Land Stewardship
Page Topics
- Meadow Establishment
- Tree Management
- Composting
- Native Habitats
- Rain Gardens
- Insect & Disease Management
- Monofilament recycling program
- Watershed Management
Meadow Establishment
A meadow management program was initiated at Natirar Park, Duke Island Park, Colonial Park and Gardens, Skillman Park, Lord Stirling Park, Ross Farm property, and all five golf courses (Quail Brook, Spooky Brook, Green Knoll, Warrenbrook, and Neshanic Valley). This program allows acres of grass that were maintained in the past to grow wild. By reducing mowing and allowing native plants, wildflowers, and grasses to grow, we are creating sustainable land practices, increased nectar sources for pollinators, high quality food and habitat for wildlife, improved rainwater infiltration, and bringing beauty and value to the landscape.
Re-establishing native milkweed plants in an effort to support a dwindling Monarch butterfly population is also important to the Somerset County Park Commission. All five golf courses are part of the ‘Monarchs in the Rough Program’ through Audubon International. This program creates milkweed habitats in out of play areas for butterflies and other pollinators. Staff at the Environmental Education Center and Buck Garden have also been giving away milkweed plants as part of the ‘Milkweed for Monarchs’ program. This program was established in 2016 as part of a bequest from Mrs. Emily Fabiano to the Somerset County Park Foundation. Mrs. Fabiano provided funds to the Park Foundation so that milkweed plants would be distributed free of charge, in order to bolster declining monarch butterfly habitat. Through the years, Buck Garden coordinated obtaining and distributing over 7,000 milkweed plants and provided informational handouts. The Park Commission distributes the plants to garden clubs, master gardners, park patrons, schools, and other local organizations. This community effort ensures additional monarch habitat will be created throughout the region.
Lord Stirling Stable
Lord Stirling Stable, in conjunction with Rutgers Equine Science Center and the Great Swamp Watershed Association, hosted a Rutgers Cooperative Extension Equine Management workshop in 2014. Participants learned about the green innovative management practices that are taking place at the Stable and were taken on a tour to see how these practices not only help to cut operating costs, but are beneficial to the local watershed and surrounding environment. Some of these practices include maintaining the natural state of the facility, rotational pasture grazing, waste nutrient management, and the management of invasive plant and animal species. These stewardship practices have made Lord Stirling Park home to more than 50 species of birds.
At Lord Stirling Stable, a large effort has been made by staff and management to increase environmental awareness through revised equine management practices along with the implementation of numerous "green practices". Some management practices that were modified or newly incorporated include; non-chemical control of weeds, dragging pastures to break up manure, and the hand-removal of manure from smaller paddocks and turnouts. Working with the Golf Course Maintenance, a program to aerate and top seed the horse pastures was developed and implemented. Pasture weed control is done with regular mowing in place of chemical herbicides. Equestrian trails are kept dragged and mowed, and any erosion to sensitive trail areas is remediated immediately by closing the trail, fixing the problem, and then reopening the trail once the "fix" has become established. Grass-filled drainage ditches line both sides of the trails to filter out rain run-off that could come in contact with manure – preventing any contamination of the watershed.
Because the Stable is located within the Great Swamp Watershed, special attention has been paid to being good stewards of the land by eliminating any possible risk of being a non-point pollution source to the watershed. Behind the Stable's main barn was a paddock area that had been traditionally used for the turnout of the mares and horses that were injured. Because there was a high density ratio of horses for the amount of land in this area, it had become devoid of any vegetation. The area is on a 2° slope and received excessive water runoff from the road. Deep erosion gullies had formed some two-feet deep and three-feet across. All of it drained into a ditch that eventually made its way towards the swamp. In 2012, all fencing was removed from this area, and with the help of the Somerset County Engineer, a plan was developed to lessen the amount of water that ran across the field. A drainage ditch filled with rip-rap and core logs was built around the field to prevent water sheeting across the field. The entire area was reseeded with a high quality pasture seed-mix. A lower drainage ditch was built below the area to catch any run-off from the field that could become contaminated with manure once horses were reintroduced to the field. Debris buffers were built into the ditch to remove contaminates. Any collected sediment in the ditch is removed regularly to prevent build up and possible infiltration into the watershed.Horses were kept off of the field for a period of time just under three years in order to allow the roots of the grass in this fragile area to become fully established. The field was re-fenced into smaller paddocks that permit a more controlled grazing program and allows staff to better monitor plant growth and prevent over-grazing.
In the fall of 2013, working in conjunction with Rutgers Cooperative Extension, the Natural Resource Conversation Service (NRCS), and the Great Swamp Watershed Association a new Nutrient Management plan was being developed that would benefit not only the Stable, but the entire park system. The new plan would be to incorporate an on-site composting facility where manure and bedding waste generated at the Stable would be composted using custom equipment. The composting site is located in an area that would not lead to pollution of any waterways and is far enough away from all neighbors to eliminate conflict from odor, noise, or pests. A dense grass buffer surrounds the area and it is also hidden from general public view. The end product of nutrient rich compost would be used not only as organic fertilizer on the Stable's pastures and trails, but as a soil enrichment material at other Somerset County park locations, including the international award-winning Rose Garden at Colonial Park. The installation of an internal composting facility saved the Stable more than $17,000 annually in tipping fees to haul away the manure and bedding waste. It also saved the Horticulture Department an estimated $6,000 annually by providing the high quality mulch that was previously purchased from outside sources.
In 2014 and 2015, Stable staff and Maintenance staff from other Parks reclaimed what once was an open area, removing invasive plant species that had overtaken the field. After removal of the invasive plant material, the field was fertilized with the Stable’s composted manure and seeded with a quality pasture seed mix. A grant from the Somerset County Park Foundation enabled the Stable to fence the field with a maintenance-free horse fence. The reclamation of the field provided approximately another 30 acres of grazing for the Stable’s horses, helping to make the Stable more self-sustainable. The new pasture provides a renewable source of feed and nutrition for the Stable’s horses and reduces the carbon footprint left by the mechanical production of hay that would otherwise be needed to be fed.
In 2015, the Rutgers Equine Science Center presented Lord Stirling Stable and the Somerset County Park Commission with the state’s Gold Medal Horse Farm Award for Environmental Stewardship. The award and overall program gives recognition to outstanding equine farms for their dedication to environmental sustainability and management. It also underscores the efforts of the New Jersey equine industry to maintain the beauty of the Garden State. The program is a collaborative initiative by the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers University (NJAES), the Rutgers Equine Science Center, and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA).
Tree Management
Tree Planting
Somerset County Park Commission coordinates a tree planting project and oversees the proper planting of a diverse variety of trees annually. More than one hundred new trees are planted, mulched, staked, and provided with cultural care each year at various parks and golf courses. These trees provide tremendous benefits to our environment. Trees reduce the effects of climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide while releasing oxygen back into the air. Trees filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark, and absorb pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, ammonia, sulfur dioxide, and ozone.
Trees help to reduce soil erosion and prevent water pollution by slowing rain water run-off. This allows rain water to flow down the trunk and into the ground below the tree, thus holding the topsoil in place.
Trees provide a canopy, food, and habitat for wildlife including birds, bees, opossums, raccoons, and squirrels.
Tree Care
Somerset County Park Commission is committed to preserving the health and vigor of our trees by following expert standards of tree care. Trees offer tremendous benefit to the environment, providing shade and oxygen, and shelter for wildlife, thus greatly enhancing the beauty and value of our community.
Professional arborist services are contracted for tree pruning and maintenance at all parks, gardens, and golf courses. Essential storm damage pruning and removal of hazardous trees help to ensure the safety of park patrons and staff. Cabling and bracing of certain trees with structural weakness is performed to boost the tree’s strength and longevity, as well as increase safety of the area around the tree. Potentially hazardous trees are identified in our parks, gardens, golf courses, and other facilities by qualified staff and arborists, and dangerous trees or branches are removed when necessary.
Arbor Day Celebration
The Somerset County Park Commission celebrates Arbor Day annually with a Native Tree Give-Away. A variety of tree species native to the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States are offered free of charge and are available for pick up at the Environmental Education Center in Lord Stirling Park, and at Colonial Park Gardens. Many of these native trees are beneficial for native pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.
The Arbor Day Native Tree Give-Away is sponsored by the Somerset County Park Foundation, a non-profit 501c(3) created to preserve, support, and promote Somerset County Park Commission programs, facilities, and open space through advocacy and fundraising.
Wildlife Tree Conservation (Snags)
‘Wildlife trees’ are standing dead or dying trees that are sometimes referred to as snags. Healthy forests need dead/dying trees, as well as live ones. The decomposition of a tree is a long beautiful process in which some of the toughest fibers on earth are broken down in order to release their nutrients back into an ecosystem. They also serve as homes for woodpeckers, small mammals, insects etc. Wildlife Tree signs are being posted in SCPC parks to raise awareness of the importance of their place in the ecosystem and to encourage homeowners to maintain wildlife trees on their properties.
Composting
At Leonard J. Buck Garden and Colonial Park Gardens, Horticulture staff manage compost piles where plant material, such as weeds, spent annuals, stems, grasses, and leaves are piled and allowed to decompose. Garden soil, which naturally contains a wealth of microorganisms—bacteria, fungi, etc.—is added between the layers of plant material.
The piles are aerated by turning them periodically, and they are watered with rain. The combination of water, bacteria, and oxygen, with the help of those microorganisms, turns the decaying plant material into nutrient-rich compost.
The finished compost is high in beneficial organisms and bacteria which adds humus to garden soil, helping to restore its vitality and maintain plant vigor. Vast amounts of organic material that might otherwise have gone to a landfill are returned to the land and help sustain the environment and beautify our public gardens.
Composting Toilets
In 1984, Somerset County Park Commission installed composting toilets in the Buck Garden Visitor Center—the Clivus Multrum waterless composting toilet system. Waste from the toilets accumulates in a composting tank. Sawdust and other biodegradable items (food waste such as apple cores, etc.) are also added.
Composting red worms were added and are living in the composting toilet tanks. Everything in the tank decomposes; the worms eat the waste, and excrete vermicompost.
The Clivus Multrum is constructed with baffles and air channels, as well as a ventilating fan, which keeps the tank oxygen-rich and the surroundings odor-free! Imagine how many tens of thousands of gallons of water have been saved because there is no water or flushing needed.
Native Habitats
A significant portion of the plant collections growing within Buck Garden are native to Eastern North America. Many of the areas maintained by the Colonial Park Horticulture staff contain native plant material. Park staff conduct on-going habitat restoration projects with the assistance of Corporate Volunteer groups, scouts, schools, and individuals, where invasive plants are replaced with native plant species.
Prescribed burns are conducted annually at the Environmental Education Center(EEC) and Washington Valley Park. Staff work closely with professionals from the NJ Forest Fire Service to follow an approved burn plan wihch retards invasive woody growth and invasive herbaceous species in both meadow and forest habitats. The burns encourage native grass and wildflower growth and return necessary nutrients back to the soil.
Since 2005, the EEC has used coconut fiber logs around Branta Pond to restore native plants along the pond bank and reduce erosion. Recently, EEC staff began working closely with the US Department of Agriculture National Resource Conservation Service(NRCS) to develop and implement a plan to maintain Lily Pad Pond as a natural pond. This will ensure the pond remains a healthy ecosystem for wildlife and a valuable educational resource for program participants. Grant funding received through the Somerset County Park Foundation and NRCS will help fund the pond restoration project as well as a forest stewardship plan to help manage healthy forest habitats throughout Lord Stirling Park.
Invasive Plant Management
Horticulture Department staff work diligently to manage invasive plant species in the public gardens by removing and eradicating invasive species such as multiflora rose, English ivy, Japanese honeysuckle vine, etc. In an effort to control both multi-flora rose and rose rosette disease, the Colonial Park staff, with the help of volunteers, annually works to eradicate multi-flora rose from the park’s wood-lined and natural areas surrounding the Rose Garden. Throughout the Somerset County Park Commission properties, work is persistently being done to remove the invasive Ailanthus altissima tree. Not only is the tree itself invasive, it is also a host plant for an invasive insect, the Spotted Lantern Fly.
The invasive plants are piled in designated areas and eventually will be destroyed through a controlled burn. Known invasive plant species are never incorporated into landscape design plans or new plantings.
You can find a list of native plants here.
Rain Gardens
The Somerset County Park Commission has two Rain Gardens. The Rain Garden in front of the EEC collects rain water from the EEC roof and serves as a catch basin to filter pollutants and return water back into the ground. The EEC rain garden is filled with water-loving native plants.
Quail Brook Golf Course has a rain garden that transforms a wet area into a native habitat. It is both environmentally friendly and aesthetically attractive.
Find out how you can build your own rain garden here.
Insect & Disease Management
The Horticulture Department staff use the least toxic IPM (Integrated Pest Management) methods available. Chemical pest management is only used as a last resort. Horticulture Department staff using plant protectant chemicals are trained and licensed by the State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Staff must pass arduous exams and obtain recertification credits to maintain their Commercial Pesticide Applicator or Operator licenses.
For each planting project, healthy plants are selected - especially plants that will attract wildlife and beneficial insects to the gardens. Plants that are least susceptible to insect and disease problems are planted together in suitable growing conditions, providing sustainability to our gardens and landscape plantings. Non-toxic horticultural oil is used on Canadian hemlock trees to safely control hemlock woolly adelgid.
Insecticidal soap and yellow sticky cards are used to capture and kill aphids, fungus gnats, mealybugs, spider mites, thrips, and whitefly in the greenhouse. Hot pepper spray is utilized to control beetles and other insects in the gardens.
Diatomaceous earth is used around host plantings to control snails and slugs. The garden is irrigated early in the day so foliage will be dry for most of the day, decreasing the chance of fungal damage to our plant collections. Old newspaper is placed on garden beds and mulched heavily on top. The mulch saves on water and suppresses the weeds as the newspaper decomposes. Weeding is done mostly by hand, or with a hoe, minimizing machine tilling and the use of pesticides. Horticulture vinegar is used to control some weeds. Tools are regularly cleaned before using them in other areas of the garden reducing the spread of diseases and pests. Gardeners use personal insect repellents that are made with natural oils such as geranium oil and lemon grass oil.
Over the past few years, the Rudolf van der Goot Rose Garden has transitioned its gardening practices primarily using methods of sustainable care rather than the previously used traditional rose care techniques focusing on chemical methods. The gardeners have added Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) listed products, such as biological fungicides and beneficial nematodes, to improve the soil and to establish a healthy micro-organism balance in the garden beds. Natural fish emulsion oils are applied every two weeks serving as a both fungicide and fertilizer. Products containing safer ingredients like potassium bicarbonate serve as miticides to help to combat the eriophyid mite that spreads the Rose Rosette Virus and Japanese beetles are hand picked off the roses, not sprayed with insecticides. Garden staff also employs beneficial planting and pruning practice, and considers new rose varieties for sustainability and disease resistance.
Monofilament recycling program
All boaters, fishermen, marina owners, and those that recreate along our waterways are encouraged to collect and recycle used monofilament fishing line in order to help prevent harm to wildlife and damage to watercraft.
The bins are made of sturdy PVC pipe with an opening near the top in which to place used fishing line. Hooks, bobbers, and other debris should be removed from the line before placement in the bin. No other trash or recyclable material should be placed in these bins. Please discard other material responsibly.
The monofilament line is recycled by Berkley Conservation Institute into habitat for fish.
Monofilament recycling (fishing line) is recycled in the following locations:
- Colonial Park, Somerset, NJ - Parking lot B, Parking lot E, and Powder Mill Pond
- Duke Island Park, Bridgewater Township, NJ - Fishing Parking Area, Duck Pond, Robert Street, and Basilone Parking Area
- EEC, Basking Ridge, NJ - Fisherman’s Parking lot
- North Branch Park, Bridgewater Township, NJ - Parking Lot A
- Sourland Mountain Preserve, Hillsborough Township, NJ - Fishing Pond
- Washington Valley Park, Bridgewater Twp - NJ Newmans Lane Parking Lot and Gilbride Road Parking Lot
For statewide locations click here.
Watershed Management
Water is a marvelous and vital substance. The SCPC is keenly aware of the hydrologic cycle and the impact that humans have on the watersheds. We work with a variety of partners and incorporate best practices in watershed management.
Water Quality Testing
Through collaboration with the Great Swamp Watershed Association, the Passaic River that runs along the Environmental Education Center at Lord Stirling Park is tested annually for E.coli and other contaminants, as are the man-made ponds in the park.
Fertilization Practices
Staff at Buck Garden, Colonial Park Gardens, and all five golf courses have become New Jersey Certified Fertilizer Applicators, helping to safeguard water quality throughout our public gardens and golf courses. Fertilizer applications are regulated based on soil testing and are limited to late spring and early fall. Fertilizers are never applied near surface water.