Sourland Conservancy

09/05/2026

📅 2 WEEKS TO GO! 🚴‍♀️ The 15th annual Sourland Spectacular rolls out Saturday, September 19 from the Watershed Institute in Pennington — flexible 7–10am start, lunch & swag included. Every mile helps fund forest restoration in the Sourlands.

👉 Register now: sourlandspectacular.com

09/03/2026

Sourland Spectacular is almost here, and we need YOU!🫵

We are looking for volunteers for:
📅 Thurs, Sept. 17 — Brownie bakers wanted! Help whip up treats for our riders and volunteers.
📅 Sat, Sept. 19 — All-day support at the registration table, parking, and rest stops. Any amount of time helps!

The perks are real 🙌
✅ Lunch (pizza or a hot sub)
✅ Dessert (Bent Spoon ice cream sundae!)
✅ Soda or beer
✅ Our coveted orange tee with the beloved salamander 🦎 (numbers are limited — sign up early!)

We can't do this without you. Just a few hours makes a huge difference.

👉 Sign up here: https://form.jotform.com/193456746001154

09/03/2026

09/01/2026

🌰 It's seed collection season in the Sourlands!🌰

We need you to help collect Sourland native seeds and nuts. Some will go to Pinelands Nursery for propagation this fall, while others will be grown in our very own air prune boxes at our office. SC’s staff and volunteers will plant them back into the Sourlands!

🌳 Sourland region ecotype trees and shrubs are ideal for forest restoration. If you have an old tree or shrub on your property (especially in old forest or and old hedgerow) and you’d like to collect and donate nuts, acorns or seeds, please email [email protected].

➡️ Please put individual species in a labeled container with the following information.

Coordinates or address of location
Species name
Your name

Here’s a list of species we’re currently gathering. If you have these or another Sourland native you’d like to share, please let us know. We need to gather a minimum of 250 of each species, so we could use the help!

White Oak
Red Oak
Black Oak
Chestnut Oak
Swamp White Oak
Pin Oak
Spicebush
Flowering Dogwood
Blackhaw Viburnum
Arrowwood Viburnum
Shagbark Hickory
Pignut Hickory
Black Cherry

08/31/2026

🌳 Ever notice how a forest floor feels... arranged? Jim Amon sat down on a favorite bench in the Sourlands and counted 36 plant species in an area the size of a small backyard — all stacked in layers, from Bloodroot and Mayapple at the ground, up through Spicebush and dogwood shrubs, into a canopy crowned by a majestic old Beech.

It's a true community: Skunk cabbage claims the soggy hollows, Christmas fern holds the drier slopes — every plant finds its niche.

Read Jim's Seeing the Sourlands: Plant Communities essay to learn how to start reading the landscape like this yourself. https://sourland.org/blog

08/29/2026

🚵‍♂️ It's a hill; get over it: The Sourland Spectacular is only three weeks away!

Enjoy a gorgeous rural ride on paved roads through the Sourland Mountain Region — rolling hills, scenic farmland, and forested backroads, with routes for every kind of rider.

🐦 Early bird registration ends September 1st, so don't delay — tell your friends and register today! LINK IN BIO!

08/28/2026

🌱 Help us choose this year's annual appeal seed! Every appeal letter comes with a packet of native seeds to plant at home—but we need YOUR help choosing which one.

The contenders:

💙 Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis) — a tall native perennial with striking blue-purple flowers, a native pollinator favorite that's as tough as it is beautiful.

🐍 Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium) — a herbaceous native perennial with spiky, otherworldly blooms that pollinators can't resist, with yucca-like foliage that adds serious texture to any garden.

Vote in the comments (or our story!) — which one should we send out this year? 👇

08/27/2026

Talk of the Sourlands is BACK! This year, the Sourland Conservancy and The Watershed Institute are partnering up to bring you various educational talks.

🌳 Join us September 10th at 7:00 pm at The Watershed Institute for "Life of a Bear" with Woodlands Wildlife Refuge's Melissa Anahory!

Ever wondered what it's really like to be a black bear in the wild? 🐻 This talk takes you into the secret world of American black bears — how they live, roam, and raise their young — plus an inside look at Woodlands Wildlife Refuge's black bear rehabilitation program. Come away with a whole new appreciation for these powerful, curious wild neighbors!

👉 Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/talk-of-the-sourlands-life-of-a-bear-tickets-1998259520016?aff=oddtdtcreator

Admission is free, but registration is required. Donations are always greatly appreciated.

08/25/2026

🌿 Big news from the Sourlands!

We’re excited to introduce two fantastic additions to our Board of Trustees: Travis Blanks
and Rashika Ranchan! Each brings a wealth of experience, dedication, and heart to our mission of protecting and Saving the Sourlands.

Learn more about their stories and what inspires them at https://sourland.org/about -team
Here’s to new ideas, strong leadership, and a thriving future for the Sourlands. 💚

08/22/2026

🏡 What's the difference between a house and a home?

This month, on the Sourland Niche Blog, Buffy Hastings tells the story of a friend's barn, and from there, he reflects on what we lose when a "home" becomes just a "house" — set against a real estate world that talks in "inventory," "strategy," and "competitive edge." As development pressures grow on Sourland Mountain, this post is a call to return to hand work, homemaking, and the kind of care that ties a place to the land it sits on. 🌳

Swipe through to see the barn's foundation, a dining room paneled in cherry milled from a tree that once stood at the edge of the farmer's hay field, and Buffy's own work-in-progress on a lowboy table for his house. Every piece has a story. 🌿

Read the full post on our blog: https://sourland.org/blog/habitat

Thank you, Buffy, for another beautiful reflection! 💚