For APRIL and Early May
I. 9th Voices for the Abbott Marshlands Juried Photography Show,
Fri, Sat. 10-4 and by appointment 609 888 3218
II. Report: Trash pick up – March 23
III. Programs (N.B. additions re History Weekend: Point Breeze walk; RR location)
II. Trash pick up
Friends thank AmeriCorps Ambassador Sara Sayed for organizing a very successful trash Abbott Marshlands clean up on March 23rd. There were 86 volunteers, including three scout troops, students fro five high schools, and members of the nearby community. Totals included more than 100 bags of trash, ten tires, and assorted other materials. An effort was made to tally collections of plastics, glass, and other materials to support Allison MacCarthy’s Clean Ocean Action program. Coffee and donuts were a welcome treat on a cold morning.
III. Programs.
Story Time: TNC – Friday, Apr 5, May 3, 10:30 a.m. First Friday Storytime. Free. Gather with your little ones while our educators share a story worthy of the Abbott Marshlands, followed by a craft or activity. We’ve chosen the best stories of wildlife and history to enjoy inside or outside if the weather is nice! Donations welcome and benefit the Friends for the Abbott Marshlands. Tulpehaking Nature Center, 609-888-3218, 157 Westcott Avenue, Hamilton NJ 08610.
Watson Woods Walking Club. TNC – Wednesdays, 10-11:30. Meet at the Tulpehaking Nature Center. 157 Westcott Ave., Hamilton, 08610. Info: 609 888 3218. Enjoy an easy mile-long walk with as we explore beautiful Spring Lake or other trails of Roebling Park each week. Coffee and refreshments will follow each outing.
April 6. 1st Sat. Walk. Bordentown Bluffs – Signs of Spring. 10 am-noon. Meet: Bordentown Bluffs, from Rt. 206 south of I-195: just past Pointe Breeze Apts., turn right onto Stanton Ave. (street sign is missing), park at end near gate. Guide: Mary Leck. Info: 732-821-8310. Directions map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1-k6A1xoQ8cLOMUEL0KI7XTCTtZzNkNDu&ll=40.1712854%2C-74.69135310000001&z=13. Cosponsors: RWJ – Hamilton, Friends for the Abbott Marshlands, D&R Canal St. Pk., Bordentown City Environmental Comm. Drizzle will not cancel. Cancellations – announced on www.abbottmarshlands.org calendar by 9 am Apr. 6.
TNC. April 27 (Saturday). Pollinators and Pollination Strategies, 1-4 p.m. Mercer Co. Master gargeners. Program: Mary Anne Borge, talk followed by a walk. Tulpehaking Nature Center, 157 Westcott Ave., Hamilton, NJ 08610. Registration is required. Many plants depend on the assistance of a third party, usually an animal, to help them successfully achieve pollination. How do plants entice visitors to their flowers and manipulate them to carry pollen to another plant of the same species? We’ll learn about some of the many potential pollinators of native plants, including bees, flies, wasps, beetles, and birds, and the strategies plants have evolved to achieve successful pollination by taking advantage of these flower visitors. Co-sponsored by the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Mercer Count, Mercer County Park Commission, and Friends for the Abbott Marshlands. Registration required by noon Apr 25: programs@mgofmc.org.
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HISTORY WEEKEND AT THE ABBOTT MARSHLANDS
Saturday April 27 & Sunday 28, 2019
Saturday April 27
Bird Walk at Spring Lake, in conjunction with the Washington Crossing Audubon Society. 8 – 11 a.m. Before the bird walk, Charlie Leck will provide some historical comments about the importance of Audubon and CC Abbott to natural history and about the significance of the Abbott Marshlands to birds today. The short talk will be followed by a walk to find early spring migrants and resident birds. Leaders: Brad Merritt, Andrew Bobe, John Maret and Mary (for plants) and Charlie Leck. Bring binoculars if you have them. Meet at Spring Lake – Roebling Park, Hamilton, NJ, 08610. Take South Broad St. to Sewell Ave., at traffic light turn onto Sewell Ave.; at the end of Sewell, turn left and drive down hill to parking lot. No registration needed. Free of charge.
Sorry: BOTH A.M. AND P.M. SESSIONS FILLED: Let’s go to the White City Amusement Park with historian Jim Colello, Jr. Historian Jim Colello Jr., native of Hamilton, NJ, has written about this abandoned Park, dubbed “The Coney Island of New Jersey,” and will talk about its fascinating history and point out sites of the old park that can be viewed from the balcony of this historic home.
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ADDED (Apr. 7)
Saturday, April 27, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon Follow Joseph Bonaparte’s footsteps along the Bordentown Bluffs. Learn about the exiled King of Spain’s Bordentown home from archeologist Dr. Richard Veit. Peter Tucci will share historic maps & artifacts from his world-class Bonaparte collection. Meet at Divine Word Missionary, 101 Park St., Bordentown. (This is an addition to previous History Weekend listings (as of 3/7/19)).
Program is free, but please RSVP to RSVP@drgreenway.org<mailto:RSVP@drgreenway.org> ; see also https://drgreenway.org/events/trails-to-table-bordentown-bluffs-and-marcellos/
This program is a part of D&R Greenway’s 30th Anniversary Trails to Table, a series of walks followed by lunches at restaurants that support D&R Greenway’s mission. After the Program, ENJOY A MEAL IN BORDENTOWN at Marcello’s Italian Restaurant. 206 Farnsworth Ave. Dine on Saturday, April 27 anytime between noon and closing. Say “Bonaparte” when you order and 10% of your bill will be donated to D&R Greenway.
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Watson House Tour. 1 – 4 p.m. 151 Westcott Avenue, Hamilton, NJ 08610. View this historic house with Daughters of the American Revolution guides. Built in 1708, Watson House is the oldest house in Mercer County. Group tours run for 30 minutes; final tour begins at 3:30 p.m.
No registration needed. Free of charge; donations appreciated
Sunday April 28
Explore Tracks of the Camden & Amboy Railroad with retired geologist Pierre Lacombe1-3 p.m. Sunday April 28 2019
Meet: Acme parking lot, 4400 South Street, Trenton/ Yardville. If coming from, Tulpehaking Nature Center and West Park Ave., turn right onto S. Broad St. At the Whitehorse Circle, continue toward Yardville. At the junction with the interstate, stay right toward Yardville on South Broad. Immediately past the rail line, turn into the Acme parking lot and stay to the left. (If you go past Rt 130, you’ve gone too far).
The first section of the Camden & Amboy Railroad (C&A RR) was built through the hamlet of Bordentown and across Crosswicks Creek during 1831. Hear the fascinating story of its construction, and explore the stone sleepers, stone bridge abutments, Crosswicks Creek crib wharf, and railroad right-of-way from retired geologist Pierre Lacombe. He will explain construction methods and the source for the stones essential to the work.
The C&A RR was the first trans-state railroad in America, and the first to use the inverted T-rail, now used worldwide. Wear sturdy walking shoes; part of the walk will be adjacent to the rail line. About 30 stone sleepers can be seen close to the Acme parking lot. The main part of the walk to the C&A RR causeways, crib wharf, stone sleepers, and railroad trestle abutments for crossing Crosswicks Creek wetlands will be ~ 1 mile.
No registration needed. Free of charge. Donations appreciated.For info: 732-821-8310
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Watson House Tour. 1 – 4 p.m. 151 Westcott Avenue, Hamilton, NJ 08610. View this historic house with Daughters of the American Revolution guides. Built in 1708, Watson House is the oldest house in Mercer County. Group tours run for 30 minutes; final tour begins at 3:30 p.m. No registration needed. Free of charge; donations appreciated
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May – American Wetlands Month
Explore the Abbott Marshlands with a guide or walk the trails on your own! Trail maps are available for Roebling Park, Northern Community Park, the Bordentown Bluffs, and the D&R Canal State Park Tow Path Trail; see www.abbottmarshlands.org (Trails & Directions).
Wetland types include: tidal freshwater marsh (this type can be seen, e.g., from the Watson Woods picnic area of Roebling Park); ponds (Spring Lake at Roebling Park; Northern Community Park); marsh / swamp (parts of Roebling Park, Northern Community Park); and tidal rivers (e.g., Crosswicks Creek from the Bordentown Bluffs; Delaware River from the Bordentown Beach or I-295 scenic overlook; Duck Creek from the D&R Canal Tow Path Trail).
May 4. 1st Sat. Walk. Northern Community Park – Spring Wildflowers. 10 am – noon. Meet at Northern Community Park parking lot – Groveville Rd. Bordentown Twp between Rt. 206 and Rt. 130. Guide: Pat Coleman. Directions map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1-k6A1xoQ8cLOMUEL0KI7XTCTtZzNkNDu&ll=40.1712854%2C-74.69135310000001&z=13. Cosponsors: RWJ – Hamilton, Friends for the Abbott Marshlands, Bordentown Twp. Environmental Comm. Drizzle will not cancel. Cancellations – announced on www.abbottmarshlands.org calendar by 9 am May 4.
May 5 (Sun.), Health Walk at the Abbott Marshlands. 1:30-3 p.m. Meet at the Tulpehaking Nature Center, 157 Westcott Ave., Hamilton. FREE Spring into health by getting outside to enjoy a casual walk along the trails of the Abbott Marshlands. Provided as part of the NJ Dept. of Health’s Minority and Multicultural Health Month. All are welcome to participate. Co-sponsors: New Covenant United Methodist Church, Tulpehaking Nature Center, and Friends for the Abbott Marshlands. Leader: Charlie Fisher. Contact/ information: 609 888 3218.
JAN
