Anyone with an interest in fish, wildlife or the outdoors will enjoy a visit to the state-of-the-art Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center.Pequest began operations when trout production was transferred from the Charles O. Hayford Hatchery in Hackettstown in 1981.
Open Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., the center offers visitors a look at how more than 600,000 brook, brown and rainbow trout are raised each year for stocking the public waters of New Jersey. A sad sign of our economic times is that Pequest will remain closed on weekends this spring except for a limited schedule of events/programs.
The annual Pequest Open House will be this weekend, April 4 & 5.
A 15-minute video shows the trout rearing operation from egg-gathering to stocking, and a self-guided tour allows visitors to see where the trout are actually raised. The exhibit hall contains live fish as well as a display of mounted New Jersey wildlife specimens. The entire facility is barrier-free.
Children will find the interactive displays fun as well as educational. Visitors are encouraged to take advantage of the hiking trails, including the self-guided interpretive "Natural Resources Trail," picnic areas and free literature.
Many opportunities exist for hunting, hiking, fishing and birding on the 4000-acre Pequest Wildlife Management Area.
A year-round schedule of weekend programs cover a wide range of wildlife and natural resource topics. A list of upcoming programs can be viewed online.
Organized group programs may be scheduled and can include an actual fishing experience at the "Fishing Education Pond."
Pequest is located on Rt. 46 nine miles west of Hackettstown in scenic Warren County.
For further information about programs and visitation call 908-637-4125, or write:
N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife
Pequest Trout Hatchery & Natural Resource Ed. Ctr.
605 Pequest Rd.
Oxford, NJ 07863
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