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Community Corner

Book Signing for Park Commission History

BOOK SIGNING SCHEDULED FOR PARK COMMISSION
CHRONICLE OF SIX DECADES OF GROWTH
Thursday, December 12

BRIDGEWATER, NJ – The Somerset County Park Foundation has just released a chronicle in words and pictures of the history of the Somerset County Park Commission, Natural Beauty: Somerset County Parks by Clifford W. Zink.

Clifford W. Zink, a resident of Princeton, NJ, is an award-winning historian, preservation consultant, and author of five books on New Jersey’s historic landscapes and industries.

A book signing with the author is scheduled for Thursday, December 12, 2013 from 6:00 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. at the Environmental Education Center, 190 Lord Stirling Road in Basking Ridge. The signing will take place during the annual Festival of Trees exhibit.

With 425 illustrations and photos from the 57-year history of the Commission, the book details the remarkable inception and growth of the nationally recognized park system. 
 
In 1956, as development began to consume the County’s open space, concerned businessmen and political leaders spent close to a year working tirelessly to help pass a public referendum to establish the Somerset County Park Commission, adopting a visionary plan to preserve open space and provide recreational opportunities for the public.  Since that time, public officials and professional staff have implemented and expanded the plan into a countywide network of 26 parks encompassing more than 13,500 acres. 

The Somerset County Park System includes multiple award-winning facilities including the Environmental Education and Equestrian Centers at Lord Stirling Park, the horticultural centers at Colonial Park and Leonard J. Buck Garden, the Torpey Athletic Complex, Natirar Park, the Sourland Mountain Preserve, and Neshanic Valley Golf Course, the flagship facility in the five championship golf course system.

Natural Beauty traces the development of Somerset County’s park system from its roots in the County’s agricultural past through its evolution over nearly six decades into an organization utilizing creative public-private partnerships to preserve open space and serve more than 2,000,000 visitors and program participants annually.  The book highlights information and excerpts from historic documents and interviews with former and present elected officials, commissioners, directors, planners, naturalists, rangers and recreation staff. 

The Somerset County Park Foundation is a 501c3 whose mission is to preserve, support, and promote Somerset County Park Commission programs, facilities, and open space through advocacy and fundraising.
  
Natural Beauty is available free with a $40 donation to the Somerset County Park Foundation by visiting the Somerset County Park Commission Headquarters 355 Milltown Road, Bridgewater, NJ, 08807; 908 722-1200.

Information on all Somerset County Park Commission activities may be found on the Internet at www.somersetcountyparks.org. Like us on Facebook and Twitter.

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