Turtles, Snakes, and Eagles, Oh My!

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous." - Aristotle

Ever wanted to see just how big some of our local snakes are? Or see our national bird in its natural environment? Or learn about Native Americans who once lived in our area? There is so much to learn within the walls of the Monmouth County Park System's two environmental centers.

Huber Woods Environmental Center

25 Brown's Dock Road, Locust
(732) 872-2670
Hours: Weekdays from 10am-4pm; Weekends from 10am-5pm

Once the estate of Hans and Catherine Huber, the Huber Woods Environmental Center overlooks the beautiful hills and meadows of Huber Woods Park. It is a place for visitors to come and explore the wonders of nature through hands-on displays featuring plants and animals, programs offered throughout the year, and educational activities offered for schools and community groups.

The most unique display at the Huber Woods Environmental Center teaches visitors about the Native Americans that once lived in our area. Learn more about Native Americans through trying instruments, viewing recordings of dancing and singing, trying your hands at basket weaving, playing games, and discovering archaeology that has brought their past into our present.

Nature takes center stage with kids as they learn more about the environment at the Junior Naturalist Station. And the most popular exhibit at the Huber Woods Environmental Center? The reptile house where live turtles and snakes await our visitors to give them an up close and personal chance to experience these wonderful creatures.

Plus, don't miss out on a great opportunity to discover nature as a family. Borrow one of our Safari Backpacks for a day of discovery. Each backpack contains all you need to make your self-guided nature walk filled with adventure and exploration. Visitors can pick one of the following packs: Pre-K, Forest, Meadow, or Pond. Use of the backpacks are free, but a valid NJ drivers license must be left with the docent before heading out for adventure.

Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Center

331 Georgia Tavern Road, Howell
(732) 751-9453
Hours: 10am-4:30pm (open on Fridays until 8:30pm from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend)

One of our most popular locations, the Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Center is dedicated to teaching visitors about wetlands ecology and wildlife and habitat protection. Through interactive exhibits, multi-media presentations, educational activities for schools and community groups, and wildlife observation areas, visitors gain an understanding of the importance of water in our world.

Each exhibit in the Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Center shows the connect of water into our lives. One exhibit features fish found in the Reservoir right outside. Another traces the journey of a raindrop as it travels through the watershed to the Manasquan River and, eventually, to the ocean. Some exhibits reveal what is not readily visible, such as nocturnal animals that call the Reservoir home. And another compares the effects of a town with unmanaged growth to one that has chosen to protect the environment.

This location is also well-known for the chance to take a glimpse at the Reservoir's resident Bald Eagles. From a television set up in the hallway, visitors can view exactly what's happening in the nest right at that moment. You may even get a glimpse of newly hatched babies depending on the time of year (normally sometime toward the end of April or early May).

There's always something happening at the Manasquan Reservoir! Be sure to check out the many programs held at this location as well as frequent weekend drop-in programs that are great for families!

Fall Directory...Coming Soon to a Park Near You!

"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it." - Pablo Piccasso

The Monmouth County Park System offers more than 2,000 different programs each year and caters to a wide variety of interests. From arts & crafts to cooking, horticulture to nature, outdoor adventures to equestrian and more, there's always something for everyone! These programs can not only help our visitors refine skills they already have, but also help them discover a hobby that's all new to them that they'd never thought to try before.

This year's Fall Directory is jam packed with over 500 programs offered from September through December. It will be available in most of our county parks and on the website beginning this Friday, August 10. When you browse through, think of everything you see as a possible new experience. Consider learning something new...

Back to School Menu Ideas
When school begins many of our lives become hectic once again! This hands-on class features recipes that are easy to create and will please the whole family. 

Family Geocaching
Enjoy the parks in a whole new way as a family. Together you will use GPS devices that will direct you to hidden treasures around the parks. 

Fun with Horses
If your child (ages 2-9) has shown an interest in horses, don't miss out on this popular favorite! Children will explore the world of horses and horseback riding at Sunnyside Equestrian Center in Lincroft. 

Golf Instruction for Beginners
This is your perfect chance to learn the sport of golf. With classes directed toward children, parents with their children, juniors, adults, women, and couples, the whole family can get in on the game! The Park System even has clubs available if needed.

Naval Air Station Lakehurst Tour
Learn more about an important chapter in American history as we explore the Naval Air Station and the new Navy Lakehurst Information Center. Known as the site of the 1937 Hindenburg disaster, experience the rich airship history as we mark the 75th anniversary year of that fateful event. 

Precious Metal Clay Basics
Precious Metal Clay (PMC) is fine silver particles suspended in a clay bind; it is so easy to work with to create beautiful jewelry! Our instructor will teach the basics of this up and coming art.  

See the Forest for the Trees
Join a Park System Naturalist on a nature walk that will have you taking a closer look at your surroundings. Magnifying glasses, field guides, and journals will be your tools of discovery. 

Super Science
Parent and child (ages 4-6) work together to explore various science topics such as plants, magnets, buoyancy, and chemical reactions.  

Vegetable Gardening 101 - Fall
As the summer comes to a close, it's time to start working towards next year's vegetable gardening, and there's still plenty you can do with your existing one. This class covers fall planting, extending the growing season, and preparing a new or existing garden for next growing season. 

Young Chefs
Kids (ages 6-9) who enjoy helping out in the kitchen will love this new class! This four-week program will have children making a simple 3-course meal each week while learning about kitchen safety and healthy eating habits.

This is just a small sampling of the amazing programs the Park System has to offer this fall. There's always something to enjoy for everyone. So be sure to pick up your copy this weekend. Don't miss out, registration begins Wednesday, August 15 at 8am.

Get a Taste of Local History in the Parks

"If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday." - Pearl Buck

If you frequent the Monmouth County Park System parks you surely have enjoyed the trails, playgrounds, nature, and programs we have to offer. But did you know how much history lies within our parks? Take some time to learn about local history by visiting the following sites:

Bayshore Waterfront Park, Port Monmouth: Located along the Sandy Hook Bay, many visitors come to stroll the beach, enjoy the free Summer Seining, or fish off the pier. But this picturesque location is also home to the Bayshore Waterfront Park Activity Center (aka Seabrook-Wilson House), which is the oldest standing house in the region. The building dates back to the early 1700s. The Activity Center has limited hours, but is scheduled to be open to the public on August 4 & August 18 from 11am-5pm for visitors to view exhibits about the ecology of the Sandy Hook Bay, the history of the house, and the connection between the two of them.

Hartshorne Woods Park, Highlands & Locust: This 787-acre site is popular to hikers, bicyclists, and nature enthusiasts due to over 14 miles of trails. But did you know that a large section of the sites was a military installation in the 1940s? During WWII, batteries for heavy artillery were built on the site to modernize coastal defense efforts. These concrete and earth encasements or bunkers protected both personnel and equipment. These structures can still be viewed at the site today in the Rocky Point section (1402 Portland Road, Highlands).

Historic Longstreet Farm, Holmdel: The sights, sounds, and smells of rural Monmouth County in the 1890s were recreated on this 9 acre living history site. Interpreters dress in period clothing and show both daily and seasonal agricultural and domestic activities that would have been done on a local farm in the 19th century (i.e., milking the cows, plowing the fields, blacksmithing, and more). The site is open daily, year round, from 10am-4pm (during the summer hours are extended to 9am-5pm). Upcoming demonstrations include: 19th Century Woodworking Demonstration on Saturday, August 4 from 1-3pm; Penny Rug Demonstration on Sunday, August 12 from 1-3pm; and Harvest Home Festival on Sunday, September 30 from 11am-5pm.

Tatum Park, Middletown: Many visitors to this 366-acre park come for the trails or for programs at one of its two activity centers. But a visit to the Red Hill Activity Center located off of Red Hill Road offers a bit of local history. The Heath Wing was built in 1981 to honor Mary and Clinton Heath. In 1885, Clinton Heath, a freed slave from North Carolina, became the first black farmer to settle in Middletown. The Heath Wing features a permanent display of memorabilia from the county's early black community.

Thompson Park, Lincroft: Known for being the location for Park System Headquarters, this park was established with a donation of 215 acres from the estate of Geraldine Thompson. Once the home of "Brookdale Farm", the site was a premier thoroughbred racing horse breeding/training facility. Today, the park remembers Mrs. Thompson's belief that "children have to feel the ground beneath them and go out into the woods and see the trees and birds." The Thompson family residence, a grand colonial revival mansion, had been used as the Visitor Center until it was destroyed by a fire in 2006. The Visitor Center has since been rebuilt and allows visitors to learn more about Mrs. Thompson and Brookdale Farm in an exhibit on the first floor which is open to the public Monday-Friday from 8am-4:30pm and Saturday-Sunday, 10am-4pm.

Historic Walnford, Upper Freehold: This gorgeous park seems to be a hidden gem in the western most section of Monmouth County. Visitors can learn more about the Waln family and the evolution of Walnford over two centuries - from an 18th century industrial village and family farm to an elegant country estate. Take a leisurely stroll through the picturesque locale and view the large, elegant home built in 1774, the 19th century gristmill, and the farm buildings. The gristmill opens its doors on weekends April-November from 1-4pm as knowledgeable staff describe the workings of the mill. Weekend drop-in programs are also available; upcoming free programs include Ice Cream, Edible History on Sunday, August 5 from 3-4pm.

Don't miss out on all the Park System has to offer. There's something new to find each and every day!

Park System Trip Gives Rare Glimpse at Terracotta Warriors

This summer has become even more exciting with the Park System's August 11th trip to Discovery Times Square in New York City! What makes this trip different than those previous? This summer the museum has introduced the only East Coast exhibition of China's Terracotta Warriors. It is your chance to get up close and personal with an archaeological find that has been considered the Eighth Wonder of the Ancient World. The warriors are a national treasure for China and have been under excavation since their inadvertent discovery in 1974. If you are not familiar with the story, let's bring you up to speed:

It began as these things usually do, with simple folk going about the business of everyday life, eking out a living to support their families. Foremost in their minds was the need to find water to support their village, never did they imagine that the basic act of digging a well would reveal the archaeological find of the century.

The excavation started out as any other dig, but the magnitude and scope of the project quickly became apparent as scientists found that the site extended approximately 16,000 meters. Thus, in 1975, the State Council authorized the building of a museum at the site, which is divided into three pits, encompassing over 7,000 pottery warriors, horses and chariots!

The army was created during the reign of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who is famous for unifying China’s warring states, and for beginning construction of the Great Wall. The warriors were intended to guard his tomb and replicate his living army. It is estimated that it took over 700,000 people 37 years to complete all of the figures, which are life-sized and painstakingly, individually detailed, with no two exactly alike.

One of the dismaying aspects of the excavation was that the once bright paint that brought the warriors to life would flake off within hours of exposure to the air. It was not until recently that a team of German scientists created a substance to coat the warriors and preserve their unique colors. Apparently it was the lacquer layer underneath the paint that would dry up as the air hit it, taking the paint as well. It is now hoped that as the excavations continue, more the warriors will be preserved with their original colors.

The current exhibit at Discovery Times Square, in addition to several of the actual restored warriors, includes Han Dynasty Burial Chamber gates, cooking utensils, weapons, jewelry and ritual items in a collection of over 200 artifacts more than 2,000 years old. By this point we're sure we have aroused your curiosity about these amazing artifacts, and want to know all about when to go and how to get there. The Park System wants to make it easy for you to see this amazing exhibit! On Saturday, August 11, we will be leaving Thompson Park by bus and heading to New York City for the day. Fees include timed admission ticket, round trip transportation, and Park System leader. There will be free time for you to enjoy the city and have lunch on your own. Register now!

Staff Contributor: Ann Sage, Cultural Services Division

Note: The Park System has a wide variety of trips scheduled every year! Check out the Fall Directory (to be released on August 10) for trips that will include: Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum; The Best of the Bronx; Total Amish Experience; Grounds for Sculpture; Brooklyn Bridge Walking Tour; Montreal, Quebec & Vermont Overnight and so much more!

Experience the Outdoors with Family & Friends

There's something about relaxing around a campfire telling stories with family and friends that makes daily stresses and troubles melt away, if at least for a while. Camping with family increases a sense of togetherness and allows for a time without modern distractions. So leave the television and video games behind (and even the handheld devices) and go camping!

Get out in the woods while staying close to home at the Turkey Swamp Park Family Campgrounds in Freehold, New Jersey. The campgrounds, open from April 1 through November 15, offer facilities for both tent camping and travel trailers. Of the 64 sites, 52 are available by reservation and 12 are available on a first come, first serve basis. Looking for great campground amenities to make your trip rustic yet still comfortable one? We've got 'em:

• Wooded campsites
• Electrical service
• Water service
• Drinking water
• Modern restroom with hot showers and laundry machines
• Dump station
• Fire rings for charcoal cooking and campfires
• Picnic tables
• Children's playground
• Pay phones
• Vending machines
• Quiet hours from 10pm-7am

But Turkey Swamp Park offers more than just campsites. While there, make sure to enjoy all the park has to offer:

• A lake where you can fish for bass, catfish, and bluegills. (Visitors must have a NJ fishing license - not required for those under 16.)
• Rentals of canoes, rowboats, kayaks, and paddleboats.
• Nine miles of multiple use trails great for hikers, bicyclists, and equestrians.
• Plenty of open space to fly a kite or toss a ball around.

For those who don't have a tent or trailer, the campground also two comfortable cabins (one ADA accessible). The cabins feature a double bed, two sets of bunk beds, lights and electrical outlets. Outside each cabin is a water spigot and picnic area with a fire pit.

There's nothing stopping you but yourself! Reserve your site today by calling (732) 462-7286 (after 11am daily) or by filling out the Reservation Request Form.