Celebrate Earth Day at Essex County Environmental Center

Celebrate Earth Day at Essex County Environment Center

Earth Day lasts all month long at The Essex County Environment Center. The center has scheduled an entire month of Earth Day activities and classes. EarthDay.org is advocating for education to “increase awareness and build environmental and climate literacy in students.” Families and children can take part in the classes that run from 4-5 pm, Monday to Friday.

Week of April 5 – Budding artists can create Eco Art and make recycled paper Week of April 12 – Young naturalists can produce a nature journal and engage in Citizen Science projects Week of April 19 – Learn all about the ecology of a frog pond up close Week of April 26 – Go on a nature walk and forage for wild edible plants Week of May 3 – Discover trees and leaves during an Arbor Day Exploration

Classes are limited to 10. All programs are held outside. Participants must wear masks and observe social distancing. There is an admission fee and registration is required. Schedule a class by calling the center at 973-228-8776.

Passaic River Canoe Trip

Enjoy the Passaic from a different perspective. Adults and children 10 and up (accompanied by an adult) can take a paddle on the river. Paddling safety and technique are taught and all equipment is provided. Canoes take the Essex Park Water Trail. Guides will share Native American lore and tell the story of the river. The canoe trips depend on weather and river conditions. Fees and advanced registration is required. To reserve call 973-228-8776.

Leave a Legacy in Anderson Park

Friends of Anderson Park offer a way to create a living legacy for a friend or a loved one. You can have a tree planted in the popular Upper Montclair Park as a memorial or to celebrate a wedding, anniversary or graduation. The cost for planting a tree ranges from $250 to $450, depending on the tree size and species. It includes a certificate commemorating the planting. To discuss planting a Legacy Tree, e-mail Scott Kevelson at: kevelson@ friendsofandersonpark.com.

Brookdale Park Pollinator Garden

There is butterfly rest stop and restaurant thriving in Brookdale Park. Jean Greely designed the Brookdale Park Pollinator garden in 2018 as part of a Rutgers Environmental Stewards project. It was designed to be a waystation for migrating Monarch Butterflies as well as other butterflies, moths, bees and pollinating insects. An overgrown patch was cleared with the help of The Brookdale Park Conservancy and the Rutgers Master Gardeners. They found milkweed growing wild which is the favorite food of Monarchs. Native plants and shrubs were added to attract more butterflies and pollinators.

The garden is located South of the Playground by the overlook. It continues to expand and develop with the Brookdale Conservancy raising funds and providing volunteers. Peek bloom time runs from mid June to early October. If you’re going to visit the garden, don’t forget to stop and see Brookdale’s Rose Garden which features 1,500 rose bushes that showcases more than 100 different varieties of roses. They’ll be blooming about the same time. Find out more about Brookdale Park and these gardens at: brookdalepark.org

Cherry Blossom Run at Branch Brook Park

The 2021 Cherry Blossom 10k will be run virtually. The race takes place between April 3 and April 18. Using a rungo app you can follow the traditional route through the blooming cherry blossoms of Branch Brook Park or you can devise your own route. You get two weeks to finish. Then you submit your times and race results. All runners get a medal and t-shirt. Register by April 2 https:// runsignup.com/Race/NJ/Belleville/ EssexCountyVirtualCherryBlossom10K

Get Your Earth Day Kit at Morgan Farm

Morgan Farm in Cedar Grove is an organic farm, farm stand and museum. Their farm stand is open on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm from May through October. New for 2021 are Native American Plant Kits and Earth Day Kits that you can buy online for pickup starting on April 24. For Earth Day you can choose between Sunflower, Herb and Milkweed kits. The Native American plants available include butterfly and hummingbird favorites and deer resistant plants. Morgan Farms is known for their local honey that is available for contactless delivery year round. To order online visit: www.morgansfarm.org

NEEC Celebrates Earth Day from Crane Park

The Northeast Earth Coalition will kickoff Earth Day at 10am on April 22 via Zoom and on April 24 at 10am at Crane Park in Montclair. The NEEC works at the community level to protect the environment and promote local sustainability and food security. From April 18-24, they will be sharing videos of projects people are carrying out to protect and restore the earth. Submit a short video (under 5 minutes) of a project you or your community group is working on that relates to wildlife habitat, local food production, energy conservation, reducing waste, renewable energy or other actions aimed at preserving and restoring the environment. NEEC is locally based but interested in videos from all over. Videos should be submitted by April 14. Please send your submission as an email attachment to info@neearth.org. For more information on NEEC visit: neearth.org