(MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ) -- The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders has announced programs for high school students and adults as part of its winter offerings at the Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside. Topics include a guided nature walk, Lenape Native Americans and the International Space Station.
"These diverse programs are sure to inspire us to appreciate the natural world and make us more mindful of our environment,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce Bergen.
Join a Trailside naturalist on Saturday, February 27 from 10:00 to 11:30 am for a guided hike along one of the bucolic trails in the Watchung Reservation. Participants will learn to identify some of the winter trees, observe signs of animal activity and the ways in which animals adapt to winter. There will be an opportunity to stop off at a sugar maple tree tapped to collect sap to make syrup. Please dress appropriately for winter weather. The fee is $10 for Union County residents and $12 for out of county residents.
John Kraft, Director of Lenape Lifeways, Inc. and archeologist and educator offers a multi-dimensional presentation on the 12,000 year old history of the Native peoples on Saturday, March 19 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. This program focuses on the formation of the Lenape culture, including later European contact and Native displacement. Kraft examines legends, customs and traditions as well as the daily life and economy of the Lenape. Participants will have an opportunity to handle authentic and re-created artifacts such as masks, clothing, musical instruments and tools. This free program is made possible in part by funding from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.
On Saturday, March 26, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm NASA Solar System Ambassador Paul Cirillo offers a window into the experience of working on an International Space Station. Internet resources will be demonstrated to show how everyone can see the space station pass overhead from their backyards. This program is free, but donations are welcomed.
For more information about this workshop, or other activities at Trailside, please call 908-789-3670 or visit www.ucnj.org/trailside, and register on-line. Trailside Nature and Science Center is located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside and is a facility of the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation.
