Celery Farm • Yellow-rumped Warbler

Monthly Programs

Since 2015 Fyke's monthly speaker costs have been funded by a generous grant from the Winifred M. and George P. Pitkin Foundation

March 27, 2026, Friday - Monthly Meeting 8:00 PM Live at the Allendale Community Center

Birds of Southern Africa and Madagascar – Endemics Galore! - Featuring Kevin Watson

Drakensberg Rockjumper

Kevin Watson

Join birder and photographer Kevin Watson for an exploration of the fascinating birds (and a few animals) of southern Africa and Madagascar. We’ll visit deserts, mountains, grasslands and seashores of Namibia and South Africa.

Then we’ll head east to the island of Madagascar, where millions of years of isolation have resulted in many strange and unique species. As well as a multitude of endemic plants and animals, Madagascar is home to over one hundred endemic bird species, including five bird families found nowhere else on Earth. Kevin will share images of many of these unique creatures.

No registration is required.

The Allendale Community Center is located at 210 West Crescent Avenue in Allendale.

April 24, 2026, Friday - Monthly Meeting 8:00 PM Live at the Allendale Community Center

Planting for Wildlife at the Celery Farm with Ryan Griffin

Broadwing Skipper on Swamp Milkweed at the Celery Farm

Ryan Griffin

Join environmental educator/Celery Farm restoration volunteer Ryan Griffin for a an inside look at how the plantings at the Celery Farm Nature Preserve are selected and grouped to best serve wildlife, and the results thus far.

In addition to leading nature walks at the preserve, Ryan is an environmental educator, naturalist, and birder based in Bergen County. He works as an educator at the Bergen County Zoo, Paramus.

Ryan's passionate about getting people interested in the biodiversity in their backyards. Even in New Jersey's most populous county, plenty of plants, animals, and fungi make their homes alongside us. He hopes his work as an educator helps people to appreciate and recognize the diversity of life all around them, and inspires them to make positive change in their local habitats.

No registration required. The program will be videotaped and posted under Programs.

The Allendale Community Center is located at 210 West Crescent Avenue in Allendale.

May 15, 2026, Friday - Monthly Meeting 8:00 PM Live at the Allendale Community Center

How 150+ Volunteers Are Increasing Biodiversity at the Celery Farm with Frank and Christian Alcaide

Celery Farm Volunteers

Frank and Christian Alcaide

In the midst of four volunteer weekends that will see the installation of 5,400 native plants, Fyke Nature Association's Volunteer Coordinator Frank Alcaide and his son, Christian, the Habitat Restoration Coordinator, have agreed to put down their shovels long enough to bring us up to date on the preserve’s restoration efforts, which have attracted some 295 volunteers pitching in more than 4,100 hours of service replacing invasives with more than 7,000 natives, saving 82 native trees and 514 native shrubs, as well as maintaining trails and removing fallen trees.

Join us for a fun, informative night at the Allendale Community Center as Frank and Christian brief us on the critical role volunteers play in restoration efforts, detail the current project underway, and provide an overview of the projects completed since spring 2025.

No registration required. The program will be videotaped and posted under Programs.

The Allendale Community Center is located at 210 West Crescent Avenue in Allendale.

June 2, 2026, Tuesday - Co-Sponsored Talk 7:00 PM at the Allendale Community Center

Fierce and Fastest with Jim Wright

Peregrine Falcon Book

Jim Wright

In this co-sponsored talk with Fyke and the Lee Memorial Library, Jim Wright, author of the acclaimed new book The Peregrine Falcon, tells all about these incredible raptors in this lavishly illustrated talk: how they can travel at 200 mph, why they nearly went extinct, how they were saved (in the unlikeliest way), and how they became an internet superstar. Even if you think you know a lot about peregrines, prepare to be surprised. The talk will feature several of Kevin Watson's photos from the book.

Booklist magazine raves: "Full of personal anecdotes from Wright's many years as a nest monitor and hawk watcher and quotes from scientists and early naturalists and richly illustrated with beautiful color photos, this will be the peregrine primer for years to come."

Long-time Fyke member and Allendale resident Jim Wright also wrote The Screech Owl Companion and The Real James Bond. He is a marsh warden at the Celery Farm Natural Area and the birding columnist for The Record.

The Allendale Community Center is located at 210 West Crescent Avenue in Allendale.

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