Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space is seeking public input as it prepares a stewardship plan for the nearly 400-acre Mount Rose Preserve on Carter Road in Hopewell Township.
The preserve includes land recently acquired under the leadership of many groups. The new preserve also includes lands previously preserved by Hopewell Township.
Groups that worked to secure the land are the N.J. Conservation Foundation and the Hopewell Township Citizens Group with funding provided by the N.J. Green Acres program, Mercer County, Hopewell Township, Hopewell Borough, Lawrence Township, Princeton, Pennington Borough, N.J. Conservation Foundation, Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space, Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association and D&R Greenway Land Trust.
FoHVOS recently completed an ecological assessment of the preserve’s various habitat areas on both sides of Carter Road and now seeks advice and insights from local residents and other interested parties as they draft a stewardship plan for the land.
A survey, which should take about 10 minutes to complete, can be accessed at the FoHVOS website at www.fohvos.org. Click on the “Take the Survey” button under “Mount Rose Preserve-Public Survey.” The survey asks respondents to rank their preferred activities and management concerns, among other things to be considered in the plan. The survey is available until Feb. 29.
FoHVOS stewardship director Michael Van Clef said, “With a solid stewardship plan in hand, we will work on improving the ecological health of the Preserve. Some areas support beautiful mature beech and white oak forest suffering from deer damage, while other areas are so heavily degraded that complete restoration is required. We look forward to meeting the challenges as well as meeting the needs of the community.”
