Duke Farms

Closed for Wildlife & Ecosystem Recovery
2025-04-13, 2025-04-07, 2025-04-06 | Duke Farms, 1112 Dukes Parkway West, Hillsborough Township, NJ, 08844, United States
Duke Farms is closed for Wildlife & Ecosystem Recovery. All trails and the Farm Barn Orientation Center are closed to the public.

Map & Compass Navigation
2025-04-12 09:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | NJ
Course Overview
Have you ever gone off-trail to relieve yourself and wondered what you would do if you got turned around? Maybe you need to get back to your vehicle before a thunderstorm rolls in but you aren’t sure you trust yourself to take an off-trail shortcut. This course teaches the off-trail map & compass skills needed for just such occasions.
Have you been telling yourself for years you would learn map & compass navigation but the opportunity never presented itself? This is your chance to learn it once and for all from Search and Rescue personnel. We’ll go over all the parts and features of the compass as well as becoming proficient with traveling along an azimuth (bearing) and feeling confident when navigating off-trail. Simplifying the way the skills are taught, focusing on correct compass stance form, training to a high accuracy when sighting landmarks, and overall simplification combined with proper technique repetition are what set this course apart. We’ll also dive into overall map reading, such as understanding all the symbols on a map, trail configurations, and reading contour lines like you’re reading a picture book. Students walk away with a level of confidence they did not think possible for their future adventures and now have the skills to get safely home even when… slightly misplaced.
A compass and a map will be provided for use during class if needed. More details provided after class registration.
Featured Topics:

Map reading including understanding contour lines
Orienteering techniques
Using a compass with a map
Compass use in the field

About the Instructors
Joe Galvan is a lifelong hiker and in his element when sharing outdoor experiences, mentoring others, and connecting with the outdoor-minded in our community. Joe is a search and rescue officer and instructor, MRA accredited mountain rescue unit lead, National Park Service Technical Rope Rescue instructor, Adirondack Winter Mountaineering School Instructor, Adirondack 46er, and an accomplished mountaineer with ascents across North America and Europe.
Scott Fitterman grew up hiking and camping in an outdoor-minded family and became a scout leader to give back when his 3 kids joined scouting. Scott is a search and rescue officer and instructor, volunteer EMT, wilderness first responder and wilderness EMT instructor, public safety diver, National Park Services technical rope rescue graduate, Catskill 35er, New York State Licensed Guide, and leads week-long treks in the backcountry for scouts in the northeast.
Learn more about the instructors and The TrailBound Project.

Prerequisites
This program assumes participants are comfortable outdoors in the woods. This course will take place partially outdoors and will require some hiking on various trails (paved and unpaved) and terrains (uneven rocky off-trail hiking).

Program Guidelines
Registration is required. Please let us know if you are no longer able to attend so your space can be offered to someone else. Cancellations received at least 48 hours in advance are eligible for a refund, if applicable. Programs at Duke Farms are RAIN or SHINE, but in the event of severe weather, classes may be canceled. Email notice will be given as early as possible via email and refunds will be issued in the case of cancellations.
We provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate, please contact us at registrations@dukefarms.org.

Farm Barn Cafe Open
2025-04-12 09:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-05 09:00 - 15:00 | Duke Farms, 1112 Dukes Parkway West, Hillsborough Township, NJ, 08844, United States
Nourish yourself with seasonal delights from Chef Lauren

Campus Open
2025-04-12 08:30 - 18:00, 2025-04-11 08:30 - 18:00, 2025-04-10 08:30 - 18:00, 2025-04-09 08:30 - 18:00, 2025-04-08 08:30 - 18:00, 2025-04-05 08:30 - 18:00, 2025-04-04 08:30 - 18:00, 2025-04-03 08:30 - 18:00 | NJ
All Trails and the Orchid Range are open.

Saturday Parking Passes Required
2025-04-12, 2025-04-05 | NJ
Free parking passes are required to access Duke Farms every Saturday from April – November. These must be reserved in advance and cannot be obtained onsite. Parking passes are made available every Monday for the following Saturday. Reserve yours here.

Duke Farms Bike Rentals
2025-04-11 09:00 - 16:00, 2025-04-10 09:00 - 16:00, 2025-04-09 09:00 - 16:00, 2025-04-08 09:00 - 16:00, 2025-04-05 09:00 - 16:00, 2025-04-04 09:00 - 16:00, 2025-04-03 09:00 - 16:00, 2025-04-02 09:00 - 16:00 | Duke Farms, 1112 Dukes Parkway West, Hillsborough Township, NJ, 08844, United States
Learn more about our bike rental program here.

Farm Barn Cafe Open
2025-04-11 09:00 - 14:00, 2025-04-10 09:00 - 14:00, 2025-04-04 09:00 - 14:00 | NJ

A "Peep" at Vernal Pools
2025-04-05 18:30 - 20:00 | Duke Farms, 1112 Dukes Parkway West, Hillsborough Township, NJ, 08844, United States
With the return of spring comes a nightly chorus of chirps and peeps, but those aren’t birds you’re hearing!

Join us as we seek out the frogs responsible in their unique, ephemeral habitat: the vernal pool. One of spring’s most fascinating—and fleeting—features, vernal pools appear and disappear with the changing of seasons. And this time of year, they come alive at twilight. Discover how to find vernal pools, what other wildlife calls them home, why they play such an important role in their larger ecosystem, and what we can do to protect them. Oh, and waterproof shoes never hurt!
This program will take place entirely outdoors. Please dress for the weather. Participants will travel about 2 miles on paved, gravel, and dirt surfaces.
Meet in front of the Farm Barn Orientation Center for check-in. We recommend arriving 10-15 minutes before the start of class. We cannot accommodate late arrivals and the class will depart on time.

Program Guidelines
Registration is required. Please let us know if you are no longer able to attend so your space can be offered to someone else. Cancellations received at least 48 hours in advance are eligible for a refund, if applicable. Programs at Duke Farms are RAIN or SHINE, but in the event of severe weather, classes may be canceled. Email notice will be given as early as possible via email, and refunds will be issued in the case of cancellations.

Accessibility
Duke Farms is committed to equitable nature access, and participants in our programs can expect or request the following accommodations:

Paved, flat trails
Instructors with voice amplifiers
Assistive listening devices (ALDs) for indoor programs
American Sign Language Interpreters, with ten (10) days’ notice
KultureCity sensory bags
We welcome working, trained service animals as described by the ADA

We may be able to provide additional, reasonable accommodations not listed here; please contact us at registrations@dukefarms.org.

Backyard Composting
2025-04-05 11:00 - 12:30 | Duke Farms, 1112 Dukes Parkway West, Hillsborough Township, NJ, 08844, United States
Backyard composting is a simple and effective way to reduce waste and greenhouse gases while creating a valuable soil amendment!

Backyard composting is a simple and effective way to reduce waste and greenhouse gas production while creating a valuable soil amendment for our gardens. Healthy soil is the basis for all successful gardening and farming. Come learn composting and soil principles and how you can optimize your soils with organic matter you create. Benefits include reduced use of garden chemicals, increased garden yields, less work and fewer pests.
This program will be held in the Farm Barn Classroom.
DUKE FARMS PROGRAM GUIDELINES:
Please stay home if you are sick. Pre-registration is required, walk-ins will not be accepted. No refunds and no exchanging or transferring tickets. Please note that each participant must be registered. Unless otherwise noted, ALL programs at Duke Farms are RAIN or SHINE.

Instructor Bio: Virginia Lamb, Groundwork Education and Consulting, is an Environmental Educator with over 25 years’ experience in recycling, composting, soil health and organic gardening. She has a BA in Environmental Studies from Stockton University and in 2019 received her MS in Soil Science from UMass Amherst. Clients include Rutgers University, DeFeo Associates, and Zero Waste Associates, as well as private companies, conventional and organic farmers, and municipal environmental groups and garden clubs throughout the region. Virginia lives with her family in Maplewood NJ where she also volunteers on local gardening and environmental initiatives.

Farm Barn Cafe CLOSED
2025-04-03 09:00 - 14:00 | NJ
