In November, the Greater Princeton Branch of AYLUS (GPA) conservation team joined the communities again for the Forest Restoration events at the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve in Princeton (57 Mountain Avenue).
GPA members joined for a Day of Service in Nature, during this session, volunteers helped to restore habitat at the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve in Princeton, NJ. FOPOS Director of Natural Resources and Stewardship went over some winter plant identification tips, and then they used pruners, loopers, and handsaws to cut back target invasive species such as Japanese honeysuckle and Multiflora rose. Invasive plants can really overtake a site, preventing native species and future canopy trees from growing.
Volunteers joined FOPOS for planting sessions at the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve. They worked under the guidance of FOPOS stewardship staff to plant native species and to assist with ecological restoration projects and trail work at the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve in Princeton, NJ. The current project of focus is a 20+ acre Riparian Restoration project that buffers Mountain Lake and portions of its tributaries. During these sessions we will identify and remove invasive plants, protect trees from deer browse and beaver chew, and plant native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers.
Join FOPOS’s NEW Chestnut Care Team! Together, a team of FOPOS land stewards will help preserve the Mountain Lakes American Chestnut Tree population, a species currently threatened by the non-native chestnut blight fungus.
The planted chestnuts are part of a restoration project and are located within the deer enclosure of the 18-acre forest restoration project site at the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve.
What: The Chestnut Care Team is a group of FOPOS volunteers focused on the Mountain Lakes American Chestnut population. During this series, we’ll learn more about this once-populous tree that produces the delicious nuts that many of us enjoy in the fall.
How: Join us for a chestnut-focused volunteer session! The kickoff session will focus on recovering the American Chestnut Leaf Sculpture created by local ecological artist Susan Hoenig. The sculpture has become overgrown, and we’ll get a chance to free it from invasive weeds while nurturing native plants located within the plot. The artist-in-residence, Susan Hoenig, will be present and you can read more about her work and this sculpture online.
Throughout these sessions, we will monitor the health of the local chestnut trees, learn how to ID the presence of blight, and help prevent the spread of blight. With your help, we can help preserve this American treasure for future generations!
Participants (11/18, 2 hrs): Simon Tong, Joy Yao, Ruth Rui, William Gao, Eddy Tian, Xintong Si, Jiawei Lyu, Max Chua
