Alison Mitchell

1 month ago | trentonian.com | Alison Mitchell

Gathered round Martha’s Pond in New Jersey’s iconic Pine Barrens, students in Claude Epstein’s environmental science class were instructed to put down their notebooks and simply observe. Under a big blue sky, amid verdant grasses and patches of lily pads intertwined through soggy ground and rambling streams, the students lost track of time and space. “We couldn’t tell where in the world we were,” remembers Epstein, who has since retired.

1 month ago | centraljersey.media | Alison Mitchell

by Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation FoundationThe daughter of a vegetable farmer in upstate New York, Joanna Burger grew up observing killdeer nests and helping her father around the farm. When she got to high school, she found herself bored, which often led to trouble. “I was always being brought back by the police,” Burger says, sitting on a folding chair in the New Jersey Pine Barrens on a recent early spring day.

1 month ago | editorandpublisher.com | Phil Pan |Greg Winter |Alison Mitchell |Adam Pasick

We are happy to announce that Jyoti Thottam, a senior editor in Opinion, is joining the newsroom as an editor on the International desk in New York. We expect Jyoti to help drive and lift news and enterprise from around the world, bringing her talents and experience to bear on our push to produce more explanatory and ideas journalism in particular.

1 month ago | northjersey.com | Alison Mitchell

One in four adults in New Jersey have a disability, making access to nature a challenge for many. The “Nature: Accessible for All” initiative aims to make outdoor spaces more inclusive through accessible trails and educational programs. An interactive map highlights over 40 outdoor sites in New Jersey with details about amenities for people with disabilities. Small changes, such as multi-level signage and Braille trails, can make a significant difference in improving accessibility.

1 month ago | thesandpaper.net | Gail Travers |Alison Mitchell

Sean Kane-Holland is on a mission to make parks and trails more accessible for everyone. As access nature disability advocate at Pinelands Preservation Alliance, he has evaluated dozens of trails throughout the state for barriers to people with disabilities. Sean understands many of these obstacles. “I use crutches and a wheelchair, but I am a very active person,” says Kane-Holland.