Fascinating Free Programs at the EEC

The Somerset County Park Commission Environmental Education Center (EEC) Naturalists have planned three fascinating and free programs during February at the facility located at 190 Lord Stirling Road in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.

A session of the Family Program Series on Thursday, February 11, 2016 from 2:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M., Romance and Flowers for Your Valentine, will feature Shauna Moore, Somerset County Park Rosarian, who will demonstrate ideas for floral arrangements using roses and other extravagant blooms to create romantic compositions that are easily re-created at home. She will share some brief history on the symbolism of the flowers as they relate to the Victorian culture where flowers were the language of love. The program is free with pre-registration required online at www.somersetcountyparks.org or by calling the EEC at 908-766-2489.

The newest EEC exhibit, Mammalia, will be open daily, 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., from Saturday, February 13, 2016 through Sunday, March 13, 2016 (except President’s Day). After the extinction of dinosaurs around 65 million years ago, mammals diversified to fill the many vacated niches in a wide range of habitats. Mammals have been a common theme in mythology and folk tales and children’s literature across cultures for centuries. The exhibit, by the AP Studio Art students at Ridge High School presents drawings, paintings, and puppet characters. Admission is free

Maple Sugaring, a tradition in the Northeast that began centuries ago with the Native Americans and colonists will be brought to life on weekends from Saturday, February 20, 2016 through Sunday, March 13, 2016. Saturdays at10:00 A.M., 12:00 Noon, and 2:00 P.M. and Sundays at 12:00 Noon and 2:00 P.M., visitors will see how trees are tapped, view sap-collecting methods past and present, and see the boiling process that produces delicious New Jersey maple syrup. The 90-minute program is conducted at the Sugar Shack, a ½-mile hike from the EEC. The program is free with a suggested donation of $1.00. Information is available online at www.somersetcountyparks.org or by calling the EEC at 908-766-2489.

Information on these and all Park Commission programs and activities is available at www.somersetcountyparks.org or by calling 908-722-1200.