Getting Outdoors in Bernards Township, Environmental Commission Plans Open Space Monitoring and Publicity Campaigns

As winter begins to fade away, Bernards Township volunteers are beginning to think about new ways to promote and preserve the many acres of open space and hiking trails located throughout the area.

Environmental Commission member Robert Vogt presented the first draft of an "Open Space Monitoring Plan" to the commission on Monday, which is intended to help the township look after the hundreds of acres of open space it currently maintains.

"We want to put some eyes out on all this property the town owns," said Environmental Commission Chair Joseph Speeney. The draft of the plan included a list of the township's open space including: Whitenack Woods, the newly acquired Sons of Liberty Farm, McCollum Farm, Arrowhead, Hass Road, Schmidt Park, Sherbrook, Hayfields, Farmstead Park and the Acken Road hiking trails.

The goal of the monitoring plan would be to have resident volunteers walk the land and report signs of misuse or abuse, including trash, campfires, damaged structures, motor vehicle tracks or unsafe conditions and report them back to the township. The mechanics of the plan have not been decided, and some commission members suggested developing a reporting system that those who enjoy the parks and trails could use to help maintain their proper use and cleanliness.

The environmental commission wants to publicize the many accessible parks, walkways and hiking trails in town as well as maintain them.

The commission is busy preparing their Charter Day table that will include information on what the Environmental Commission does, as well as other informational components such as the dangers of pesticide use and a map of the open space available to residents in town.

With the township's acquisition of the Sons of Liberty Farm and access to the English Woods across from The Hills, several Environmental Commission members suggested spreading the word about the existence of many of Bernards' parks and trails. "People don't know what is open space," commission member Shiva Raju said. "They are afraid to walk on someone's property and get shot or something."

The monitoring plan, as well as the plans to promote the parks on Charter Day or other times will continue to be developed over the coming months at the Environmental Commission's monthly meetings. All of the meetings are open to the public, with the next meeting on April 12.