FREE THINGS TO DO AT THE NATURE CENTER:

• Observation Deck and Tower offer a panoramic view of Cape May Harbor and the best viewing vantage point for spotting birds.

• Upstairs Lounge provides comfortable indoor observation of the harbor and a place to relax, play games with friends, or read alone.

• Aquaria Display with local marine life and natural history artifacts.

• Songbird Feeding Station with seasonal opportunities to view a variety of birds up-close.

• Monthly Exhibits in the Trucksess Welcome Center feature art and natural history displays.

• NJAS Nature Store offers the best in nature gifts, field guides, and children’s discovery items.

• Hands-on Activities for Children allow them to occupy their time while exploring nature.

• Children’s Garden full of fun sensory experiences.

• Wildlife Habitat Meadows feature a Monarch milkweed and wildflower garden, a songbird grassland meadow, and a nature trail and bridge crossing a meandering stream.

• Theme Gardens include butterfly, hummingbird, seaside, drought-tolerant, shade, and songbird specialties.

• Beachcomb the Harbor during low tide and search for shells and other interesting treasures.

• Educational Resource Center is open by appointment to peruse science and nature curriculum guides.

• Picnic Tables provide an enjoyable lunch overlooking scenic Cape May Harbor.

• Spectacular Sunsets and magical twilight; watch the changing colors of the sky from our waterfront.

---

PROGRAM REGISTRATION Most programs require preregistration, and payment must be received in order to guarantee a space. You may register by phone with a credit card. Programs require a minimum registration and we reserve the right to cancel programs. Refunds are available only if we cancel the event. Walk-ins are welcome on a space-available basis for all other programs. Call the nature center at (609) 898-8848 to preregister or to receive more information about our programs. Become a NJAS member to receive discounts in the gift shop and on many programs!

MOMMY AND ME
CHILDREN’S PROGAMS
Fridays, March 7, 14, 21, 28; April 4, 11, 18, 25; May 2, 9
10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
For ages 2 to 4 years old.
For curious naturalists-to-be and their parents, guardians, or grandparents. Each week we’ll focus on a different aspect of nature with stories, songs, crafts, activities, outdoor experiences, and lots of fun! We encourage children and parents to explore the natural world together. Adult participation is required. Preregistration is necessary.
Cost: $60 members, $80 nonmembers.

KIDS CAN! SERIES
For children ages 6 to 12

Hey, kids! Welcome back to our Kids Can! Series, monthly programs showcasing what Kids Can Do. We’ll hike, create, explore, experiment, make amazing crafts, and so much more. Adventure is waiting for us, so come on down! Join us for one month or the whole series. Parents are welcome to stay. See our monthly topics below.

Kids Can Investigate: Nature CSI
Saturday, March 15
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Calling all crime scene investigators! There’s a mystery to be solved at the Nature Center of Cape May. The Marsh Maniac has struck, and we’re on the case. Learn to identify mysterious substances, test for blood and fingerprints, and solve a nature mystery.
Cost: $10 members, $15 nonmembers.

Kids Can Grow: Crazy Container Gardens
Saturday, April 19
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Spring has sprung, and we’re ready to explore the outdoors. Ever grow a plant in a bag? How about an old boot? We’ll learn about plants, how they grow, and how to create our own crazy container gardens. Dress to get dirty. Children will leave with plants and a garden plan.
Cost: $10 members, $15 nonmembers.

SPRING CRAFTS OPEN HOUSE
Tuesday through Thursday
March 18, 19, 20
and March 25, 26, 27
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., ongoing
Spring has sprung, and the Nature Center of Cape May is opening its doors to you and your family. Come and explore the classrooms and experience the fantastic views from our observation tower. Our classrooms will be open with arts-and-crafts and games. These self-directed activities are fun for the whole family.
Cost: Free.

HOW TO IDENTIFY BIRDS:
AN APPROACH THAT WORKS!
Saturday, March 22
Meet at 1:00 p.m.
Sometimes baffled by birds? Learn what to look for on any bird and how to use a field guide to lead you to a bird’s name. Join CMBO director of birding Don Freiday for this informative and fun program.
Cost: members $8 adults, $5 children (ages 3 to 12); nonmembers $10 adults, $7 children (ages 3 to 12); children under 3 free.

BIRDING FROM THE NCCM DECK WITH DON FREIDAY
Saturday, March 22
Meet at 2:00 p.m.
Come see what’s floating in the harbor or passing overhead! The nature center’s second-story deck provides an ideal vantage point. Cape May Bird Observatory director of birding Don Freiday will provide the bird identifications and interpretation. Learn what makes Cape May birding so famous in a relaxed, fun setting. Bring your questions and binoculars if you have them, or borrow a pair of ours.
Cost: $5 per person (or free with paid registration for “How to Identify Birds” program).

THE NATURAL GARDEN:
A Landscape Design Workshop
Saturday, April 12
9:00 a.m. to noon
Plan and design your very own backyard wildlife refuge. Join our landscape design professionals during this practical workshop on how to create a backyard haven for our wildlife friends. This program will focus on design principles and how to put your ideas on paper. A discussion of the homeowner’s grant program called Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) will take place so that participants can learn how to apply. Participants will leave the day with a plan in hand and a tote bag full of valuable resources. Weather permitting, the workshop will also include tours of several gardens to observe various design elements.
Cost: $20 members, $30 nonmembers.

POSSUM AND THE PEEPERS
Saturday, April 12
6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
For ages 4 and up with an adult.
Come meet the Spring Peeper – a small tree frog that awakens the whole forest with its early spring singing. We’ll listen to a Spring Peepers story and then go adventuring into the marsh to listen and spot some of these tiny singers. Participants should wear waterproof boots and bring a flashlight. Call the nature center to register and get directions; meets at the Villas Wildlife Management Area.
Cost: members $8 adults, $5 children (ages 3 to 12); nonmembers $10 adults, $7 children (ages 3 to 12); children under 3 free.

EARTH DAY CLEANUP
Saturday, April 19
9:00 a.m. to noon
Learn about wildlife gardening and other basic maintenance chores while you assist nature center staff and volunteers in sprucing up the gardens for spring. We’ll plant, mulch, deadhead, weed, and prune throughout the grounds and along the harbor. Our Earth Day Cleanup is a great community service project for your civic organization or scout group. We ask that you bring along your own tools (our supply is limited). Preregistration is not required, however if you plan to bring a large group, we would appreciate a call ahead of time as refreshments will be offered.
Contact Gretchen at 609.898.8848 x1.
Cost: Free.

AWAKENING THE GARDEN:
Prepping the Garden for Spring
Saturday, April 26
9:00 a.m. to noon
Learn the tried and true techniques of pruning and dividing perennials, cutting back shrubs for optimum blooms, and creating spectacular foliage with master gardener and sanctuary director Gretchen Ferrante. Everyone goes home with a bucket full of perennials to start their own butterfly garden.
Cost: $20 members, $30 nonmembers.

TANKS UP! A SALT WATER AQUARIUM WORKSHOP
Saturday, April 26
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Having a summer salt water aquarium filled with fish and crabs from local habitats is a fun, interesting, and educational family hobby – and, despite what you may have heard, it’s REALLY simple. In the morning, we’ll go over the mechanics and maintenance routines as we set up a couple of the nature center’s display tanks. After lunch we’ll head down to the harbor to catch some cool coastal critters. Bring your own lunch, and dress to be outside. For more information, contact Sue at the nature center, 609.898.8848.
Cost: $10 per family, members;
      $15 per family, nonmembers.

BEAUTY ON THE WING:
GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES AND HUMMINGBIRDS
Wednesday, April 30
3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Attract Mother Nature’s flying jewels to your garden. This lecture and walk will aid you in your springtime garden planning, to maximize even the smallest garden space for the greatest impact.
Cost: $10 members, $15 nonmembers.

NCCM’S EIGHTH ANNUAL PLANT SALE
Order by April 30 for pickup May 10 through May 17
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Your gardens will be the buzz, tweet, and talk of the neighborhood when you get off to a good start with top-quality plants. We emphasize the use of New Jersey native plants, which benefit wildlife and have a strong ornamental appeal for the backyard landscape. Some nonnative (but noninvasive) perennials and annuals, which offer an added boost to butterfly gardens, will also be available. For an order form, call the nature center at 609.898.8848. Pickup will start on Saturday, May 10, and run through Saturday, May 17.

HARBOR SAFARIS
Saturdays, May 3 through June 14
(No Harbor Safari on May 17. See program, “Netting an Avian’s Cuisine”)
Meet at 10:30 a.m.
One of our most popular programs for all ages! Join our naturalists as they pull a seine net through the waters of Cape May Harbor. Encounter an incredible diversity of marine life in the teeming shallows, and learn about the fascinating lives of the animals that inhabit our coastal waters. Have an up-close experience with Horseshoe Crabs as we discuss their biology and anatomy. Learn why these “living fossils” are so mportant to migrating shorebirds and biodiversity. Walk-ins welcome – no preregistration necessary.
Cost: $10 adults, $5 children (ages 3-12), members; children under 3 free.

CAPE ISLAND ECOTOUR
Wednesdays,
May 7 through June 11
Meet at 10:15 a.m.
Hop aboard the trolley for a tour of Cape Island. Highlights include the history and natural treasures of this unique area. From your onboard naturalist, learn about the great ecological significance of each site and the local natural phenomena that make Cape May so popular. We’ll stop at the nature center for a short visit. Meet and board the trolley at Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts information booth, corner of Washington and Ocean Streets, in Cape May.
Cost: $10 adults, $5 children ages 3 to 12; children under 3 free.

PLANT SWAP
Saturday, May 10
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Now is the perfect time to thin out the perennial garden and share some of your garden success with others. Admission to the swap is one plant and a new or used garden tool. The new or used garden tool is your “shower gift” to help the nature center stock up on equipment to use in educational gardening programs. For your admission, you will be entitled to take one “swap plant” home with you. Bring additional plants to swap on a 1:1 ratio. Plants may be dropped off on Friday, May 11, and you will be given a credit voucher to use on your return on Saturday.
Admission: One plant and one new or used garden tool.

CAPE MAY SPRING WEEKEND OPEN HOUSE
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday May 16, 17, 18
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., ongoing
The Nature Center of Cape May is opening its doors to you and your family. Come and explore the classrooms and experience the fantastic views from our observation tower during the Spring Weekend open house. Check out the plant sale happening the same week and our Saturday program special below.

NETTING AN AVIAN’S CUISINE
1:30 p.m.
(AND) HORSESHOE CRAB LAB
2:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 17
Help our naturalists pull a seine net through the waters of Cape May Harbor to find out what coastal migratory birds are eating. Then get a close look at live Horseshoe Crabs and their eggs inside the science laboratory at the Nature Center of Cape May.
Cost: members $8 adults, $5 children (ages 3 to 12); nonmembers $10 adults, $7 children (ages 3 to 12); children under 3 free.

AQUA TRAILS NATURE TOURS
Beginning May 17
Daily tours at 11:00 a.m.
Join Aqua Trails Kayak Nature Tours for a two-hour, guided kayak eco-tour through Cape May Harbor and surrounding coastal wetlands. Naturalists will point out migratory birds, marine life, and explain the local ecology of the region. Tours depart at 11:00 a.m. daily from NCCM. Spaces are limited; reservations are strongly suggested.
Cost: $46 single, $80 double.

SNAKES OF NEW JERSEY
Saturday, May 24
Meet at 10:30 a.m.
Join Dave Schneider of Herpetological Associates, Inc. for this hands-on program about snakes. Discover the variety of snakes that inhabit our local habitats. Many snake populations have declined and are now threatened or endangered. Don’t miss this opportunity to see live snakes up close, and learn what we can do to help protect them. Preregistration is recommended.
Cost: $8 adults, $5 children ages 3 to 12 members; $10 adults, $7 children ages 3 to 12 nonmembers; children under 3 free.

POND PEEKERS*
Saturday, May 31
10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
(Ages 3 and up with an adult).
Let’s go peek at a pond and get a close-up view of some slimy, squiggly, swimmy critters. Dress to get wet! *We’ll meet at New Jersey Audubon Society’s CRE in Goshen. Call for reservations and directions.
Cost: members $8 adults, $5 children (ages 3 to 12); nonmembers $10 adults, $7 children (ages 3 to 12); children under 3 free.

CELEBRATE NATIONAL TRAILS DAY
Special Harbor Safari on June 7
Meet at 10:30 a.m.
Now in its sixteenth year, National Trails Day has grown to inspire nearly a million trail enthusiasts to flock to their favorite trails to discover, learn about, and celebrate trails while participating in educational exhibits, trail dedications, gear demonstrations, instructional workshops, and trail work projects. In addition to participating in our regular Harbor Safari program described on page 9, join our staff and volunteers in a community service project to clean up trash along Cape May Harbor beaches and nature trails. Refreshments will be provided.
Cost: $10 adults, $5 children ages 3 to 12, children under 3 free.

FAMILY FISHING TRIP*
Saturday, June 14
12:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Fishing is hands-on fun, and every kid should experience catching a fish. In partnership with the local fishing charter boat, the Fiesta, come aboard for a half-day fishing trip. Learn how to tie knots and cast your line. Maybe you’ll land the biggest catch! Preregistration is required by calling the nature center at 609.898.8848. *Boat leaves from the South Jersey Marina. Rain date: The following Saturday, June 24. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Cost: $35 per person.

HARBOR FEST 2008
A Celebration of Seafood and Song: The Sea, Its Culture and Its Ecology
Saturday, June 21
Join the Nature Center of Cape May and its community partners for the inaugural Harbor Fest, which will take place along Delaware Avenue, the harbor beaches, and the center’s grounds. Fresh seafood, live bluegrass music, and arts and crafts vendors will fill the street. Educational programs, a blessing of the fleet, a kayak and canoe regatta, and much more will fill your day. For more information contact the center at 609.898.8848.

NATURE’S YUCKY
Saturday, June 28
1:00 to 2:00 p.m.
For ages 4 and up with an adult.
Come explore the world of animals that do some really icky, stinky, and gross stuff that helps nature work! Who’s the garbage guy? Who throws up for their babies? Who can turn their stomachs inside out? We’ll search for these animals on our nature walk and then enjoy some scat cookies!
Cost: members $8 adults, $5 children (ages 3 to 12); nonmembers $10 adults, $7 children (ages 3 to 12); children under 3 free.

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES FOR TEENS
Junior Internships

The Junior Intern Program provides opportunities for junior and high school students to work as assistants during the eight-week Children’s Summer Programs at the center.

Junior interns receive training, program, and teaching materials, as well as guidance from the teacher-naturalists who mentor them. Daily assignments are flexible and take place each day between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. A mandatory training session is held every Friday from 10:00 a.m. to noon. The program also includes a community service project. This special project feature of the program provides opportunities for participants to share what they have learned and make a lasting contribution to NCCM.

Interested students should contact B.J. Webersinn, 4-H Agent, at Rutgers Cooperative Extension, 4 Moore Road, Cape May Court House, NJ, 08210, phone 609.465.5115 x 605, fax 609.465.5953, or e-mail: jesuncosky@aesop.rutgers.edu  for more information and an application.

ART CLASSES
Art classes for adults and seniors. Explore the arts of drawing, painting, printmaking, nature, poetry, dance, and movement in a creative learning environment. Classes offered by the Center for Community Arts (CCA) in partnership with the Nature Center of Cape May. For more information, contact CCA at 609.884.7525, and see the CCA Web site at www.centerforcommunityarts.org