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WASHINGTON CROSSING STATE PARK
PROGRAMS & EVENTS
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 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 5/25 - 9/2 (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.
SHELTER BUILDING WILDERNESS SURVIVAL (6 yrs. - adult) Sunday April 7, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. This program will deal with the fundamentals pertaining to survival when lost in the wild. Participants will construct a weatherproof shelter completely from native materials.
PINE BOARD BIRDHOUSES (6 - 11 yrs. old) Saturday April 13, 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. Suggested donation, $6.00/birdhose to cover materials.
SPRING LIFESTYLES OF THE LOCAL NATIVE AMERICANS (all ages) Saturday April 20, 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.
BIKE HIKE (pre-teens - adult) Sunday April 21, 1:30 p.m. Take a guided bicycle ride up the Delaware & Raritan Canal Towpath toward the Lambertville wing dam (approx. 13 mile round trip). Meet at the Nelson House parking lot. Bring your own bike and helmet. Advanced registration required.
CURIOSITY AND THE SEARCH FOR LIFE ON MARS (in 3-D) (all ages) Sunday April 28, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. Dr. Ken Kremer will present this talk. Dr. Kremer will explain the latest discoveries of the Curiosity rover’s expedition across the surface of the red planet, and show his clean room and launch pad photographs, spectacular 3-D images of the Martian surface, and his new Curiosity photo-mosaics. Ken is a scientist and journalist and his Mars and Space imagery and articles have been widely published on TV, magazines, books and websites.
WILD EDIBLE PLANTS (3 yrs. - adult) Sunday May 5, 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.
CANOE THE D & R (9 yrs. – adult) Sunday May 19, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m Take a short canoe jaunt up the Delaware and Raritan Canal skirting the village of Titusville. Meet at the state park parking lot directly across Rt 29 from St. Georges RC Church (call for directions) Advanced registration required after 4/16.
SOLAR OBSERVATION ( all ages) Saturday May 25, 1:00 – 3:00 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. Rain date: Sunday May 26, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Park vehicle entrance Fee: $5.00/car.
FAMILY NATURE WALK (all ages) Monday May 27, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Join us for an informal naturalist-guided trail walk. Park vehicle entrance fee; $5.00 per car.
GOAT HILL OVERLOOK HIKE (pre-teen - adult) Sunday June 2, 1:30. Goat Hill Overlook 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 after 4/30. Meet at the parking lot by Neiderer’s Pond (Church Rd).We will carpool to the overlook.
HOPEWELL VALLEY COME OUTSIDE AND BUILD A PRETZEL JAR TERRARIUM (all ages) Thursday June 6, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. The forest floor is a fascinating community with its own unique woodland wildflowers, ferns, mosses and other organisms. Join us and build a miniature ecosystem in a jar to take home. Bring a hand trowel.
BUILD A ROPE BRIDGE (8 yrs. - adult) Saturday June 8, 1:00 – 3:30p.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. Park vehicle entrance Fee: $5.00/car.
SPRING/SUMMER BIRDS OF THE PARK(all ages) Saturday June 15, 8:30 a.m. Come and join Lou Beck and Franta Broulik of Washington Crossing Audubon as we peruse the park for spring and summer resident bird species. Meet at the Nature Center. Park vehicle entrance Fee: $5.00/car.
STREAM STOMP (6 yrs. - adult) Sunday June 16, 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. Park vehicle entrance fee: $5.00 per car.
BALDPATE MOUNTAIN HIKE (pre-teen – adult) Sunday June 23, 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 5/21 Bring a water bottle and wear hiking shoes.
FAMILY NATURE WALK (all ages) Sunday June 30, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Join us for an informal naturalist-guided trail walk. Park vehicle entrance fee; $5.00 per car.
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