Call for Interns
The Friends for the Abbott Marshlands (FFAM) are sponsoring interns for the 2025 Jack Graham Summer Internship Program. Applications are being accepted through Friday, April 4. Students must be a minimum of 18 years old (by June 24), with a background in environmental stewardship or environmental studies. These summer internships are in honor of Jack Graham, a long-time educator, tireless advocate and friend. FFAM is in the third year of this program, continuing with Jack’s legacy in the Abbott Marshlands.
If being outside doing trail work, trimming overgrowth, clearing invasive plants, learning about ecology, history and other important aspects of the Abbott Marshlands sounds like a great way to spend your summer, go to abbottmarshlands.org/intern-opportunity and apply online!
Home base will be the Tulpehaking Nature Center at 157 Westcott Avenue in Hamilton. Interns are required to provide their own transportation to Abbott Marshlands parks and trails. Work will be outside in all weather conditions, with hands-on opportunities to collect and write a report with gathered scientific data covering plant or animal life.
Interns will assist in trail work led by Deb Brockway, stewardship chair, along with Pat Coleman, president, and Cathy Frank, executive director. Working in all the locations of the Abbott Marshlands, they will remove invasive plants such as Japanese Knotweed and Mile-a-Minute vines’ overgrowth and will do trail improvements. They will help identify and learned about wildlife like crawfish, snapping turtles, dragonflies and butterflies on Wednesday Wonder Walks at Roebling Park, and will do an Intro to Water Monitoring and Testing lesson. They will learn the ecology and history of the site. Each of the interns will culminate their six-week work experience with Abbott Marshlands independent research project presentations, followed by a reception in July at the Tulpehaking Nature Center. The public will be invited to attend.
One of the interns from 2024, Yurai Guiterrez-Morales, is finishing up her senior year at Princeton High School. As one of the youngest interns last year, she learned from her peers as well as the FFAM volunteers/staff and nature center employees.
Her research project was on mobbing bird behavior in the marsh, an antipredator adaptation of behavior in which smaller prey species cooperatively attack or harass a predator bird to remove their threat of harm. When Yurai started the Abbott Marshlands internship last June, she felt shy to speak up. By the end of the six-week program, she gave an incredible presentation and answered questions with a big smile.
Yurai said recently, “Right now I am in Mexico with a project for National Geographic and Disney+. Last week I had the good news that I am a Finalist for the Regeneron Science Talent Search.” Also, “I am attaching a photo, where I am in Mexico, with my shirt from the Abbott Marshlands. That opportunity [internship] gave me a lot of help to build my confidence.” She accepted entrance to a prestigious local university here in the fall. Read more about Yurai’s award-winning research project at patch.com/new-jersey/princeton/3-princeton-students-awarded-national-science-competition
Jack Graham, for whom the summer internship program is named, was a long-term volunteer at the Abbott Marshlands trails. He assisted in kayaking events and at Tulpehaking Nature Center in Roebling Park. Jack was a Mary Alessio Leck Award recipient in 2021, presented along with a Mercer County proclamation for Jack’s outstanding volunteer service. The memorial fund to cover the internships was created by his wife, Norina, for the next generation to intern there.
Traffic Feedback Sought for Vision Zero Action Plan
County Executive Dan Benson has urged Mercer residents to complete a survey on traffic safety that will be used to inform Mercer County’s Vision Zero Action Plan.
Vision Zero is a worldwide effort to eliminate traffic fatalities, while promoting equitable access to safe and healthy transportation for all. Mercer County is working in collaboration with the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association (Greater Mercer TMA) and with all 12 of the county’s municipal governments in order to develop a Vision Zero Action Plan, with the goal of ending fatalities and serious injuries on our roads by 2050. The completed plan will include a prioritized list of actions that can be undertaken to make Mercer’s roads safer.
“No Mercer resident should have to worry whether it’s safe for their family to bike to work, drive to the supermarket, or walk to school,” Benson said. “Together we can make Mercer safer, but in order to do this successfully we need to hear from residents about their experiences, their needs, and their concerns.”
The survey is open to anyone who lives in, works in, or frequently travels through Mercer County. Those who complete the survey will have the option of entering a raffle for a $100 gift card. The survey can be found at shorturl.at/gXJWG. Responses will be accepted through the end of March.
Residents can also contribute to the Vision Zero Action Plan by identifying intersections and locations that present particular safety concerns. This data will help inform the county and its partners regarding the hotspots in greatest need of attention. Residents can report a concern by visiting shorturl.at/8mZJN.
“Collaborating on Vision Zero with Mercer County and its municipalities helps bring everyone on board to create safer roads for Mercer residents, businesses, and visitors,” said Greater Mercer TMA Executive Director Cheryl Kastrenakes. “When we team up, we can make a real difference in reducing roadway fatalities and building safer, more connected communities.”
Residents who wish to learn more can visit the Mercer Vision Zero project website (mcvisionzero-greatermercertma.hub.arcgis.com) to learn more, see future updates, and to view data about traffic accidents and fatalities in Mercer. Greater Mercer TMA has also published an interactive webpage that explores the data in depth (shorturl.at/iUcYQ) and a map where visitors can view data on serious collisions that occurred from 2017 through 2021 (shorturl.at/WcKch).
Call for Photography
The Quakerbridge Road-based nonprofit New Jersey Advocates for Aging Well invites submissions to its “Faces of Aging” photography contest through Monday, March 31.
NJAAW describes the contest as follows:
“Have you ever noticed that photos used to portray older adults are either the same group of people over and over, or show age in a negative context? Well, we are tired of it. As one of the most diverse states in the country, New Jersey has many beautiful and unique faces among our older residents, and we want to see them! So, we are inviting amateur and professional photographers to capture real, older, New Jersey residents.
“We are seeking a range of photo styles – headshots, action photos, singles or a group.Particularly welcomed are photos of older adults that portray diversity — including of physical abilities — as well as photos in settings that are ‘uniquely NJ’ like a boardwalk, in front of a familiar sign or building, or in a classic diner. We want the real Garden State!”
To enter, simply email photos to office@njaaw.org with PHOTO CONTEST in the subject line. In the body of the email include the submitter’s name, email, and address; the name and age of the photographer; the name and age of the subject(s) in the photo; and the location where the images were taken.
The main subject(s) in the photos must be age 60 or older and live in New Jersey. Photos that include people under the age of 18 will not be accepted. Each photographer may submit up to three photographs. Entries must be in color and must be in .jpg or .png formats of high enough resolution to be emailed and printed clearly as an 8”x10” photo. Do not add text or watermarks to photos.
Participants must submit their own original work. No previously published or stock photos are permitted. The photographer and all other subjects appearing in the photos must give permission for their work/image to be used by NJAAW on our website, conference materials, and elsewhere without seeking further permission or compensation. All content submitted must be entirely original with all rights owned by the photographer/submitter. Material violating copyright laws will be disqualified.
All submissions may be used by NJAAW for promotional purposes. The winner will receive a $100 Visa Gift card, and two runners up will each receive a $50 gift card. All photos must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Monday, March 31, to be considered
Audition
Kelsey Theater hosts auditions for Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest,” to be presented by Shakespeare 70 on Fridays through Sundays from June 20 through 29.
The fast and very funny beloved play about love, society, the best names, and whether cake is fashionable nowadays will be performed with RP British accents.
Auditions take place at the theater on the West Windsor campus of Mercer County Community College at 1200 Old Trenton Road. Zoom auditions are also possible. Live auditions take place Saturday, March 22, from 4 to 8 p.m., and Sunday, March 23, from 1 to 5 p.m.
Appointments can be made by filling out the form on at kelsey.mccc.edu or on the theater’s Instagram account or Facebook pages. Contact Lili Timmes at shakespeare70inc@gmail.com with questions.
Auditions will consist of readings from the script. Sides will be provided via email prior to audition dates. Based on availability of the final cast, a read-through and table work will commence in early May; rehearsals will then be held two to three weeknights and one weekend afternoon until closer to performance dates.
Roles unless specified are open to performers of all races, gender identities, sexual orientations, body types, ages (over 18) and abilities. For this production, S70 is seeking a total of 10 actors. All roles are non-equity and unpaid.
