Green Herons Return - with friends!
It's a good time for bird watching up at Brightwood Park. Send us your photos (and note date, time and caption) for the "Field Notes" section. Also our friends at Wild Birds Unlimited have posted a live cam of a local Barn Owl nest. link
- photos by Chaun-Chu Chou
COMING SOON!!
Brightwood Park Day is
Saturday, May 4th
Sample
all that Brightwood Park has to offer!
Many event require pre-registration
We'd Love to see you! Or....volunteer!
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Notice: Be aware that coyotes have been spotted in Brightwood Park from time to time.
Be aware that coyotes have been spotted in Brightwood Park from time to time. westfieldnj.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6219/Animal-Control-FAQ-Updated-August-2023
And, if you are interested in urban coyotes, here's a link to an article about understanding and managing coyotes in San Francisco. https://coyoteyipps.com/2021/08/24/coyote-denning-behavior-101/ |
Free Market
Saturday, April 20 at the South Avenue train station parking lot The Westfield Green Team's annual Free Market event will be back on April 20, 2024, for its sixth year. Donate or take home (at no cost!) yard sale quality items such as clothing, kitchen items, garden tools, housewares, sports equipment, and books. This event is a great way to share still-usable items instead of discarding them, which helps limit what is sent to the landfill. Any items not taken will be collected by repurposing organizations or recycled through the Conservation Center. Donation drop off: 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM (Pre-registration for a drop-off time is required.) Browse and pick up: 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM Learn more about the Free Market and other Earth Month activities here. Also: You can drop off eclipse glasses at Warby Parker! |
Photo by Chuan-Chu Chou
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UPCOMING - see below for more information & registration
Walks, stories and activities.
MARCH 21 Pollinators in Peril; Native Plants to the Rescue! 7PM at the Westfield Memorial Library
Native Gardening 101 and Native Plant Giveaway. Learn how to make your garden pollinator friendly with Deb Ellis, founder and leader of Essex County Chapter of the Native Plant Society of NJ.
APRIL 1- NOON Webinar on Planning your Native Plant Garden
The Great Swamp Watershed Association is hosting a webinar on Plants for Pollinators.
APRIL 1 TO APRIL 19 Great Swamp Watershed Association - Native Plant Sale
The GSWA is holding it's 4th annual native plant sale. Order early and pick up your plants on Brightwood Day - May 4th.
APRIL 13- Saturday HISTORY WALK
Rob Lombard will be presenting a presentation about the neighborhood that existed at Brightwood before it became a park.
Register
wmlnj.org/bhm24/ APRIL 18 Nature Class for Kids: Pollinator Gardens
Walks, stories and activities.
MAY 4TH- Saturday BRIGHTWOOD DAY 2024!
Birding, Forest Bathing, Fairy House Scavenger Hunt! Don't miss a wonderful day in the park.
MAY 18TH- Saturday PLEIN AIR PAINTING
The French Impressionists loved to create art outdoors. Their work inspired us to create a program in Brightwood Park so that our community can enjoy the pleasure of doing the same. At the end of last year’s program, participants implored us to have more of these experiences. And so we are!
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Brightwood Park Restoration Report: Assessment & Guidance
Rutgers University Extension
A fascinating report from Fall 2023 is now available.
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Nature Detectives - Classes for Kids - 2024 schedule
Our educational monthly classes are each a different theme and encourage children to explore the natural setting at Brightwood Park
For more information and sign ups, see
Westfield Recreation Page 4 Session - 11:00, 11:30 AM and 3:00, 3:30 PM
Limit 10 families per session 2-4 Year Olds with Adult 10:00 to 10:45 am
5-8 Year Olds 3:45 to 4:45 pm |
April 18Pollinator GardensLearn about the pollinators in Brightwood Park. Explore the Brightwood Park gardens and learn about bees, our favorite pollinator. Through books and games, we will educate ourselves about pollination and learn how to create a haven for pollinators in Brightwood and in our own yards.
May 16Our Five Senses in the ParkWhat will our senses tell us about Brightwood Park? Can we see signs of the animals? Will we hear the critters or activity of the natural world? What will that feel like; smooth, bumpy, sticky? Join us in the park and use all your senses to explore and discover. June 13Woodland Obstacle Course Our Brightwood Park woods is the best playground in Westfield! We can jump, climb, run, and balance using nature’s own obstacle course. Find and use the rocks, logs, and paths of Brightwood Park as our playground. We will practice safe use of natural objects and how to use our bodies in nature while being good stewards of the park. |
Get ready to plan your garden - MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR APRIL 1 (1:30 PM) TO APRIL 19 (5 PM)
🌸 Planning Your Garden with Native Plants
A great series of Webinars began, which began on January 18th, are still available for viewing. Sponsored by the folks that bring us the Great Swamp Plant Sale in April - The Great Swamp Watershed Association.
April 1, @12noon
Plants for Pollinators: Plant Sale Overview and Kick off with Hazel England GSWA
To launch Day 1 of our 4th Annual Plants for our Pollinators sale, GSWAs’ Director of Education and Stewardship and resident pollinator expert will provide an in-depth look at each of the Thirty-Seven 2024 selections being offered as individual species and within six kits suitable for a range of garden conditions. They will review why native plants are important, cover the new species in this year’s sale, and delve into the pollinator species these native plants will particularly attract. Learn more about how to start, add, or amend your growing native pollinator garden. You’ll leave energized knowing the amazing benefits these 37 different native species can bring to your yard and you'll be ready to shop the sale
Plants for Pollinators: Plant Sale Overview and Kick off with Hazel England GSWA
To launch Day 1 of our 4th Annual Plants for our Pollinators sale, GSWAs’ Director of Education and Stewardship and resident pollinator expert will provide an in-depth look at each of the Thirty-Seven 2024 selections being offered as individual species and within six kits suitable for a range of garden conditions. They will review why native plants are important, cover the new species in this year’s sale, and delve into the pollinator species these native plants will particularly attract. Learn more about how to start, add, or amend your growing native pollinator garden. You’ll leave energized knowing the amazing benefits these 37 different native species can bring to your yard and you'll be ready to shop the sale
Register at:
https://www.greatswamp.org/event/plants-for-pollinators-webinar-series/
https://www.greatswamp.org/event/plants-for-pollinators-webinar-series/
2024 NATIVE PLANT SALE -April 1 to 19!
Our yards have the power to provide critical habitat for threatened bird and insect populations and also provide us with beautiful flowers. Create your own important part of the region-wide network of yards that support a sustainable ecosystem – a Homegrown National Park™.
Finding a good selection of appropriate native plants can be difficult., but we make it easier by providing a selection of native plants suited to our local soils and climate . In partnership with the Westfield Green Team
PICK UP YOUR PLANTS AT BRIGHTWOOD PARK ON MAY 4TH
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A view of Brightwood Park from the air - a Green OasisSurrounded by suburban development, Brightwood Park’s trees stand as an oasis. This patch of trees cleanses our air, provides oxygen to breathe, filters underground water, and provides shelter for all kinds of wildlife.
It is why we are so passionate about these 44 acres! |
Photograph by Lisa Cladis
NEW colors!
Friends of Brightwood Park GearHats in many colors!
Hats for Kids! New Toddler & Youth Tees! New Adult long-sleeve Tees! |
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History Tours of Brightwood
2024 Dates
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Samuel Jarvis, 76, of Fanwood Ave (now part of Brightwood Park).
The Brightwood area was once a center of African American society in NJ. The Friends of Brightwood, in an effort led by Rob Lombard, has begun to explore and document this history.
The latest addition to the set of stories...
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of recent interest....
Coyote Sighting
Conservation Projects - Scouts and Local StudentsScouts and student conservationists are tackling the hard tasks of documenting the effects of invasive species, working towards reforestation, pollinator gardens and protecting young trees from deer. Learn more at PERSPECTIVES ON THE PARK. and Brightwood Student Projects |
Edison Scouts Build Pollinator GardenEdison Intermediate School students Mahie Panjwani, Madeline Schlitzer and Kayla Yip are spreading the word about native plant gardens.
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Volunteers Needed!
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viewpoints
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Heads Up: A coyote has been spotted from time to time in the park. Remember that these animals are not normally agressive, but keep dogs on a leash. The town has published these FAQs.
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Friends of Brightwood Park are working to:
- preserve & restore the park as a nature sanctuary
- remove invasive species that threaten native plants & trees
- promote hiking, walking, fishing, birdwatching and activities in harmony with the habitat
- offer nature and art programs for all ages
LocationBrightwood Park is on the North end of Prospect Street. Go past Franklin School and look for the entrance on the left.
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