By Greg Forester, Staff Writer
Some of Princeton Township’s parks need a boost, representatives of citizen groups that have taken responsibility for their upkeep have told the Princeton Environmental Commission.
Several such groups made presentations on the challenges facing the parklands before the Princeton Environmental Commission members last week. The presenters were invited as part of an effort to assess how township park programs work with groups that have taken responsibility for caring for parkland, according to Vice Chairman Peter Wolanin.
”The major motivation was to get in touch with people and find out what was going on,” said Mr. Wolanin, who noted some of the groups worked under the township’s Adopt-a-Park program.
The first to make a presentation to the commission was Nicholas Carnevale, a representative of the Princeton Pettoranello Foundation. The group has helped oversee Pettoranello Gardens in Community Park North since the early 1990s.
The 13-acre portion of the park was created out of recognition of Princeton’s Italian community, according to Mr. Carnevale. Public officials designed the park as a passive space, “without carousels, and no fountains,” said Mr. Carnevale, who noted the land was once used as a town dump.
He said the park faced water-related problems with the artificial pond located in the park, like stormwater and other erratic water flows, silt and algae build-up, and problems with geese. Also, the Pettoranello Foundation occasionally experienced difficulty securing enough volunteers to perform maintenance and cleanup work at the park, according to Mr. Carnevale.
”It is difficult finding people to work consistently,” he said.
Fred Spar, a member of the Friends of Rogers Refuge, spoke and told the group about some of the issues facing the wildlife refuge, which is located near the Institute Woods and Stony Brook. He said the land was acquired in 1968 through a conservation easement and was later renamed to honor ornithologist Charles H. Rogers.
The land is a great place for bird watching, according to Mr. Spar, who said New Jersey in general is a prime area for bird-watching during migration season, despite a poor environmental reputation.
A marshy 40-acre area of the mostly wooded refuge creates a great environment for migrating birds, Mr. Spar said, but problems with a pump that maintains the water flow and other issues have affected the refuge, which has also felt the effects of a worldwide decline in migratory birds.
Several representatives from the Friends of Gulick Preserve made a detailed presentation regarding their open space, a 40-acre area on the township’s eastern border that was purchased in 2003. The preserve is home to a variety of trails, woodland, and other open space scenes.
Rosemary Blair said the preserve was the first inhabited area of Princeton, with farmers establishing homesteads there as far back as 1693. More recent events at the preserve included the dumping of a large amount of lawn waste by an unidentified landscaping business, and the discovery of a deer blind.
Princeton Township resident Ed Simon said the group was pleased that the prevalence of what he characterized as “youthful activities” had declined, and more people were using the open space in the preserve.
However, Gulick Preserve representatives like Jo-Ann Munoz and Jeffrey Bergman said Princeton officials should make a better effort in promoting the preserve, especially on official recreation brochures listing other parks and recreation spaces. They ought to consider including signage indicating the existence of the preserve, according to Ms. Munoz.
”This is historic land that people should be proud to walk on,” Ms. Munoz said.
Kristen Brunner, a representative from several local Girl Scouts troops, told the Princeton Environmental Commission that the scouts found maintaining Turning Basin Park a fulfilling activity.
”They take care of part of the park” and gain confidence, Ms. Brunner said.
Several local Girl Scouts organizations adopted the 10-acre park approximately seven years ago, according to Ms. Brunner, and have been going out to the park annually to conduct beautification activities, like weeding and landscaping.
For more information on open space and the Princeton Environmental Commission, call Anne Criscitiello at 609-921-1359.
