More than 100 D&R Greenway Land Trust supporters, donors and board members enjoyed fun at St. Michael’s Farm Preserve in Hopewell on June 6.
Dressed “west” and ready to kick up their heels in cowboy boots, revelers enjoyed barnyard games, a parade, the bounty from preserved farms and dancing to the Tone Rangers Band, all in support of the mission of D&R Greenway Land Trust: to preserve and care for land and inspire a conservation ethic, now and for the future.
“What a perfect party it was, from magnificent weather to great food, fun and music, and friendly people who all care about saving land,” said D&R Greenway President and CEO Linda Mead. “People will remember the big sky over the fields, lit by a bonfire, a barn and twinkling tents — all made possible because of our generous and passionate supporters.”
Wearing Tony Lama western boots, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora praised the Down To Earth Ball as one of his favorite events. He is a big supporter of preserving nature, and as he took in the ambience of the 340-acre farm fields and forest preserved by D&R Greenway in 2010, he said “it’s amazing that we’re 10 miles from an urban city.”
Mr. Gusciora, a Trenton resident, was excited to hear from D&R Greenway Vice President Jay Watson about D&R Greenway initiatives in the Capital City, such as the recently preserved two-acre site on Escher Street adjoining the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen that will become the future Capital City Farm. Formerly brownfields, the remediated land will provide a local source of fresh food, along with educational and employment opportunities, for some of the city’s most disadvantaged residents.
Cate Litvack, who served as mayor of Princeton Township in 1988 and 1990 and as a D&R Greenway trustee from 1991 to 2013, reflected on all that D&R Greenway has accomplished in its 26 years, beginning with the preservation of the Institute for Advanced Study Woods in the early ‘90s.
“It was our first big land acquisition project, spearheaded by Frank Taplin on the institute’s board, and we learned to combine different pots of funding, which is what we still do today,” said Ms. Litvack. “Now we have all this green space and can walk down the paths and hear birds singing.”
Continuing her service on the Land Acquisition Committee, Ms. Litvack said the primary focus is still on watersheds and old growth forests, as well as farmland “which is so critical to the health of communities.”
“Ever since we preserved Cedar Ridge,” Ms. Litvack continued, “we’ve been focusing on filling in swaths of the Sourland Mountains. It’s important to have unbroken land for bird flyways and native plants — it takes a certain number of acres to maintain habitats.”
One thing that has kept Ms. Litvack involved all these years is “the amazing board and staff, bringing together enthusiasm and a variety of skills. [Director of Development] Leslie Potter is awesome!”
Ms. Potter, in fact, was the key force in organizing the Down To Earth Ball. “This event is always fun because it is the one time each year we all come together to eat, drink and dance in celebration of the important work we do to protect drinking water, save landscapes, preserve farms and create lasting environmental, social and economic benefits in our communities,” she said. “This year’s theme of celebrating New Jersey’s agricultural economy emphasized the importance of keeping the garden in the Garden State, a high priority for D&R Greenway. This is our key fundraiser to support our work to secure a sustainable future.”
Hopewell resident and artist Janet Keller Laughlin, who gave a presentation of her nature-inspired art at D&R Greenway’s Johnson Education Center in winter, marveled at the accomplishments at St. Michael’s Farm Preserve.
“It’s beautiful how D&R Greenway has taken a stand to connect the community to land preservation through education over the years,” she said. An avid gardener, Ms. Laughlin plans her plantings around offerings of D&R Greenway’s Native Plant Nursery, including swamp milkweed to attract Monarch butterflies.
For the farm parade, guests made posters they marched with, bearing slogans about preservation. “Reap what you sow,” read Ms. Laughlin’s poster, decorated with colorful representations of crops.
As sheep grazed in pastures and barn swallows fluttered overhead, many guests remarked how, had it not been for the work of D&R Greenway in preserving St. Michael’s, this bucolic oasis might have been yet another development of cookie cutter houses. But the very nature of this land and how it affects the community is what drew Patricia Shanley and her family to live in the region. Having worked in Indonesia and Brazil researching tropical forestry, she moved to Princeton to be surrounded by plants and trees.
“I’m here to support the phenomenal work of D&R Greenway. Not only is St. Michael’s surrounded by trees but it’s connected to downtown Hopewell Borough.” In order to educate people about the importance of nature, they need to be connected to it, Ms. Shanley adds.
Hopewell resident Linda Knights had been to St. Michael’s just a week earlier for the dedication of the new farm bridge in honor of her late husband, David Knights.
“Standing by the barn and seeing the beautiful sky and expanse feels like being in a painting,” she said. And while Ms. Knights walks here every few weeks, she recalls how, when moving to Hopewell in 1988, no one knew about the property, then owned by the Diocese of Trenton.
“It wasn’t public property and wasn’t accessible. David, a developer with a balanced approach, had come from a family of environmentalists. His father was a geologist, and preservation was in David’s DNA. When he joined Hopewell Borough Council, he worked to make the mayor’s vision for a greenbelt a reality. He worked with Bob Wolfe at Picus Associates, who was very involved with D&R Greenway, and with Princeton University, also allied with the mission of preserving St. Michael’s.”
Thanks to the efforts of all who worked to preserve St. Michael’s, it can flourish as a bird habitat. Sharyn Magee, president of Washington Crossing Audubon Society, has partnered with D&R Greenway to conduct a bird survey of the property. Along with Hanna Suthers, she has documented meadowlarks, American Kestrels, grasshopper sparrows, willow flycatchers and many others.
“St. Michael’s has the highest concentration of yellow warblers in the area,” says Ms. Magee, a Hopewell resident.
Storyteller, educator and author of the “Universe Trilogy” book series, Jennifer Morgan, who weeks earlier had delighted a crowd at the Johnson Education Center when performing as the voice of the universe in her star-studded robe, said “the work of conserving land in central New Jersey could not be more important. Generations from now we’ll be deeply thankful for what D&R Greenway has achieved.”
At the end of the evening, after leading the farm parade and dancing to the tunes of the Tone Rangers, Ms. Mead said, “Our supporters will remember a lot of fun on the dance floor and the orange moon that rose just as we headed for home. We are so grateful to our supporters who made this dream a reality.”
D&R Greenway thanks all those who made in-kind donations: The Brothers Moon, Brick Farm Market/Double Brook Farm, Camden Bag & Paper Co., Cherry Grove Farm, D’Angelo Italian Market, photographers Sheila and Carl Geisler, Great Road Farm, Griggstown Farm, Joe Canal’s Discount Liquor Outlet, McCaffrey’s Princeton, photographers Mary Michaels and Richard Grant, Monday Morning Flower and Balloon Co., Tasha O’ Neill Photography, Pennington Quality Market, Rojo’s Roastery, Sowsians Landscapes and Terhune Orchards. Hopewell Boy Scouts Troop 71 maintained the bonfire as revelers toasted ‘smores.
