Fyke Events and Field Trips
Please register with the event leader to facilitate planning and to enable last-minute communication about any changes or cancellation on account of the weather. Beginners are welcome.
June 14, 2025, Saturday
44th Anniversary of the 1981 Celery Farm Dedication
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For any community groups requesting a guided or non-guided walk at the Celery Farm, please email Sue Dougherty at naturegirlsue@yahoo.com. In the email, please indicate whether you are requesting a guide for your walk or if your group will be providing its own guide. Sue will respond to the request by email to let you know if the request can be accommodated and to arrange the details. |
June 21, 2025, Saturday, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Invasive and Introduced Species Walk
Invasive and introduced species are everywhere you look — even at the Celery Farm. On this walk we will look at some of the most common invasive species in our area and how to identify them. We will also discuss what an invasive species is, why they are considered such a serious environmental threat, and what people at the Celery Farm and beyond are doing to protect and restore native biodiversity. Once you learn about invasive species, it will forever change how you take a hike!
Meet at the end of Green Way. Contact Ryan Griffin ryangriff56@gmail.com as a courtesy to let him know to expect you. Rain date: Sunday, June 22.
July 19, 2025, Saturday, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Introduction to Plant Identification
For those wanting to learn more about how to start identifying the plants they see around them (it can be a very daunting thing when you don’t know how to start!) This walk would be a beginner-friendly, no experience needed introduction to how to look at plants and what traits to focus on when trying to identify them. We will focus on some easy-to-learn trees, wildflowers, and ferns to introduce basic concepts and hopefully inspire people to look more closely at plants.
Meet at the end of Green Way. Contact Ryan Griffin ryangriff56@gmail.com as a courtesy to let him know to expect you. Rain date: Sunday, July 20.
August 24, 2025, Sunday, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Late Summer Plant Walk
The dog days of summer are some of the best times to look at native plants! Join us as we look at the wildflowers (and other plants) of the Celery Farm and admire some late season pollinators as well!
Meet at the end of Green Way. Contact Ryan Griffin ryangriff56@gmail.com as a courtesy to let him know to expect you. Rain date: Sunday, August 31.
Every Sunday 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM
Hour on the Tower
Everyone is invited to join with the group of regulars who keep a list of every species of bird they can identify over the course of one hour at the Celery Farm. It's a good way to improve your birding skills and catch up on Celery Farm news. Beginners are welcome. The location may shift between the Pirie-Mayhood Tower platform on the east side of Lake Appert and the Warden's Watch platform near the Franklin Turnpike parking area. Contact Julie McCall to find out where to meet up.
Self-Directed Exploration Open to Fyke Members
North Harpersfield Property
George Rand and Pamela Ryder invite Fyke members to visit 135 acres of forest, field, stream, and pond in upstate NY. Please download and print this document,which contains essential information you must read before your visit, including directions, contact numbers, waiver, lodging, and area attractions. You will also want to download and print this map of the property and this release and waiver document.
May 3-4, 2025, Saturday and Sunday
Stepping Up For The Celery Farm
2025 Stepping Up Report
Annual Stepping Up for the Celery Farm Fundraiser
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January, 2024 to Present Day
Habitat Restoration Projects
Fyke Nature Association Volunteers have been working hard to remove invasives and plant new and rehabilitate existing native plants at the Celery Farm.
Beginning with just a handful of people in 2023, the team has grown to over 100 thanks to the leadership of Neil MacLennan and Frank Alcaide.
You can review more than 100 work dates beginning in 2024 using the Volunteer Activity Calendar.
May 24, 2025, Saturday, 7:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Lincoln Park Birding Walk with Ivan Kossak
Due to the fact that much of Lincoln Park is wetland that cannot be developed, green space represents a large portion of the town’s square mileage. Over the years, I have found these green spaces to hold excellent birding opportunities. This is the inspiration for The Great Lincoln Park Bird Count; an annual effort to find as many bird species as possible each calendar year. 2025 is the 11th year of the count which has found 197 species so far. I love to share the wonderful world that I have discovered with other birders and will lead a walk on May 24th to do just that for Fyke members.
Centennial Park is a small "pocket" park at the edge of The Great Piece Meadows that probably has more bird species per square foot (including Morris County's first Ash-throated Flycatcher) than any other place I have birded. The woods at Two Bridges is a great place to find migrants and it also hosts breeding populations of Wood Duck, Great Crested Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, Wood Thrush, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and others.
We will meet at 7:00 AM at Centennial Park on Pine Brook Road. Use the Google maps link here for directions. Please RSVP to ivankossak@gmail.com if you plan on joining us.
May 18, 2025, Sunday, 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Spring Migration at the Celery Farm
Whether you’re new to bird watching or have decades of experience under your belt, join us for a birding walk at the Celery Farm as we see what spring migrants are passing through! While the main focus will be on birding and bird identification, we’ll also discuss bird conservation and the ecology behind this incredible movement of wildlife through our area. Open to all levels of experience.
Meet at the end of Green Way. Contact Ryan Griffin ryangriff56@gmail.com as a courtesy to let him know to expect you. Rain date: Sunday, May 25.
May 16 - 18, 2025, Friday - Sunday, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
2025 Celery Farm Spring Planting
Fyke Volunteers will be planting in the area alongside the trail on the west side of Lake Appert where Phragmites were cut down over the winter. They will be planting a total 1,400 "plugs" of plants that are native, perennial, deer resistant, and suited to the wet, mucky soil and full sun.
Go here for more information about the project.
Go here for information on becoming a volunteer.
April 19, 2024, Saturday, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Discover the Plants of the Celery Farm
Enjoy finding early spring wildflowers and other plants. Meet at the end of Green Way.
Mike Lefebvre is a naturalist who has led Plant ID Walks and Talks for the Fyke Nature Association, Friends of the Bonsal Preserve (Montclair) the Friends of the NJ School of Conservation (Stokes State Forest) and Bergen County Audubon Society. He is the Publicity Chairperson for the Fyke Nature Association and currently working as a teacher naturalist for NJ Audubon’s Lorrimer Sanctuary. He kept a nature blog (now retired) which documented local hikes along with flora and fauna for many years. Mike’s hobby is documenting the flora of local nature preserves including the Celery Farm.
Contact Mike LeFebvre mike.lefeb753@aol.com to let him know to expect you. Rain date Sunday, April 20.
April 12, 2024, Saturday, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Annual Spring Celery Farm Cleanup
Note rescheduling on account of predicted rain April 5 and 6.
The winter snow melt reveals what has been left behind by certain visitors or blown in or carried down the flooded Allendale Broook. Many hands make light work. Meet at the end of Green Way.
Bring gloves and a tool if you have one to assist in grabbing and picking up trash, such as a rake, broom handle with a nail at the end, or grabbers. Garbage bags will be provided. Rain date Sunday, April 13.
March 28, 2025, Friday
73rd Anniversary of the Fyke Founding Organizational Meeting in 1952
March 8, 2025, Saturday, 6:00 PM
Woodcocks at Dusk
Meet at the end of Halifax Road in Mahwah for a chance to see the dramatic courtship display of these otherwise reclusive birds. What we hope to witness goes something like this:
First, male woodcocks utter a distinctive one-note peent call with a buzzy, nasal quality. They then flutter high into the air and circle repeatedly, allowing the rushing air to rise in a winnowing whistle as it passes over their wings. To finish off, they acrobatically descend back to the very same spot they took off from and repeat the process in the hopes of attracting a female.
There are no guarantees in birding, but with luck you will have a memorable experience. Contact Mike Limatola mike.limatola@gmail.com to let him know to expect you. Rain date Sunday, March 9
March 1, 2025, Saturday, 9:00 Am to 1:30 PM
Super Science Saturday
This annual event at the Ridgewood High School features many displays and presentations across a wide variety of S.T.E.M. topics.
You can find the Fyke table near the entrance hosted by Mike LeFebvre.
From the Super Science Saturday About Us page: Super Science Saturday, hailed as the "Greatest Science Extravaganza in Northern New Jersey," brings fun and excitement to science through professional presenters and student projects.
Find out more on their website: https://www.supersciencesaturday.org,
February 1, 2025, Saturday, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Celery Farm Winter Walk
Sponsored by the Bergen/Passaic Chapter of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey. Meet at the Celery Farm Green Way entrance.
Join us for a winter walk at the Celery Farm. Mike Lefebvre will talk about tree identification in the winter. We may even see some Skunk Cabbage starting to come up!
Mike Lefebvre is a naturalist who has led Plant ID Walks and Talks for the Fyke Nature Association, Friends of the Bonsal Preserve (Montclair) the Friends of the NJ School of Conservation (Stokes State Forest), Ridgewood Wildscape, and Bergen County Audubon Society. He is the Publicity Chairperson for the Fyke Nature Association and currently working as a teacher naturalist for NJ Audubon’s Lorrimer Sanctuary. He kept a nature blog (now retired) which documented local hikes along with flora and fauna for many years. Mike’s hobby is documenting the flora of local nature preserves including the Celery Farm.
December 14, 2024, Saturday
Christmas Bird Count
Co-compilers Lisa and Rob Fanning
The annual Ramsey Christmas Bird Count (CBC) will be held Saturday, December 14, 2024 as part of Audubon’s 125th CBC. Eight separate team circles will combine to cover a 15-mile diameter circle centered on Lake Erskine, including all or part of Ramsey, Mahwah, Allendale, Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes, Oakland, Wayne, Pompton Lakes, Bloomingdale, Ringwood, West Milford, Greenwood Lake, Tuxedo, Hillburn, Sloatsburg and Suffern. Roundup will be virtual once again.
If you would like to participate in the Ramsey count, email fyke@fykenature.org for more information.
Or to participate in the Hackensack/Ridgewood count email Dave Hall david.hall@einsteinmed.edu.
Or to participate in the Teaneck Creek Conservancy count email Don Torino greatauk4@gmail.com.
October 19, 2023, Saturday, 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Ducks at Dusk at the Celery Farm
Gather at the Warden's Watch platform with Mike Limatola at this annual event. It's a wonderful time to see migrating waterfowl. Rain date: Sunday, October 20.
October 13, 2024, Sunday, All Day
The Big Sit! at the Celery Farm
The Big Sit! is an annual, international, noncompetitive birding event. Our team, The Celery Stalkers, sits in a circle 17 feet in diameter for 24 hours counting all the bird species we see or hear. The center of our circle is the Pirie-Mayhood Tower. Observations can only be made within the 17-foot circle. If a bird is seen or heard from within the circle but is too distant to identify, you may leave the circle to get a closer look. Any new bird species seen or heard while out of the circle cannot be counted unless it is seen or heard by someone in the circle, or you see it again when you return to the circle.
To sign up for a 2–3-hour team, contact Carol Flanagan, carolflana@aol.com
September 21 and 22, Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Native Plant Garden Open Door Days
Visit the volunteers who are planting Cardinal Flower, Lizards Tail, New York Aster, and Swamp Sunflower in the East Side Native Plant Garden this weekend, adding to the variety of flowers that were planted there in the spring.
The garden is located on the east side main trail around Lake Appert. Here is the approximate location shown on Google maps. It is about a quarter mile from the Franklin Turnpike parking area and from the entrance at the end of Green Way.
If you would like to volunteer, contact Frank Alcaide mrfranciscoalcaide@gmail.com.
August 31, 2024, Saturday, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Ramapo College Students Work Day
The Ramapo College Leaders In Service group showed up in numbers and got down and dirty clearing the massive debris jam at the Franklin Turnpike parking lot bridge and several other large log and stick jams upstream, which were hindering proper water flow.
Keeping the preserve's waterways clear of debris moves water out of the preserve quickly, preventing sediment from building up and reducing flooding.
July 20, 2023, Saturday, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Open House at the East Side Native Plant Garden
The volunteers who planted the East Side Native Plant Garden at the Celery Farm this spring are hosting an Open House, inviting visitors inside the exclosure fence that is protecting the plants from the deer while they get established. You will get a chance to see the native plants up close and converse with the volunteers, asking any questions that you may have about the plants and the ongoing habitat restoration projects at the Celery Farm.
The foxglove beardtongue blooms are past, but you can see swamp milkweed, blue lobelia, blue vervain, and narrow leaf mountain mint flowers.
The garden is located along the main trail on the east side of Lake Appert. Here is the approximate location shown on Google maps. It is about a quarter mile from the Franklin Turnpike parking area and from the entrance at the end of Green Way.
Frank Alcaide is the Native Plant Garden Volunteer Coordinator this summer. You may send an email to Frank mrfranciscoalcaide@gmail.com to let him know to expect you, but it is not required. Feel free to drop in. Rain Date Sunday, July 21.
July 14, 2023, Sunday, 10:30 AM
Butterfly Walk at the Celery Farm
The Fyke Nature Association's annual Celery Farm Butterfly Walk is held in memory of Tom Burr, the late Fyke member, naturalist, photographer, and friend. Meet at the end of Green Way at 10:30 a.m. for a 90-minute stroll. Here is the Google Map location. Dress for bright sun. Bring water and sunscreen. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Sponsored by the Fyke Nature Association and the Lee Memorial Library. This event is free.
Fred Weber maintains the Green Way Meadow for pollinators. Mid-July is the peak time for butterflies. To register, email Fred fweber7268@gmail.com to let him know to expect you.
You can brush up on your butterfly ID skills here on our website and you can even keep a record of the butterflies and other insects you see here using the Winged Insects Checklist.
June 29, 2024, Saturday, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Discover the Plants of the Celery Farm
Enjoy finding early summer wildflowers and other plants. Meet at the end of Green Way.
Mike Lefebvre is a naturalist who has led Plant ID Walks and Talks for the Fyke Nature Association, Friends of the Bonsal Preserve (Montclair) the Friends of the NJ School of Conservation (Stokes State Forest) and Bergen County Audubon Society. He is the Publicity Chairperson for the Fyke Nature Association and currently working as a teacher naturalist for NJ Audubon’s Lorrimer Sanctuary. He kept a nature blog (now retired) which documented local hikes along with flora and fauna for many years. Mike’s hobby is documenting the flora of local nature preserves including the Celery Farm.
Contact Mike LeFebvre mike.lefeb753@aol.com to let him know to expect you. Rain date Sunday, June 30.
You can take a quiz on some of the plants of the Celery Farm here on our website.
June 14, 2024, Thursday
43rd Anniversary of the 1981 Celery Farm Dedication