Outreach & Events
2024 Strike Team Spring Events
- April 11
Webinar – Healthy Forests = Clean Water
Raritan Headwaters Association – Free Webinar Registration - April 17
Strike Team Annual Conference
Duke Farms Visitors Center – Registration Open - April 25
Presentation – Native Plants in the Landscape
Lake Hopatcong Association - May 6
Tabling – Secaucus Green Festival
The Xchange at Secaucus Junction, 4000 Riverside Station Blvd. - May 18
Master Ecologist Course – Invasive Species Identification, Prioritization, and Management Techniques
Duke Farms Visitors Center – Details & Registration at dukefarms.org/our-events - May 31
Spring Stewardship Workshop
Duke Farms Visitors Center – Details & Registration at dukefarms.org/our-events
Past Annual Strike Team Events
2023 Strike Team Professional Conference:
The 16th Annual Professional Conference was held on April 19 at Duke Farms. Click here to view presentations, photos, and more.
2023 Strike Team Potluck Social:
On October 23, many colleagues, private landowners, hunters, and stewardship volunteers from around the state came together to enjoy wild edible recipes at this year’s Strike Team Potluck Social in Hopewell, NJ. Thank you to all who joined!
Strike Team Newsletters:
Click here to view a list of last year’s newsletters.
Education and Outreach:
In addition to stewardship work in the field, the Strike Team actively seeks opportunities to educate the community and other like-minded members on the importance of invasive species eradication. The Strike Team welcomes opportunity from all group types to discuss our mission and how community members can help! We offer talk on a variety of different topics: Invasive Species, Deer Management, Native Plants and Customized Talks. (See below for a further explanation of each topic.) Talks are led by Dr. Michael Van Clef. (Read his bio here.)
Invasive Species Talks:
The Strike Team is most known for their work in eradicating invasive species for the protection and conservation of rare species, including plants and wildlife. These talks include a discussion of the problems that invasives cause in the ecosystem and their impacts in natural areas. We also discuss ways to identify and control invasive species, including using our phone app to record and store data. We also discuss the creation of stewardship plans designed to most effectively and efficiently treat invasive species to protect biodiversity.
Deer Management Talks:
With deer populations rising astronomically and the link between increased deer and increasing amounts of invasive species, the Strike Team is often asked about Deer Management Programs. This talk discusses the importance of deer management and the impact that overpopulation of deer have on human health and natural areas. Deer are commonly associated with economic, health and quality of life issues such as deer-vehicle collisions, Lyme disease, agricultural and landscape planting losses. Most natural areas in New Jersey are severely degraded by deer overabundance. This talk highlights strategies available to all public and private landowners as well as municipal-level deer management strategies and programs. We will speak to the importance of donation programs and how we work to link landowners with vetted management level hunters.
Native Plant Talks:
This is Mike’s FAVORITE topic! This talk goes over various landscape uses for native plants ranging from meadow patches to formal gardens. It focuses on selection of native plants based on their functions (e.g., screening, foundation plantings, plants for shade, etc.), emphasizing the value these plants provide to birds, bees and butterflies — contributing to increasing the health of our natural world. The talk also covers how to select deer resistant plants and develop creative ways to protect any native plant from marauding deer. These talks can be extended to include how to propagate native plants from seed at home (including demonstrations that allow participants to bring home potted seeds ready for germination!).
Customized Talks:
Related and additional topics can be tailored for any group upon request. We have done customized talks for high school programs and conservation professionals. We’d be happy to put together a presentation that is right for your group!
CEUs (Continuing Education Units):
In some cases, our presentations may be eligible for Continuing Education Units – please be sure to ask the Strike Team to explore this possibility for your group!
