Registration Is Still Open For Annual Pinelands Plant Course

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ - Love the Pine Barrens, but don't have a clue about the names of the plants that grow there?

Here's your chance to find out.

The New Jersey Conservation Foundation and the Pinelands Preservation Alliance invite you to sign up for their annual 10-week course "The Special Pinelands Plants Course - Fundamentals,” which will begin on Thursday, May 31.

The course includes 10 evening classroom workshops at the Pinelands Preservation Alliance headquarters at 17 Pemberton Road in Southampton. There will be nine weekend field trips to the Franklin Parker Preserve in Chatsworth.

Learn about the hundreds of plant species found in the Pine Barrens region, including iconic plants like Pine Barrens gentians, bog asphodels and swamp pinks, as well as wild orchids and carnivorous plants.

The course will be taught by Russell Juelg, senior land steward and Pine Barrens educator for New Jersey Conservation Foundation.The course is geared toward beginners, although seasoned field botanists may enjoy the tour of plant families and the intriguing variety of flower morphology.

The course fee is $150, payable in advance. Registration is limited to 30 students. High school and college students with a valid ID are eligible for a 50 percent discount, at $75 per person.

To register online, go to www.njconservation.org/2018PinelandsPlants-Fundamentals.htm. For more information or assistance in registering, contact Bill Lynch at 908-997-0725 or blynch@njconservation.org.

The classroom portion of the course will be held every Thursday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., from May 31 through Aug. 2, at the Pinelands Preservation Alliance headquarters.

Two texts are required for the course: The Illustrated Book of Wildflowers and Shrubs by William Carey Grimm (1993), and Guide to Flowering Plant Families by Wendy B. Zomlefer (1994). Students will also need a 10X lens, known as a pocket loupe.

The Pinelands plant course is part of New Jersey Conservation’s “Step Into Nature” series of walks, talks and outdoor events.

Logo: courtesy of Pinelands Preservation Alliance.