Environmental center launched in Plainsboro

The New Jersey Audubon Society will finance the facility’s operating costs and educational programs and will provide management and maintenance for the entire preserve property.

By: Gwen Runkle
   PLAINSBORO — Gathered near the shore of McCormack Lake, a group of local, county and state government officials broke ground for the Environmental Education Center of the Plainsboro Preserve on Monday morning.
   Mayor Peter Cantu was joined at the event by U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-12), David Craibel, director of the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Tom Gilmore, president of the New Jersey Audubon Society, and a rambunctious class of second-grade students from the J.V.B. Wicoff School.
   "This center will enable us to continue a tradition which began in Plainsboro more than 60 years ago," Mr. Gilmore said. "A tradition of bringing people and nature together."
   The 750-acre Plainsboro Preserve is located in the northern part of the township off Scotts Corner Road.
   The 6,500-square-foot educational facility will be constructed by DKD Construction of Dayton and is expected to be completed by late spring 2002.
   Once finished, the center will serve as the Plainsboro Preserve’s administrative and educational headquarters.
   The New Jersey Audubon Society will finance the facility’s operating costs and educational programs and will provide management and maintenance for the entire preserve property.
   In addition, the facility has been fully funded by private donations and special state and federal grants, which total almost $1.3 million.
   "We are building a facility that will have both community and regional benefits and we’re building it without a nickel of the taxpayers’ money," said Mayor Cantu. "We anticipated having a 50-50 sharing of the cost of the project, but the outpouring of support was overwhelming."
   Mayor Cantu thanked all of the 72 residents and businesses that made contributions, 10 of which were major corporations, including Merrill Lynch, which led the way donating $200,000. Bristol-Myers Squibb, Calton Homes and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation each donated $50,000.
   The mayor also thanked Rep. Holt for securing $850,000 in federal grants for the project and state Sen. Peter Inverso (R-Hamilton) for getting $100,000 in state grants.
   Rep. Holt returned the thanks in kind.
   "I really want to pay tribute to Mayor Cantu and his wife, Gail," the congressman said. "They’ve both had such a vision for preserving open space. It has made Plainsboro one of the leaders for preservation for New Jersey."
   He also said the timing of the ceremony fit well in helping the community pick up the pieces after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
   "Over the last couple of weeks, we have been singing the verses of ‘America the Beautiful’ a lot," Congressman Holt said. " ‘America the Beautiful’ describes the natural splendor of our country, but what the song is really about is America’s character — the way that nature is integrated into our character. This preservation is not something apart from the discussions of the past week. We are restoring ourselves, restoring our character."
   Mr. Gilmore stressed the importance of the township’s partnership with the New Jersey Audubon Society and looked forward to bringing the community to the preserve.
   "There was a time when tens of thousands of children each year came to Plainsboro to visit the Walker-Gordon dairy farm," he said. "Once constructed, the Environmental Center and Preserve will once again provide public access and education on one of the region’s greatest natural treasures."
   Brian Vernachio, who will be the center’s director from the New Jersey Audubon Society, has already started some educational programming.
   He led the second-grade students from Wicoff School on an exploratory adventure through the preserve Friday. The students assembled a book of their experiences and put it along with things they collected Friday in a time capsule during the ceremony.
   Mr. Vernachio also said the public can enjoy the preserve during free walking tours beginning Oct. 6. The walks will be held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays, he said.