"Bug’s-Eye View” - A Macro Photography Workshop with Wil and Donna Hershberger

Common virtuoso katydid

photo by Wil Hershberger

Saturday, August 8th, 7:00-11:00 am

On Sat. August 8, 2009 from 7 to 11 am, Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands (FPNL) is sponsoring a four-hour macro photography workshop by noted naturalist and photographer Wil Hershberger, focusing on insects and other natural subjects. A “classroom” session exploring equipment, shooting techniques, and ways of handling small, difficult subjects at close range will be followed by an outdoor photography session.

The workshop will start at the Education Building, D&R Canal State Park Headquarters, 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston. The cost of the four-hour session is $20 for FPNL members, $25 for non-members. In addition to cameras, tripods are desirable.

Preregistration is required; the workshop is limited to 15 participants, and it is almost full. To reserve, please call 609-514-2416 to make sure that there is still space, and then send name and contact information with payment to: FPNL, PO Box 113, Kingston NJ 08528-0113.

Wil Hershberger - workshop presenter

Wil Hershberger first learned photography in his dad’s basement darkroom, and honed his skills after becoming an accomplished and well-respected birder. He is best known for his high quality recordings of insect and bird song (to date he has archived nearly 2,000 recordings at Cornell’s Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds). This collection, in concert with recordings in a friend’s library, was the genesis of an audio CD guide to the “Songs and Calls of the Crickets and Katydids of the Mid-Atlantic States.”

As a result of the popularity of this CD, Wil was approached to be co-author of a book/CD project to be called, “The Songs of Insects.” Using film, and then digital cameras, he has shot thousands of insect photos through the macro lens, and his photography has become an extension of his passion for the natural world. He has an innate ability to capture the natural world in an artistic way.

A few years ago, Wil and his wife Donna formed Nature Images and Sounds, LLC. Together, they photograph everything from birds to bugs, participate in art shows and teach photography workshops. Through their photography and sound recordings, they hope to instill in others the desire to protect and save these sacred natural treasures.
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Please visit http://www.musicofnature.com/

for more information about insect songs, song samples, nature recording and photography, Wil and Donna Hershberger, Lang Elliott, and the Society for the Appreciation of Insect Songs.

Event - Woodcock Watch:

Saturday March 10, 5:30 pm

Join NJ Audubon volunteer (and Kingston resident) Arlene Oley and the park naturalist, Stephanie Fox, as they lead a dusk walk into the Mapleton Preserve in Kingston to search out the sites and sounds of the Woodcock. This unique looking bird provides a fanciful flight and sound display that will delight all that attend. Depending on the weather, the group should also hear the chirps and peeps of frogs and toads from the surrounding area. The program will begin at 5:30 pm. Participants are asked to meet at the D & R Canal Kingston Office located at 145 Mapleton Road (.2 miles from Rt. 27/Main Street). Pre-registration IS REQUIRED. Weather permitting. Register for this program at http://www.dandrcanal.com/programs.html
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Event - Story of the D & R Canal:

Saturday March 10th at 1:30

Come join the D & R Canal State Park's historian for a PowerPoint presentation focusing on the history of the canal. Both historic and modern photographs will be included to illuminate the waterway's past and present life.

This hour-long adult afternoon program will begin at 1:30 pm and be held in the park’s new education building located at 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston. Come join us and learn about the old canal’s past through photographs. Here’s your chance to ask all those questions you may have about the waterway’s history. Registration is NOT required and admission is FREE!
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Two Events - "How to 'Lost-Proof' your Family" and "Tracking and Animal Signs"

Saturday March 17 th
10-12 am (How to "Lost-Proof) Your Family) and 1-3 am (Tracking and Animal Signs)

Join Rick Berry and volunteers from Children of the Earth Foundation (COTEF) for these two programs, sponsored by Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands. COTEF, founded by world-renowned animal tracker Tom Brown, teaches wilderness survival, nature awareness, tracking, and outdoor environmental education to children ages 7-17 (and their families). The first program [How to "Lost-Proof" your family] strives to instill potentially life-saving knowledge of how to keep from getting lost, and what you can do if you are ever lost in the woods.

The second program [Tracking and animal signs] builds awareness of the natural world, by focusing on animal tracks and signs in the landscape. The basics of tracking will be presented and we will look for signs of the critters that inhabit the Mapleton Preserve - their tracks, trails and scat.

Pre-registration for these programs is necessary as the instructor to student ratio will be high. Call 609-683-0483 for more information and a registration form (or download below). Cost is $5/program ($3/program for FPNL members). The programs, suitable for both adults and families (kids age 7 and up) will be held rain or shine, and are still in the planning stage - check our website http://www.fpnl.org/for up to the minute details.
Download the registration form here.

Meet at the D&R Canal State Park Headquarters, 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston. MAP

Event - The Great Backyard Bird Count

February 17th, 10:00 am

Come and take part in a continental effort in better understanding our avian friends. The D & R Canal State Park staff will show you how to identify some of the more common winter birds in our area and you can make a bird feeder to take home. And, after participating in our program you will be ready to take part in the 2007 Great Backyard Bird Count! This program is appropriate for all ages and is a fun activity that the whole family can join in on. Participants are asked to meet at the D & R Canal State Park Headquarters located at 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston. Start time is at 10:00 am. Pre-registration is requested (609-924-5707). MAP

Event - Winter Trees and Winter Wildflowers: Mapleton Preserve

Saturday, February 17 th 1:00 - 3:00 PM

Learn to read the winter landscape at Mapleton Preserve, Saturday, February 17 th , 1:00 - 3:00 p.m., at the D & R Canal State Park's Headquarters (145 Mapleton Road, Kingston). Volunteer Naturalists from Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve (New Hope, Pennsylvania) will join Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands in an indoor/outdoor program demonstrating the excitement of nature in winter. Mary Anne Borge and Edward Lignowski, Ph.D., will present "Trees and Wildflowers in Winter", beginning with an indoor slide presentation in Mapleton Preserve's restored Headquarters building. Edward Lignowski, who has a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology, will give the presentation, focusing on the survival strategy of "Trees in Winter", and the characteristics of trees that can be used to identify them, even without their leaves. Karen Linder, President of Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands, reports that "Winter is the best time to appreciate and learn the characteristics of deciduous trees. The Nursery fields possess spectacular winter beauty." MORE
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Photo by:Rajie Cook

Event - Beginners Birding - Winter Birds

February 11th, 9:00 a.m.

The fields and tree rows of Princeton Nurseries Kingston site are home to many species of birds. Join the Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands president Karen Linder at 9:00 a.m. for a bird walk through the Mapleton Preserve. This walk is designed for beginners, but seasoned birders are welcome to join us. The walk starts at the D & R Canal State Park Headquarters, 145 Mapleton Road, for this Sunday morning event. Those who have binoculars and/or bird books are encouraged to bring them along. Keys to successful bird identification will be highlighted. Call 609-683-0483 for more information. MAP

Event - History and Nature Walk to Kingston Lock

February 10th, 10:00 am

Enjoy a leisurely 2-mile round-trip walk with the D & R's Historian and Naturalist from Mapleton Preserve to the canal towpath and the Kingston Lock-tender’s House (and back). Participants will meet at the D&R Canal State Park’s Headquarters, 145 Mapleton Road, at 10:00 am, weather permitting. Walk through a portion of Princeton Nurseries’ former property as part of this outing. Upon return to the office attendees can warm up with a cup of hot chocolate! Come enjoy a winter morning outdoors and learn a bit about the natural and historic resources of the D & R Canal State Park! Pre-registration is requested (609-924-5707). MAP

Event - Kid's Groundhog Day Celebration

January 27th, 10:00 am

Let's make some guesses with D & R Canal State Park Naturalist Stephanie Fox on what Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog, has to say about this winter season. Children will learn about hibernation, migration and other techniques animals use to survive the winter weather while we make a Groundhog Day craft for everyone to take home. Appropriate for ages 4 and up. The hour long program will be held at the D & R Canal State Park Headquarters in Kingston and begin at 10:00 am, weather permitting. Space will be limited and pre-registration is requested – call early (609-924-5707) to reserve your spot! MAP