By Barbara Mccloskey
Pictured is Bristol-Myers Squibb volunteer Becky Dendler, cutting back fast growing winged euonymus at Duke Farms in Hillsborough at a recent Land Conservancy of New Jersey Partners for Parks project
As a change of pace from working indoors, Squibb employees volunteered their time to participate in The Land Conservancy’s Partners for Parks program at Duke Farm. In sweltering 90 degree heat in June, volunteers removed invasive plants such as autumn olive, multiflora rose, ailanthus, winged euonymus, garlic mustard, and japanese barberry from along the edges of several trails. This work helps reduce the colonization of non-native plants, while helping foster the growth of native trees which were planted at Duke Farms last year.
The Partners for Parks Program is The Conservancy’s stewardship program, bringing corporate groups of volunteers out to New Jersey’s parks in order to complete projects that otherwise are difficult or impossible to complete due to parks’ lack of resources. Partners for Parks is made possible in part thanks to corporate sponsorships. 2011 sponsors thus far include: BASF, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Investors Savings Bank, Merck & Co., Novartis Pharmaceuticals, United Water, and UPS.
The Land Conservancy of New Jersey is celebrating its 30th anniversary as a non-profit member supported organization dedicated to preserving and protecting New Jersey’s vital natural lands and drinking water resources. To date, The Conservancy has helped preserve nearly 18,000 acres of critical open space lands and helped towns receive close to 220 million dollars for their land conservation projects. Accredited by the National Land Trust Accreditation Commission in 2009, The Land Conservancy joins organizations nationwide who meet the highest quality standards for protecting open space, upholding the public trust, and ensuring that our conservation efforts are permanent. For more information, please visit our website at www.tlc-nj.org or call (973) 541-1010.
