Blog

From the Mount Holly summit to the Rancocas tidal freshwater marsh

On Sunday, June 18, my ecology class visited three sites in the Inner Coastal Plain: Mount Holly, a forested cuesta; Timbuctoo, a historic settlement founded by free Blacks in 1826; and Rancocas State Park, a protected area along the North Branch of Rancocas Creek. The day was sunny and warm, although comfortably cool in the… Continue reading From the Mount Holly summit to the Rancocas tidal freshwater marsh

Climate Roundup: Air, water, fire

Buckle up, it's a long one. Summer in the Northern Hemisphere always sees an uptick in climate reportage, almost a climate panic, because the impacts are so visible and inarguable: higher temperatures, more wildfires, more intense storms, floods. Homes are damaged; lives are lost. We see this every summer. And since summer happens every year,… Continue reading Climate Roundup: Air, water, fire

Paddling the cedar waters of the Pinelands

On Sunday, June 11, my ecology class went to the Pine Barrens. Although Philadelphia and New Jersey had been experiencing high values of particulate matter due to the wildfires in Quebec, the air seemed to have improved by the weekend, and it was a sunny and clear day. Although the forecast predicted temperatures in the… Continue reading Paddling the cedar waters of the Pinelands

The Jersey Shore I’ve never seen before

I am taking a regional field ecology course this summer, so nearly every week my class takes a trip to a nearby park or preserve. I've enjoyed this so much and learned so much from these excursions that I've decided to post my field reports (lightly edited), for my records as well as for anyone… Continue reading The Jersey Shore I’ve never seen before