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D&R Greenway Land Trust

The mission of the non-profit D&R Greenway Land Trust is to preserve and protect natural lands, farm lands, and open spaces throughout central and southern New Jersey. Observing our 20th anniversary in 2009, we celebrate the preservation of 22 square miles of open space – an area about the size of Manhattan. Through the contiguous preservation and stewardship of land, we nurture a healthier and more diverse environment. The presence of open space also moderates climate change.

By creating and maintaining trails on our preserves, we provide the public with access to the natural world.

Our home, the Johnson Education Center, is a focal point for conservation activity in New Jersey . Here we provide programs, lectures and exhibits, inspiring a greater public commitment to safeguard our most precious natural resource – New Jersey land.

Linda Mead, D&R Greenway’s Executive Director since 1997, is nationally recognized as a leader in creating partnerships and orchestrating the complex transactions that lead to preservation success.

We could NOT accomplish these preservation 'miracles' without our lively and committed volunteers!

Description:
D&R Greenway is nationally recognized as a leader in preservation and stewardship in central, --and recently southern--, New Jersey. In addition to working with government agencies and other non-profits to expand preservation and nature awareness in New Jersey, we provide nature-centered art and educational events, to which we welcome Volunteers.

Our circa-1900 barn, The Johnson Education Center, provides rental space to individuals and groups of allied interests. Our barn home is situated in Greenway Meadows, off Rosedale Road south of Princeton.

We are flanked by various memorial gardens and groves, named for people who have assisted over the decades in our preservation and stewardship mission. A place for gatherings and private contemplation is Meredith's Garden, named for a young Volunteer, Meredith Peterson, who successfully chaired our major fundraiser of 2006, before succumbing to cancer. Her friends held events in The Johnson Education Center, harvesting funds to design, build, plant, provide sculpture and maintenance for Meredith's memorial.

At D&R Greenway, Volunteers are utilized year-round: Willing Hands help host Art Receptions and Educational Programs, and complete mailings of invitations and appeals. [Hosting involves simple food preparation, wine opening and serving, and monitoring refreshments for art openings; and for simpler receptions before talks and panels.] Volunteers also serve as greeters, along with Staff, for D&R Greenway events. Volunteers assist Staff at off-site events, such as nature walks on preserved lands.

Our Stewardship Volunteers work with Staff on trail building and maintenance, removal of invasive species as well as planting of native species. With our Stewardship Staff, volunteers gather wild seeds of native species, which they then grow, tend, re-plant, and now sell from our Native Plant Nursery. The purpose of this program is to restore 'natives' on D&R-Greenway-preserved land.

As you can see our Volunteers provide lasting benefits in our state.

"GIVING BACK TO THE WILD WORLD"
From Jared Rosenbaum,Associate Director of Stewardship, re Community Service Opportunities at D&R Greenway Land Trust - 609 924 4646 jrosenbaum@drgreenway.org

NATIVE PLANT NURSERY

Learn the wild plants of Central New Jersey by working in our Native Plant Nursery. Volunteers learn propagation, plant care, potting up, and seed collecting.

Our plants include wildflowers, trees, shrubs, ferns and grasses indigenous to our area. In addition to plants of great beauty, we grow many wild edible and medicinal plants and others with a history of Native American use.

The Nursery aims to re-establish indigenous plants in their native habitats, by supplying a diverse array of plants to those engaged in stewardship of New Jersey’s remaining wild places.

The Stewardship Staff reminds that the human landscape needs to function in harmony with the natural landscape. Non-native ornamental plantings in residential areas not only deprive wildlife of traditional food sources, they also supply much of the exotic plant material that continually invades natural areas.

VOLUNTEER LAND STEWARDS

Volunteer to become a caretaker of one of D&R Greenway’s nature preserves in the Princeton area.

Being a caretaker of a nature preserve is the ultimate way to experience and learn about plants and creatures who are our neighbors, as well as giving back to the wild world which sustains us all.

As a volunteer steward for D&R Greenway Land Trust, you will be matched with a local preserved property to tend and observe.

Volunteer stewards can choose between ecological restoration projects, trail maintenance, or a variety of natural history/observation opportunities.

Please note that volunteers will need to have transportation available to their preserves; most are within a fifteen to twenty-five minute drive from Princeton borough.

History:
In its 20 years, D&R Greenway has preserved and provided stewardship for 22 square miles of open space in New Jersey. Through nature-centric art exhibitions, receptions, and linked educational programs, we focus attendees on appreciating, tending and preserving land in our state.

Media coverage has become increasingly generous, from newspapers (on-line and in-hand) to magazines and television (public and commercial).

The land trust was founded to preserve land near the Delaware & Raritan Canal, expanding to link lands (greenways).

Central NJ was our first focus - now Salem County on the Delaware Bay increasingly requests our participation in preservation of significant acreage in that prime birding area.

Contact person: Carolyn Edelman, Arts & Education Associate, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: 609-924-5577

Address:

One Preservation Place Princeton, NJ 08540 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.drgreenway.org

Directions:

COMPLETE DIRECTIONS ON WEB-SITE: www.drgreenway.org Take 206 to Elm Road/The Great Road. Turn left at Rosedale Road Light. Proceed less than 1/2 mile to D&R Greenway Land Trust on left. Sign also says The Johnson Education Center. If taking 518. . . (more)

Last updated on September 30, 2009