New Jersey Highlands Coalition

New Jersey Highlands Coalition For more information on how you can help, please visit http://www.njhighlandscoalition.org/HTML/join.html

We are a nonprofit organization made up of groups and individuals committed to a common goal of helping protect, enhance and restore the New Jersey Highlands for the 6.2 million people who depend on the natural resources in this region.

Mondays got you feeling down? We've got just the cure! Join us on our upcoming "Highlands" Hike at the New Jersey School...
06/15/2026

Mondays got you feeling down? We've got just the cure! Join us on our upcoming "Highlands" Hike at the New Jersey School of Conservation, with a special talk on the School's history and importance.

Join us for a relaxing 3 mile hike at New Jersey School of Conservation at Stokes State Forest on June 28, with a special educational program on School’s history and significance. On this hike, we will saunter along the cool, shady waters of the Big Flat Brook, and explore the wetlands of the Blue Mountain Loop.

Registration is required! Visit our website at njhighlandscoalition.org to register.

Are you afraid of the creatures that go bump in the night?You won’t be after our Moth Night! Lepidopterist Blaine Rothau...
06/13/2026

Are you afraid of the creatures that go bump in the night?

You won’t be after our Moth Night! Lepidopterist Blaine Rothauser, senior ecologist at GZA GeoEnvironmental, rare species biologist and professional wildlife photographer will demystify moths, the nocturnal cousins of butterflies. Blaine, with his high powered lamp, attracting moths from miles around, will identify those that visit from among the 2500 species in New Jersey.

Blaine is an entertaining and engaging storyteller, discussing some moths more unusual habits and Blaine’s sometimes strange, sometimes hilarious experiences in the wild.

A blanket, lawn chair and snacks are encouraged.

This event is free and open to the public.

06/04/2026

🌾 Foodshed Alliance’s Grain Project is proud to be supported by the New Jersey Highlands Council , and we’re happy to be sponsors for the Annual Spring Car Trek: From Field to Flour, NJ Grain Heritage Tour on Saturday, June 20!

Hosted by the New Jersey Highlands Coalition , this unique self guided driving tour
explores the rich history and exciting revival of grain in New Jersey. Participants
will visit historic gristmills, working mills, local businesses using locally grown
grain, and a thriving grain farm in action.

🚗 The day kicks off at Marksboro Mills with guided tours beginning at 10:00
AM, 10:30 AM, and 11:00 AM.

🛤 Stops along the tour include:
Marksboro Mills
Cooper Gristmill
Chilton Mill Brewing
Ethos Farm to Health
Cold Brook Farm
Taylor’s Mill
Historic Asbury Gristmill

We’re proud to support this event celebrating New Jersey agriculture, history, and
community.

🎟 Tickets are available now.
https://secure.qgiv.com/for/cartreks/event/springcartrek2026/


For more than 75 years, the New Jersey School of Conservation (NJSOC) has served as theheartbeat of environmental educat...
05/06/2026

For more than 75 years, the New Jersey School of Conservation (NJSOC) has served as the
heartbeat of environmental education in our state. Located on 240 pristine acres in Stokes
State Forest, it is a $34 million state-owned asset that has transformed the lives of nearly half a
million students. It is more than a school. It is a laboratory for science, a champion for equity
and a vital engine for New Jersey's burgeoning green economy.

Now, that legacy is under immediate threat.

Governor Sherrill’s proposed budget completely eliminates the $3 million in funding NJSOC
needs to remain operational. If we do not act, NJSOC will be forced to close. This isn't just a loss
for education — it’s a fiscal and environmental disaster. Abandoning this campus means turning
a functioning center for climate and environmental education into a massive state liability,
complete with millions in maintenance costs and a mandatory $3 million dam repair that the
state will be forced to bear the burden of.

We are calling on you to stand with us. Sign the petition today! https://action.njlcv.org/a/njsoc-26

Do you have a knack for fundraising and event planning? Do you enjoy building relationships and partnerships with local ...
05/05/2026

Do you have a knack for fundraising and event planning? Do you enjoy building relationships and partnerships with local businesses, organizations, and funders? If so, we have an opening for a part-time Events Coordinator to become a part of our small group of passionate, dynamic, and creative professionals, dedicated to protecting the New Jersey Highlands.

As the Event Coordinator, you will run with all components of our event planning, including securing sponsorships, all event communications and marketing, ticket sales (set up and promotion), coordinating logistics, leading event committees, creating event budgets, meeting goals, organizing and maintaining tracking of these components, following up with participants post-event, and managing a limited portfolio of predetermined events.

The Events Coordinator will have a flexible schedule and work primarily from home. You will work primarily with the Executive Director and the Director of Strategy and Operations.

Qualified candidates should email a copy of their resume, a cover letter, and a writing sample to [email protected].

🌾 Join us for the Annual Spring Car Trek: From Field to Flour, NJ Grain Heritage Tour📅 Saturday, June 20 at 10:00 AM-2:3...
04/29/2026

🌾 Join us for the Annual Spring Car Trek: From Field to Flour, NJ Grain Heritage Tour
📅 Saturday, June 20 at 10:00 AM-2:30 PM
🚗Meet us at to kick off the day with a guided tour running at 10:00 AM, 10:30 AM or 11:00 AM.

If you can't join that day, you can still purchase a "Rain Date" ticket to use on your own time.

This self-guided driving tour traces the remarkable story of grain in New Jersey, its deep historical roots and its exciting modern revival. You and your navigator will explore historic gristmills, working mills, local businesses proudly using locally grown grain, and a thriving grain farm in action.

🛤️ Highlights include:

Cooper Gristmill



Taylor's Mill
Historic Asbury Gristmill

🎟️ Tickets: $55 per car (2 people minimum).
$10 suggested donation per extra passenger.
Discounts available for students & EVs.

👉 Click here to register: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/cartreks/event/springcartrek2026/

Check out the Highlands Council's 2025 annual report. Last year, the Council approved petitions for eight municipalities...
04/24/2026

Check out the Highlands Council's 2025 annual report. Last year, the Council approved petitions for eight municipalities to conform to the Regional Master Plan, and awarded $1.7 million for plan implementation. Last year, the Council also adopted its first ever tourism and outdoor recreation plan to promote sustainable ecotourism within the Highlands, and awarded a contract to produce a climate change technical grant to study the effects that climate change will have on the region. With more and more people relying on Highlands water each year, protecting the region becomes ever more important. We are glad to see such progress being made!

https://www.nj.gov/njhighlands/about/news/annual/annual_report/2025AR.pdf

Last night, the New Jersey Highlands Coalition and nine other local groups, including several of our member organization...
04/15/2026

Last night, the New Jersey Highlands Coalition and nine other local groups, including several of our member organizations, filed an amicus motion and brief in the New Jersey District Court supporting New Jersey's and Roxbury Township's lawsuit against DHS to stop the conversation of a vacant warehouse in Roxbury into an ICE detention facility.

DHS's plan to build the facility in an area with insufficient water and sewerage run afoul of both state and federal regulations, in what is a clear disregard for the health and safety of local residents.

"This warehouse conversion in the midst of New Jersey's environmentally sensitive Highlands Region must be stopped because federal law requires a hard look at the impacts and none has been offered," said Julia Somers, the Executive Director of the Highlands Coalition.

You can read the press release and filing on our website at njhighlandscoalition.org/news

Up next in our feature on emerging spring plants you just have to catch is the humble mullein. Though an invasive specie...
04/15/2026

Up next in our feature on emerging spring plants you just have to catch is the humble mullein. Though an invasive species, mullein is still interesting to note for its fuzzy leaves growing in a rosette on the ground. Mullein is a biennial: in its second year it grows a flowering stalk up to 6 feet tall. Mullein can often be found growing in disturbed soils such as the rights-of-way of roads and power lines, like this one found at Pyramid Mountain in Montville.

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PO Box 128
Boonton, NJ
07005

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