The Demarest Nature Center Association

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Click here to read our latest Winter 2025 newsletter!

 “We don’t stop hiking because we grow old,
we grow old because we stop hiking.

~Finis Mitchell

Keep an eye out for this magnificent tree
that is often overlooked but full of beauty and utility

~ Jeff Shaari

 “We don’t stop hiking because we grow old,
we grow old because we stop hiking.

~Finis Mitchell

Welcome To The Demarest Nature Center

The Demarest Nature Center is located in Demarest, NJ, USA, and is open to all persons, residents and non-residents alike, every day of the year. In addition to preserving and protecting important open space here in the midst of a large metropolitan area, the center seeks to educate young and old alike as to the beauty of nature and the importance of protecting our environment.

We, the trustees of the Demarest Nature Center Association, encourage you to use this site to find out more about the Demarest Nature Center and its programs. Click on the topic of your choice and find out more. The links will tell you about the Center, introduce you to our events and endeavors, and also take you to other nearby nature centers, as well as environmental organizations, National Parks, and suggestions for things to do. The site is constantly growing and being updated, so we hope you will come back again and again.

Nature News

Legislation currently making its way through Congress that proponents say will place much-needed guardrails on cryptocurrency will only exacerbate the industry’s insatiable energy demands and climate pollution, environmentalists say. Republican more

The Department of Labor announced “updates to penalty guidelines” to improve worker safety on Monday that it said will support small businesses and eliminate workplace hazards. The announcement follows the more

RESTON, Va.—Virginia’s state government is leaning into its use of artificial intelligence for workforce development and regulation cuts. It’s an energy-intensive move further perpetuating the need for data centers and more

Amazon deforestation spikes as Brazil blames criminal fires

A new and alarming pattern of destruction is emerging in the rainforest, challenging Brazilian authorities ahead of COP30. more

From protection to control: Van Beeman and Kaplin discuss conservation in Africa

In March this year, Dutch investigative journalist Olivier van Beemen published In the Name of Nature: An Investigation into the Neocolonial Practices of the NGO African Parks. The result of more

Deforestation in the Philippines may have caused infertile hybrids of endemic frogs, study finds

In 1996, when herpetologist Rafe Brown accompanied a few biologists to the Philippine island of Mindanao to study frogs, they heard a cacophony near their campsite. In a puddle that more

In California, an invasive mustard is destabilizing desert plant communities

In southern California’s Coachella Valley, pale sand dunes sprawl under the desert sun, shifting and re-forming in the wind. In dry years, lone shrubs dot the dunes. But the landscape more

Global tracking study reveals marine megafauna hotspots lie largely unprotected

A global study tracking nearly 13,000 individual marine animals has uncovered a sharp disconnect between where these animals actually spend their time and where marine protections exist. The findings raise more

As Brazil expands oil, COP30 head urges rich nations to phase out fossil fuels first

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL — As Brazil ramps up offshore oil exploration at the mouth of the Amazon River, the CEO of COP30 urged wealthy nations to be the first to more

Bear that bit man in Norway roams free after hunt in which wrong animal shot

Search for female and her cubs on hold to campaigners’ relief after court had quashed injunction against cullThe hunt for a brown bear that bit a man on the elbow more

Landmark Indigenous land title in Ecuador protected area still in limbo

This is Part 4 of a four-part series on Indigenous land rights in Ecuador. Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Twenty months after a landmark court ruling in more

Reform-led Durham county council scraps climate emergency declaration

Durham is thought to be first UK local authority to rescind its statement, in a move condemned as a ‘very dark day’A Reform-led council is thought to have become the more

Advocates for renewable energy in Virginia took aim at a report that the U.S. Department of Energy issued last week on the reliability and security of the nation’s electric grid, more

Google inks $3bn US hydropower deal as it expands energy-hungry datacenters

The tech giant will buy 3GW of US hydropower in deal to fuel AI and data center growth across eastern statesGoogle has agreed to secure as much as 3GW of more

Inside the movement to recognize nature as an artist

Musicians have long sampled nature sounds. Now, they have a way to share credit — and share their royalties with conservation efforts. more

Torres Strait leaders lost their landmark case. How can governments be held to account on climate?

Experts and advocates say it’s time for the law to change after judge says matters based on climate policy cannot be decided by courtsFollow our Australia news live blog for more

‘Shock and alarm’ as Malawi pardons wildlife trafficker Lin Yunhua

LILONGWE — Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera has granted a presidential pardon to Lin Yunhua, a Chinese national sentenced to 14 years in prison for wildlife trafficking. Lin was among 37 more

Glacial ice offers a detailed record of the atmosphere, preserved in discrete layers, providing researchers with a valuable tool for studying human history. A sample taken from a glacier in more

Bicolored waterberry: The overlooked tree shaping Zambia’s rivers

KAFUE NATIONAL PARK, Zambia — At a bend in Zambia’s Kafue River, the bicolored waterberry trees resemble an avenue planted along a city boulevard. Their evergreen crowns stretch as far more

Southern Water issues hosepipe ban for 1m people in Hampshire and Isle of Wight

Announcement takes number of people hit by restrictions across England to about 8.5 millionSouthern Water has become the fourth English utility to issue a hosepipe ban, taking the number of more

In Nepal’s Pokhara, a lone rooftop vigil helps keep vultures and planes safe from harm

POKHARA, Nepal — On a May morning in Pokhara, Nepal’s tourist town in the lap of the world-famous Annapurna range, 40-year-old Hemanta Dhakal climbs to the terrace on the roof more

A better brew: How regenerative coffee could root out exploitation

The coffee industry faces many problems, from being the sixth-largest driver of deforestation worldwide to being rife with human rights abuses, including slavery and child labor. But coffee can be more

New global report urges urgent action to save wetlands

A major new report released July 15th warns that wetlands, among the world’s most valuable yet most threatened ecosystems, are vanishing faster than any other natural system. However, it also more

How one woman rose from porter to conservation leader

Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. In the damp undergrowth of Cameroon’s Lobéké National Park, where forest elephants slip more

Will there be a drought where I live?

We take a look at river, reservoir and groundwater levels after a particularly dry few months. more

Will there be a drought where I live?

We take a look at river, reservoir and groundwater levels after a particularly dry few months. more

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C.—About nine hours after Tropical Depression Chantal inundated central North Carolina last week, Jeff Mahagan’s phone woke him at 3 in the morning. The person working on call at more

When thousands of gallons of diesel fuel spilled into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor from Johns Hopkins Hospital on June 4, it didn’t just contaminate the waterfront and threaten aquatic habitat. It more

As the One Big Beautiful Bill Act squeaked its way through Congress earlier this month, its supporters heralded what they described as a new era for American energy and echoed more

New research shows that even with modest reductions in military funding, the United States would keep a whole lot of carbon out of the atmosphere. more

Kew Gardens’ tropical Palm House to shut for five years for net zero makeover

Huge glasshouse, home to world’s oldest potted plant, to get £50m refit as part of emissions-cutting drive at gardens It has been the tropical jewel in one of the UK’s more

Experts say local education and community support are key to conveying risk. more

The 'world-first' plan to grow food above landfill

A company plans to use greenhouses above pits filled with waste to grow low-cost food for locals. more

Death threats and falsehoods among online abuse reported by land and climate defenders

Survey across six continents uncovers accounts of abuse causing defenders to fear for their safetyDeath threats, doxing and cyber-attacks are just some of the online threats recounted by land and more

‘The place is bleached, a dead zone’: how the UK’s most beloved landscapes became biodiversity deserts

National parks, famous for their rich natural heritage, should be at the heart of efforts to protect habitats and wildlife. Instead, experts say they are declining – fastPhotographs by Abbie more

PITTSBURGH—Flanked by titans of the fossil fuel, tech and finance industries, President Donald Trump on Tuesday hailed $90 billion in private investments aimed at building a massive artificial intelligence hub more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09214-5A high-resolution spectroscopic tool is demonstrated using the stochastically fluctuating intensity spikes in time and energy domains of a self-amplified spontaneous emission X-ray free-electron more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02208-3Birds use a unique mechanism to balance gene expression from their sex chromosomes. MiR-2954 is a microRNA that suppresses specific target genes, preventing them more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02209-2Detailed spatial estimates from a global analysis of biological nitrogen fixation on land reveal that natural environments sustain much less nitrogen fixation than was more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02060-5A bacterially produced molecule circulates in the bloodstream and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease by hijacking immune-cell signalling. more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09279-2A liquid-crystal-in-oil emulsion system exhibits bistable opacity or transparency, with rapid switching between the two, faster than, for example, electrochromics that can be found more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02276-5Long-awaited results suggest that mitochondrial donation can prevent babies from inheriting diseases caused by mutant mitochondria. more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02234-1Have you heard the one about …? more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02058-zObservations of a young star offer a glimpse of the high-temperature conditions that shaped rock formation in the early Solar System. more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09293-4Using an electrolyte micro-emulsion strategy, a lithium anode and high-voltage cathode can be simultaneously stabilized by liquid–liquid interfacial tension to achieve high-energy-density lithium-metal batteries. more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09273-8An analysis of prescription medications shows that several non-antibiotic drugs, such as the heart medication digoxin, can reduce the immune response to pathogens and more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02245-yAstronomers get rare glimpse of earliest stages of planet formation around a baby star. more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09201-wBiological nitrogen fixation may impose stronger constraints on the carbon sink in natural terrestrial biomes and represent a larger source of agricultural nitrogen than more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09288-1Real-space nanoimaging and theoretical analyses show the emergence of hyperbolic phonon polaritons on the surface of a non-hyperbolic material and that the polariton dispersions more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09119-3The LHCb experiment at CERN has observed significant asymmetries between the decay rates of the beauty baryon and its CP-conjugated antibaryon, thus demonstrating CP more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09240-3A single-cell sequencing study using more than 30,000 tumour genomes from human ovarian cancers shows that whole-genome doubling is an ongoing mutational process that more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02197-3The Langlands programme has inspired and befuddled mathematicians for more than 50 years. A major advance has now opened up new worlds for them more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02113-9Plant diseases constitute a constant threat to global food security. A protein-engineering strategy, in which a constitutively active form of an immune receptor is more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02201-wA planet that orbits closely to its young host star has been observed to induce large magnetic eruptions on the star. These flares might more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09238-xUsing a dynamic-kinetic-resolution strategy and chiral phosphate salts as supporting electrolytes, racemic trivalent phosphines can be oxidized to afford enantioenriched phosphine oxides. more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02215-4The US science crisis presents an opportunity to reinvent funding and management of the global research enterprise. more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02059-ySingle-cell analysis reveals the extent of genome doubling in ovarian cancer, its variability and its role in enabling tumours to evade the immune system. more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09352-wTemperature-Related Hospitalization Burden under Climate Change more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09261-yResearch on Drosophila neurons shows links between the need to sleep and aerobic metabolism, indicating that the pressure to sleep may have a mitochondrial more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09271-wAnalysis of a fossilized front flipper of the Jurassic ichthyosaur Temnodontosaurus that preserves details of soft tissue indicates the presence of a serrated trailing more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02275-6The latest version of the chatbot, developed by start-up Moonshot AI, is open for researchers to build on. more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09257-8A dual interfacial hydrogen-bond passivation strategy and a hybrid copper–iodide are used to fabricate deep-blue light-emitting diodes with excellent external quantum efficiency and lifetime. more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09264-9Experimental perturbation of soil pH leads to a generalizable model of the soil microcosm comprising three functional regimes with distinct mechanisms linking environmental change more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09278-3Neutrophils actively induce tumour necrosis, driving vascular occlusion, pleomorphic necrosis and metastasis. more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09355-7Author Correction: BNT162b2 vaccine induces neutralizing antibodies and poly-specific T cells in humans more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02057-0Random fluctuations in the intensity and energy of X-ray lasers, which generally limit performance, have been harnessed for high-resolution spectroscopy. more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01848-9Mental illness cost Imtiaz Zafar almost a decade of his academic life. Now it motivates him to help find effective treatments. more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09163-zObservations at infrared and millimetre wavelengths of the young protostar HOPS-315 show a gaseous disk captured at the point at which solids are first more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09227-0EchoNext, a deep learning model for electrocardiograms trained and validated in diverse health systems, successfully detects many forms of structural heart disease, supporting the more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09260-zZip promotes the accumulation of free phages in bacterial lysogen communities, safeguarding phage progeny. more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09256-9Birds have evolved a unique sex chromosome dosage compensation mechanism involving the male-biased microRNA (miR-2954), which is essential for male survival by regulating the more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09263-wImidazole propionate produced by gut microbiota is associated with atherosclerosis in mouse models and in humans, and causes the development of atherosclerosis through activation more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09252-zCleavage by pathogen-derived proteases of an engineered chimeric protein activates its plant immune receptor component, enabling broad-spectrum resistance to pathogens in plants. more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02277-4180-million-year-old fossil suggests Temnodontosaurus had several adaptations for quiet swimming — plus, why damage to mitochondria during waking hours might explain the need for more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09250-1Although the number of participants is important for phenotypic prediction accuracy in brain-wide association studies using functional MRI, scanning for at least 30 min offers more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09291-6A redox reaction network, comprising concurrent oxidation and reduction pathways, is described that can drive autonomous unidirectional motion about a C–C bond in a more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09259-6Data from nine European and North American countries reveal that the disparity in earnings between immigrants and natives is largely a result of segregation more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09217-2Non-antibiotic drugs from a wide range of therapeutic classes can alter the ability of gut commensals to resist invasion by enteropathogens, a previously underappreciated more

Nature, Published online: 16 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02250-1Researchers assessed more than 1,000 results from fruit-fly immunity research published between 1959 and 2011. The majority of findings look verifiable. more

Kew Gardens' Palm House will close for five years for major makeover

The 175-year-old glass house will begin a £50m renovation in 2027. more

Kew Gardens' Palm House will close for five years for major makeover

The 175-year-old glass house will begin a £50m renovation in 2027. more

Abuses continue at Tanzanian national park, US human rights group says

The Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) continues to prevent villagers from farming or herding cattle in an area marked for expansion of a national park, the U.S.-based Oakland Institute said more

To change the environment, change the narrative

Narratives help shape our society, culture and environment, entrenching beliefs that can help — or harm — our planet and human rights. Tsering Yangzom Lama, story manager at Greenpeace International, more

The dog days of summer are synonymous with sizzling temperatures, longer nights and … wildfire smoke?  As climate change supercharges wildfires, smoke from these blazes is becoming more pervasive, particularly more

Small island nations provide big environmental solutions but need finance partners (commentary)

These are turbulent times for the global economy and multilateralism. Uncertainty lies at every turn, yet for Antigua and Barbuda — and other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like ours more

A tribe in Florida joins the fight against the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigrant detention center

The Miccosukee, who make their home in the Everglades, said authorities didn't do an environmental review. more

Landmark Indigenous land title in Ecuadorian Amazon reserve mired in controversy

This is Part 3 of a four-part series on Indigenous land rights in Ecuador. Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 4. A landmark land title in an Amazon protected more

Indigenous groups debate use of land agreements in Ecuador’s protected areas

This is Part 2 of a four-part series on Indigenous land rights in Ecuador. Read Part 1, Part 3 and Part 4. In Ecuador’s Amazon, the use of agreements with more

WASHINGTON—NASA this week reversed its commitment to host congressionally mandated climate change reports after the federal government’s Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) website, which was responsible for releasing the reports, more

Tropical forest roots show strain as changes aboveground filter below

The destruction of tropical rainforests — seen in shocking images of huge wildfires, vast clear-cuts and dying drought-stressed trees — is unfolding annually before the world’s eyes. But some serious more

Wetlands at risk, but new report offers road map for recovery

A new report finds that up to 20% of the world’s wetlands could be lost in the next 25 years. The “Global Wetland Outlook 2025,” produced under the Ramsar Convention, more

River of giants: Canoe team tracks hippos in one of Africa’s last strongholds

KAFUE NATIONAL PARK, Zambia — “Hippos ahead.” The warning comes from the lead canoe. Hippos are dangerous — highly territorial and fiercely protective of their young. They are capable of more

Native American teens kayak major US river to celebrate removal of dams and return of salmon

KLAMATH, Calif. (AP) — A group of several dozen Indigenous youth from across the Klamath Basin recently emerged victorious after a month-long journey paddling the Klamath River. The river is more

Sheila Colla, advocate for bees, died on July 6th, aged 43

Most people would have walked past the flower. Even fewer would have recognized the insect on it. But in 2009, Sheila Colla did both. As her car left Ontario’s Pinery more

Sycamore Gap: why would anyone cut down a tree that brought joy to so many?

Obsession or ‘drunken stupidity’? Sentencing of guilty men leaves us no closer to knowing their motives“It’s one of the most asked questions that I get,” says the detective who helped more

Drought declared in Midlands after hot, dry weather takes its toll

The East and West Midlands join the North West and Yorkshire in an official state of drought. more

A new study finds a drop in air pollution likely drove a recent surge in warming.Read more on E360 → more

‘Hopeful sign’ as Eurasian otter reappears in Malaysia after a decade

Camera traps in Tangkulap Forest Reserve in Malaysia’s Sabah state have photographed a Eurasian otter — a grainy image of an individual ambling next to a waterbody. This is the more

Sheep are destroying precious British habitats – and we taxpayers are footing the bill | Chris Packham

Large parts of Dartmoor have been denuded of wildlife, harmed by farming and a mess of government schemes that are costly in every wayBritain’s uplands are dying. What should be more

Wildlife & tourists on the up in Zambia’s Kafue Park: Q&A with manager Craig Reid

African Parks, the conservation NGO, has a 20-year agreement with Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) to co-manage Kafue National Park. Running through the heart of the park more

This fuel is 50% plastic — and it’s slipping through a loophole in international waste law

Environmental groups are concerned that rich countries are exporting plastic to poor countries in the form of “refuse-derived fuel." more

Vatsala, Asia’s oldest known elephant, died on July 8th, 2025, aged around 100

Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. For more than a century, Vatsala stood. Through wars and heatwaves, bureaucracies and more

Animals react to secret sounds from plants, say scientists

It opens up the possibility that an invisible ecosystem might exist between plants and animals. more

‘Revolutionary technology’ uses scanners for easier species detection in the wild

Researchers in Brazil’s Amazonas state are testing easy-to-use scanners that can help them identify animal species they come across in the wild, Mongabay contributor Miguel Monteiro reported in June. The more

Could giving this pod of dolphins the same legal rights as humans help keep them safe?

With a bottlenose population threatened by fishing gear, boats and pollution, campaigners on South Korea’s Jeju island are lobbying to extend legal status to the vulnerable cetaceansIt is a beautiful more

The fate of the Sycamore Gap tree has shed light on a deeper concern

The felling has prompted calls for stricter legal protections for other trees and drawn attention to wider issues more

The fate of the Sycamore Gap tree has shed light on a deeper concern

The felling has prompted calls for stricter legal protections for other trees and drawn attention to wider issues more

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02218-1Map endemic species before they vanish unrecorded more

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02062-3Pondering the difficulties faced by metaphysicians, and a dog strikes up an unlikely friendship with a cat and her kittens, in our weekly dip more

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02217-2Critical commentaries such as ‘Matters arising’ have flawed formats more

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02227-0Data from a South Pole observatory show that the fraction of protons in ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays is lower than expected. more

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02241-2The appearance of thousands of formulaic biomedical studies has been linked to the rise of text-generating AI tools. more

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02200-xUnexpected events, such as pandemics and wars, are on the rise. Financial markets need tools to help them cope with unforeseen losses. more

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02220-7A United Nations conference on financing sustainable development was a missed opportunity to fund the science needed to create a better world. more

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02216-3Invest in data resources to make FAIR a reality more

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02214-5The next generation of managers must be fit for a net-zero, nature-positive economy. more

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02212-7Gravitational-wave detector LIGO spots fast-spinning ‘forbidden’ black holes that challenge physics models. more

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02196-4The next generation of deep-brain stimulation automatically corrects the precise brain waves that create symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Can this approach target other conditions? more

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02219-0China’s journal ranking system stands up to scrutiny more

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02237-yMassive proteomics database links gene variant APOE4 to chronic inflammation. more

WWF rethinks conservation after a crisis of its own making

Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. In the world of conservation, good intentions have not always made for good more

Ecuador’s government promised same land in the Amazon to two Indigenous peoples

This is Part 1 of a four-part series on Indigenous land rights in Ecuador. Read Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4. In Ecuador, a 2023 court decision that recognizes more

Texas food banks are rationing meals for flood survivors because of Trump’s cuts

The July 4th flooding has become the first major disaster to expose the grave effects of Trump’s new food and hunger policies. more

Canada’s Pacific Coast hit hard by trawling, with limited transparency: Report

Trawling vessels pursuing fish are damaging marine ecosystems in Canada’s West Coast waters and could be operating illegally in some cases, and yet they work with insufficient transparency, a new more

Attack on Indigenous land defenders in Peru reveals snags in protection system

On April 13, 2025, members of the community forest monitoring committee from the Kakataibo Indigenous community faced an attack while carrying out a routine patrol of their ancestral territory in more

Amazon’s ‘tipping point road’ gets new push with ease on licensing rules

As a controversial bill nears passage in Brazil, environmentalists and civil society prepare for what they call the "last stand" to save the Amazon. more

Chicago was supposed to warn residents about toxic lead pipes last year. Most still have no idea.

Eight months past a federal deadline, more than 90 percent of at-risk Chicagoans haven’t been told their drinking water could be unsafe. more

Why the federal government is making climate data disappear

Under Trump, climate denial has given way to something even more dangerous: climate erasure. more

Ed Miliband would let a turbine farm destroy Brontë country. We need net zero, but at what cost? | Simon Jenkins

Of course the climate crisis must be confronted, but history, tranquility and beauty must also count for somethingReport: Ed Miliband to tell MPs who reject net zero policies they are more

Nature, Published online: 14 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02240-3A woman in Guadeloupe has blood belonging to the newly-characterized group ‘Gwada-negative’. Plus, signs of a ‘forbidden’ black-hole collision and how researchers are trying more

Nature, Published online: 14 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02221-6The move would undo years of work, leaving advisory councils understaffed, and without the full expertise needed for reviews. more

Nature, Published online: 14 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09367-3Experimental demonstration of logical magic state distillation more

Nature, Published online: 14 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02199-1Beijing’s reorganization of science is a broad, systemic effort to reshape how research is conducted, applied and evaluated nationwide. more

Nature, Published online: 14 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02236-zNeil Shubin, a University of Chicago researcher known for co-discovering a ′missing link’ fossil fish, will lead the National Academy of Sciences if ratified more

Nature, Published online: 14 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02213-6Scientists everywhere must be protected more

Nature, Published online: 14 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02210-9Researchers engaged in long-term projects often need to update their data sets over time. Here’s how to do it while maintaining reproducibility. more

Nature, Published online: 14 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09249-8A newly identified bacterial strain (YB328) isolated from the faeces of patients who responded to immune checkpoint blockade therapies can promote antitumour immunity through more

Nature, Published online: 14 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01984-2Roger Deane has seen the investment in astronomy on the continent pay off both in his own career and with more young scientists joining more

Nature, Published online: 14 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02198-2Ten of Nature’s recent contributors share their current book obsessions. more

Nature, Published online: 14 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02233-2Rana Dajani's research includes identifying risk factors for type 2 diabetes, and genetic links to trauma. more

Nature, Published online: 14 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02211-8Emmanuel Barde Elisha is a research coordinator for a non-profit organization dedicated to managing protected areas for conservation and local development. more

Nature, Published online: 14 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02224-3Cancer therapies called checkpoint inhibitor drugs, which ratchet up the immune system, work better when this bacterium is around. more

Nature, Published online: 14 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09353-9Publisher Correction: Targeting GRPR for sex hormone-dependent cancer after loss of E-cadherin more

Nature, Published online: 14 July 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02181-xSocial inequality and the decay of democratic institutions are linked to accelerated ageing — but education seems to slow the process. more

Observatory marks 230 years of  recording weather

The building holds the longest sequence of continuous weather data anywhere in the UK and Ireland. more

Extreme weather is the UK's new normal, says Met Office

The UK has a notably different climate compared with just a few decades ago, the Met Office says. more

Beaker Street Science Photography prize – in pictures

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Our Mission

Demarest Nature Center - Duffy Bridge

According to the 1972 articles of Incorporation, the purposes of the organization are:

  • To acquire or lease undeveloped lands and establish thereon educational building(s).
  • To develop natural history and conservation education programs in cooperation with schools, colleges, hospitals, youth groups and other organizations which will develop an understanding and appreciation of natural resources.
  • To cooperate with national, state, county, municipal and private natural resource agencies in providing an outdoor laboratory in which to demonstrate natural resource problems and management techniques.

 Check Out Our Latest Newsletter & History of DNC

Events

What We Sponsor

The DNC sponsors numerous programs to bring residents of Demarest and the surrounding areas into closer contact with wildlife and the natural world. Programs have varied, including lectures on native plants, family hikes, maple syrup making, bird watching & counts, birdhouse building, mushroom foraging walk, community trail walk and children’s scavenger hunts.  Local outdoor activities have been held at the Nature Center, Wakelee Field, various school grounds, and at the Duck Pond.

TripAdvisor

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Mail

Demarest Nature Center
Box 41
Demarest, NJ 07627

Location

90 Park St, Demarest, NJ 07627

Trail Map

You can download a Trail Map here.

Become a Member

Since its incorporation in 1977 the Demarest Nature Center Association has cared for a 55-acre parcel of land bordered by Columbus Road on the west and County Road on the east. The Demarest Nature Center is open to all every day of the year. In addition to protecting woods, vernal ponds, meadows, and a section of the Tenakill Brook, as well as establishing and maintaining walking trails, the center provides educational events for everyone about the beauty of nature and the importance of preserving our amazing forest habitat. Your membership dollars go towards sponsorship of environmental education programs for kindergarten through the fourth grade in the Demarest schools, and a yearly scholarship given to a local high school senior who plans to pursue environment-related studies in college. Your membership also helps support our birdhouse/bird feeder building program, our annual photo contest, maple syrup making, environmental scholarships, monthly community trail walks and the Craft Show at Oktoberfest/Fall Festival Event.

The Demarest Nature Center Association is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, run solely by volunteers and receives no funding from the Borough of Demarest.

Residents of Demarest receive all DNC mailings as postal patrons. Non-resident members receive DNC mailings by 1st class mail.

Come Join Us And Become a Member

Photo Gallery