FOPOS
2025 Annual Membership Letter

Dear Friend:

2025 has been a stellar year for FOPOS’s impact on the health of our ecosystem and for our volunteer conservation work. We’ve expanded our educational offerings with new programs, completed and adopted a new strategic plan, moved forward our major restoration projects, and made our Program Coordinator a full-time employee. It’s been a busy year!

2025 Annual Membership Letter
FOPOS
FOPOS Summer 2024 Newsletter

PRESERVATION OF 90 ACRES ON HERRONTOWN ROAD

We look forward to a closing on another critical large tract on the Princeton Ridge – 90 acres on the north side of Herrontown Road, adjacent to Herrontown Woods Preserve. Friends of Princeton Open Space is contributing $390,000 of State Green Acres grant funding plus a private gift of $1 million towards the acquisition of this land, which was subject to intense development pressure before a preservation agreement was reached with the Municipality, FOPOS, and other non-profit partners. State grants to the consortium, County grants to the Municipality, our local open space tax and other private funds are all helping secure this important link in the forested tracts on Princeton’s perimeter, which provide important environmental services such as slowing stormwater runoff and habitat for threatened species.

Read on for more programming and event highlights…

FOPOS Summer 2024 Newsletter
FOPOS
FOPOS Seeks Program Coordinator

FOPOS seeks a part-time program coordinator to work directly with FOPOS’s Director of Natural Resources and Stewardship to manage the organization’s year-round volunteer stewardship program and community events series. The selected candidate should be detail-oriented and able to manage emails, databases, program messaging and schedules as well as improve upon existing systems and workflow. Ideally, the program coordinator will be an enthusiastic person supportive of and tapped into land stewardship and preservation within the greater Princeton area. Web design skills, and experience in fundraising or marketing and promoting a business are a plus. This is an administrative job that offers flexibility in location, with the ideal candidate available to participate in regular in-person meetings and work sessions, as well as be present for key events located at the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve in Princeton, NJ.

This is an ongoing position that has the potential to grow with the right candidate, and is suitable for professionals as well as recent graduates with applicable skill sets.

FOPOS Seeks Program Coordinator
annual appeal, land preservation, nature
FOPOS
Recruit A Friend To Be A Friend

Over the past twelve months, Friends of Princeton Open Space has focused on ecological restoration projects and on educating the next generation of conservationists, including those from communities of color. We are happy to report that, with your support, we have chalked up major successes.

Recruit A Friend To Be A Friend
FOPOS
Meet the 2023 interns

FOPOS provides Internships for young people actively pursuing a degree or career in ecology, natural resource management, environmental education, or related fields. Each summer, FOPOS welcomes a roster of budding naturalists to work with our Stewardship Team and interface with volunteer groups and our community. Read more about FOPOS's Internship program. FOPOS is also proud to offer Internships to high school students in partnership with the Outdoor Equity Alliance. Thank you to FOPOS's partners and friends for helping to make these Internships possible.

Please meet the 2023 Land Steward Interns…

Meet the 2023 interns

Announcement: 1st Annual Photo Contest Winners

Friends of Princeton Open Space would like to send out a big thank you to everyone who participated in our 1st annual Give Thanks to Nature Photo Contest and made it a great success.  We received some truly incredible photos from some long time friends and 1st time visitors, and the talents of our contestants were on full display!

Selecting the winners was no easy task for us, but in the end we decided on 3 standouts.  3rd place goes to Ira Gottlieb (Geese on the Dam).  2nd place goes to Linda Park (Mountain Lakes Sunset).  And 1st place goes to Frank Sauer (Thanksgiving Morning at Mountain Lakes).  The winning photos can be seen below.

Once again we would like to thank all of our contestants for their submissions, and we hope that all of you will compete for next year's prize.  And a special thank you to REI Princeton for donating the amazing gifts!

Click here to see all of the contest entries

Come Join Us On January 16 For A Winter Walk!

Welcome Winter Walk at Mountain Lakes Preserve

 

 Saturday, January 16, 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM, Adults and Families (children 5yo+)

Join this family-friendly morning walk at the Mountain Lakes Preserve in Princeton, exploring the wonders of the natural world in winter. The Friends of Princeton Open Space welcome Jeff Hoagland, Education Director and Naturalist at the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association to lead this revealing annual walk. Discover the unique survival strategies of local plants and animals from milkweed to red oak and meadow vole to robin. Learn where animals store food and how they survive the season’s relentless chill. If weather permits, we will play the ‘Hibernation Game’. Dress warmly, boots are recommended, and bring your sense of wonder.  Please register in advance at 609-737-7592 or bnc@thewatershed.org. This program is cosponsored by the Washington Crossing Audubon Society.

Mountain Lakes Holiday Open House

The Friends of Princeton Open Space would like to welcome the Princeton community to Mountain Lakes House for some holiday treats and refreshments.  We will be hosting an open house from 10 am to 4 pm on the following dates in December; Saturday, 5, Wednesday, 9, Sunday, 13, Monday, 21, and Saturday, 26.  Stop in and warm up after enjoying all that Mountain Lakes Preserve has to offer!

1st Annual FOPOS Give Thanks for Nature Photo Contest

The Contest

Friends of Princeton Open Space and REI are encouraging the Princeton Community to OptOutside and enjoy nature this Thanksgiving weekend.  Plan a visit to Mountain Lakes Preserve on Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday and bring your camera to participate in the 1st annual FOPOS Give Thanks for Nature Photo Contest. 

Take your best shot of all that Mountain Lakes Preserve has to offer, and submit your photo for a chance to win an REI gift card!

Directions to Mountain Lakes

Mountain Lakes Preserve is located at 57 Mountain Ave, Princeton, NJ 08203.  Contestants can park at the Community Park North parking lot.

File Format

Files must be in JPG format.  Any aspect ratio is acceptable, but please size the file so that the longest dimension is 1500 pixels and set the quality to “high.”

Filenames MUST include your name brief description of picture:

For example:  if your name is Joe Smith and you are submitting a photo of an oak tree, you might name your file:

JoeSmith-Oak tree.jpg

DO NOT send files with your camera's default filename!

In order to ensure anonymous judging, please include no signatures or watermarks that would reveal the name of the photographer on the photo itself.

Entries must be submitted by midnight, Tuesday December 1st.  Please e-mail jpeg files to info@fopos.org, with Photo Contest in the subject line.

Copyright

The photographer retains full copyright to his or her images. However, participation in the contest requires the contestant to give Friends of Princeton Open Space permission to use the photographs without compensation on the website as well as in news releases which may appear in print or on third party websites for the purpose of publicizing the contest.  Friends of Princeton Open Space will always include the photographer's name when using a photograph for any purpose.

Timeline

  • Submission:  You may submit starting November 26.  The deadline to submit is midnight, Tuesday, December 1, 2015. (Eastern Time)
  • Judging:  mid-December
  • Finalists Announced:  January 15, 2016

Friends of Princeton Open Space