Environmental commissioner begins photographic chronicle of township to highlight threatened wildlife areas.
By: Scott Morgan
UPPER FREEHOLD Upper Freehold is changing. Vanishing, Sue Kozel might say.
Actually, she did say, and she’s been saying for quite some time. So last weekend, Ms. Kozel, a member of the Township Environmental Commission, entered the forest with a pair of Allentown High School students and Committeeman Charles Faber to begin a photographic chronicle of what’s left.
"I hope," Ms. Kozel said, "it’s not a before-and-after."
The photo chronicle is part of a project Ms. Kozel had outlined in a 20-page document she submitted to the Township Committee and Planning Board last year. The document, titled "Ways to Preserve Upper Freehold," foreshadowed the end of rural/agricultural life in the township, unless some measures were taken to save it. Within it lay a plan to extensively photograph the township’s sensitive, historic and threatened areas with the help of interested area students.
On March 20, the Environmental Commission officially endorsed the project named, "Protecting Upper Freehold’s Environmental & Scenic Treasures." Ms. Kozel and crew began the record on Saturday.
Despite a drizzly weekend, Ms. Kozel, Mr. Faber and AHS juniors Sara Bloom Leeds and Brian Todd collected four rolls worth of snapshots on their three-hour tour. Ms. Kozel said she expects to shoot about 20 more rolls between now and the end of May, when she sees the project coming to a close. The end result, she hopes, will be a narrative photo essay on display at the township municipal building on Route 539, a section on the township Web site and, maybe, a community book.
The narrative, she said, will largely be the domain of the students.
"They had a chance to talk at length with Faber," Ms. Kozel said of their Saturday outing, adding that Brian and Sara also spoke with cyclists who explained their predilections for biking through Upper Freehold. From here, Ms. Kozel said, the students are planning to speak with other township landowners and environmentalists, such as David Meirs, owner of Walnridge Farm, Environmental Commission Chairman David Perlman and representative for the United Landowners of Upper Freehold, Doug Totten.
Ms. Kozel said the students want to create a balanced picture of how residents view the township. She added the students want to write a paragraph for each photo taken.
Brian and Sara did not respond to questions from The Messenger-Press. Mr. Faber also could not be reached for comment.
Even before the first frame, Ms. Kozel said, the project has garnered an encouraging amount of support. Not only have the Planning Board and Township Committee endorsed the project, but Mr. Perlman has managed to raise some money to buy the film.
With the first frames and lots of encouragement under their wings, Ms. Kozel said her group is well on its way toward accomplishing its goal "to create a lasting legacy of some of the (places) that may not be here in a few years.
"We’re hoping new residents see what’s really special about Upper Freehold," she said.