General Information and Frequently Asked Questions:
Date & Time: Thursday, July 16th 9 AM to 3 PM. Rain Date: Friday, July 17th
Meetup Location: We will meet at the Mountain Lakes House. Enter through the dark green front door.
Directions: The Mountain Lake House parking lot is located within the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve. Here is a link to the parking lot location on Google maps & Apple Maps. The address of the Preserve is 57 Mountain Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08540. To get to the Mountain Lakes House parking lot, proceed through the white gate and down the long paved driveway. This driveway is marked by a series of black mail boxes along Mountain Avenue. The gravel parking lot is on your left about a 1/2 mile down the driveway.
What to wear: We recommend wearing long pants, and boots/sneakers. We will be doing fieldwork off-trails and there may be thorny plants, poison ivy, and uneven terrain.
What to bring: Pack a lunch. There is a refrigerator and microwave on-site. Bring water to stay hydrated and work gloves, if you have them. We will have extra gloves and tools on-site.
When will I learn whether I am eligible for the $200 stipend: Stipend recipients will be notified by email on a rolling basis throughout the registration period. Preference will be given to early registrants and educators who demonstrate a strong interest in partnering with FOPOS during the upcoming school year. Stipend checks will be mailed out in August 2026.
What does it mean to partner with FOPOS? Teachers receiving a stipend are asked to commit to partnering with FOPOS during the 2026-2027 school year. This partnership can take many forms, including bringing students to the Preserve for a field experience, regularly sharing FOPOS volunteer and stewardship opportunities with students, coordinating a student fundraiser to support the purchase of native plants and restoration tools for FOPOS, and/or participating in the Adopt-A-Plot program. We are flexible and will work with you to find opportunities that fit your students, curriculum, and schedule. There is no cost to bring students to the Preserve for a field-based learning experience.