Public Tours & Volunteer Days

New Event! Celebrate the induction into the Old Growth Forest Network – November 18,2024 1:30pm

Mettlers woods, the old growth forest portion of Hutcheson Memorial Forest, has just been officially accepted into the Old growth forest network! The Old-Growth Forest Network is the only national network in the U.S. of protected, old-growth, native forests and their goal is to identify and preserve old growth forests around the country. HMF will be holding a walk through the woods and a ceremony for the official induction on November 18th 2024 at 1:30pm. Sign up for the celebration here.

 

HMFC Birding Tour – September 21, 2024 7:00 am

Join Kamren Gorman, Rutgers Masters Student and avid birder on a birding tour through our old growth forest. Kamren will start the tour by discussing the local bird community and different species you may see or hear in our forest. He will then continue with a guided walk stopping to point out the birds that call the forest home. Bring your binoculars and/or cameras! Please note that you should wear long pants, long sleeves, and close toed shoes (boots, preferably). The tour will begin at 7:00 am and will start from the parking area located at 2150 Amwell Rd. in Somerset, NJ. In the case of inclement weather, the tour may be canceled. We will send out an email on the Friday prior to the tour to confirm the tour is still on and provide final details. The tour will be capped at 20 individuals, so please sign up each person attending.

HMFC Fall Color Tour – October 20, 2024 9:00am

Join Lucien Fitzpatrick, Rutgers PhD student and HMF land manager on a tour through our old growth forest and the surrounding area to learn about and appreciate fall color. Lucien will lead the group around the forest to appreciate the changing leaves while explaining various aspects of fall color including how leaves change color, why trees change color at different times, and why red is a particularly special fall color. Bring your binoculars and/or cameras!  Please note that you should wear long pants, long sleeves, and close toed shoes (boots, preferably). The tour will begin at 9:00 am and will start from the parking area located at 2150 Amwell Rd. in Somerset, NJ. In the case of inclement weather, the tour may be canceled. We will send out an email on the Friday prior to the tour to confirm the tour is still on and provide final details. The tour will be capped at 20 people, so please have each individual member of your party fill out the form.

 

HMFC Volunteer Day – October 13, 2024 10:00am – 3:00pm

Hutcheson Memorial Forest will be hosting a volunteer day to plant native trees and remove invasive plants on October 13, 2024 from 10 am to 3 pm. The day will be led by Lucien Fitzpatrick, the current land manager of HMF and PhD student at Rutgers University. We welcome you to volunteer any amount of time you can. We will cap the day at 25 volunteers therefore please have each individual member of your party fill out the form. Please note that you should wear long pants, long sleeves, and closed toed shoes (boots, preferably). We suggest bringing work gloves, if you have them, and bring water. The day will begin at 10:00 am and we will meet in the parking area located at 2150 Amwell Rd. in Somerset, NJ. In the case of inclement weather, the day may be canceled. We will send out an email on the Friday prior to confirm we are still on and provide final details. To sign up, please enter your information using this link.

HMFC Volunteer Day – October 27, 2024 10:00am – 3:00pm

Hutcheson Memorial Forest will be hosting a volunteer day to plant native trees and remove invasive plants on October 27, 2024 from 10 am to 3 pm. The day will be led by Lucien Fitzpatrick, the current land manager of HMF and PhD student at Rutgers University. We welcome you to volunteer any amount of time you can. We will cap the day at 25 volunteers therefore please have each individual member of your party fill out the form. Please note that you should wear long pants, long sleeves, and closed toed shoes (boots, preferably). We suggest bringing work gloves, if you have them, and bring water. The day will begin at 10:00 am and we will meet in the parking area located at 2150 Amwell Rd. in Somerset, NJ. In the case of inclement weather, the day may be canceled. We will send out an email on the Friday prior to confirm we are still on and provide final details. To sign up, please enter your information using this link.

For tours, it is best to wear long plants and closed toed shoes. Boots are always best because there are areas that may be a bit wet. For volunteer days, our staff asks that you wear long pants, long sleeves, and closed toed shoes (boots, preferably). We suggest bringing work gloves, if you have them. Lastly, bring plenty of water any time you visit HMFC. When pulling into HMFC, pull in slowly and wait for an HMFC staff member to assist you with parking.