Mother Nature Festival to be Held in Lawrence Saturday

Editor's Note: The following is a news release issued on behalf of the .

The Friends of the Lawrence Nature Center, in cooperation with Sustainable Lawrence and the Lawrence Township Green Team Advisory Committee, are sponsoring the Ninth Annual Mother Nature Festival at the Lawrence Nature Center, at 481 Drexel Ave., Lawrence Township, on Saturday, May 12, from noon to 4 p.m.

The Lawrence Nature Center officially opened on April 24, 2004 with the first celebration of Earth Day. Volunteers for the Lawrence Nature Center had been meeting for a year or so. At this year's event, the Friends of the Lawrence Nature Center will celebrate its 10-year anniversary.

These are some of the programs for this year’s Mother Nature Festival, which is designed to share experiencing nature and conservation with the community:

• Jeremiah Bergstrom will show why rain gardens are so important in the conservation of water.
• Diane Nickerson, who works at the Mercer County Wildlife Center, will put on a wildlife show. 
• Loren Pagan from Rider University will show how to compost with worms and make worm tea.

There will be over 20 environmental groups having presentations on nature and sustainable practices. Here are just a few of these groups:

• 4-H Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Mercer County
• The Greater Eldridge Park Neighborhood Association [GEPNA]
• Garden Gate Garden Club of Lawrence
• Sustainable Lawrence
• Mercer County Soil Conservation
• HDR Architects and Engineers, PC
• Boys and Girls Scout of America

The Lawrence Nature Center is an excellent place to bring the family and your friends. Help us to celebrate Mother Earth this year. 

Food and beverage will available for sale and we will have Americana music by Eli the Hawk that will “replenish your senses.”

Also you can stroll through the meadow, visit the butterfly garden (work in progress), the native plant garden in the front of house, the rain garden on the south-west side of the house, the beehives, the chimney swift bird station, and much more.