This Week in the New Jersey Skylands

April 15 - 22

Frelinghuysen Arboretum. Photo by Alan Hartmann

Tax Free Fun

The monsoons have receded and you’ve cleared your desk of all tax-related matters. You’re ready for Spring! Time to dig your self back into Mother Earth. And what finer place to dig than the New Jersey’s Great Northwest Skylands? Take advantage of a calendar budding with intriguing things for you and your family to enjoy. Or pick and click any of dozens of day trips and tours suggested on this map.

The Raritan South Branch runs through Ken Lockwood Gorge near Califon.

Follow A River!

In April come streams, "ripe and full with rain" as the song says, from the highlands to valleys carved long ago. Rivers weave the fabric of Northwest New Jersey rising from their ignoble origins as dribbles and ditchlings to river valleys marked by 8,000 years of human endeavor from the initial Lenne Lenape habitation, through the days of pre-Colonial settlement, to the heady times of the Morris Canal and the great railroads.

Following a river's path is not an easy thing, since access is often blocked by private property or obscured by a maze of highways. You may see things--scenes of industrial misuse or incomprehensible litter--that make you want to cry. But each river tells a story of the people who have lived, worked, played, or traveled along or between its banks. And each guarantees a stretch that will astonish and seduce with superb scenery, gentle pathways, and abundant wildlife.

The Wallkill River shares with great rivers like the Nile and the Rhine the peculiarity of northward flow through Sussex County towards the Hudson in New York. It is the nine mile stretch of wetlands north of Hamburg that has given rise to the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge.

The Rockaway winds through 40 miles of wooded valleys, residential properties and major town centers from Sparta Moutain through the Berkshire Valley, Dover, Denvlle and the spectacular Boonton gorge. It meets the Whippany River in the Meadows of Parsippany and continues to the Passaic.

Along the Black River

The Black-Lamington roars through the hemlock groves of Hacklebarney State Park, heading for its eventual terminus at the Raritan. The Raritan South Branch resembles an arm embracing northwest New Jersey as it runs southwest from Budd Lake through communities it has nourished for hundreds of years, valleys dripping with serenity, and wooded vistas perfumed with the fragrance of a mountain stream. The reservoirs at Spruce Run and Round Valley near Clinton mark the river's "elbow" as it turns to head southeast to the Piedmont, tranquilized, but no less beautiful as it approaches Raritan Bay.

Flanked by the river valleys of the Musconetcong, and Paulinskill, and bisected by the Pequest, Warren County offers a progression from rugged terrain to the north and west to the gentle farmland of the east and south as these magnificent tributaries flow toward the Delaware, where there is adventure on both sides of the river, from Milford to Phillipsburg/ Easton, then on to Columbia/Portland, and further up towards the Water Gap.

Grab your GPS, your Canon, maybe hitch your Raleigh or Old Town to the car top, and get started!

Dan Campanelli's painting depicts Pittstown from years past. This scene is familiar to those who frequent County Route 513 where it meets CR 579.

Rural Awareness

When Dan and Marty Campanelli found a home in Quakertown in 2005, they began to research the house's journey through time from the mid 1700s. Their research spawned an alliance with a local organization dedicated to preserving the rural character of Franklin Township, Hunterdon County, and a new book from Arcadia Publishing documenting the township's rich history. Learn more about the book and about the fascinating roles Quakertown and Pittstown took in the American Revolution. You can meet the authors and get an autographed copy at the Hunterdon County Library (Route 12, Flemington) on Saturday, April 17, 2-3 pm. Details here....

Once they're in their breeding finery, the American goldfinch becomes the NJ state bird we all know. Although they spend the year with us, many people don't recognize them in their winter drabs. Photo by Donna Traylor

Bird Call

The pursuit of birds in view appeals to lots of people for lots of reasons. Beyond the activity's obvious natural allure, "chasing" birds keeps watchers physically fit. Learning and identifying hundreds of species on the fly challenges the intellect and intensifies awareness. And for photographers and illustrators, there is no better subject. The concentration of ridges, valleys and wetlands in our area holds a fortune of interaction with the avian experience any time of year, but especially in spring.

Subscribe!

Northwest New Jersey and destinations just beyond those borders, in Pennsylvania and New York, are equally intriguing and convenient offer colorful ways to get out and enjoy the pleasures of the season. Keep an eye on our calendar for great things to do all the time! And we've got a bundle of stories to help you on your way.

If you like what you read and don't subscribe, you can get a copy of our spring publication here. If you've received free copies for a while, and you'd like to continue, please consider a paid subscription. Or you can pick up a copy at any one of these distribution points.

If you prefer to read this email in your web browser, please click here.