Join us on April 17th to help keep Hopewell clean! Clean Communities Day is an opportunity for groups and individuals to raise money for the nonprofit of their choice while helping clean up Hopewell Valley. We welcome all groups and individuals to participate however they must follow CDC guidelines. You must pre-register for this event...
Photo: Tom Ogren Woosamonsa Ridge Preserve, April 17th, 9am 2021 Force of Nature Hike Series Join us in 2021 for our continued Force of Nature Hike series. Join us for one hike or all! Either way they're free and open to the whole family (ages 13 and up). Masks must be worn and social...
As part of Hopewell Valley Green Week, FoHVOS, and Hopewell Township Environmental Commission are pleased to present the workshop: Hopewell Valley Dark Skies with Dr. Rex Parker Dr. Rex Parker will explore the problems of light pollution to both humans and migrating birds and what you can do to help. Rex Parker is an astrophotographer...
Mount Rose Preserve We will capture the sights and sounds of frogs & salamanders and more on a daytime natural history hike on April 24th from 8:30 am to 11:00 am at the Mount Rose Preserve. The hike will include viewing and discussing amphibians, reptiles, birds, and more. Please bring binoculars if you have them! The...
Join us for a Hopewell Valley Green Week hike with the Hopewell Valley Running Man. Registration does not guarantee attendance. In order to give equal chances to attend, we will randomly select attendees from the registration list on April 14th in accordance with CDC attendance rules. Please register families or pods on one registration request....
Mount Rose Preserve, May 9th, 9am 2021 Force of Nature Hike Series Join us in 2021 for our continued Force of Nature Hike series. Join us for one hike or all! Either way they're free and open to the whole family (ages 13 and up). Masks must be worn and social distancing where applicable....
Baldpate Mountain, June 13th, 9am 2021 Force of Nature Hike Series Join us in 2021 for our continued Force of Nature Hike series. Join us for one hike or all! Either way they're free and open to the whole family (ages 13 and up). Masks must be worn and social distancing where applicable. Register
Please join us on Sunday, July 11 at our Thompson Preserve to help count butterflies. We will be walking the trail through the restored meadow and looking for these flying beauties as we go. Once we are done at Thompson, we will head over to Baldpate Mountain to search the restored meadow there. No experience is necessary.
Visit the FoHVOS 2021 Gala page for more information.
Join us on October 16th to help keep Hopewell clean! Clean Communities Day is an opportunity for groups and individuals to raise money for the nonprofit of their choice while helping clean up Hopewell Valley! Also, get a cool t-shirt!
Please join Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space on Sunday, February 20 at 8:30AM for the Great Backyard Bird Count at the Heritage Preserve on Reed Road. We will be helping to count birds to take a real time snapshot of birds in our area. Our list will help researchers learn about how birds are...
Please join The Naked Running Man, Sreeni Nair, on Saturday, April 23 for a nature walk at the Fiddler's Creek Preserve! REGISTER HERE
Please join Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space on Sunday, February 18 at 9AM for the Great Backyard Bird Count at the Heritage Preserve on Reed Road. We will be helping to count birds to take a real time snapshot of birds in our area. Our list will help researchers learn about how birds are...
National Trails Day Guided HikeNational Trails Day takes place on the first Saturday in June to bring appreciation and volunteer service to trails. This year we are celebrating with a leisurely guided hike at our Marshalls Corner Preserve at 10am.This preserve’s trail runs alongside old fields, through forest, and provides great views of our restored...
Morning Bird Walk at Mt. Rose PreserveFoHVOS and New Jersey Conservation Foundation are co-hosting a casual morning bird walk for birders (and bird watchers) of all skill levels. Join us for a stroll through meadow and woodland, with a stop at our reforestation project, to observe and enjoy the songbirds breeding here this season. Binoculars...
Seasonal Nature Walk at Fiddler's Creek PreserveFiddler's Creek Preserve had been the "missing piece" of preserved land between Washington Crossing State Park and Baldpate Mountain for many years. After being protected in 2010, a large-scale reforestation was implemented. We'll walk on shady creek-side trails, through 40 acres of young forest, and stop by Wild Bird...
FoHVOS Annual Butterfly CountPlease join us on Sunday, July 7th at our Marshalls Corner Preserve to help count butterflies. We will be walking the trail through the restored meadow and looking for these flying beauties as we go. Once we are done at Marshalls Corner, we will head over to Baldpate Mountain to search the...
SUMMER HIKE SERIES - EAMES PRESERVEPlease join us on Friday July 19 at our Eames Preserve for an evening hike. On this 1.6 mile loop we will walk through groves of mature beeches, fields of wildflowers and native grasses, and portions of the Woodsville Brook floodplain. The walk will take place from 6:00PM to 7:30PM....
SUMMER HIKE SERIES KULAK & LAWRENCE PRESERVESPlease join us on Saturday August 10th at our Kulak & Lawrence Preserves for a morning hike. On this out and back trail we will explore the Stony Brook corridor, featuring a mature forest of tulip trees, sugar maple and Christmas fern.The walk will take place from 6:00PM to...
SUMMER HIKE SERIES MOUNT ROSEPlease join us on Friday August 16th at Mount Rose Preserve for an evening hike. One of our newer trails, we will explore early successional red cedar stands and a mature forest of mixed hardwoods and American beech. The forest trail also goes past our forest restoration project, featuring a deer...
Hatch A Hundred Info SessionFoHVOS has the most successful kestrel nesting program in the state and has partnered with Wild Bird Research Group to expand upon this success. Beginning in 2025, we're working together to attempt a never-attempted goal: hatch 100 kestrel chicks in the Hopewell Valley area. To do this, we need our community's...
Christmas Bird Count 2024This December, the National Audubon Society is organizing its 125th Christmas Bird Count. Bird enthusiasts around the country will be conducting local bird counts from Saturday, December 14, 2024 through Sunday, January 5, 2025. Counts occur within a 15 mile wide diameter circle. The nearest one to us is the Princeton Circle which includes...
Hatch A Hundred Info SessionAmerican Kestrels, North America's smallest falcon, are facing a steep population decline due to habitat loss and other environmental challenges. These incredible birds depend on open grasslands and natural cavities for nesting, but these habitats are disappearing at an alarming rate.Hatch a Hundred is a community-driven effort to support kestrel populations...
Hatch A Hundred: Kestrel Nest Box-Building WorkshopStart your Super Bowl Sunday with a Kestrel Kickoff! Attend our nest box building workshop on February 9th from 1-3pm. This event is great for families looking for hands-on ways to help protect American kestrels. Kestrels rely on artificial cavities like nest boxes to rear their chicks. By building...
Please join Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space on Sunday, February 16 at 9AM for the Great Backyard Bird Count at the Heritage Preserve on Reed Road. We will be helping to count birds to take a real time snapshot of birds in our area. Our list will help researchers learn about how birds are...
Vernal Pool HikeJoin FoHVOS Land Steward Dana on Saturday, March 29th to visit vernal pools at Heritage Preserve. Vernal pools are important breeding habitat for amphibians like spring peepers, spotted salamanders and wood frogs. Unlike other bodies of water, vernal pools are temporary, usually drying up by mid-summer. On this guided hike, we plan to...
Just Birds with Jack & JennJack and Jenn started birding together over 10 years ago, and have since worked together on several bird conservation projects in central NJ. Beginning this spring, they are teaming up to host public bird walks at FoHVOS preserves. These interpretive bird walks are open to all, but especially geared towards...
Spring Ephemeral WalkJoin FoHVOS Land Steward Kaitlin Saturday April 19th for a hike at Woosamonsa Ridge where we will search for the beautiful, but short-lived, spring ephemerals! Spring ephemerals are woodland wildflowers that bloom in the brief window between snow melt and tree leaf-out. On this guided hike, we hope to spot species like bloodroot,...
Curlis Woods Walk and TalkFoHVOS's inaugural president Jack Gleeson was among the first to recognize the ecological importance of Curlis Lake Woods. For 32 years, the forest has been preserved from development and enjoyed by both hikers and wildlife. Curlis Woods has one of the largest mature stands of American beech in Central Jersey, that...
Curlis Lake Woods has one of the largest mature stands of American beech in Central Jersey, but it is unfortunately threatened by the presence of beech leaf disease. To mitigate the anticipated loss of American beech in our forests, FoHVOS and Mercer County Parks Commission are hosting a community event to plant over 1,000 native...
