Lots of Summer Events at Schiff Nature Preserve in Mendham

The June calendar at the Schiff Nature Preserve is jam packed this year. Below is a list of our June events but please visit http://schiffnaturepreserve.org for additional information and to register (registration is required).

June 2, 2017 (Friday) 9-10:30 pm Star gazing with the Morris Museum Astronomical Society

Bring a picnic blanket and a late night snack to enjoy a quiet summer evening with Schiff and Joe Molnar from the Morris Museum Astronomical Society for a night of star gazing! We will meet at the nature center and walk as a group to the great meadow for a tour of the summer sky and gazing through a telescope

June 3, 2017 (Saturday) 6:45 pm 8th Annual Environmental Film Festival

The 8th annual Environmental Film Festival will include two short films and one feature film as well as a question and answer period with the feature film director, Jared Flesher. Jared is an award-winning reporter, photojournalist, and documentary filmmaker. He has directed three documentary films that have screened at film festivals around the world: The Farmer and the Horse, Sourlands, and Field Biologist. Jared is also the director of the documentary web series The Creature Show.

The feature film, Field Biologist, is the story of 22-year-old Tyler Christensen, a talented but underemployed high school graduate from New Jersey still trying to figure out what to do with his life. Tyler's great love is being outside, chasing birds, and studying wildlife. One day he decides to drop everything and travel to Costa Rica to start doing his own conservation-oriented research on birds in the tropics. Tyler's adventure takes him from the cloud forests of Monteverde to the mangrove swamps of the Nicoya Peninsula, culminating in a plan to try to help save the highly endangered mangrove hummingbird. The film presents the major challenges facing biodiversity on Earth-climate change and habitat destruction chief among them-while also raising some fundamental questions: What makes someone a scientist? How important is a formal education? What risks are worth taking? What should you do with your life?

The two short independent films of the night are Brilliant Darkness and Trees. Brilliant Darkness; was directed and written by Emily V. Driscoll. This beautiful film explores the importance of darkness, and the erosion of it, through the study and preservation of firefly habitats in Japan and the U.S. The second film; Trees, is a comic animated warning about the devastating effects of clear cutting by director Randy Wakerlin.

The films will be shown in Schiff's Woodbadge Lodge, which is transformed into a woodland theater each year for this special event. Festival attendees may choose to walk from the Nature Center at 339 Pleasant Valley Road in Mendham along marked trails to the theater location, which is a gentle two-mile, or 20-minute, hike or take one of two complementary hay rides leaving from the Nature Center starting at 6 pm and again at 6:30pm. Starting at 6 pm filmgoers are invited to join us for light dinner fare, enjoyed al fresco on our picnic tables available for a (suggested) donation. Movie snacks & drinks will also be available at movie time. For those who might like additional conversation and community, coffee, and dessert will be enjoyed by the firepit at the conclusion of the evening.

This event has been generously sponsored by the following organizations and businesses; The Willow School of Gladstone, Mammoth Tree of Long Valley, Jockey Hollow Dentistry of Mendham, Mikula Web Solutions, Headquarters Financial Group of Morristown, Shoprite of Chester, Sunrise Milk of Clinton, Cheech's Own Coffee Company of Somerville, and Black River Roaster of Whitehouse.

Films are family friendly, but the content is geared for ages 12 and up. Tickets are $15 each, a family pack of four tickets for $50, and a student rate of $10. Space is limited and advance registration is required.
Contact: 973-543-6004

June 4, 2017 (Sunday) 9-11 am Yoga Hike
Join yoga instructor and Schiff naturalist, Lauren Theis for an easy hike and gentle yoga session, suitable for both beginners and experienced practitioners. We will begin with a meditation and centering session indoors, then bundle up to enjoy a beautiful hike through the landscapes of Schiff Nature Preserve, enjoying the detoxifying quality of being present in nature. Yogis should bring their own mat (or a blanket/towel if you don't have one). Member fee is $15. Non member fee is $20. Drop ins permitted.
Contact: 973-543-6004

June 8, 2017 (Thursday) 8:30-10 pm Moths: The Silent Majority
Join Schiff and Blaine Rothauser for a fun night discovering the beautiful and seldom appreciated world of moths! With over 2,000 species of moths in New Jersey, one can be kept pretty entertained during sleepless nights attracting, keying, and trying to get a peek into the secret lives of this silent majority! Join us in appreciating the beauty and splendor of Moths! Member fee is $20. Non member fee is $25. If online registration is closed and you would like to register by email, please contact lauren@schiffnaturepreserve so we know you're coming.

June 10, 2017 (Saturday) 10:30 am- 12 pm Hawks & Eagles & Falcons- Oh my!
Join us for an educational program focusing on diurnal (daytime) raptors brought to us by The Raptor Trust. Learn about the raptor's special adaptations and hunting abilities as well as a few success stories in the ongoing effort to conserve birds of prey. 25% of Raptor Trust books sales will benefit Schiff. Ages 1st grade and up. Seating is limited. Advance Registration is required. Members fee is $8. Non members fee is $12. If online registration is closed and you would like to register by email OR drop in and pay upon arrival, please contact lauren@schiffnaturepreserve so we know you're coming.

June 11, 2017 (Sunday) 8-10 am Sunday Morning Fitness Hike
Join us for a brisk 5- mile hike over varied terrain across Schiff nature Preserve. Hikers meet at McVickers Brook parking lot at 239 Pleasant Valley Road, Mendham. Vaccinated dogs on leashes are welcome. Free for Schiff members. Non- member pay $10 per person. Drop ins permitted.

June 11, 2017 (Sunday) 2-4 pm Gentle Hike for Adults
Come out and join our Schiff Naturalist as we explore Schiff's trails on this gentle 3 mile guided hike. Ages 18+. Free for members. Non members pay $10.00. Drop ins permitted.

June 12, 2017 (Monday) 10-11 amTree Time for Tykes: Frogs
Join Schiff naturalist at the Nature Center before entering the preserve on a hike. The forest and ponds are alive with the reawakening of the frogs and toads. Utilizing observation, songs, stories, and a craft; we will learn about these amphibians of our environment. Ages 2-4 with an adult. Members pay $10 per adult/child pair. Non members pay $15 per adult/child pair.

June 18, 2017 (Sunday) 10 - 12 pm Plen Aire with Lena Shiffman

Learn the basics of plein air in this beginner friendly workshop! Students will be guided through their work from beginning to end as they learn about creating thumbnail sketches, developing a strong composition, and various techniques to help refine their piece throughout the day. Beginners to intermediate painters welcome.Member fee is $35. Non member fee is $40. Pre-registration is required by June 15th.

June 24, 2017 (Saturday) 10- 12 pm Foraging Workshop & Walk with Author, Ellen Zachos
Jois us at the Nature Center for a lecture with Ellen Zachos; a garden writer and photographer, and lectures at flower shows, botanic gardens, and for garden clubs around the world. She is the author of seven books including Backyard Foraging: 65 Familiar Plants You Didn't Know You Could Eat and The Wildcrafted Cocktail. Ellen is a regular contributor to several of the Edible magazines, and a Senior Regional Advisor at Garden Compass, a plant identification app. She also works with RemyUSA, teaching foraging mixology workshops across the US for The Botanist Gin. A former Broadway performer (cast of Les Miz), Ellen is a Harvard graduate and earned multiple certificates in horticulture and ethnobotany at the New York Botanic Garden. She taught at the NYBG for many years, and also worked there as Coordinator of the Gardening Department in Continuing Ed, before moving to Santa Fe, NM in the summer of 2014. Ellen will share her expertise with us and then lead a hike on the preserve noting edible plants along the way. Ages 16+ please. Seating is limited. Advance Registration is required. Member fee is $25. Non member fee is $30.