Another busman’s holiday in New Jersey

He’s 50% older now than when he started (he’s now only 3) but Owen has finally completed the Natural Lands Trust Trail Guide Challenge: visiting the 16 Natural Lands Trust Preserves in the Field Guide to Preserves distributed to our members.

We completed the last two by spending a beautiful autumn day with Owen’s lovely mom, my wife Denise, at Peek and Glades Preserves in South Jersey. You may notice that I blurred in this photo the kiosk keywords preserve “baggers” may be seeking—you’ll have to visit on your own!

With these last two landscapes being so different from our home at Crow’s Nest Preserve I am reminded of the diversity of lands Natural Lands Trust protects—and am proud to work for the organization which conserves all of them.

Over the last eleven months we have been out in all weather, seen some beautiful and unique lands, and met a lot of interesting people who are visiting the preserves. Here’s prickly-pear cactus (Opuntia humifusa), native to New Jersey, at our Peek Preserve.

And this is Jenkins Landing on the Maurice River, named after our founder, Allston Jenkins:

And nothing compares to sunset at Turkey Point at the Glades Wildlife Refuge.

We have to get back to try out the water trails that are marked here…