Preserve to open with celebration

The Mapleton Preserve, located at the old Princeton Nursery site, officially opens to the public with an Arbor Day celebration 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday.

By: Joseph Harvie
   Dust off your hiking boots and get your bluegrass ears ready for the sounds of vintage American music. The Mapleton Preserve officially opens to the public with an Arbor Day celebration Saturday afternoon.
   The event, which is set to run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. rain or shine, will also mark an open house for the new headquarters of the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park.
   The preserve is located at the old Princeton Nursery site located along the D&R Canal, between Mapleton and Ridge roads, in Kingston. The township and the state acquired the 214-acre site in January 2005 from Princeton University. The D&R Canal’s new headquarters is located in the nursery’s old sales and administration building.
   The free public event will feature three tours of the area, speeches by local and state politicians, a slide presentation on the history of the nursery, two bluegrass performances, and arts and crafts for kids, said Karen Linder, of the Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands, a citizens’ group that works to raise awareness and funding to maintain the preserve.
   The first tour will begin at 1:30 p.m. when Ms. Linder will take participants on an overall tour of the preserve.
   "It is going to be in Mapleton Preserve itself," Ms. Linder said. "We will highlight some of the specimens of trees on the property."
   Ms. Linder said she was at the site earlier this week and she predicted the dogwood trees, vViburnum and lilacs would be in full bloom for the tour.
   The second tour will be run by D&R Canal Watch and will take participants form the preserve to the Locktenders House along the canal in Kingston, Ms. Linder said. The third tour will be run by the Kingston Greenways Association and will take walkers from the preserve to other parcels of open space that abut the property, including the Cook Natural Area.
   "We want to put in a plug to tell people what else needs to be done to preserve greenbelt around Kingston and highlight why the property is so important," Ms. Linder said.
   Princeton Nurseries, now run out of Allentown, also donated the first of what could be many trees to be planted in front of the D&R Canal headquarters as a tribute to the Flemer family, which established the nursery over 100 years ago, Ms. Linder said.
   "Princeton Nurseries has basically agreed to establish the Flemer Arboretum in honor of the Flemer family," Ms. Linder said. "They will donate three trees for the event. Two white flowering cherries and a pin oak. Both specimens were developed by Princeton Nurseries."
   The South Brunswick Shade Tree Commission will also give a presentation at the event on how to plant a tree and give a New Jersey red oak seedling to anyone who wants one, Ms. Linder said.
   Along with tours and tree plantings, William Flemer IV will present a slideshow presentation titled "Princeton Nurseries: The Flemer Family Legacy," which will outline the history of the site and his family. This presentation will be in the new headquarters building.
   "There is a lot of interesting nursery history and interesting family history that will be highlighted in that talk," Ms. Linder said.
   The event will also feature the bluegrass music of the Mountain View Band, whose members work at the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Riverside Bluegrass Band, of which Mr. Flemer is a member.
   In addition, about 20 environmental and historical groups are expected to attend the event providing information about their groups, said Vicki Chirco, historian for the D&R Canal State Park. She said the groups include the Plainsboro Historical Society, Delaware River Mills Society, the Kingston Greenways Association and the East Coast Greenways Association.
   Ms. Chirco said she and the rest of the D & R Canal staff are excited about the event because it will give the public a chance to see the new headquarters.
   "It is a great new beginning for us," Ms. Chirco said. "We are excited to have a place to have exhibits. The new educational building will give us a place to hold programs on site. It opens up a lot of opportunities and possibilities for us."
   Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., South Brunswick Mayor Frank Gambatese and state DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson will also speak at the event.