Princeton’s Emerald Necklace: a ring of forest parks to protect and connect our community
Princeton is fortunate to have beautiful parks and forests. Due to development pressures, however, much of Princeton is largely built-out. Today, only two large tracts of mature unprotected forests are left. One is a stunning 153-acre forest known as Province Line Woods. The other is a magnificent 90-acre woodland near Autumn Hill Preserve and Herrontown Woods, referred to as Mount Lucas Preserve. Princeton has a rare opportunity to expand its forest parks to include these last two older-growth forests -- and it is urgent we do so.
Conservation of these forests will help mitigate biodiversity loss and climate change locally and will be a key component of Princeton’s support for the national goal of “30 by 30” - protecting 30% of land in the United States by 2030. Learn more…
Creating Princeton’s Emerald Necklace
Since 2009, members of Ridgeview Conservancy, along with Princeton High School students and other volunteers, have worked to open Ridgeview Woods, a new 55-acre forest reserve along Princeton’s northern boundary. Much of the forest had been infiltrated with invasive species which covered diabase boulders and suffocated trees and native wildflowers. Dedication and hard work on the part of the youth stewards have demonstrated what collective action toward a common good can accomplish. The students have learned to distinguish native from invasive species, to discern which species are edible and medicinal, and to see fascinating indigenous and literary histories hidden in Princeton’s forgotten forest.
After a decade of work in these forests, Ridgeview Woods has been described as “enchanting” and “a fairyland”. A trailhead from Ridgeview Road will soon make this forest accessible to the public.
ECOLOGICAL LITERACY
Until very recently, humans lived off the land and carried a deep knowledge of the flora and fauna which nourished, healed, and sustained them. The ability to recognize trees, plants, and wildlife was fundamental to survival. Today, the outdoors is often a green blur. Screens, school, work and social media have helped to glue young and old alike to technology - indoors. Recent studies indicate that Americans spend an estimated 90% of their time inside buildings. What is lost? Adventure, exploration, independence, connectedness, mystery, freedom, and peace. When we step outdoors, nature quietly, yet powerfully, eases our woes and enhances our sense of well-being.
In an effort to boost ecological literacy and well-being, Ridgeview Conservancy works with school children, scouts, and families to help them learn the basics of nature’s alphabet – the identities and uses of the plants around them – and eventually to use that lens to “read the landscape.” Woodlands Explorers and Forest Stewardship activities challenge and awaken even ardent video gamers and indoor shut-ins to the mystery and magic of nature.
PRESERVING FORESTS & WETLANDS
Since 2009, members of Ridgeview Conservancy have led a neighborhood effort to conserve and steward vulnerable tracts of forests and wetlands on the environmentally sensitive Princeton Ridge. In partnership with property owners, land trusts, conservation organizations, and Princeton municipality, the Conservancy has worked to secure conservation easements and to acquire properties with forest and wetland habitats under threat. Once protected, the Conservancy manages these sites for conservation and recreational use by the public. This involves removal of invasive species, restoration of native plant habitats, creation and maintenance of accessible trails, and linkage of these trails to other sections of Princeton’s Emerald Necklace.
Ridgeview Conservancy has played a key role in conserving and stewarding:
• Ridgeview Woods
• Mountain Lakes Headwaters Reserve
Ridgeview Conservancy is now working with partners to protect other critical parts of Princeton’s Emerald Necklace, including:
• Province Line Woods
• Mount Lucas Preserve
Hidden Histories of Ridgeview Woods
At Princeton’s north-western gateway, Ridgeview Conservancy is working to document and preserve vital hidden histories that have long been buried in a forgotten forest. Several wooded properties near the corner of the Great Road and Cherry Valley Road provide unusual educational opportunities regarding the unique combination of geological, ecological and historical significance of the area. The geology of the region was formed when the continent of Africa collided and then broke apart from North America 200 million years ago. On the adjacent property, Woodland Indians lived in a transitional camp where artifacts reveal the lifeways of the region’s earliest inhabitants (AD 1000-1500). In the 19th century, Paul Tulane’s family (founder of Tulane University) occupied the area which was also the worksite of Silvia DuBois, a formerly enslaved African-American woman who narrated her biography, 'The Slav who Whipt her Mistres and Gand her Fredom'. In addition, nearby is the site where author and labor activist Upton Sinclair wrote his first novel and began work on The Jungle.
Together, the notable ecology and remarkable history of this forgotten forest represent an opportunity for place-based education and a Hidden History Trail, on themes of key significance today.
