National Public Lands Day Cleanup at Mapleton Preserve

National Public Lands Day Cleanup at Mapleton Preserve

Sat., September 25, 2 to 4 PM

Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands will sponsor a work session in the Mapleton Preserve for National Public Lands Day on Saturday Sept 25 from 2-4 pm. Meet us outside the D & R Canal State Park Headquarters Building at 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston, and choose the task that suits you: tree planting, brush cutting, litter removal, or vine clearing. Last year, over 20 people joined us for this event - we are hoping to attract at least as many volunteers this year.

An expert arborist from Woodwinds, a family-owned Kingston business that specializes in tree care and maintenance, will be on hand to treat the newly planted trees with an injection of worm tea - an organic brew that acts as a soil conditioner, improves water retention in the soil, and gives new trees a vigorous start. Questions about fall tree care (including fall tree maintenance basics, including mulching, deer protection, pruning, and other seasonal care will also be fielded.

Some tools will be available on site, but participants are encouraged to bring their own favorites (loppers, saws, clippers, rakes etc). Work gloves, long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and hats are advised. For more information, contact tari@panrui.net or call 609-683-0483 (after Sept 12).

National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands Americans enjoy. National Public Lands Day began in 1994 with three federal agencies and 700 volunteers. In 2008, 120,000 volunteers built trails and bridges, removed trash and invasive plants and planted over 1.6 million trees.


This annual event:

* Educates Americans about critical environmental and natural resources issues and the need for shared stewardship of these irreplaceable lands
* Builds partnerships between the public sector and the local community based upon mutual interests in the enhancement and restoration of America's public lands
* Improves public lands for the benefit and enjoyment of the public, with volunteers assisting land managers in hands-on work.

To learn more, please visit http://www.publiclandsday.org/

FPNL Annual Meeting - The Ancient Forest - Native Plants of the Sourlands (FPNL Annual Meeting)

Wild Yam Leaves - photo by Jared Rosenbaum

Wednesday, June 2, 7:30-9 PM

Jared Rosenbaum, Associate Director of Stewardship at D&R Greenway Land Trust will be the featured speaker at the Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands Annual Meeting on June 2 from 7:30-9 pm. He will be speaking on "The Ancient Forest - Native plants of the Sourlands".

The program will be held in the Education Building at the Mapleton Preserve/D&R Canal State Park, 145 Mapleton Rd, Kingston.

The program is free and open to all. Refreshments will be served. For more information call 609-683-0483 or see www.fpnl.org.

About the Sourlands: The boulder-strewn ridge of the Sourland Mountain avoided severe disturbance during the colonial period. It continues to be a sparsely settled remnant retaining the ancient forest plant and animal communities of our region. This presentation will discuss the wildflowers, ferns and woody plants of the Sourlands, as well as the area’s unique history and ecology.

About the speaker: Jared Rosenbaum lives on the Sourland Mountain ridge, deep in a forest he cherishes for its intricacy, beauty and power to teach.

An Associate Director of Stewardship at D&R Greenway Land Trust, Jared joined the staff in 2007 after serving as a volunteer land steward for D&R Greenway for several years. This organization has preserved over 14,000 acres of open space in New Jersey. He is the guiding force behind their new Native Plant Nursery (http://www.drgreenway.org/nursery/), which is dedicated to restoring a rich diversity of native flora to the local landscape.

Clean-up Day - National Day of Service

MONDAY, JAN 18, 12 - 3 PM (Martin Luther King Day)

Mapleton Preserve, 145 Mapleton Road, Kingston (For MapQuest etc, use 145 Mapleton Road, Princeton 08540 for address).

Join Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands for an invigorating Clean-Up Day at Mapleton Preserve! We will be clearing small trees, brush, and trash around the Propagation House and the Flemer Arboretum in preparation for our ARBOR DAY EVENT, later in the spring.

Bring tools such as saws, clippers, loppers and rakes. Dress for the weather, whatever it is. It is free and all are welcome.

In case of extreme weather, the event will be postponed until Saturday, January 23, 2010 (from 12-3).

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!
From the trustees of Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands"

Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands
http://www.fpnl.org/
For more information, call 609-683-0483

Kingston Loop Trail Hike

Sat. Nov. 14th, 10:00 am:

Join the naturalist and historian of Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park in a walk along the loop trail system in Kingston, NJ. The trail leads through the historic D & R Canal State Park, Mapleton Preserve (former site of Princeton Nurseries), Cook Natural Area and Middlesex County Open Space Park, Heathcote Meadow Preserve and is ~3.5 miles along mostly dirt/gravel pathways and is along flat terrain. The program will start at 10:00 am. Participants will meet at the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park’s Kingston Office located at 145 Mapleton Road. Pre-registration IS REQUIRED (609-924-5705). Weather permitting.

Register for this program

Why go Native?? The Importance of Biodiversity

November 7th - 10:00 am:

Robert Wells, Certified Tree Expert and Associate Director of Arboriculture Outreach of the Morris Arboretum, will be at the old Princeton Nursery headquaters located at 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston (now the Kingston office for the D & R Canal State Park) to discuss NJ native plants and the importance of biodiversity. His presentation will be based on Dr. Doug Tallamy’s book, Bringing Nature Home: How native plants sustain wildlife in our gardens.

Did you know:

Around 50,000 alien species of plant and animals have colonized North America.

Native plants supported 35 times more caterpillar biomass (amount by weight) than did alien plants.

96% of North American birds rely on insects, and the spiders that eat them, to feed young.

One large sugar maple can sequester 450 pounds of CO2 per year!

Fall is a perfect time to landscape your yards. Please join us in learning how landscape designs can create critical wildlife habitat, and the importance of "Going Native". The presentation will last approximately 45 minutes. Afterwards visitor are encouraged to explore the trails in the Mapleton Preserve. Registration is NOT required and admission is FREE!

For MapQuest/Google directions to the site, use 145 Mapleton Road, Princeton 08540 as the address, as the D&R Canal Kingston office has a Princeton mailing address.

Fall bird walk with John Maret

Sat. Oct. 24th, 8:00 am:
Join John Maret and the Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands for an early morning bird walk through the Mapleton Preserve. The Preserve and its surroundings contain both wooded and grassland habitats – the varied offerings of evergreens, hardwood trees, open fields and bountiful berries draw many species of birds, ranging from sparrows to hawks.

On the walk, the group will be watching for bird behaviors that provide clues to identification, as well their songs and call notes. Learning these sounds takes a good pair of ears and lots of practice. John Maret, the leader for this walk, has “educated ears”, is an excellent birder and a fabulous teacher. Meet at the D&R Canal State Park Headquarters/Mapleton Preserve, 145 Mapleton Road, Kingston. The event will be held rain or shine. It is free and all are welcome. Call 609-683-0483 for more information.

National Public Lands Day at Mapleton Preserve

Sat., September 26, 1 to 4 PM

Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands, Kingston Greenways Association, and the D&R Canal State Park will jointly sponsor a work session in the Mapleton Preserve. Meet us at 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston, and choose the task that suits you: Brush cutting, Litter removal, vine clearing, tree planting or photo documentation.

Some tools will be available on site, but participants are welcome to bring their own favorites (loppers, saws, clippers, rakes etc). Work gloves, long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and hats are advised. For more information, contact tari@kingstongreenways.org, or call the Park at 924-5705.

National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands Americans enjoy. National Public Lands Day began in 1994 with three federal agencies and 700 volunteers.

In 2008, 120,000 volunteers built trails and bridges, removed trash and invasive plants and planted over 1.6 million trees. It keeps the promise of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the "tree army" that worked from 1933 to 1942 to preserve and protect America's natural heritage.

This annual event:

• Educates Americans about critical environmental and natural resources issues and the need for shared stewardship of these irreplaceable lands
• Builds partnerships between the public sector and the local community based upon mutual interests in the enhancement and restoration of America's public lands
• Improves public lands for outdoor recreation, with volunteers assisting land managers in hands-on work.

To learn more, please visit http://www.publiclandsday.org/