CAPE MAY — Nature Center of Cape May is located at 1600 Delaware Avenue, Cape May, NJ. Hours of operation are Mon. through Sat. from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sun. from 11:00 a.m.to 4:00 p.m. The Center is open other times for special programs. Free admission and parking!
2015 Spring Programs run from March through May.
Free things to do at the Nature Center of Cape May include:
• Observation Deck and Three-Story Tower
• The Lounge and Indoor Observation Area
• Live Animal Exhibits
• Seasonal Aquaria
• Nature Store
• Children’s Play Area
• StoryWalk™ Through Wildlife Habitat Meadows
• Theme Gardens
• Beachcombing the Harbor
• Picnic Tables
• Spectacular Sunsets
• Self-Guided Center Area Scavenger Hunt
• Self-Guided Cape May Bike Scavenger Hunt
Family Programs:
Interpretive Nature Walk Series, Peeping Peepers, First Signs of Spring – a Free program
Sat., March 21st Noon to 1:00 p.m.
Join Naturalist Sam Wilson for a family friendly nature walk focusing on seasonal changes and discovering the adaptations made by plants and animal throughout the year. Meet at the Lower Township Library, 2600 Bayshore Road in Villas, NJ
Upcycle Art Show Reception – An Earth Day Celebration
Wed. April 22 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Stop in for a lovely springtime evening on the harbor and visit our Harborside Art Gallery. Projects created by our Upcycle Craft Workshop participants will be on display. Other local artists’ work will also be exhibited and for sale. All profits from the sale will be dedicated to our summer youth camp supply fund.
Earth Day and Marine Debris Clean-Up
Sat., April 25
9:00 a.m. to Noon
Learn about wildlife gardening and other basic maintenance chores while you assist Nature Center staff and volunteers in sprucing up the gardens for spring. We’ll plant, mulch, deadhead, weed, and prune throughout the Center’s grounds and along the harbor. This date coincides with Clean Ocean Action’s annual Beach Sweeps. Join us at the Nature Center to help clean our ocean and harbor beaches here in Cape May. Our Earth Day Clean-Up is a great community service project for your civic organization or scout group. We ask that you bring along your own tools (our supply is limited). Preregistration is not required; however, if you plan to bring a large group, we would appreciate a call ahead of time.
Contact Gretchen Whitman at 609.898.8848 x-1.
Cost: Free! Refreshments will be offered.
Upper Township Library Programs:
Interpretive Nature Walk Series Out of the Upper Township Library:
Sat., March 21 – Peeping Peepers: First Signs of Spring
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Sat., April 18 – Underworld Ecology: Secretive Amphibians
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Sat. June 20 – Pond Life: Water Lilies and Damselflies
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Join Naturalist, Sam Wilson, for a family friendly nature walk focusing on seasonal changes and discovering adaptations made by plants and animals throughout the year. Meet at the Upper Township Library 2050 Tuckahoe Road Petersburg, NJ.
Cost: free
Lower Township Library Programs:
Interpretive Nature Walk Series Out of the Lower Township Library:
Sat., March 21 – Peeping Peepers: First Signs of Spring
12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
Sat., April 18 – Underworld Ecology: Secretive Amphibians
12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
Sat. June 20 – Pond Life: Water Lilies and Damselflies
12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
Join Naturalist, Sam Wilson, for a family friendly nature walk focusing on seasonal changes and discovering adaptations made by plants and animals throughout the year. Meet at the Lower Township Library 2600 Bayshore Rd, Villas, NJ
Cost: free
Free Family Fun:
Storywalk™
Daily During Business Hours
Take a trail walk through our meadow at the Nature Center stopping along the way to read a short story for kids. The Storywalk is unique in its design and is intended to encourage kids to get outside in nature while promoting literacy. The story theme changes seasonally.
Cost: Free
Eco-Friendly Bicycle Scavanger Hunt **New Bicycle Route This Year**
It’s an adventure! Explore our town while having some family fun along the way. Pick up the scavenger hunt ID card at the Nature Center and then follow a designated path around town hunting for the letters in signs that make up the words BIKE CAPE MAY. Take pictures of the signs along the way. Bring your own bikes or rent them in town. Special family gift packages to all who complete the challenge successfully.
Cost: Free
Girl Scout Badge Programs:
Pets Badge:
Brownies
Date: 2/7/15
Learn how to take care of different kinds of animals. We will learn the proper handling of reptiles and amphibians, and responsible care for man’s (and girl’s!) best friends. We will have a visit from a veterinarian; an expert on pet health and care. She will talk about taking care of your pet and when it’s time to take your pet for a check up! We will visit with horses and learn how to care for them. We’ll end our day at the Bay Spring Alpaca Farm learning about these interesting animals and how to care for them.
Outdoor Survival Badge:
Juniors or Seniors
Date: 3/14/15
Learn the five basic needs in survival and the skills necessary apply them in the outdoors. We will learn techniques in shelter building and we will construct one in the woods. We will learn different techniques on how to build a fire without matches and how to maintain it. Collecting and purifying water will also be taught. Advanced skills and primitive survival may also be demonstrated. On a field trip we will learn about useful plants and animals that could be utilized in a survival situation.
Hiker Badge:
Brownies
Date: 4/4/15
Work toward your Hiker’s badge at the Nature Center of Cape May as we hike through the coastal dunes and inland swamps at two Wildlife Management Areas. Guided by a naturalist we will discover unique habitats and the plants and animals that make south jersey special. We will discuss hiking safety, make a checklist for hiking supplies, and develop important skills like map and compass reading. We will go out and practice our skills and use our tools in the field!
Pack a backpack for lunch and a water bottle (preferably reusable!), dress for the weather, and wear sturdy footwear.
Gardeners Badge:
Juniors
Date: 5/9/15
(Bring a bagged lunch for a lunch break mid-day)
Earn your gardener badge through a full day of getting your hands dirty playing with posies and digging into garden design! Join Center Director and expert gardener Gretchen Whitman during Garden Day at the Nature Center of Cape May. We will start the day with visits to nearby public and private gardens then return to explore the Nature Center’s own display beds. After a little time of putting pen to paper designing your own dream garden we will venture outdoors to get our hands dirty and plant the Center container demonstration garden, butterfly garden and help create a new mini-roof top garden on a pollinator hotel.
Since this badge workshop corresponds with the Center’s fundraiser plant sale and plant swap, scouts will have the opportunity to offer community service hours by assisting the Nature Center’s volunteers with these events. The scouts and their families are encouraged to participate in the swap by bringing plants with them.
Spring Weekend:
Thurs., May 14th to Mon., May 18th
9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Stop by the Nature Center of Cape May’s Trucksess Welcome Center and browse our nature store. Enjoy the sights from the second-story deck and three-story observation tower overlooking Cape May Harbor. Bird from our deck, explore our classrooms and grounds, and meander through our gardens and meadow. Or, sit and relax while enjoying some free, light refreshments. Say “hello” to us at Convention Hall at our table featuring kid-friendly nature exploration.
Youth Birding:
New Jersey Young Birders Club (NJYBC)
Check out New Jersey’s first state-wide club for young birders. Members are invited to go on monthly trips to birding hotspots around the state with expert naturalists from New Jersey Audubon. It’s a great way to get outside and explore and meeting up with other kids interested in birds and nature. The club also hosts special events where members can participate in unique opportunities like bird banding with NJ Audubon’s shorebird research team, the World Series of Birding, and Cape MAYgration and Fall Weekend events. For more information on upcoming trips and to join the club (it’s free!) go online to http://njyoungbirders.weebly.com or contact Sam Wilson at sam.wilson@njaudubon.org.
Upcoming NJYBC trips:
Barnegat Light State Park
Sun., February 15th at 10:00a.m.
Hackensack Meadowlands
Sat., March 21st at 9:00a.m.
Great Swamp WMA
Sat., April 25th at 8:00a.m.
Garrett Mountain
Sat., May 23rd at 8:00a.m.
Old Mine Road
Sat., May 31th at 8:45a.m.
Go online to http://njyoungbirders.weebly.com or contact Sam Wilson at sam.wilson@njaudubon.org for more information or to register for a trip.
World Series of Birding:
Sat., May 9
The World Series of Birding will be held Sat., May 9, 2015. This event has changed the birding landscape and has raised over $9,000,000 for bird conservation. Every species found and every dollar raised preserves and protects critical bird habitats. Last year’s event raised almost $700,000 for the teams’ various conservation causes throughout the world. Be sure to make Cape May Harbor one of your stops with your WSB team. Call 609.884.2736 for more information.
Youth Birding Team – The Nature Center of Cape May will field a youth birding team for the World Series with the New Jersey Young Birders club. Last year the Young Yellowhammers team came up with 127 species seen in one day in Cape May County. With the first year under their belt the Yellowhammers plan on coming back next year to compete with the top teams!
If you would like to contribute or sponsor our young birders team please contact Sam Wilson at the Nature Center of Cape May at 609-898-8848 or email sam.wilson@njaudubon.org
Dennisville – As a parent of a Tech student it would be great if the school would update their staff directory. So many old staff still listed and no new teachers listed. What gives?
