South Mountain Conservancy e-Bulletin. February 2022

Spotlight

Visit the Wildflower Sculpture Park!

The Wildflower Sculpture Park has installed two new artworks in December! Located at 10 Bear Lane, adjacent to the South Mountain Reservation’s Dog Park, the new sculptures will remain on view until the fall of 2022.

Oki Fukunaga, the artist who created Spore, a sphere made of coat hangers suspended high in the trees, has installed his second work in this series. This new piece, Polypore, is positioned around the trunks of the trees that support his first sculpture. As Polypore is lower to the ground, visitors can look closely at its intricate details. Does it make you think of fungi that grow on trees or a geometry lesson? Visit WSP’s social page to share your thoughts!

Oki Fukunaga with Polypore

The second installation is a statement piece which utilizes discarded, single-use plastic bags to create a flock of “flying birds” near the entrance to the Dog Park. The artist, Natalya Khorover, calls the piece Speaking of Birds. It speaks to the proliferation of plastics that present a real threat to wildlife, especially New Jersey’s diverse and vulnerable bird population.

Natalya Khorover's Speaking of Birds

Save The Date!

In the spring, the Wildflower Sculpture Park will offer two public programs that relate to these new installations.

Earth Day, April 22nd: Learn how to make plastic flowers with Natalya and then exhibit your own creation at the WSP!
The International Day of Sculpture, April 30th: Oki will demonstrate his geometric technique with a hands-on workshop.

Program Calendar

FrogWatch Citizen Science Training is Back!

February 9th, 7-8pm
Cora Hartshorn Arboretum & Bird Sanctuary
324 Forest Dr S,Short Hills, NJ 07078

Join SMC & Cora Hartshorn Arboretum and become a FrogWatch citizen scientist! Learn about frogs & toads, become an expert in identifying frog breeding calls by sound, collect data in the field, and contribute to a national citizen science program! (Ages 12+)

SMC Annual Public Meeting via Zoom (and Facebook live).

Tuesday, March 22nd, 7:15-9:15pm

Learn about SMC programs and plans for 2022. Guest speaker, Paul Kurtz, NJ Department of Agriculture, will be discussing Spotted Lantern Fly identification & control.

Hikes, Hikes, & More Hikes!

Our free guided hiking program is in full swing this winter. Witness all the changes the seasons deliver and treat yourself to a gift of wellness. SMC members receive a full hike schedule each month delivered to their inbox, along with the opportunity for early-bird registration. Non-members can register for hikes up to one week in advance through our Events Calendar, Meetup, or Facebook events. Registration, through Eventbrite, is required.

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