2026 Meeting
Sun, May 17
|The Pinelands Alliance
The Pinelands Of New Jersey Hosted by the Pinelands Alliance at the Bishop Farmstead https://pinelandsalliance.org/
Time & Location
May 17, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT – May 20, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT
The Pinelands Alliance, 17 Pemberton Rd, Southampton Township, NJ 08088, USA
About the event
Tentative Program:
The meeting will include opportunities for networking, social mixers, a banquet and awards, lots of exciting talks and posters as well as field trips on water and land in the pine barrens of New Jersey. Please see the informal program that includes a listing of talks and their times as well as posters and their days.
Location:
The Bishop Farmstead of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance
17 Pemberton Road, Southampton, NJ 08088
Getting There:
The Bishop Farmstead is easily accessed by both the Newark (EWR: approximately 1hr drive and 63 miles) and Philadelphia (PHL: approximately 50 min drive and 35 miles) airports. Accommodation at the Research Institute and local hotels are all within 15-30 minutes of the meeting location. There is no shuttle service provided between the airports and the Pinelands Research Institute or the hotels. We have opened a google sheet for coordination and shared transportation to and from the airports.
Getting Around:
Shuttle service will be available from the Pinelands Research Institute cabins, the Holly Motel and to the Bishop Farmstead where the meeting and meals will take place for a fee of $50 for the week. For those choosing to stay in Air BnB or hotels, shared rental cars are recommended. Shuttle service ($50) can be added by clicking HERE.
Planning for Posters: We recommend portrait style of approximately 30-36”x48”. Not less than 28” wide. Posters will be hung from the rafters of an old barn. Push pins will be provided to attach the posters to the rafters. Posters will be up all day with time in the evening for poster engagement and over lunch as well.
Planning for Talks: Please plan a 15-minute talk time. We recommend 12 minutes to speak and 3 minutes for question and transition.
Congratulations to our Award Winners!
Career: Dr. Katalin (Kathy) Szlavecz
Affiliation: Research Professor, Morton K. Blaustein Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University
Early Career: Dr. Joseph “Joe” Edwards
Affiliation: Postdoctoral Researcher, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Service: Dr. Emma Aronson.
Affiliation: Professor, Dept. of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, the University of California at Riverside.
Best student paper:
First place: Brooke E. Propson for “Gains in soil carbon storage under anthropogenic nitrogen deposition are rapidly lost following its cessation”
Full citation: Propson, B. E., Zak, D. R., Classen, A. T., Burton, A. J., & Freedman, Z. B. (2024). Gains in soil carbon storage under anthropogenic nitrogen deposition are rapidly lost following its cessation. Ecology, 105(11), e4444.
Awardee affiliation at time of publishing: Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Honorable mention: Daniel Petticord for “Foliar phosphorus concentrations in Bahiagrass are well-predicted by the abundance of a Fusarium taxa”
Full citation: Petticord, D. F., Zhi, R., Boughton, E. H., Guo, Y., Liao, H. L., Reyes, A. L., ... & Sparks, J. P. (2026). Foliar phosphorus concentrations in Bahiagrass are well-predicted by the abundance of a Fusarium taxa. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 214, 110049.
Awardee affiliation at time of publishing: Department of Ecology and Evolution, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Meals and Dining:
This meeting is being held in a rural location. Outside dining options are limited. Therefore, all meals will be provided with the registration cost. Specifically, on Monday, a light breakfast, lunch and casual dinner will be included, on Tuesday a light breakfast, lunch and our Awards Banquet Dinner will be provided, and on Wednesday, a light breakfast and lunch will be provided. Meals will be catered and vegetarian, vegan and gluten free choices available. The banquet dinner on Tuesday is catered by a creative chef that prioritizes sustainability using locally sourced produce with thoughtful preparations. When you register, please list the days you plan to eat with the meeting and your dietary requests.
Housing and Accommodation:
Budget
Pinetree Center of the Pinelands Research Institute, 110 Butterworth Bogs Rd, Tabernacle, NJ.
$30 / night.
Shared cabin space with bunks, shared bathrooms and small kitchens
Shuttle service to and from meeting available for small fee ($50 for the week) OR 12 miles from the meeting (book on the "cabins, shuttle & field trips" button).
For cyclists, the road is shouldered highway.
Hill Top Motel, 126 Rt 68, Wrightstown, NJ, Ph:609-723-8333
No negotiated rate. Approx $75/night
11 miles from the meeting
Holly Motel, 1775 US-206, Southampton Township, NJ 08088. Ph: 6098592229
Call for best room rates. No negotiated rate, approximately $80/night.
The shuttle service will stop at this motel.
For cyclists, the road is shouldered highway.
Approximately 3 miles to the meeting.
Somewhat Nicer Stays
Holiday Inn Express in Burlington - Mt. Holly, 18 Western Dr., Westhampton, NJ. Ph: 609-702-5800
11 miles from meeting
Hawthorn Extended Stay Mount Laurel/Moorestown, 3320-24 NJ38, Mnt Laurel Township, NJ Ph:856-548-8448
Approximately $125/night.
10 miles from meeting
Hampton Inn and Suites Mount Laurel/Moorestown, 2020 Briggs Road, Mnt. Laurel township, NJ Ph:856-733-0020
10 miles from meeting
Field Trips - Book your trips on the following links! There is time in the program dedicated to these trips.
All field trips will get you out into the woods to experience the pine barrens up close. None of the trips are technical or challenging. Bring your binoculars or even a loop to ID native plants and insects. However, it is spring in the woods of the northeast. We strongly recommend insect repellent and caution with exposure to ticks.
Monday: The Pine Barrens Discovery Tour $35. Book this field trip here.
All participants will board a bus for a short ride to the Rancocas Cranberry Preserve. There, they will have the option to hike and/or paddle an abandoned cranberry bog that is now returning to natural pine barrens ecosystem. Hiking trails wander among wetlands and abandoned cranberry bog dike roads. The natural plant community is establishing including young Atlantic White Cedar, Sweetgum and carnivorous plants. Wildlife is abundant. The reservoir of the abandoned bogs is now a lake that is easy to paddle and enjoy different habitats from a boat. Visitors are likely to see numerous bird species including bald eagles as well as beaver dams. Wear comfortable walking clothes and come prepared to paddle if you choose. Insect repellent and sunscreen are recommended.
Tuesday: Field Trip Choice: 1. Paddle the Mullica River $60 Book the paddle trip here. or 2. Hike the Mullica River Trail $45. Book theZ hike trip here.
All participants will be bused to either the kayak launch or the hiking trail head. The Mullica River was recently designated a Wild and Scenic River by the National Park Service. The river is a slow easy paddle through various pine barrens habitats. The river is narrow, slow and far removed from urban or human habitation. Paddlers will get to see many species of birds and plants as well as beaver dams. The hike is a comfortable walk on sand roads (approximately 2 miles). The hike will begin at the Cotton Mill Ruins and will explore numerous different habitat types along the Mullica including an Atlantic White Cedar Swamp. This walk will be a treat for botanists. Look for: Pyxie, Bog Violet, Lady Slippers and many other local springtime wildflowers.
