Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge’s ReDiscovery Weekend this month has activities for all ages such as hikes, a raptor egg hunt and natural egg dyeing.
Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge will celebrate spring and Easter with its ReDiscovery Weekend on Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16.
The weekend started in the fall of 2020, as Cedar Run encouraged residents to spend time outside the refuge while the pandemic was keeping people in. The event was rescheduled for spring since there were more fall events on the refuge calendar; this year marks the second time it is slated for warmer weather.
Sponsors for the weekend include PSE&G, ShopRite of Medford, Murphy’s Fresh Markets and Chemglass Life Sciences.
“Originally it was to get people back here after COVID, but now it’s more so,” said the refuge’s Director of Education Erin Kiefer-Rounds. “It’s springtime; come back out if you haven’t been all winter. Come see what’s new.”
The event is spread over two days so visitors can attend between spending time with their families. The event requires preregistration; tickets are $11 for adults, $9 for children 4 to 12, and free to children 3 and under for a full day of activities. Attendees can participate in one daily event or stay for a whole day.
“They don’t have to attend everything, but they are able to,” said Kiefer-Rounds, who noted that the event touches on the refuge’s education programs and its mission to serve as a community resource on protecting and enhancing healthy ecosystems.
With that in mind, the ReDiscovery Weekend allows residents who have never been to Cedar Run to learn about its offerings, such as the Woodford Nature Center, the Wildlife Housing Area of nearly 60 native residents and the Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital that sees more than 6,000 animals a year.
Some activities will remain the same on both of the weekend days, including guided craft time, a resident meet-and-greet and a trivia scavenger hunt, but Friday and Saturday also have different offerings. Friday only will bring pond dipping, where visitors get a chance to learn about insect larvae and nymphs, snails and other aquatic insects that live underwater; a night hike; a campfire; and an animal tour.
Two Saturday offerings incorporate an Easter theme to observe the holiday: a raptor egg hunt and natural egg dyeing. Other activities for the second day are tree identification, to learn and identify numerous Pinelands plants, a guided hike and a reptile encounter.
Each event is open to all guests.
“We have crafts for just the kids, and we have the more tour-type things for just adults, so it’s not necessarily just a family event,” Kiefer-Rounds said. “It’s for everyone.”
ReDiscovery Weekend hours are 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit cedarrun.org
