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April 13 - 20
Happy Returns!
You’re ready to submit your tax return to the government and clear your desk of all suspicious matters (correct?) Do not let Spring depreciate further; time to dig yourself back into Mother Earth! And what finer place to dig than the New Jersey’s Great Northwest Skylands? Take advantage of a calendar budding with intriguing things for you and your family to enjoy. Or use the
Outdoor Directory for links to all sorts of hikes and outdoor fun!
High Liquidity
Monksville Reservoir. Photo by Dan Balough.
Drive an expertly crafted tour route, passing deep forests, meadows, historic hamlets, and the steep ridges and narrow valleys that characterize the northern Highlands on this Saturday’s (April 15) Spring Car Trek, sponsored by The New Jersey Highlands Coalition (NJHC). This year’s theme is Reservoirs of the Highlands, highlighting the source of clean drinking water for more than 6.2 million New Jersey residents, including the Splitrock, Monksville and Wanaque Reservoirs, among others. Meet at the Reservoir Tavern in Boonton at 10 am to receive your tour packet and turn-by-turn directions, before setting out in your personal vehicles to drive the 57-mile route to West Milford. Tickets are $35 per car, which covers the required 2-person per vehicle minimum—driver and navigator. There is a suggested donation of $10 for each additional passenger. Full details and online registration are available here.
Avian Audit
The whitethroated sparrow is often identified by its song mnemonic "old sam peabody". As summer progresses it becomes scarce locally as it makes its way north to breed.
The pursuit of birds in view
appeals to lots of people for lots of reasons.
Beyond the activity's obvious natural allure, "chasing" birds
keeps watchers physically fit. Learning and identifying
hundreds of species on the fly challenges the
intellect and intensifies awareness. And for
photographers and illustrators, there is no better
subject. The concentration of ridges, valleys
and wetlands in our area holds a fortune of interaction
with the avian experience any time of year,
but
especially in spring...
Hidden Assets
Photo by Dan Bacon
Should you traverse any stretch of woods this spring, or even your backyard, alert eyes are usually rewarded. Bobcats thrive in habitats that merge open lands and forests in the most remote areas of northern New Jersey. Protected under the New Jersey Endangered Species Act, bobcats have settled in large areas of contiguous forest where they were introduced more than forty years ago. But fragmentation, caused by development and traffic, tend to constrain the local populations. Keep your eyes open and you might get lucky!
Net Income
Lewis Shad Fishery in Lambertville. The Bi-State Shad Fishing Contest runs April 20-23, and the annual
Lambertville Shad Festival takes place on April 22-23.
The abundance of shad in spring reminds us again how fortunate we are to have in our midst the largest free flowing river in the East, one that has eagerly responded to conservation and clean up efforts. A restless army of shad enters the
Delaware River proper in smaller divisions; schools clustered densely at the center of the run with advance brigades in front, followed by platoons hanging back at the rear. Their mission is simply to swim, females following males to nesting locations along a journey that, for some, can continue for more than three hundred miles.
These strong
salty soldiers offer some of the best battles on the river, especially
on light tackle. Even devoted hunters of the celebrated trout have been
known to yield to the hearty pursuit of shad during the first months
of spring!
Capital Gains
Tap our calendar for the best events for you and your family, or check our current stories.
Pick from a multitude of daytrip itineraries and watch out for our virtual efforts to keep you informed.
For the more aerobically inclined, the Outdoor Map shows the way to go, or
choose among dozens of natural attractions or outdoor activities suggested on our website. Choose your own adventure!
Northwest New Jersey and destinations just beyond those borders, in Pennsylvania and New York, offer brilliant ways to get out and enjoy the pleasures of the season.
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