Pine Barrens – Intensive Learning @ MFS

Apple Pie Hill

March 25, 2025March 25, 2025Pine BarrensLeave a comment

There ain’t no place like this left in the country, I don’t believe — and I traveled around a little bit, too. -John McPhee, The Pine Barrens, 1967 On the third day of the Pine Barrens IL, we visited Franklin Parker Preserve and hiked the Batona Trail. On this trail, we learned lots about...

Pine Barrens, Day Two: Public Narrative

March 24, 2025March 25, 2025Pine BarrensLeave a comment

Today gave us a true look into local farms and farming in New Jersey and how even the smallest things can have a large effect on them. It created more awareness that off-roading and illegal activities cause immense harm in the Pinelands. It also gave us a much deeper understanding of the functioning and...

Pine Barrens, Day One: Batsto Village

March 21, 2025March 21, 2025Pine BarrensLeave a comment

3/21/2025 Spring has sprung at Batsto Village! The signs were everywhere from a sunny but windy day, to crocuses and snowdrops in bloom, to singing birds. Our first day provided us with a preview of our upcoming adventures through both the human and ecological histories of Batsto and the Pine Barrens. We practiced with our...

Pine Barrens Final Day! Games, Jersey Devil Videos & Gratitude

March 28, 2024March 28, 2024Pine Barrens

We gathered in the Field House Commons on a rainy Thursday morning for our final day of IL 2024, grateful that the weather held throughout the week for our time in the Pines. While some groups captured additional film footage around campus, others spent a relaxing – and competitive – time with Ms. Thomson’s...

Pine Barrens: Preserving the Pinelands — A Visit to PPA!

March 27, 2024March 27, 2024Pine Barrens

For our fourth day in the Pine Barrens (3/27), we took a trip to the Pinelands Preservation Alliance (PPA) headquarters, where we first looked at submissions of the Pinelands Photo Exhibit, which captured closeups of wildlife and landscapes across the seasons. We were then distracted by a parrot that a visiting truck driver had...

Pine Barrens, Day Three: Jersey Devil @ Apple Pie Hill!

March 26, 2024March 26, 2024Pine Barrens

On the third day of our Pine Barrens IL, we visited Apple Pie Hill, hiked around four-and-a-half miles, and climbed the Pinelands’ central fire tower. While exploring the Apple Pie Hill, the notorious Jersey Devil showed itself to us to answer questions and make appearances in our videos. When we were at the fire...

Pine Barrens, Day Two: Cranberry B(l)og Post!

March 25, 2024March 25, 2024Pine Barrens

Today we went to Rancocas Cranberry Farm. We met up with members of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance & Pinelands Adventure Co., who were our guides. We did a four-and-a-half mile hike through the Barrens, walking around decommissioned cranberry bogs, wetlands, and heavily forested areas. We also did some dip-netting at a reservoir where we...

Pine Barrens Day One: Black Run Preserve

March 22, 2024March 23, 2024Pine Barrens

Our Intensive Learning program, a one-week exploration of the NJ Pine Barrens, started with a hike in the Black Run Preserve. Thanks to our incredible guide John Volpa, who founded the Friends of Black Run Preserve, we learned all about the Pine Barrens starting with the difference between the Pinelands and the Pine Barrens....

Pancakes, Waffles, Videos, Oh My!

April 3, 2023April 3, 2023Pine Barrens

What a week! Today we celebrated our adventures in the Pine Barrens with pancakes and waffles, deftly cooked by Isaac, Vikram, and Vincent. We then had a viewing party for our Jersey Devil videos – they would have been contenders at Sundance! Finally, we debriefed the week, highlighting our favorite sites while also offering...

The Final Hike — Franklin Parker Preserve

March 31, 2023March 31, 2023Pine Barrens

Today, the group visited Franklin Parker Preserve. We left school at 9 AM and took a 40-minute bus ride to the Chatsworth Lake entrance to the preserve. When we arrived, we were eager to quickly start our hike, as it was very cold and windy. As we were hiking, we saw bridges, blue jays,...

Pine Barrens, Day Four — Carranza Memorial to Apple Pie Hill Trail

March 30, 2023March 30, 2023Pine Barrens

Today, we ventured to the Carranza Memorial and Apple Pie Hill via the Batona Trail. We departed school at 9 am, and after a 40-minute bus ride, we arrived at our first destination, which was the Carranza Memorial. The monument was built in honor of Emilio Carranza, a Mexican aviator who died in a...

Pine Barrens, Day Three — Black Run Preserve

March 29, 2023March 4, 2024Pine Barrens

Today we went to the Black Run Preserve. We were lead by Mr. John Volpa, who has been working with MFS’s Pine Barren trips for 10 years and taught us a lot about the history and science behind the Pine Barrens. We hiked about four miles, stopping frequently to learn new facts about the...

Pine Barrens, Batsto Village

March 27, 2023March 29, 2023Pine Barrens

We started the day at 9:00 am with a 52-minute bus ride to Batsto Village. Once we arrived we hiked the four mile Batsto Lake Trail and followed the white blazes on the trees. Throughout the hike we saw the remains of the controlled fires that were held in the last year. About halfway...

Pine Barrens, Day One — Introduction to the Pine Barrens

March 24, 2023March 25, 2023Pine Barrens

Today we began our adventure by learning all about the Pine Barrens from a variety of perspectives: historical, cultural, ecological, and, surprisingly, political. We began the day by sorting ourselves into our research, blogging, and video project groups. Each group researched the sites we will visit during this project, and completed a slide deck...

Pine Barrens, Day Four — Belleplain State Forest

March 23, 2022March 23, 2022Pine Barrens

Today we went to Belleplain State Forest in Egg Harbor Township. We got to see more of the Pine Barrens, but this area was closer to the coast so featured more wetlands and cedar trees. We walked along the Old Cape Trail. There were some smaller waterways around us. Our plan was to walk...