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.
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!
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.
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!
January, 2024 to Present Day
Habitat Restoration Projects
Original 2023 Volunteer Team
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.
April 19, 2024, Saturday, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Discover the Plants of the Celery Farm
Trout Lilies
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
Woodcock
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
Shagbark Hickory
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
Cardinal Flower
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
July 20 Open House
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
Buckeye
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
Buttonbush
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
