KGA ANNUAL MEETING AND PROGRAM--
"SPRING ACTIVITIES OF THE LENNI LENAPE AND THEIR VILLAGES IN KINGSTON, NEW JERSEY"
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Jim Wade, former archivist and researcher with the N.J. State Museum, discussed the significance and importance of the Indian way of life during the spring
season, when these people welcomed the return of their food supply--from the waters, from the soil, and from the skies.
Please click on this link to read some highlights of Jim's presentation: Jim Wade Talk
Spearpoints from Lawrenceville, collection of Jim Wade
Grinding stones, axeheads, celts, and hoe blade from the collection of Jim Wade
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EARTH DAY CLEANUP
Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23, 2017
Two crews tidied up Kingston on Earth Day weekend on both the Franklin and South Brunswick sides. A six person team concentrated on Laurel Avenue and the
environs of Rockingham, while twenty-seven volunteers cleaned up the areas along Railroad and Greenwood Avenues, Ridge Road, and Divison Street. We are
grateful to all these good folks for giving their time and energy to make the environment safer and more beautiful for all!
Rockingham Crew:
South Brunswick Crew:
And a big thank you to Scott of The Sentinel, who turned out on a Sunday to document our activities. His "action shots" may be viewed here:
Photos by Scott of The Sentinel
CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
December 18, 2016
Karen Linder led the count, and made this report:
"We were light on counters this year so only managed to cover part of the territory that we usually do, but all in all, it was a fun day, and a fairly
productive one. All told, we recorded 40 species, and 1364 birds - the usual suspects, with no new species recorded for the territory. Surprisingly, we
had absolutely no yellow-rumped warblers, a bird that is normally pretty prevalent in our count, and relatively few white-throated sparrows. The fish crows
were a single mob. American crows were really light this year. The eagle was a lone adult, flying close to and towards its nest. Glad to see
that our pair are back for another year."
"Highlights of the count included a flurry of robins gorging on the bright red berries of bush honeysuckle, the very
noisy mob of fish crows, a soggy but very prominently perched Coopers hawk, and a small flock of bluebirds, glistening turquoise in the morning sun. Later
in the week, two KGA members had a lovely sighting of a Great Horned Owl. They heard it calling, went outside and as they watched, it flew from the denser
trees to perch on a branch where it was beautifully silhouetted. It preened, stretched and looked around for about 15 minutes before it took off to catch
supper."
Thank you to those who participated in this annual event!
KINGSTON FEST
Sunday, August 7, 2016
This gathering gave the public a chance to tour the newly renovated Laurel Avenue School, for which so many have advocated and worked to preserve beginning
in 1998. The Kingston Laurel Avenue School has been beautifully restored and rehabilitated by Princeton International Properties (PIP) and is the new
home of the Yinghua International School. As part of this arrangement with Franklin Township and PIP, a Kingston Community Room has been provided for the
exclusive use of all village organizations.
Read about the building's history, the restoration and funding partners, and the Yinghua School here: Kingston's Historic Laurel Ave School to Get a New Life
ANNUAL MEETING AND TALK ON SNOWY OWLS
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Jean-François Therrien Ph.D, a Senior Research Biologist at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Orwigsburg, PA, has been studying snowy owls in the Arctic for more than a decade with a team of scientists from Laval Université, Québec. He explained how satellite telemetry has provided some insight into the lives of these unusual creatures.
Jean-François Therrien with snowy owl—photo by A. Robillard
Some of the things we learned:
~Snowy owls are a top predator in the Arctic. They have a wingspan of 4-5 feet, weigh up to 5 pounds, and are one of the few owls that hunt during the day.
~Lemmings make up a major part of their diet, especially during the breeding season, but they will also prey on seabirds.
~Unlike other migrating birds, snowy owls are not predictable. They do not travel together, nor do they fly to fixed endpoints. This is the reason for Therrien's description of them as "nomads of the north."
~Snowy mothers may lay an average of seven eggs over a period of fourteen days, which hatch sequentially.
~Some years, some of these large owls move south, a phenomenon known as an irruption. In recent winters, snowy owls have been observed across New Jersey in fields, marshes and beaches devoid of trees, landscapes that resemble the Arctic tundra to which they are accustomed.
For more information, please visit the web sites below:
Hawk Mountain
Project Snowstorm
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NATURE GALLERY
| Does a tree grow in Kingston that you would like to honor? Now you can nominate it to KGA's brand new Kingston Tree Registry.
Tree Nomination Form |
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