FoHVOS.org

Clean Communities
2021-10-16 08:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Public Works Department, 203 Washington Crossing Pennington Road, Titusville, NJ, 08560, United States
Join us on October 16th to help keep Hopewell clean! Clean Communities Day is an opportunity for groups and individuals to raise money for the nonprofit of their choice while helping clean up Hopewell Valley! Also, get a cool t-shirt!
Register Here
We welcome all groups and individuals to participate however they must follow CDC guidelines.

You must pre-register for this event to receive a clean up location!
Please send one person from your party to pick up items at Public Works.
You must wear your masks if within 6 feet of others.
Safety vests and garbage bags will be provided. Please bring your own gloves.
Optional! Please take pictures and share with info@fohvos.org for a chance to be featured on our social media accounts!
If you have any day of questions, please contact Beth Craighead at 215- 499-5311
You will receive an email confirming your clean up location.

Thank you for registering for our Fall Clean Communities event. Any questions? email info@fohvos.org.
Looking forward to seeing you there. Thank you for helping your favorite nonprofit while helping clean up our community! When you register, include your shirt size and we will give you a T-shirt as our thanks!
— FoHVOS, Hopewell Township & The Clean Communities Team

Strike Team Professional Conference
2021-10-13 09:30 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | Duke Farms, Farm Barn- Outdoors, 80 Dukes Pkwy W, Hillsborough, NJ, 08844, United States
Please join us at the Duke Farms Farm Barn on Wednesday, October 13th from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. The event will be held in-person, but outdoors under an event tent. Continental breakfast and lunch provided.
The conference will focus on the use of prescribed burning to combat invasive species. Learn and interact with a variety of professionals. Click here for the agenda.
Speakers

Results of a scientific study on burn impacts
Primer on ecological burning including ecological and social aspects

Panels

Learn about the possibilities for invasive species control
Hear about on-the-ground efforts to maintain and restore forests and grasslands

NJ Forest Fire Service Demonstration

See their tools and machines and learn about burning techniques

Available Continuing Education Units

Urban and Community Forestry Program: 5 credits
Society for Ecological Restoration – CERP: TBD (up to 5 credits possible)
NJDEP Pesticide Control Program:

Category 2 – Forest – 2 credits
Category 3A – Ornamentals – 2 credits
Category 6B – Right-of-Way – 2 credits
Category 9 – Regulatory – 2 credits
Category PP2 – Private Applicator – 2 credits

Registration is open to all conservation professionals, public officials, and interested members of the general public.

Register Here

Sponsor the Conference

FoHVOS 2021 Gala
2021-09-11 19:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Glenmoore Barn, Hopewell, 105 Pennington-Hopewell Road,, Hopewell, NJ, 08525, United States
Visit the FoHVOS 2021 Gala page for more information.

Butterfly Count
2021-07-11 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Thompson Preserve, 95 Pennington-Hopewell Road, Hopewell, NJ, 08525, United States
Butterfly Count
Sunday, July 11 at 9AM
Thompson Preserve

Please join us on Sunday, July 11 at our Thompson Preserve to help count butterflies. We will be walking the trail through the restored meadow and looking for these flying beauties as we go. Once we are done at Thompson, we will head over to Baldpate Mountain to search the restored meadow there. No experience is necessary.
If you plan to join us, meet at the Thompson Preserve on Route 654 at 9AM on Sunday, July 11. Please register at bcraighead@fohvos.org.

Force of Nature Hike
2021-06-13 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Baldpate Mountain, 28 Fiddlers Creek Road, Titusville, NJ, 08560, United States
Baldpate Mountain, June 13th, 9am

2021 Force of Nature Hike Series
Join us in 2021 for our continued Force of Nature Hike series. Join us for one hike or all! Either way they’re free and open to the whole family (ages 13 and up). Masks must be worn and social distancing where applicable.

Register

Force of Nature Hike
2021-05-09 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Mount Rose Preserve, Mount Rose Preserve, Princeton, NJ, 08540, United States
Mount Rose Preserve, May 9th, 9am

2021 Force of Nature Hike Series
Join us in 2021 for our continued Force of Nature Hike series. Join us for one hike or all! Either way they’re free and open to the whole family (ages 13 and up). Masks must be worn and social distancing where applicable.

Register

Hike with Hopewell Valley Running Man
2021-04-24 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | Mount Rose Preserve, Mount Rose Preserve, Princeton, NJ, 08540, United States
Join us for a Hopewell Valley Green Week hike with the Hopewell Valley Running Man. Registration does not guarantee attendance. In order to give equal chances to attend, we will randomly select attendees from the registration list on April 14th in accordance with CDC attendance rules. Please register families or pods on one registration request.
Attendance is free and open to the whole family. Masks must be worn and adherance to social distancing as applicable.

Register Here

Intro to Hopewell Valley Ecology
2021-04-24 08:30 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Mount Rose Preserve, Mount Rose Preserve, Princeton, NJ, 08540, United States
Mount Rose Preserve
We will capture the sights and sounds of frogs & salamanders and more on a daytime natural history hike on April 24th from 8:30 am to 11:00 am at the Mount Rose Preserve. The hike will include viewing and discussing amphibians, reptiles, birds, and more. Please bring binoculars if you have them!
The Hike will be co-led by Ecologist & FoHVOS Steward Director, Mike Van Clef Ph.D and guest leader HVRSD’s own Mark Manning.
Attendance is free and open to the whole family. Masks must be worn and adherance to social distancing as applicable.

Register Here

Hopewell Valley Dark Skies
2021-04-21 20:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)
As part of Hopewell Valley Green Week, FoHVOS, and Hopewell Township Environmental Commission are pleased to present the workshop:
Hopewell Valley Dark Skies with Dr. Rex Parker
Dr. Rex Parker will explore the problems of light pollution to both humans and migrating birds and what you can do to help.
Rex Parker is an astrophotographer and director of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton. He is active on the Hopewell Township Environmental Commission, Planning Board, and a founding member of the HV Green Team.

Register Here

Force of Nature Hike
2021-04-17 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Woosamonsa Ridge Preserve, Woosamonsa Ridge Preserve, Pennington, NJ, 08534, United States
Photo: Tom Ogren
Woosamonsa Ridge Preserve, April 17th, 9am

2021 Force of Nature Hike Series
Join us in 2021 for our continued Force of Nature Hike series. Join us for one hike or all! Either way they’re free and open to the whole family (ages 13 and up). Masks must be worn and social distancing where applicable.

Register

Clean Communities
2021-04-17 08:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Public Works Department, 203 Washington Crossing Pennington Road, Titusville, NJ, 08560, United States
Join us on April 17th to help keep Hopewell clean! Clean Communities Day is an opportunity for groups and individuals to raise money for the nonprofit of their choice while helping clean up Hopewell Valley. We welcome all groups and individuals to participate however they must follow CDC guidelines.

You must pre-register for this event to receive a clean up location!
Please send one person from your party to pick up items at Public Works.
You must wear your masks if within 6 feet of others.
Safety vests and garbage bags will be provided. Please bring your own gloves.
Optional! Please take pictures and share with info@fohvos.org for a chance to be featured on our social media accounts!
If you have any day of questions, please contact Beth Craighead at 215- 499-5311
You will receive an email confirming your clean up location.

April 17th Clean Communities will kick off Hopewell Valley Green Week

Register Here

#OptOutside 2020
2020-11-27 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Baldpate Mountain, 28 Fiddlers Creek Road, Titusville, NJ, 08560, United States
Once again — FoHVOS, RomYoga & Mercer County Park Commission partner for #optoutside on Black Friday, November 27th! Hike with us at Baldpate Mountain. Choose your hike distance up to 7 miles! This event is FREE, but please register so can ensure COVID safety. Hikes are limited to 25 people each with three different hiking options. Masks are mandatory. Please keep weather in mind and dress accordinfgly. Please see below for hike details:
Easy Loop (1.75 miles) – Departing at 9am from the Lower Baldpate Mountain parking lot, this hike will take you on a nice level loop around our Fiddlers Creek Preserve, lead by Jim Weber.

Moderate Loop (4 miles) – Departing at 11am from the Lower Baldpate Mountain parking lot, this hike will take you up Baldpate Mountain with a pit stop at the pond, across the ridge, and back down the driveway. Lead by FoHVOS Program Manager, Logan Horvath.

Challenging Loop (7.5 Miles) – Departing at 9am from the Pleasant Valley parking lot, this start off on the Copper Loop, across the ridge, through the Northwest Loop Trail, a pit stop off at the pond before returning back via the ridge. Lead by Romy Toussaint of RomYoga.

Force of Nature Hike
2020-10-24 09:00 - 10:00, 2020-09-13 13:00 - 14:00, 2020-07-18 09:00 - 10:00, 2020-06-14 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for our 2020 Force of Nature Hiking series with Romy Toussaint! Attend one hike or all! Learn about our trails and preserves with some light stretching in the beginning and end. These events are open to all family, friends, and ages (hiking difficulty will vary based on location). Please email lhorvath@fohvos.org with questions or concerns.

Register Here

Strike Team Annual Potluck
2020-10-01 18:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)

Doylestown Nature Club - Invasive Species Presentation
2020-09-14 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | Buckingham Township Municipal Building, 4613 Hughesian Dr, Buckingham, PA, 18912,, United States

Webinar: Aquatic Plant Management Techniques
2020-08-19 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Aquatic Plant Management Techniques
By: Chris Doyle (SOLitude Lake Management)
Strike Team Community Conference 2020
Webinar Series
Webinars take place on Wednesdays from 7-8pm using Zoom.
$5 per webinar
Register Here
Chris Doyle graduated from Rutgers University with a BS in Natural Resource Management. He has over 27 years of experience as an aquatic biologist, including 16 years of experience as a freshwater ecologist and a lake manager. Currently the Director of Biology at SOLitude Lake Management, Mr. Doyle oversees a team of field biologists conducting water quality and biological assessments throughout the Northeast. He became a Certified Lake Manager in 2008. He has attended and presented at numerous lake management conferences since 2005, including the North American Lake Management Society, the Aquatic Plant Management Society, the Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Society, the New York Federation of Lake Associations, the New Jersey Coalition of Lake Associations, and the New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team. He is a Past President and current Editor of the Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Society, is the Region 2 Board of Director of the North American Lake Management Society and sits on the Technical Advisory Committee of the New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team. Mr. Doyle is proud to be a lifelong resident of New Jersey, and resides in central New Jersey with his wife, son, and two adopted cats.

Webinar: Forest Pest and Pathogens
2020-08-12 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Forest Pest and Pathogens
By: Paul Kurtz (NJ Department of Agriculture)
This presentation will provide an update on the status of several current forest health threats, including emerald ash borer, bacterial leaf scorch, beech leaf disease, and oak wilt.
Strike Team Community Conference 2020
Webinar Series
Webinars take place on Wednesdays from 7-8pm using Zoom.
$5 per webinar
Register Here
Rosa Yoo is the Forest Health Specialist with the New Jersey Forest Service, where she administers the state’s forest health program, surveying, monitoring, and suppressing invasive pests and diseases that threatens our native trees and forests. She has worked with the New Jersey Forest Service since 2004, hired as a forester to work on the Asian Longhorned Beetle Program. She is a graduate from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry where she studied Forest Resource Management, Forest Biology, and Silviculture.

Webinar: Go Native! Pollinators in Peril and How You Can Help
2020-08-05 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Go Native! Pollinators in Peril and How You Can Help
By: Deb Ellis (Native Plant Society of NJ)
When we garden, we can support biodiversity through the plants we chose! In this workshop, you will learn how to bring beautiful butterflies to your backyard by using native bushes and flowers. This workshop is perfect for beginner or experienced gardeners who want to support pollinators.
Strike Team Community Conference 2020
Webinar Series
Webinars take place on Wednesdays from 7-8pm using Zoom.
$5 per webinar
Register Here
Deb Ellis is an environmental activist, lecturer, and retired social justice lawyer who is passionate about teaching how to use native plants to promote biodiversity and heal the Earth. She is the founder and co-leader of the Essex County chapter of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey, a Master Gardener, has served on the Montclair Environmental Commission, and has had a Certified Backyard Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation for 5 years. Deb has served in leadership positions in nonprofit organizations and received several awards for public service, including being named as a Champion of Change by President Obama.

Webinar: Foraging in New Jersey
2020-07-29 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Foraging in New Jersey
By: Tama Matsuoka Wong (Meadows + More)
Strike Team Community Conference 2020
Webinar Series
Webinars take place on Wednesdays from 7-8pm using Zoom.
$5 per webinar
Register Here
Tama Matsuoka Wong is a forager, weed eater, meadow doctor, lawyer and mother of three. She is the author of the backyard field guide and cookbook Foraged Flavor (Clarkson Potter June 2012) nominated for a James Beard award in 2013.
After graduating from Harvard Law School and serving more than 25 years as a financial services lawyer in Tokyo, New York and Hong Kong, she returned with her family to Hunterdon County New Jersey and rediscovered her passion for the natural world. In 2007 she was named Steward of the Year by the New Jersey Forest Service.

Webinar: Controlling Invasives at Home and Natural Areas
2020-07-22 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Controlling Invasives at Home and Natural Areas
By: Jillian Stark (Mercer County Parks Commission)
Jillian Stark, Senior Land Steward for Mercer County Parks Commission will discuss effective and efficient control methods for the ten most common invasive plants encountered at home and natural areas.
Strike Team Community Conference 2020
Webinar Series
Webinars take place on Wednesdays from 7-8pm using Zoom.
$5 per webinar
Register Here

Jillian Stark is currently the Senior Land Steward for Mercer County Park Commission and has over ten years of professional experience in the field of natural resources management. She specializes in wildlife management, invasive species control, and ecological monitoring. Carrying a lifelong passion for nature and wildlife, she is dedicated to restoring native habitats in her home state of New Jersey. Jillian obtained her B.S. in Biology from the College of New Jersey and her M.S. in Environmental Science from Pace University.

Webinar: Grassland Birds and Habitat Grazing
2020-07-15 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Grassland Birds and Habitat Grazing
By: Thom Almendinger (Duke Farms)
Duke Farms is an ecological oasis, of over 2700 acres, in the piedmont of NJ embedded within a densely populated landscape. High-quality obligate grassland bird habitat, totaling nearly 560 acres, harbors numerous rare species. The size and condition of grassland habitat is Duke Farms’ greatest ecological asset. Managing these early successional habitats comes with unique challenges. After years of research and benchmarking with farms across the Northeast and Midwest, to find a solution other than delay mowing, Duke Farms endeavored to test rotational grazing as an alternative. Thom Almendinger will discuss this journey and detail some of the early stages of this new program.
Strike Team Community Conference 2020
Webinar Series
Webinars take place on Wednesdays from 7-8pm using Zoom.
$5 per webinar
Register Here
Thom Almendinger is the Director of Natural Resources and Agroecology for the Duke Farms Foundation. At Duke Farms, he has developed and continues to direct, a large-scale landscape restoration program on the 2,740-acre property that includes a range of habitats fostering nearly 30 species of wildlife, listed as threatened and endangered in New Jersey. The Natural Resources
Team hosts a number of applied research projects in partnership with research universities, institutions, private firms and other foundations.
Thom serves on the Technical Advisory Boards for the Rutgers University EcoPreserve, NJ Invasive Species Strike Team, the Hutcheson Memorial Forest at Rutgers University and is past vice-president of the NJ Wildlife Society. He is also a Certified Ecologist through the Ecological Society of America.
Thom and his team have been awarded numerous awards including; ANJEE Environmental Education Award, Sustainable Raritan Award, Land Ethics Award, NJDEP Environmental Stewardship Award and the US EPA Environmental Quality Award.
His research interests include plant-herbivore interactions, particularly between overabundant white-tailed deer and invasive plants, restoration of degraded habitats, conservation of threatened/endangered species, and sustainable agriculture as it relates to habitat and ecosystem services.
Thom’s educational background includes:
A.A.S. in Forestry from SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry
B.S. in Ecology and Natural Resources from Cook College of Rutgers University
M.S. in Ecology and Evolution from School of Environmental and Biological Sciences-Rutgers University

Community Garden Club of Hunterdon County - Invasive Plants, The Problems and Identification - Presentation
2020-07-09 11:00 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Our Lady of Lourdes, 390 County Route 523, Whitehouse Station, NJ, 08889, United States

Webinar: Creating & Participating in Local Strike Teams
2020-07-01 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Creating & Participating in Local Strike Teams
By: Betty Ann Kelly (Union County)
Betty Ann Kelly of Union County will be sharing some advice on how you can start your own local Strike Teams. She will provide information about working on county and municipal lands to communications and planning with officials in order to select control strategies. Lastly, the roots of a Strike Team, she will provide insight on how you can recruit volunteers to join your team.
Strike Team Community Conference 2020
Webinar Series
Webinars take place on Wednesdays from 7-8pm using Zoom.
$5 per webinar
Register Here

NABA Butterfly Count
2020-06-28 09:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | Thompson Preserve, 95 Pennington-Hopewell Road, Hopewell, NJ, 08525, United States
Join FoHVOS Land Steward Beth Craighead for an outdoor Butterfly Count at our Thompson Preserve! Spots are limited so please register below so we may adhere to social distancing guidelines. Masks are mandatory to attend, and must be worn if under 6ft social distancing standards from others.
Click here to register

Webinar: How to Become a Management Hunter
2020-06-24 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
How to Become a Management Hunter
By: Brian Kubin and Mike Bellaus (Duke Farms/ FoHVOS Strike Team)
Brian and Mike will discuss how hunters can maximize harvests through strategic approaches on public and private lands. They will provide information on what exactly management hunting is and its benefits to our ecosystem along with ways you can get involved on your local lands as a management hunter.
Strike Team Community Conference 2020
Webinar Series
Webinars take place on Wednesdays from 7-8pm using Zoom.
$5 per webinar
Register Here
Brian Kubin has been professionally managing wildlife and wildlife habitat for the past fourteen years. Through his extensive, self-taught and lifelong deer behavior and hunting knowledge, he is focusing his efforts on deer management programs for municipalities, public lands and private homeowners in areas overrun with abundant deer densities to improve forest health. He recently began sharing this knowledge by teaching the public How to Be a Deer Management Hunter portrayed recently in the short film The Deer Stand. He is furthering his passion for improving forest health by working with the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space as a Land Steward battling newly emerging and high threat invasive plant populations. Brian works full time with the NJ Department of Environmental Protection.
Mike Bellaus has been professionally managing both flora and fauna in New Jersey for nearly a decade. After graduating from McDaniel College in 2010, he worked for the New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team and Monmouth County Park System systematically controlling invasive plant populations. He specializes in deer management with a focus on herd population reduction as well as deer management program creation and implementation. He works annually with the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife performing deer population distribution surveys and held a position on the Hopewell Township Deer Management Advisory Committee for three years. He is currently involved with the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space as a Land Steward focusing on the control of newly emerging and highly threatening invasive plant populations but works full time as the Manager of Habitat Restoration at Duke Farms where his primary responsibility is the restoration of habitats and management of the natural resources throughout the property.

Master Ecologist Program
2020-06-20 09:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Duke Farms Visitor Center

Webinar: The Link Between Deer and Invasive Plants
2020-06-17 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
The Link Between Deer and Invasive Plants
By: Mike Van Clef, Ph.D. (FoHVOS Strike Team)
Mike will discuss why the populations of both deer and invasive plants have exploded over the last 50 years, including why different natural areas are more susceptible than others and how stewardship strategies are determined to reduce impacts on native plants and animals.
Strike Team Community Conference 2020
Webinar Series
Webinars take place on Wednesdays from 7-8pm using Zoom.
$5 per webinar
Register Here

Michael Van Clef, Ph.D. is the FoHVOS Stewardship Director and also serves as our Invasive Species Strike Team Program Director. He co-founded the Strike Team in 2008 with the goal of bringing greater efficiency and effectiveness to invasive species management. Mike has a Ph.D. in ecology from Rutgers University and over 25 years of experience in land stewardship, planning and research, working extensively in the evaluation and management of rare and invasive species and deer management. He has consulted with over 30 organizations in NJ including the NJ Invasive Species Council for which he prepared the New Jersey Strategic Management Plan for Invasive Species.
