JERRY WOLKOWITZ Kaitlin Dwyer, 2, waves to students at St. Bartholomew’s School in East Brunswick March 15 during the school’s “Parade of Saints.”
being designed off Rues Ln.
Groundbreaking on park, designed by volunteers, scheduled for Earth Day
By vincent todaro
Staff Writer
EAST BRUNSWICK — The township will soon be home to the state’s first municipal butterfly park.
Officials announced at the March 18 Township Council meeting that a ground-breaking ceremony at the park is planned for Earth Day, April 22. According to Eliot Goldman, chairman of the township’s Environmental Commission, the park will be constructed in an undeveloped portion of Great Oak Park, between Rues and Ryders lanes.
The commission, which has been preparing for the park for more than a year, gave a presentation on the plans for the park at last week’s council meeting.
"We’ve been [developing] over that year a plan to convert an overgrown portion of Great Oak Park into a butterfly park," Goldman said. "This will probably be the first municipal butterfly park in the country. It will certainly be the first one in the state of New Jersey.
"The overall concept is to convert the overgrown areas into wildflower meadows, to have special plantings to attract butterflies, and then to have a series of walking trails, some made of crushed stone and some just natural, wandering through the woods," he said.
The commission hopes to attract at least 40 to 50 types of butterflies, he said, adding that officials hope the park will be developed entirely through volunteer work.
Members of at least two local Boy Scout troops are expected to help create the butterfly park, as well as volunteers who approached the commission with interest during Community Day, Goldman said. At least one community organization has pledged to help with finances, he said.
Township Planner Steven Gottlieb said the commission is planning to build a quarry stone walkway from the developed portion of Great Oak Park to the center of the field in the vacant section of the park.
A few planting areas would be established to promote and attract butterflies, he said.
In a later phase, some small sitting areas for the public would be created so that people can relax as they enjoy the wildflowers and butterflies. Also during that phase, trails would be created for walking through the wooded areas.
"It’s a relatively simple design," he said. "Nothing extensive, nothing paved. We’re trying to keep the area as natural and undeveloped as possible, but still allow people to enjoy it."
Commission member David Moskowitz gave a slide presentation that showed the park’s present overgrown and wooded terrain.
"We’re going to make it much more accessible to walk through," he said. "It’s really very nice in the woods there; it has a lot of topography."
Butterfly bush would be one the shrubs planted extensively along the trail, he said, and the benches would face those plants.
He said the hope is that the area will eventually be a low meadow of grasses and wildflowers.
"It should really be a beautiful place to wander through," Moskowitz said.
The area already attracts a number of butterflies, he said, but he hopes to attract even more, including red admirals and monarchs. East Brunswick is in the migratory flight path of the monarch, he said.
A great deal of butterfly weed will also be planted in the meadow, he said.
"It’s already a pretty decent butterfly park," he said. "Within one season we should already have a nice wildflower meadow, … and it’ll just get nicer and nicer as time progresses."
Councilwoman Meryle Asaro complimented the commission on its work.
"I think it’s a great job you did," she said, adding that the area can be used as an educational spot for children and possibly class trips.
The commission will solicit donations from orchards in East Brunswick, he said.
Mayor William Neary said he has a butterfly bush in his back yard and that it attracts hundreds of butterflies during the season.
Councilman Saul Fink said the creation of the butterfly park will be an ongoing effort.
"We’ll be asking for people’s time as we go along," he said.