Thanks to the generosity of area residents and the Robert Wood Johnson 1962 Charitable Trust, $200,000 was raised to convert a former corporate campus on Carter Road into a new public park known as the Mount Rose Preserve. The campaign’s success helps kick off three free events this spring: a bird walk on April 30; a “Bioblitz” on May 20; and a dedication and hike on June 3, National Trails Day., Michele S. Byers, executive director of New Jersey Conservation Foundation, said campaign funds will be used to help improve public access, blaze trails, create meadows, restore wildlife habitat and link the Preserve with the popular Lawrence Hopewell Trail., “We’re extremely grateful for the community’s support of the Mount Rose Preserve stewardship campaign, and invite the public to come out to visit this beautiful new preserve,” said Byers., The first event, a bird walk on Sunday, April 30, is sponsored by the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space and the Washington Crossing Audubon Society. Participants will walk the preserve’s new trail watch and listen for spring migrants. To find out more about the hike, go to http://www.fohvos.org., On Saturday, May 20, the public is invited to come out and count plants and animals at the Mount Rose “Bioblitz.” Participants will inventory birds, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, dragonflies, mammals, invertebrates, plants, fungi and invasive species on a series of 10 hikes with experts between 6 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. To learn more and register, go to the Bioblitz web page at http://www.njconservation.org., The Mount Rose Preserve will be officially dedicated on Saturday, June 3 – National Trails Day. After a dedication ceremony to thank the partners, donors and sponsors, participants will enjoy a guided nature hike. More details on the dedication and hike will be released in the coming weeks., The 320-acre property straddling Carter Road was preserved in April 2015 by a partnership of more than a dozen public agencies and nonprofit organizations., The land was originally built in the 1950s as a multi-building Western Electric/AT&T corporate park, and most recently belonged to Equus Capital Partners. Equus and its predecessor, Berwind Property Group, proposed to develop the property for more than 800,000 square feet of commercial space., Had the land not been preserved, the development would have added up to 4,000 vehicles a day to rural Carter Road., Preservation partners included Mercer County, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Hopewell Valley Citizens Group Inc., Hopewell Township, Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space, NJ Green Acres Program, Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, Lawrence Hopewell Trail, Hopewell Borough, Pennington Borough, Friends of Princeton Open Space, D&R Greenway Land Trust, Lawrence Township and Princeton., Named after a nearby historic village and rocky landmark, the Mount Rose Preserve is now jointly owned and managed by New Jersey Conservation Foundation, the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space, Hopewell Township and Mercer County., The Preserve is part of a corridor of preserved farmland and open space between Hopewell Valley and the Sourland Mountains. In addition to providing critical habitat for threatened and endangered species, it provides a key link for the northern loop of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail, a 30-mile regional trail system for walkers and bicyclists., Since April 2015, much progress has been made. An abandoned conference center on the property was demolished in 2016, and a new trail has been blazed by the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space and volunteers., “We were thrilled to raise $200,000 for the stewardship of Mount Rose and we greatly appreciate all donations, large and small,” said Byers. “The success of this campaign shows how deeply local residents care about transforming this property into a beautiful place where the public can enjoy nature. We also want to thank the Robert Wood Johnson 1962 Charitable Trust for its generous matching grant.”, In 2008, the Hopewell Valley Citizens Group, a non-profit environmental advocacy group represented by counsel Katherine Dresdner, was organized to file a legal challenge against land use approvals for an 800,000-square-foot major commercial development on the east side of Carter Road., Byers also praised Katherine V. Dresdner, general counsel of the Hopewell Valley Citizens Group, and the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space. “The project could not have been successful without Katherine Dresdner’s persistence and determination, and the leadership of the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space,” said Byers., “We are pleased to have completed the longest trail on any of our properties at Mount Rose,” said Lisa Wolff, executive director of the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space. “The path will stretch through areas of mature trees, along scenic streams and second growth forest. This year is our 30th anniversary and we are thrilled to make the grand opening a part of our year-long celebrations.”, “Mount Rose Preserve is land saved from development and protecting our natural resources,” said Dresdner. “The resolution of the litigation via the settlement and land purchase was a win for everyone.”, New Jersey Conservation Foundation is a private nonprofit that preserves land and natural resources throughout New Jersey for the benefit of all. Since 1960, New Jersey Conservation has protected over 125,000 acres of open space – from the Highlands to the Pine Barrens to the Delaware Bayshore, from farms to forests to urban and suburban parks., For more information about the foundation’s programs and preserves, go to www.njconservation.org or call 1-888-LAND-SAVE (1-888-526-3728)., The Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space is a nonprofit land trust that is dedicated to preserving Hopewell Valley’s character though open space, farmland preservation, and natural resource protection. Since our inception in 1987, we have partnered with landowners, government and nonprofit organizations to preserve over 7,500 acres of open space and farmland., For more information, go to http://www.fohvos.org.
