Jane Eldridge Miller of Princeton
I’d like to offer a different perspective from the one presented in your paper last Friday on the recent changes being made at Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve. The preserve is indeed “a diamond in the rough,” but for me and many other people who visit the preserve regularly, that roughness is an essential part of its charm. It is a sanctuary of natural beauty where one can walk or run or bike, away from the intrusions of civilization.
But the addition of three large historical signs next to the lake (and the clearing of the areas around them), the installation of benches along the upper path around the lake, and the proliferation of bright white laminated labels and directions throughout the preserve now make it impossible to go very far without being jolted out of the natural environment and confronted with manmade things.
At the ceremony for the unveiling of the new historical signs on Sunday, John Hatch, of the New Jersey Historic Trust, accurately described Mountain Lakes as a place that “nurtures the soul and quiets the mind.” But the other speakers focused on Mountain Lakes as an historic site, not a nature preserve, and hinted at plans for more clearing and more signage.
The general consensus seemed to be that it was paramount that people out enjoying a walk in the woods be reminded that the trees were planted, that the lake is manmade, and that it was once used for ice harvesting. No one seemed to realize that this information has been available for years on signs more appropriately placed in the parking lot.
The people who installed these new intrusive lakeside signs and who approved the other recent changes in the preserve do not understand what it is that makes Mountain Lakes special. It is an increasingly rare thing—a quiet and secluded and yes, rough place where one can go to be in nature. It is not a manicured park and it is not solely an historic site. Of course, it needs to be maintained; in particular the dams need to be upgraded. But any future plans for maintenance or historic preservation must pay more attention to the aesthetics of the natural environment than they have up until now.
I urge everyone who loves Mountain Lakes to contact Princeton Township, the township’s Historic Preservation Commission, and the Friends of Princeton Open Space, and ask them not to spoil the unique character of this wonderful nature preserve.
Jane Eldridge Miller
Laurel Circle
Princeton
