Friends of Princeton Open Space Annual Meeting 2013

• Talk by Dr. Anthony Broccoli, Professor of Atmospheric Science, Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University.

• Walk through Mountain Lakes' Tusculum, lead by FOPOS' naturalist.

Dr. Anthony Broccoli, Professor of Atmospheric Science in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University, will be the featured speaker at the Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS) 2013 Annual Meeting, Sunday, April 28th at 3:00 P.M., at Mountain Lakes House. He will speak on “Climate Change and Extreme Weather: A New Normal?”

“In the wake of Hurricane Sandy and other recent powerful storms in our region, there is tremendous interest in the relationship between climate change and extreme weather events,” said Wendy Mager, FOPOS president. “Professor Broccoli will discuss this relationship as well as the implications for how we prepare for the impacts of future extreme weather events.”

Mountain Lakes House is located at 57 Mountain Ave., Princeton. Following the meeting, refreshments will be served, and AeLin Compton, Natural Resources Manager for Friends of Princeton Open Space, will lead a walk in Mountain Lakes Preserve and adjacent Tusculum.

The talk is open to the public. Anyone wishing to attend is urged to RSVP by April 24th — phone 609-921-2772.

Dr. Broccoli serves as Director of the Rutgers Climate and Environmental Change Initiative. His primary research interest is climate dynamics, especially the simulation of past climates and climate change. He currently serves as Chief Editor of the Journal of Climate, and he has been a contributor and reviewer for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Prior to coming to Rutgers, Dr. Broccoli spent 21 years at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, one of the premier climate modeling centers in the world. He is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Welcome Winter Walk

Adults and families with children 5 and older are invited to join Jeff Hoagland, Education Director of Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, on a winter morning walk at the Mountain Lakes Preserve in Princeton. Together we will explore the wonders of the natural world in winter. Discover the unique survival strategies of local plants and animals from milkweed to meadow vole and red oak to robin. Learn where animals store food and how they survive the season’s relentless chill. And enjoy the fun of the ‘Hibernation Game’. Dress warmly, boots are recommended, and bring your sense of wonder. Registration is required – please email mpolefka@thewatershed.org or call 609-737-7592 for more information and to sign up. Fee is $5 per person, payable that day. This program is co-sponsored by Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association.

When: Saturday, January 5, 2013, 9:30-11:30AM
Where: Mountain Lakes Preserve, Parking area at 34 Mountain Avenue, Princeton
(Community Park North Parking Lot)

Flowers in Bloom at Mountain Lakes Preserve

Mountain Lakes Preserve features a wonderful diversity of native plants and summer wildflowers. This collection of photos offers a taste of the beauty found in MLP this time of year. Please visit soon, to see these and other species in their full splendor!

Jewelweed’s orange flowers speckle this wetland meadow, near one of the Preserve’s several stream crossings. Jewelweed is a common native plant, valued for its ability to attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators, as well as its medicinal uses as a natural fungicide.

Hundreds of white wood asters line a trail in the Preserve, creating a beautiful and delicate border on either side.

The Mountain Lakes House rain garden is in full bloom! The rain garden is an important feature to Mountain Lakes Preserve. It helps protect our waterways by reducing storm water pollutants, and it provides important food and habitat to our local wildlife. More than that- it’s absolutely gorgeous!

The following link provides great information on the importance of rain gardens and offers support materials to help build your own! http://water.rutgers.edu/Rain_Gardens/RGWebsite/raingardens.html

Here we have a closer view of the rain garden. The garden’s great diversity of plants provides a beautiful array of colors and textures. From the showy pink flowers of rose mallow, to the less conspicuous, white flowers of boneset, each species in this rain garden was selected for its unique set of aesthetic and ecological benefits.

Here is a third photo of the Mountain Lakes House rain garden. Each year, as the plants self seed, the garden will grow into a richer and fuller display of native wildflowers.

Black eyed susans provide a splash of color to this small lake-view meadow. This wildflower’s seeds and nectar attract many species of birds and butterflies, respectively.

This wildflower meadow sits just north of Mountain Lake. It hosts a diversity of sun-loving plants, not found elsewhere in the Preserve. This photo shows some of the rich textured sedges and colorful wildflowers found in MLP’s wildflower meadow.

Here is a closer view of MLP’s wildflower meadow, featuring a beautiful cluster of cutleaf coneflowers.

A lone cardinal flower contributes to visitors’ view of Mountain Lake. This wildflower’s brilliant red color is known to attract humming birds and humans, alike! Friends of Princeton Open Space volunteers just planted 10 more cardinal flowers along the lake shoreline, so look forward to next year’s grander display.

Please Support the Open Space Tax

On behalf of Friends of Princeton Open Space, I urge that the governing bodies of the Borough and Township vote on June 26th to submit a blended open space tax of 1.7 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to the voters this November. This will enable a united Princeton to continue good stewardship of its recreation and passive open space and make key acquisitions contemplated by our joint Master Plan. Studies of the finances behind this number show that it is more than justified.

In the past, voters in the Township have voted twice to support an open space tax (2 cents/$100), and one was also passed separately by Borough voters (1 cent/$100). Because those entities will cease to exist on December 31, it is necessary to have a new ballot question to re-authorize the “joint” tax. The Joint Consolidation Commission included a 1.7-cent tax in its calculation of the tax savings of consolidation, and it was recommended by the Finance Subcommittee of the Transition Task Force. Without an open space tax, the unified Princeton will lose its access to Green Acres Planning Incentive Grants and much of its ability to leverage purchases and recreation projects.

Beyond the aesthetic and health benefits we enjoy from preserved lands, open space helps decrease costs caused by flooding, heat-sink effects and loss of species diversity, and dampens the need for expensive infrastructure. By protecting open space at the same time we proceed with various contemplated developments, we can achieve a balance that will keep our united community a financially viable and environmentally desirable place to live.

We encourage all Princetonians to urge your representatives to support this measure on the 26th. The voters will have their say in November; they should not be deprived of that opportunity.

Very truly yours, Wendy L. Mager, President

Mountain Lakes Preserve Trail Closings

Due to Transco Pipeline maintenance work, some trails in Mountain Lakes Preserve will be closed for the next few weeks. Specifically, passage across the pipeline right-of-way will be blocked until further notice. Most of the Preserve’s trails are still open for use. However, we ask hikers to be cautious of construction equipment in and around the pipeline area.

Thank you for your patience!