Purpose of NJ Urban Forest
Welcome to NJ Urban Forest Blog! This blog is very much still in its infancy.
The purpose of NJ Urban Forest is about raising awareness for the natural beauty that can be found right in your own backyard. Most people today are concerned with the Amazon and other far away wild lands being decimated but seem oddly unaware about the destruction of the forest in their own backyard. Tax Ratables are often king more than not it seems. NJ is the most populated state in the country and should preserve it’s remaining natural areas.
Please comment or contribute anything you can!
Cool Places:
Diamond Brook Park in Glen Rock!!!!
Sometimes just finding a forest where you would not expect one is it’s own reward. Such is the case with Diamond Brook Park in Glen Rock.
Diamond Brook Park consists of an estimated 16.50 acres of remnant deciduous wooded wetlands. The park has Diamond Brook to its west, NJ Transit tracks to its east, Route 208 to its south and dense residential development to its north.
The park features three trails. The red is .4 of a mile, yellow is .13 of a mile and blue is .21 of a mile. The blue trail leads to an old railroad freight train turntable (used to rotate freight cars) which was once the largest turntable east of the Mississippi River.
One of the cool things I found in this suburban forest was ground pine-something I have not yet seen outside the deep forest.
Ground Pine
There was so much skunk cabbage it was crazy. Black bears would have a feast here.
There were quite a few vernal ponds too. Good stuff.
Diamond Brook, a subsidiary of the Passaic River, flows on the western border of the park. Diamond Brook was once called Bass Brook due to the good fishing that was once found there. In the 1870’s, the Marinus Lumber Mill built a water wheel on the brook. When the mill was later torned down, the water wheel was buried beneath a street and is still there today.
Diamond Brook
This cool little forest is a wonderful gem for the borough of Glen Rock.
Borg’s Woods Update 4.10.10
Received an e-mail from Eric M. showing good will to the county on Borg’s Woods:
Oscar E Olsen Park in Bogota!!
The Oscar E. Olsen Park consists of the largest remaining open space in Bogota and should be considered it’s crown jewel.
It was built on former swampland adjacent to the Hackensack River. I haven’t been to this park in years and a lot of work has been done to it. The first thing that greeted me as soon as I got out of my car was this bald eagle flying over the Hackensack River.
Bald Eagle over Hackensack River
When I visited there was still a lot of snow. Even the infamous “bridge to nowhere” was covered. The bridge to nowhere is a raised boardwalk right next to the Hackensack River. A lot of people thought it was a waste of tax payer money when it was built.
It may lead to nowhere but you can see some cool views like the submarine USS Ling:
USS Ling with Bergen County Courthouse in background
Plus the Meadowlands Commission added some signs o’education on the bridge. And don’t worry-the signs themselves are not blurry, just this picture.
There is a pathway which extends from the bridge that encircles the park. It’s a pretty cool park to explore.
Pequannock River Coalition
Just found out the picture below taken on a winter hike with the Pequannock River Coalition appeared in its bi-monthly newsletter!
Beaver Dam
I will finish this post with some more pictures from the hike:
Bobcat Track
White Oak
Winter Scene
Central Park Manhattan Reflections
You would think that going to the same place at least 5 times a week would get boring. Not the case with Manhattan’s Central Park!
And spring is really cool-especially seeing plants regardless if native or not (in this case) come into bloom. Even the pretty pigeons (that’s an oxymoron if I ever saw one) come out to play.
Look at this pigeon strutting his stuff
Look who decided to stop by for a snack
Soak up that sun guys
Central Park is always good stuff. Nice to have an island of green in a sea of gray.
Borg’s Woods Statement from McNerney
FALLEN TREES — Dennis McNerney states that the County will not cut or touch the trees which fell during the March 13th storm. Presumably this means that major limbs and small fallen trees will be removed which are blocking the main trail which runs from Allen to Byrne Streets.
MOSQUITOS — McNerny stated that the County Parks Department will let the Bergen County Mosquito Control Commission continue their current practices regarding the water level and the mosquito issue at the vernal ponds.
This is not good news, but it is not unexpected. However, it should be noted that McNerney was called to other business and did not finish his statement. McNerney was copied on the e-mail. A new blog will be posted regarding this matter if a response is received.
Borg’s Woods After the Storm Pictures
I will let these pictures speak for themselves of the March 13th storm devastation in Borg’s Woods.
More on Borg’s Woods:
Ridgewood’s Dunham Trail!
SITE DESCRIPTION
The Ridgewood Dunham trail is roughly .41 of a mile and cuts through an estimated combination of 9.61 acres of deciduous forest and wooded wetlands. The trail is bordered by the Ho-Ho-Kus brook to the east, dense residential development to the west, Grove Street to the south and Spring Ave to the north.
The Dunham Trail is known as a “wildscape” area in Ridgewood as designated by the Wildscape Association. The Ridgewood Wildscape Association helps to raise awareness for the remaining natural areas in the township.
Ok, enough of the facts and time for exploring!
Just walking on this trail next to a bubbling brook (The Ho-Ho-Kus Brook) makes you forget you are in a hugely populated area. The trail is a perfect mini nature getaway.
The trail is short so I made time to observe or otherwise I might have missed things such as a robin drinking water or the gentle mini rapids found alongside the trail.
Drink away little friend. Drink away.
Swimming anyone?
Of course you never know what you will encounter. For instance, I found what appears to be a noose gently swaying over the water. Freaky stuff!
Or how about a tree showing off a tattoo of it’s favorite band?
So I kept going until the trail ended at Spring Avenue. Then I turned around and headed back the way I came. A very cool unique little walk.
Other Cool Places!
Borg’s Woods Update 3.18.2010
Sad news to report. I received an e-mail stating that 5% of Borg’s woods or nearly an acre was destroyed during the storm Saturday March 13th.
The e-mail, received from Eric M. who helped edit the Borg’s Woods blog here on NJURBANFOREST stated:
3.19.10 Teaneck’s Matthew Feldman Nature Preserve!
In 2009 I decided to take a trip to Teaneck’s Matthew Feldman Nature Preserve. I was enticed because this website
http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/Parks/Feldman/index.html stated that there was the Thomas Condit Instructive Nature Trail. So I was like oh cool!
It took two separate trips before I finally located what appears to be the Thomas Condit nature trail. On the first attempt, I parked my car on Winthrop Road and walked to River Road up to Roemer Avenue but could not find a trail leading into the forest.
After researching online I discovered that the entrance to the trails is located off of Winthrop Road where I had parked my car. Looking at the map on the internet at home I realized I had parked too close to River Road to have seen the trail entrance. I drove back to Winthrop Road and found a sidewalk with a Thomas Condit Trail sign leading into the woods.
The Thomas Condit trail consists of a cement/boardwalk path leading from Winthrop Road to the Congregation Keter Torah. There does not appear to be any description or instructive information present on this pathway.
But that’s ok because according to the 2008 Township of Teaneck Comprehensive Plan for Recreation a 1/2 mile trail is planned for the preserve. So maybe that will happen in the near future?
In the meantime look at all my purty purty pictures of this cool place!
- What the….
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Someone donated a sneaker in case a tree wants to go for a walk
I don't think this tree is feeling too well
Other Cool Places!
