Autumnal Updates From the Drew Forest
Madison Borough Is Working Hard to Conserve the Forest
Madison Borough unanimously passed a resolution supporting the conservation of the Drew Forest last May. They immediately hired The Land Conservancy of New Jersey to guide them through the preservation process. An environmental consulting firm has been hired to delineate wetlands and other environmental features that would make parts of the Forest unsuitable for development. The Borough expects the process to be long and plans to invite the public to participate through a formal procedure.
Something Spooky Has Been Haunting the Drew Forest...
Watch out! The woods are crawling with creepy Wisteria vines, ghostly Garlic mustard, frightening Japanese honeysuckle, horrendous Black locust, and awful Norway maple trees. Invasive species are a major threat to native wildlife and impact critical natural ecosystems. Over the years, students, faculty, and volunteers at Drew University have worked together to preserve and restore the ecological integrity of the Drew Forest Preserve by tackling these dreadful invaders to make room for native species.
What You Can Do Now
We need your help to raise awareness and to encourage our elected officials. Here are some worthwhile actions you can take:
Write to Mayor Conley and the Borough Council to thank them for their continued work to preserve the entire 53-arcre Drew Forest and tell them why you think it’s important – short and sweet is fine! Please send your email to mayor@rosenet.org and cc the clerk@rosenet.org. Elected officials need to KNOW people support preservation!
Share Our Petition. Hurray! We've reached 10,000 signatures, and now we're going for 15,000! Please share our petition link in a personal email to your friends and family, especially residents of Madison. Be sure to mention that they should not to donate money to Change.org. Click here to read our flyer.
Network. Do you have a connection with a Drew alum, a PTO organization in Madison, or another local organization that could be activated to spread the word? More development would lead to more school crowding. The Friends of the Drew Forest is especially interested in activating the school parent community in Madison. If so, please contact us.
Talk to your neighbors. If you live in Madison, please reach out to your neighbors to make sure they know what’s at stake. You can share a link to our website or the attached petition flyer by email, but in-person conversations are the most effective way to recruit allies.