The Lower Raritan Watershed lies in the heart of the I95 Corridor between Boston and Washington, the most densely populated region of its size in the US. With all this density and development, it’s no surprise that to many who live in the area the idea of wildlife seems distant and alien. Wildlife belongs to wild places, and the Lower Raritan Watershed seems anything but that. But if you look closely, and listen, you’ll find a surprisingly rich diversity of animal life in our own urban landscape. In this presentation David Smith, Rutgers Assistant Teaching Professor and Coordinator of the Environmental Geomatics Certificate will share some of his experiences observing and photographing wildlife in the area and discuss how those observations connect with specific components of our very familiar local landscapes. Special attention will be paid to “The Meadows” of Highland Park, nestled along the Raritan River, with discussion of the birds, critters, and adorable squirrels specific to the ecozones/ecotones of their habitation.

This Zoom lecture will is the first part of a two part series focused on The Meadows. Part II, a walking tour of The Meadows hosted by the Highland Park Environmental Commission is scheduled for 1-3pm on March 29. Separate registration required for each event.

Registrants will receive zoom log-in details the day before the talk.