Outreach & Events

2025 Strike Team Events

Spring Events

• March 6
  Presentation -Invasive Species Identification, Prioritization, and Management Techniques
  Mount Tabor Garden Club – Mount Tabor Bethel, Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ 07878
• March 24
  Panel Member – Highlands Science Symposium Forest Ecosystems Species Panel
  Kean University – 243 Mount Paul Road, Oak Ridge, NJ 07438
• April 4
  Tabling – Hunterdon County Earth Day Festival
  Deer Path Park – 120 W Woodschurch Rd, Flemington, NJ 08822
• April 16
  18th Strike Team Conference
  Presentations
  Duke Farms, 1112 Dukes Pkwy W, Hillsborough Township, NJ
• April 25
  Spring Stewardship Workshop: Invasive Species Identification, Prioritization, and Management Techniques
  Details & Registration at dukefarms.org/our-events
  Duke Farms Visitors Center, 1112 Dukes Pkwy W, Hillsborough Township, NJ
• May 31
  Consultation: Bedminster Volunteer Stewardship Team
  Bedminster, NJ

Summer Events

• June 14
  Presentation – Invasive Species Identification, Prioritization, and Management Techniques
  Middlesex Borough Environmental Commission – Middlesex, NJ 08846
• June 28
  Strike Team Private Land Workshop
  Details to come!
  Private Residence, Hopewell Township
• July 19
  Strike Team Private Land Workshop
  Details to come!
  Private Residence, Hopewell Township

Fall Events

• September 13
  Strike Team Private Land Workshop
  Details to come!
  Private Residence, Hardwick Township
• September 20
  Master Ecologist Course – Invasive Species Identification, Prioritization, and Management Techniques
  Details and Registration to come!
  Duke Farms Visitors Center, 1112 Dukes Pkwy W, Hillsborough Township, NJ
• September 25
  Presentation: Jersey Friendly Yards Seminar Series
  Zoom
• October 11
  Strike Team Annual Potluck
  Hopewell, NJ

Past Annual Strike Team Events

2024 Strike Team Professional Conference:
The 17th Annual Professional Conference was held on April 17 at Duke Farms. Click here to view presentations, photos, and more.

2023 Strike Team Potluck Social:
On October 23, many colleagues, private landowners, hunters, and stewardship volunteers from around the state came together to enjoy wild edible recipes at this year’s Strike Team Potluck Social in Hopewell, NJ. Thank you to all who joined!

Strike Team Newsletters:
Click here to view a list of last year’s newsletters.

Schedule a Strike Team Talk!

Below are a list of possible topics that the Strike Team offers to local communities, garden clubs, schools, and environmental groups.

Education and Outreach:
In addition to stewardship work in the field, the Strike Team actively seeks opportunities to educate the community and other like-minded members on the importance of invasive species eradication. The Strike Team welcomes opportunity from all group types to discuss our mission and how community members can help! We offer talk on a variety of different topics: Invasive Species, Deer Management, Native Plants and Customized Talks. (See below for a further explanation of each topic.) Talks are led by Dr. Michael Van Clef. (Read his bio here.)

Invasive Species Talks:
The Strike Team is most known for their work in eradicating invasive species for the protection and conservation of rare species, including plants and wildlife. These talks include a discussion of the problems that invasives cause in the ecosystem and their impacts in natural areas. We also discuss ways to identify and control invasive species, including using our phone app to record and store data. We also discuss the creation of stewardship plans designed to most effectively and efficiently treat invasive species to protect biodiversity.

Deer Management Talks:
With deer populations rising astronomically and the link between increased deer and increasing amounts of invasive species, the Strike Team is often asked about Deer Management Programs. This talk discusses the importance of deer management and the impact that overpopulation of deer have on human health and natural areas. Deer are commonly associated with economic, health and quality of life issues such as deer-vehicle collisions, Lyme disease, agricultural and landscape planting losses. Most natural areas in New Jersey are severely degraded by deer overabundance. This talk highlights strategies available to all public and private landowners as well as municipal-level deer management strategies and programs. We will speak to the importance of donation programs and how we work to link landowners with vetted management level hunters.

Native Plant Talks:
This is Mike’s FAVORITE topic! This talk goes over various landscape uses for native plants ranging from meadow patches to formal gardens. It focuses on selection of native plants based on their functions (e.g., screening, foundation plantings, plants for shade, etc.), emphasizing the value these plants provide to birds, bees and butterflies — contributing to increasing the health of our natural world. The talk also covers how to select deer resistant plants and develop creative ways to protect any native plant from marauding deer. These talks can be extended to include how to propagate native plants from seed at home (including demonstrations that allow participants to bring home potted seeds ready for germination!).

Customized Talks:
Related and additional topics can be tailored for any group upon request. We have done customized talks for high school programs and conservation professionals. We’d be happy to put together a presentation that is right for your group!

CEUs (Continuing Education Units):
In some cases, our presentations may be eligible for Continuing Education Units – please be sure to ask the Strike Team to explore this possibility for your group!