MARLBORO — Area residents recently got the chance to meet up with some prehistoric creatures during a Dinosaur and Environmental Awareness Day program held at the Marlboro Community Recreation Center.
Under the guidance and direction of Councilman Dr. Paul Kovalski Jr., an environmental enthusiast, the town’s Recrea-tion and Parks Commission sponsored the first program of its kind on May 21, attended by more than 600 visitors.
"Today our community focuses on our own Big Brook location, one of the top three dinosaur fossil sites in the Garden State," Kovalski said. "We need to preserve and protect this area for future generations due to its scientific value, environmental sensitivity and recreational enjoyment."
The program was highlighted by an extensive display of information on the dinosaur age presented by the following exhibitors: Dinosaur State Park, Connec-ticut; the Academy of Natural Sciences; the American Museum of Natural History; the New Jersey Paleontological Society; the New York Paleontological Society; the New Jersey State Museum; the Cape May Bird Observatory; the Department of Environmental Protection Watershed Management; the Department of Com-munity Forestry; the Marlboro Historic Commission; and individual exhibitors, including Kovalski, Ralph Johnson, Ed Otte, Derek Yoost and John Tedesco.
"In addition to its ecological importance as a wildlife habitat and as a watershed, Big Brook is one of the most significant fossil sites in New Jersey," said William B. Gallagher, registrar of Natural History for the New Jersey Department of State. "Recent notable paleontological discoveries here include the partial leg bone of a small raptor-like carnivorous dino-saur, the first known lungfish tooth plate from the Late Cretaceous Age of North America and a tiny mammal tooth from the age of dinosaurs."
According to Gallagher and Kovalski, the most exciting discoveries along the stream gravels of the Big Brook are the fossil specimens discovered by the numerous fossil hunters, both young and old, who frequent the site.
"Preservation of Big Brook is very desirable as a way of maintaining the important legacy of Marlboro’s contributions to science and for the future discoveries which will be made here," Gallagher said.
During the course of the three-hour program, more than 400 shark teeth and 200 tree samplings were distributed to the attendees, who circulated among the exhibits and posed questions to paleontologists and environmentalists concerning Marlboro’s history.
According to Kovalski, who has conducted a number of fossil digs along the stream banks of the Big Brook, the area is significant not only for its paleontological discoveries, but also as the site of the black willow tree, known as the "Marlboro tree," which is featured in the town’s sesquicentennial logo.
"This black willow tree is the largest known tree of its species in New Jersey," Kovalski said. "It has also been designated as part of the Local Legacies Project, which is the cornerstone of the bicentennial celebration of the U.S. Library of Congress."
The tree, which is thought to be about 152 years old, is the largest tree in Marlboro. It is near one of the Big Brook tributaries, near Route 79 and Vanderburg Road.
The black willow, discovered by Kovalski in 1997, is regarded as a "state champion" tree, meaning it is the largest known tree of its species in the state, according to Gallagher.
"Saving this tree and preserving it, as well as the area surrounding it, which is rich in fossil finds, is a way of preserving Marlboro’s history and teaching our children about the value of nature and the environment," Kovalski said.
The organizers of the Dinosaur and Environmental Awareness Day program said that based on public participation at the event, they would like to repeat it on an annual basis.
"It was a great time for families, who enjoyed the exhibits and speaking with other collectors and experts," Kovalski said. "It also demonstrated support for creating a nature trail at Big Brook as part of the town’s park system and preserving the area for present and future generations," Kovalski said.

