercolors and photographs of this highly social nomadic species. The dogs are called “painted” because their patterned coats are unique to each dog. These endangered dogs are captured on canvas to educate the world about this fascinating canine community.
FREE
Friday, May 2 through Thursday, May 29, 2008
9:00am–5:00pm except holidays

Focus on Frogs
Enter a frog’s world in the EEC Exhibit Hall. Live frogs from around the world are the focus of an entertaining and educational exhibit including frog photographs and artwork. You might find a few mystery guest creatures as well. The Exhibit Hall will also showcase “Recycled” Globe artwork from a local school.
FREE
Saturday, September 13 through Wednesday, October 15, 2008
9:00am–5:00pm except holidays

Workshop

Costa Rica, A Trip for Adults (Adult, ages 18 and older)
Learn through experience just how diverse and dynamic rainforests can be. The biodiversity of plant species is amazing; bromeliads growing on tree limbs and under story communities as lush as the canopy vegetation. Birders will be interested to see many familiar avian species mixing with the local tropical avian communities. Experience how all these elements come together to create a unique tropical habitat.
Current passport required.
$ per person TBA
Registration deadline: TBA
Course Code: 51297

COSTA RICA TRIP (Ages 13-15)
During this three-week adventure for teens, spend 11 days experiencing the diversity of Costa Rica. While traveling through its many ecosystems observe the local plant and animal species, be amazed by the diversity of the rainforests, hike past a sleeping volcano, and swim in the tropics. Upon returning home spend three days preparing for our Family and Friends Night. Together we will work on newsletter articles, artwork, photo journals, power point, as we reminisce about our great adventure.
$TBA per person
Course Code: 50124

African Safari: Explore Tanzania (Adult)
Join two Naturalists for a journey of a lifetime you will never forget! Venture beyond the television screen and experience first-hand an ecosystem so very foreign from our own, and so amazing. We will cover our ground in off-road vehicles and occasionally on foot. We will have opportunities to see animals such as lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, black rhinos, buffalo, hippos, ostriches, hyenas, baboons, monkeys, wildebeests, gazelles, giraffes, various bird species, etc. The list is almost endless! During the two week trip we will visit some of Tanzania's most prestigious National Parks, including Serengeti, Arusha, Tarangire, and the Ngorongoro Crater. We will also visit Olduvai Gorge and see evidence of our early hominid ancestors. Throughout our safari we will stay in a combination of lodges and luxury tents. This trip is ideal for photographers, birders, nature lovers, and anyone with a will to experience an unforgettable adventure! Trip cost includes airfare, transportation, meals, lodging, guides, tips, and more! For more information, come to our free open house and/or please contact 908-766-2489 ext. 326.
Course Code: 51502

The Center houses a comfortable, user-friendly library. Almost 2,500 books and numerous periodicals and videos regarding the many facets of our environment are available during regular building hours.

An annual $5.00 fee allows an individual to borrow items; teachers may borrow for classroom use for no fee. Tables and couches are available for on-site reading.

Periodicals cover a wide range of topics from gardening to history; from teaching guides to astronomy.

Eight and one-half miles of relatively flat trails meander through 435 acres of The Great Swamp, of which approximately three miles are boardwalked. They are open every day from sunrise to sunset.

Cattails and sedges are found as you wander the boardwalks in the freshwater marsh. Along the Yellow Trail that takes you close to the Passaic River, the seasonally inundated floodplain is home to Pin Oak, Red Maple, and Ash. Along the southern perimeter of the park (the Blue and Red trails) succession is slowly changing abandoned farm fields to woodland. In these areas, wildflowers and shrubs mingle with grasses and saplings and provide homes for many birds, mammals, and insects.

The Special Use Trail (SUT) travels between the Center and Branta Pond. It is an easily accessible boardwalk trail for those who are looking for a short walk or for those with limiting abilities. It has a recently renovated Native Plant Garden, herb gardens, and a pleasant gazebo in which to sit and enjoy the surrounds.

Trail maps are available at the front desk or in PDF format by clicking here. Be sure to check out the kiosks at the trailhead and at the "dike" on the Red trail for seasonal information!

A favorite stop for those looking for that special gift for a favorite outdoors friend, baby and children gifts, a special piece of jewelry or pottery, or maybe just a great book to add to one’s own personal book collection. A variety of "must have’s" for all ages are located in the main floor lobby gift shop.

The selection changes on an on-going basis and many pieces are limited in number. Best to visit regularly or with specific requests, call 908 766-2489 ext. 322.

Room rentals are available on a limited, first-come, first-served basis to groups and organizations with an environmentally related mission or agenda.

For more information or to book a room, please call Jane Bodnar at 908 766-2489 ext. 323