Ecological Preserve

If you look right as you enter the EcoPreserve parking lot, you may see the above signs. Take the short stroll over to see what is blooming.  This small meadow patch includes milkweeds and various wildflowers to attract pollinating insects, including monarch butterflies.  The core of the patch is the result of a new product called wildflower sod produced by the Meadow Lab in Columbia, NJ.  We also sowed in milkweed seeds gathered from local sources. Thanks to Rutgers IP&O…

Read More Read More

The Rutgers Geography program recently hosted an Undergraduate Research Symposium (photo above). Many of the presentations were based on research that the students undertook in the EcoPreserve as part of  the course, Field Geography, taught by Dr. Asa Rennermalm. Through the Spring 2026 semester the students were out in the EcoPreserve collecting data on a host of topics.  There was even some extra excitement when one of the students came across a roaming black bear. A listing of the students…

Read More Read More

Wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) are early breeders and get geared up after the snow leaves and their preferred breeding sites, vernal pools, are free of ice.  From a distance, the male wood frog call resembles the quacking of a duck. In the photo above, one can see the soft-balled size mass of eggs. As is the case here, the egg mass is usually anchored to some vegetation.  The individual eggs are the size of a small marble of clear jelly…

Read More Read More

Thanks to the diligence our dedicated trail monitor volunteer, Ken Karp, land Steward Kendall Eldredge and I get periodic updates of the location of downed trees impeding movement along the trail network. Ken uploads locational information and photos via a FieldMaps app on his cell phone – see the screen shot in the upper left. Though we have been slow due to other commitments, Kendall and I finally got a chance yesterday to get some trail clearing accomplished. As all…

Read More Read More