Mercer County Naturalist News -- June 2023

157 Westcott Avenue

Hamilton, NJ 08610

Hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

During the course of the year, they were introduced to the various steps necessary to create a conceptual park plan and to new concepts such as watersheds, stormwater management, green infrastructure, native plants, park design and public meetings.

They had the opportunity to visit the park site to perform a site analysis and learn about stormwater management. The end result was that students created a slide presentation highlighting their conceptual design and green infrastructure choice, which included rain gardens, roof gardens, rain barrels, and more. This project challenged students to create environmentally friendly designs while managing storm water with green infrastructure, and to consider the impact their design has on neighbors and wildlife.

Aiming to build stronger partnerships with some of the local community groups, the Tulpehaking Nature Center partnered with ArtWorks Trenton to create a curriculum that blended nature with the arts. Twenty-one students from local afterschool programs (Artworks, Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County and Catholic Youth Organization) met twice weekly for five weeks where they explored various parks throughout Mercer County and learned about invasive vs. native species, habitats, conservation and stewardship.

 On art days, Rashad Malik, a talented artist, illustrator, author and Trenton native, covered topics such as artistic emphasis, color and character design and development. The students helped the environment by removing invasive species, replanting natives, picking up trash and having conversations about the dangers of climate change, water pollution and habitat destruction.

Jane Rakos-Yates from the Mercer County Wildlife Center held an animal talk for our students and brought a striped skunk and an Eastern screech owl. The students were truly in awe of the animals. Most of them had never seen any of these species in real life. She informed the students about the animals’ diets, special adaptations and cautioned them about the dangers of domesticating wild animals.

By the end of their five weeks, the students created art that spoke to some of the topics covered in class and were given an exhibit to display their work! The exhibit was held at the nature center. The students brought their families and friends to the center to show off their work and have a good time. County naturalists commending the students’ efforts, while everyone played games and music and enjoyed a meal from Chick-fil-A. The public is encouraged to come by the nature center to witness each child’s creativity and expression. This was an amazing start to our new program and the naturalists are excited to host the next cohort.