“A foot and light-hearted I take to the open road,

Here at YMCA of the Pines in Medford, we have long been committed to serving people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. Typically this has been through our specialty camps that serve targeted populations, or through our partnerships with social service agencies. However, this…

Back in the heyday of New Jersey’s railroads in the 1800s, train lines transported everything from iron ore to peaches to oysters.

The South Branch of the Raritan River is one of central New Jersey’s prettiest waterways. It winds through mostly rural and suburban towns with little industry. Its clear waters are ideal for fishing, paddling and wildlife watching.

It was a warm, rainy May night in 2016 and filmmaker Jared Flesher was searching for threatened and rare Pine Barrens tree frogs. With help from a guide, he found himself next to a pond deep in the wilderness of Wharton State Forest.

Imagine someone blasting an air horn next to your ear. Now imagine that sound thousands of times louder. That’s how experts describe the sound of seismic testing to whales, dolphins, sea turtles, fish and other marine life.

The late Mary Oliver, the Pulitzer Prize winning poet who passed away earlier this year at the age of 83, was an artist who used her words to paint pictures of the natural world. Her verses express deep reverence for nature as sources of beauty, solace and wisdom.

Nature is all around, even in cities and towns! Birds, butterflies, bugs, flowers, trees, mushrooms and even weeds!

For folks living in most of New Jersey, the idea of mountains in the low-lying Pine Barrens might seem farfetched. Many have never heard of the Forked River Mountains of Ocean County, located due west of Barnegat Bay and the Garden State Parkway.

Here’s a not-too-fun fact.

If you build it, they will come.

Even though it’s winter, it’s time to plan for spring! It’s time to enjoy more daylight, crocuses, returning birds … and signups for CSA farms.

Technology has taken over our lives. It’s turned many of us into couch potatoes. But technology can also entice us off of the couch and into the great outdoors.

David Robinson, New Jersey’s official climatologist for the past 27 years, spends much of his time keeping up on research about climate change and how it’s affecting this state we’re in. He’s also a scientist and professor at Rutgers University, specializing in tracking global snow cover as …

Bald eagles are New Jersey’s early birds. In the chill of winter, they’re the first to build nests and lay eggs.

It’s the quintessential American dream: find some land and start a farm. Generations of farm families began with that simple vision.

One visit to a park can inspire a lifelong appreciation for nature. Imagine what longer immersions in nature can do!

What does organic farming have to do with climate change, cancer, nutrition and food security?

One year ago, Phil Murphy was sworn in as governor. During his campaign, he pledged to restore New Jersey’s national environmental leadership.