Archive for September 2023

By Alison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director Every fall, hordes of people head to New England or upstate New York to view the annual spectacle of trees changing color. New Jerseyans know you don’t need to drive hours for great leaf viewing. Thanks to our varied geography – everything from rugged mountains to rolling piedmont to coastal…

By Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation This past July was the hottest month on record globally, with heat impacts especially severe in urban areas lacking a robust green tree canopy. In what’s known as the “urban heat island” effect, asphalt and concrete absorb and retain the sun’s warmth. Even after sunset, there’s…

By Tom Gilbert, Co-Executive Director There are plenty of great reasons to be interested in solar power: Energy from the sun is plentiful and free, and harnessing it doesn’t pollute the air with greenhouse gases at a time when the impacts of climate change have become a regular threat to our health and safety. But…

Bog turtle hatchling. Photo by Andy Scarpulla.  By Alison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director When strolling through your local park this summer, you may have noticed turtles sunning themselves on logs or poking their heads up in lakes and ponds. Chances are they’re painted turtles or red-eared sliders, two of the most common species in New Jersey.…