Introduction to my new life

Hi Everyone,

I have started this blog for two reasons my Mom  tells me that people keep asking how I’m doing out in New Jersey so I want to keep everyone back in Minnesota informed on my life out here but also I thought this would be a good way to journal my experiences as a first time naturalist. For those of you who do not know I have accepted my first real world job as a Naturalist for Camp Mason in Hardwick New Jersey.

What is a Naturalist? Well a Naturalist can be many different things but usually it is a person who is well versed in ecology and nature and they teach to others. National Parks and conservation areas usually have naturalists. I am working for Camp Mason which runs an Outdoor Education program during the spring a fall season so I will be teaching to kids. We will usually have school groups but there are weekend groups as well like Boy Scout troops church groups and different private groups that come to Camp Mason.

I have just completed my training so tomorrow will be my first day actually working with kids. There are so many different classes that we offer here. Just to list a few there is:

Forest Ecology

Archeology

Tracking

Geology

Survival

Pioneer Living

Beaver Pond Hike

Geocaching

Native American Lore

Then on top of the educational classes that is an ASE course here on camp. ASE stands for Action Socialization Experience. On a forested hillside there are about 15 different elements that are all designed to make a group of kids work together enhance communication and overcome challenges. There are a lot of different kinds of challenges some might be physical challenges others are brain teasers. One example is a Tarzan rope and on either side there is a platform the kids must cross from one platform to the other; everyone has to end up on the other side which is a tight fit.

The third challenge here at Camp Mason is the High Ropes elements. There are 7 different high ropes elements that are meant to challenge kids physically and mentally. One of the high ropes elements is called the vertical playpen which is a team activity there are 2 sides to the play pen which consist of different obstacles that kids have to climb like tires strung down a cable or blocks of wood with staples in them. I am of course terrified of anything in the air so that is a challenge for me I hope to push myself further every time I attempt an element.

Well that is a about camp but as far as my life here in New Jersey goes I love it so far. The other resident naturalist and I live in an old yellow house about 3/4^th of a mile up the road from Camp. It was donated to the camp by an old woman who also was a camp director her nickname was Skipper so our house is referred to as the SKIP. It sits on a beautiful pond which the sun rises over in the morning. North Western New Jersey is gorgeous country like nothing I have ever seen. There are think mixed forests on rolling hills. The narrow winding roads are littered with stone cottages, windmills and barns.

The wildlife here is insane. Yesterday we listened to a talk about Black Bears which thrive in this part of the State to the point where they are becoming a habitual nuisance. There are over 4000 bears in New Jersey most in my neighborhood. A black bear boar or adult male can weigh as much as 900 lbs. They can have as many as 6 cubs every year and produce a litter every year from the time that a sow is 3 years old and they can live to be 25! They have no natural predators and thanks to garbage left out they have plenty to eat.

Camp Mason is just a few miles from the Delaware Water Gap which is a huge cut through the earth that the Delaware River flows through. We went for a hike through there today for Geology. The rain we’ve been getting and the snow melt made for an intense hike.  The creek and the water falls were raging. It is like being in another world everything is green covered in moss and evergreen trees. Geology has been my favorite class so far.

So now you know a little bit about what I am doing out here in New Jersey. I won’t always write this much but I hope you enjoyed reading. I hope to be able to post pictures soon J