11 Hardscrabble Road
PO Box 693
Bernardsville, NJ 07924
(908) 766-5787
E-mail: scherman-hoffman@njaudubon.org

HOURS: Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, noon to 5:00 p.m. / Closed Mondays

CLOSURES: Closed on Friday, July 4, for Independence Day.

Scherman-Hoffman Information Page

EVERY DAY AT SCHERMAN-HOFFMAN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

Office is open Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5:00 p.m. Trails are open seven days, dawn to 5:00 p.m. (park in the Scherman Lot if visiting Mondays or before 9:00 a.m. other days).
VISIT the Hoffman Center for Conservation and Environmental Education.
SHOP our nature store. We are the area’s best source for binoculars, spotting scopes, bird seed, feeders, field guides, natural history books, and nature gifts.
WATCH our state-of-the-art feeding station.
HIKE our three miles of trails that meander through forest and fields and along the headwaters of the Passaic River. The sanctuary is contiguous to Morristown National Historic Park and the Cross Estate.
LEARN from our educational materials, exhibits, and expert naturalists. In addition to the programs and field trips listed below, we offer group programs and tours for schools, scouts, clubs, and other organizations by reservation at least 2 weeks ahead. We also offer a wide variety of lectures and slide programs for club meetings and special events. Please call for more information and the fee schedule for these programs.

Program Registration Information: Program registration information: Checks should be made payable to NJAS and sent to P.O. Box 693, Bernardsville, NJ 07924, or brought to the Hoffman Nature Center during open hours. Indicate which program(s) you are registering for, and please be sure to include your name, address, and phone number in case we need to contact you. It is also possible to register by phoning us during office hours; please have your credit card ready. Prepaid registration ensures a place and is required for all trips. Walk-ins are possible for in-house programs at the Hoffman Nature Center if not full. No refunds except in case of cancellation by us. No cancellation for bad weather unless specifically stated.

Tips and rules for all field trips: We target the best sites for natural history at this season and invite birders and naturalists at all levels. Trips go in any weather. See the individual trip descriptions for hoped-for highlights. Preregistration is required so that we can notify participants of last-minute changes in time or meeting place. Trips begin at the site promptly at the specified time and normally travel by car caravan to other nearby locations.

For directions Click Here, or directions can be mailed on request. Bring lunch, water, binoculars, sunscreen, extra layers of clothes, and wear shoes that can get a little muddy. Leaders will have scopes; feel free to bring your own. Focused children accompanied by an adult are invited.

Click Here for more tips on how to prepare for and enjoy field trips.

Whether you register for programs by mail or phone, please be sure to provide the following information: Your name, address, phone, and e-mail; dates and titles of program(s) you are registering for; name and phone of an emergency contact; and whether you will get instructions from the Web site or will need them mailed.

FREE NATURE WALKS AT
SCHERMAN-HOFFMAN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
Every Friday and Saturday
8:00 to 9:00 a.m.
Meet at the Hoffman Center. Normally led by Michael Pollock on Fridays and Mike Anderson on Saturdays, these walks are just plain fun and informative: birds, trees, tracks, and more. Leisurely walks on wide, well-maintained trails are a great way to introduce friends and family to NJAS – bring a friend!
Cost: Free.

SPARTA MOUNTAIN FOR BREEDING BIRDS
(AND A FEW WILDFLOWERS)
Saturday, June 14
7:00 a.m. to noon
This is an excellent location to see breeding passerine birds and several species of raptors. Join Mike Anderson for an early morning visit to this NJAS sanctuary in the Highlands.
Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers.

GREAT SWAMP NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Saturday, June 21
7:00 a.m. to noon
Always a favorite destination, the swamp should provide good looks at local breeding birds and a few reptiles and amphibians.
Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers.

FERNS OF NORTH JERSEY
Sunday, June 22
8:30 a.m. to midafternoon
Led by Rick Radis. Past trips have seen over thirty-five species of ferns and allies, including all the common species of the region plus a number of scarce, rare, endangered, and hard-to-find ones. Trip will meet at a very diverse site located off Route 206 north of Andover, in Sussex County, and carpool from there. Plant lists and other materials will be provided, and birds, herps, wildflowers, and geology are also on the itinerary. Directions will be sent upon registration.
Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers.

BIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES ON CANAL ROAD IN SUSSEX COUNTY
Saturday, June 28
9:00 a.m. to midafternoon
Led by NJAS associate naturalist Ken Witkowski. Always a good trip, and Canal Road is the best location to see Baltimore Checkerspot.
Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers.

BUTTERFLIES AND DRAGONFLIES:
WILLOWWOOD ARBORETUM AND FAIRVIEW FARM
Sunday, July 13
10:00 a.m. to noon
Join NJAS associate naturalist Patrick Belardo for a leisurely walk around these two quiet, beautiful, preserved sites.
Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers.

OLD MINE ROAD,
DELAWARE WATER GAP NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
Sunday, July 13
8:00 a.m. to early afternoon
This is a good trip to see breeding birds in a variety of habitats along the Delaware, the only un-dammed main-stem river in the lower forty-eight states. Led by NJAS associate naturalist Denis Briede.
Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers.

HACKENSACK MEADOWLANDS
Saturday, August 9
9:00 a.m. to early afternoon
Led by NJAS associate naturalist Bruce McWhorter, this trip is for breeding birds and early migrants.
Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers.

GARRET MOUNTAIN
Saturday, August 23
8:00 a.m. to early afternoon
Bruce McWhorter will lead this trip to the famous migrant trap in search of early migrants. Bruce has spent a lot of time at Garret and knows it extremely well.
Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers.

HYPER HUMUS: Sussex County
Sunday August 31
8:00 a.m. to mid-afternoon
Hyper Humus is a recent addition to the state wildlife management areas. If it’s been a dry season and mud flats are exposed, this is an excellent site for shorebirds in late August. The trip will be led by Jim Zamos, who lives next door and has been birding this site for over fifty years.
Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers.

ECO-AGRITOURISM FIELD TRIPS
A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN NJAS
AND THE FOODSHED ALLIANCE

FARMLAND AND RIDGELINE WILDLIFE
Saturday, June 7, at DanaRay Farm, Frankford, Sussex County
8:00 a.m. to noon
Led by John Parke
DanaRay Farm offers an opportunity to experience the state’s rural natural heritage, with great chances to see native wildlife in a farm setting. Located at the base of the Kittatinny Ridge in Sussex County, the biodynamic farm will be our meeting point for a leisurely half-mile hike – along a relatively flat ridgeline on the world-famous Appalachian Trail – to the Sunrise Mountain overlook (restrooms are available at the overlook). No strollers, please. The area offers excellent woodland bird habitat and opportunities to view Wild Turkey, Ruffed Grouse, and a host of warblers and other Neotropical migrants, not to mention numerous raptors, including Bald Eagle. This area provides panoramic views of rural N.J. and is also home to Black Bear, Red Fox, Bobcat, Porcupine, and various reptiles and amphibians. Bring your camera! The farm will have farm-fresh eggs for sale and its locally famous soaps, handcrafted on site from the milk of Alpine dairy goats.
For more information about the DanaRay Farm, see http://www.danarayfarm.com.
Preregistration is required. Limited parking available.
NOTE: There are no public restrooms at the farm.
Cost: Free.

Half-Day Wildlife Watching Field Trip
Saturday, June 14, at Bobolink Dairy and Bakeyard, Vernon, Sussex County
8:00 a.m. to noon
Led by John Parke
This 200-plus-acre farm in scenic Sussex County has some of the best grassland bird habitat in this section of the Highlands, and offers opportunities to view numerous species, including, of course, Bobolink! The farm’s mix of woodland, pastures, fields, and streams also offers opportunities to see Black Bear, Eastern Coyote, Red and Gray Fox, and various reptiles and amphibians. Bobolink Dairy and Bakeyard will have for sale hand-made breads baked in a wood-fired brick oven, eggs from free-range chickens, and their famous artisanal cheeses, made from the raw milk of their grass-fed dairy herd. For more information on Bobolink Dairy and Bakeyard see: http://www.cowsoutside.com/.
Parking is limited, so you must preregister with NJAS. Limit 15.
Cost: Free.

PROGRAMS AT THE SANCTUARY

HABITAT RESTORATION WORKSHOP
Saturday, June 7
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
This workshop, aimed at homeowners and others with small properties, will address the identification of common invasive plants of central New Jersey, the reasons why their control is important, the techniques for removal and long-term control, and some of the native plants that can be used in their place to begin the restoration process. The workshop will be presented by Michael Pollock, who has been responsible for restoration activities at Scherman-Hoffman for the past three years. The morning session will be a combination of lecture and plant identification. Bring a lunch. After lunch we will move outdoors for a practical, in-the-field training program. Participants completing this training and committing a minimum of five additional hours of volunteer effort at Scherman-Hoffman will receive reimbursement for their program fee in the form of a coupon for a future program at any NJAS center.
Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers.

BUTTERFLIES OF SCHERMAN-HOFFMAN
Saturday, July 5
1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
July Fourth is the time of year when butterfly enthusiasts throughout the country inventory butterflies, much like birders do during the Christmas Bird Counts. Join N.J. Audubon naturalists for a couple of hours of intensive butterfly searching on our own sanctuary. Data collected will be combined with other information collected by the North American Butterfly Association as part of the Great Swamp Butterfly Count. Beginners (including kids) are encouraged to participate as we wander the meadows and forests of the sanctuary in search of some of nature’s most beautiful insects. Cost: free.

INSECTS OF THE NIGHT
Friday, August 1
8:00 to p.m.
Join us on the darkest Friday night of August for a visit with nocturnal flying insects, including a host of moths. We will begin this evening program by visiting the Passaic River and collecting and identifying aquatic insect larvae. Then we will return to the lights and try to find the adults of as many of the same insects as we can. We will also experiment with several types of “bait” to attract these insects of the night. We may even find glowing fungus! With Michael Pollock.
Cost: $5 members, $10 maximum member family; $8 nonmembers,
$15 maximum nonmember family.

FREE PROGRAMS IN FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP

These two programs are part of a major grassland restoration project sponsored by New Jersey Audubon’s Conservation Department and Franklin Township, Somerset County. Both programs are free and no preregistration is required! More information on the Franklin Township project and the other walks is available on our Web site by Clicking Here.

BUTTERFLIES AT THE NEGRI-NEPOTE NATIVE GRASSLAND PRESERVE
Saturday, July 19
9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
This 164-acre property preserved by Franklin Township in Somerset County is part of the Middlebush Greenway and includes over 100 acres of grassland meadow. Meet at the parking lot located at 260 Skillmans Lane. With Michael Pollock.

BUTTERFLIES AT THE GRIGGSTOWN NATIVE GRASSLAND PRESERVE
Saturday, July 19
Noon to 2:00 p.m.
Visit another 100 acres of meadows in Franklin Township. The preserve, recently planted in native grasses and containing abundant milkweed, should provide one of the best Monarch viewing sites in the area, with many other butterflies present in abundance. These grasslands are part of the Ten Mile Run Greenway. Meet at the parking lot located up the hill from the driveway entrance, located at 1091 Canal Road – just west of the Griggstown Causeway. With Michael Pollock.

2008 SUMMER CAMPS:
DAY AND OVERNIGHT DAY CAMPS

MOURNING CLOAKS
(Same as Pewees, but different stories)
For children age four or entering kindergarten.
June 23 to 27
9:00 a.m. to noon
This camp builds on imagination fostered by award-winning nature stories. Activities and crafts create a connection to the environment. Limit: 14.
Cost: $120 members, $170 nonmembers.

PEWEES
(Same as Mourning Cloaks, but different stories)
For children age four or entering kindergarten.
June 23 to 27 
1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
This camp builds on imagination fos-tered by award-winning nature stories. Activities and crafts create a connection to the environment. Limit: 14.
Cost: $120 members, $170 nonmembers.

MONARCHS
(same as Hummingbirds, different stories)
For children entering grades 1 and 2.
July 7 to 11 
9:00 a.m. to noon
This session follows the storytelling format of the Pewees/Mourning Cloaks and focuses more on individual discovery. Limit: 14.
Cost: $120 members, $170 nonmembers.

HUMMINGBIRDS
(This is the afternoon session of the Monarchs)
For children entering grades 1 and 2.
July 7 to 11 
1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
This session follows the storytelling format of the Peewees and focuses more on individual discovery. Limit: 14.
Cost: $120 members, $170 nonmembers.

OVENBIRDS
For children entering grades 3 and 4.
July 28 to August 1
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Daily rambles to explore field, forest and river to cultivate the a sense of wonder through group discovery. Featuring activities to make learning fun. Limit: 14.
Cost: $170 members, $200 nonmembers.

KINGFISHERS
For young naturalists entering grades 5 and 6.
July 21 to 25 
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Kingfishers will explore and discover, with a little more emphasis on classification and identification. Morning hikes will be in the forest. Afternoon hikes are along the Passaic River. Limit: 12.
Cost: $170 members, $200 nonmembers.

SANCTUARY STEWARDS
For middle school students with more than a casual interest in natural history.
July 14 to 18 
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Daily hikes will monitor the reptile and amphibian populations here on the sanctuary and survey the flora and fauna inside the fenced deer exclosure. Heavy emphasis will be on field identification, field ecology, and quantifying the presence, absence, and distribution of plants and animals here at the sanctuary. (There will be an optional evening session for nocturnal species.) Limit: 12.
Cost: $160 members, $190 nonmembers.

OVERNIGHT CAMPS
ISLAND EXPLORERS: I and II
For young people entering grades 6, 7 and 8.
Session I: Monday to Friday, June 23 to 27
2:00 p.m. 
Session II: Sunday to Thursday, June 29 to July 3
2:00 p.m.
Explore the natural history of a barrier island on the Jersey shore. This week-long residential camp will take place at Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center, located within New Jersey’s first Marine Conservation Zone, in Barnegat Bay. Marine ecology, coastal birding, kayaking, meals, lodging, and memories to last a lifetime provided. Click Here for pictures from previous years. Limit: 12.
Cost: $625 members, $655 nonmembers.

RIDGE WALKERS
For young people entering grades 6, 7 and 8.
Sunday to Friday, July 13 to 18
We’ll stay in cabins at the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Mohican Outdoor Center, located in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, on the Appalachian Trail on top of Kittatinny Ridge. Itinerary includes: dawn bird walks, picking blueberries for breakfast, and daily trips to destinations in the Ridge and Valley Province; stream hikes; wetlands; ridgetop lakes; Delaware River floodplain; waterfalls; and canoeing and kayaking on Catfish Pond. The program also includes programs by N.J. Fish and Wildlife, the N.J. Forest Fire Service, and the National Park Service.
Meals, lodging, van transportation, and memories to last a lifetime.
Cost: $625 members, $655 nonmembers.

Members receive discounts on program fees. If you are not a member and would like to become one, consider Joining New Jersey Audubon Society.