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.
Before venturing into the woods, we learned some basic tips for how to stay safe: beware of hypothermia! We learned of issues that have harmed the plants, animals, and ecosystems in the Black Run Preserve, including vandalism, off leash dogs, dumping points, partying, and off-road vehicles. We came across an old abandoned car that had been scrapped and graffitied (see picture).
Many measures have been put in place over the years to prevent these things, and we were able to learn about all of the volunteering that was needed for the preserve to look the way it does. We had some lessons on the natural life of the Pine Barrens and how it’s maintained: What to do if you see a Black Bear, what ticks off a snake, how dragonflies mate, how to know if water is safe to drink, and how controlled burns work.
While learning about the animals and habitats of the Pine Barrens, we stopped to catch some fish and other small water creatures, which is when we found Bobby and Joe, the Blackbanded Sunfish (see picture). We also learned about holistic medicine and its history in the Pine Barrens with the Lenape, and the fascinating holistic properties of certain plants in the ecosystem. Sphagnum moss was very notable for its antibacterial properties — it was used for packing wounds! After a quick stop for lunch, we learned about two brothers who were former enslaved people who lived in the Pine Barrens; one documented runaways on the Underground Railroad (William Still), and the other used the holistic properties of plants to become known as the Black Doctor of the Pines (James Still). Our day ended with a brief origin story of the Jersey Devil, some potential sightings, and the question of whether or not the Jersey Devil was out there …