The Future is in Good Hands

FOBP can see the future... and it is bright.  This past year we have had the extraordinary opportunity to meet students and scouts in our area who give us great optimism.  These bright and talented teens have brought energy and enthusiasm to the park and beyond.

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Photo courtesy of Chuan-Chu Chou

​In the spring, Edison Middle School students Mahie Panjwani and Madeline Schlitzer helped FOBP plant pollinator gardens in the park.  Inspired, they are now seeking to spread the word about planting for pollinators!  They are seeking to plant a garden at their school and to inspire action by homeowners in their own gardens as well. 

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This fall, Oliver Agar worked on his Eagle Scout award.  Recognizing the need to replenish saplings in an area that had been overridden with Wisteria, he chose to plant oak and sugar maple whips.

Oliver and his team constructed fourteen protective cages.  Two  were used to protect seedlings naturally germinating from acorns.  The other twelve were used to protect six white oak and six sugar maple sapling "whips"  acquired for the project.

He intends to complete the project with a bench for visitors to enjoy the serenity of nature.  We look forward to the day when Oliver can return to see his Mighty Oaks grown to maturity.

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Adrian Gripp's Eagle Scout project involves analyzing two sections of the forest to study the impact of invasive plants on forest regeneration.  He is surveying an area of gem forest where there were little to no invasive plants in comparison to an area that had been overrun by wisteria for many years.  His red flags delineate the field where the trees and saplings will be counted.

Adrian's documentation of the number of young saplings in each area will help to assess forest health and prospects for regeneration.  His work will be used in the future to help determine how to restore biodiversity in the park.

This project will greatly benefit planning and restoration work and is a significant achievement.

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A group of students from an environmental club at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School will be working with FOBP to expand pollinator gardens in the park.  Building off our experimental gardens this past year, we are hoping to extend the wildflowers in the parking lot area.  Not only do these flowers brighten the parking lot for human visitors, they support a wide variety of pollinators - and, ultimately, the biodiversity upon which all life depends.  

​The group is also interested in working on support for bats that provide a vital role in a healthy ecosystem.  Significantly, bats help to control the mosquito population.  New Jersey's bat population was greatly impacted by a fungal infection.  Both State and Federal agencies support bat conservation efforts.

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Cameron Linenberg will soon present a further proposal to the Recreation Commission to  protect young saplings from deer rub.  In the spring and early fall, deer rub their forehead and antlers on trees causing abrasions on the trunks.  They do this in the spring to remove the velvet from new-growth antlers.  In the fall rutting season, they do it to mark their territory through sweat glands that leave their scent.  Deer rub on saplings can be very destructive to young trees and cause them to die off.  The photo at the left shows deer rub threatening a young oak sapling.  Saving young saplings in the park is critical to forest regeneration.

Cameron is also looking into replacing a picnic table that had been removed due to damage.

Each of these projects is remarkable, and the scouts and students are commended for their conservation efforts.  Their work will have a significant impact on the health of the park for many years to come.  We are so excited to see their leadership and know that they will do great things in the future.