Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
Two new areas at Duke Farms were opened to the general public last weekend, giving visitors a chance to take in restored natural spaces and an arboretum where Doris Duke’s mansion once stood.
According to Duke Farms officials, the two new areas total roughly 225 acres in newly available space.
The first area unveiled by Duke Farms was the “Lowlands,” which are visible from Overlook Way and River Road and consists of an ecologically restored floodplain of the Raritan River.
Comprised of extensive wetlands that have been restored and permanently preserved under the auspices of two Federal programs administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the formerly tile-drained land was once used for growing corn and soybeans. As a result of its use, the area was regularly flooded and subject to substantial soil erosion. It was also rife with invasive species.
Once the tile drains were removed, officials said some of the natural top soil was restored and several vernal ponds were created to help reduce and store flood waters. Those same ponds also now provide a habitat for a range of species while it slowly returns to a native riparian forest.
Several trails run along the river and over old farms roads, framed by scenic aisles of trees leading up to the Coach Barn area.
The second area, known as the Arboretum for the incredible specimen trees found there, is located where the seasonal residence at Duke Farms once stood. Approximately 50 acres surrounding the former mansion have been restored and opened for the first time to public access.
The historic 67,000 square foot mansion that once occupied the space was built in 1893 and had been empty since 1993 after Doris Duke’s death.
This area includes a Meditation Garden which will be open to the public on weekends and staffed by docents. The Arboretum can be accessed through the double gates at the end of Central Way by the Coach Barn, or by a new road at the end of West Way.
Later this fall, Duke Farms is planning to open a new pedestrian and bicycle gate just off River Road, which will allow visitors to access the premises from Raritan Borough. Eventually, this trail will be paved and connected to the Somerset County Raritan River Greenway and Bikeway.
