We Need Your Help (Again): Thurs, Oct. 12, 6-6:30 PM in Morristown
What: Morris County Open Space Trust Fund Committee meeting. Public comments will be taken for a half hour, then the committee will retire to debate and a vote. If successful, the Forest grant will be on the agenda for final approval by the Morris County Commissioners.
Who: You
When: 6-6:30pm
Where: 10 Court St. Morristown or online via Webex. In person is most helpful at this point. Details: Morris County Open Space Meeting
Why: Showing our strength is what makes government listen.
The Drew Forest - A Pitstop on the Flyway
The Atlantic Flyway is a major north-south flyway for more than 500 migratory birds in North America—and New Jersey is located along that route. A flyway is a “highway” regularly used by large numbers of birds who migrate between tropical climates to northern areas.
Imagine heading out on vacation to discover a major road on your route has been removed. When we break up intact forests, we are essentially doing just that to birds and other migratory species.
Wood Thrushes, a species of special concern, fly from the tropics to the Drew Forest because they have access to mature trees, underbrush and water. Nesting couples need to stake out a foraging territory of 5 acres. A few trees in a suburban yard are not an adequate replacement. Next time you experience the thrill of seeing a native bird in your yard, it is due to intact forests that provide a wildlife corridor. Read More about Native Migratory Birds.
In the Media
MADISON - Like many Borough Council meetings over the past 30 months, the Sept. 27 meeting was attended by a number of residents clad in blue and green Friends of the Drew Forest T-shirts. Unlike the previous sessions, however, the president of Drew University was also in attendance.
Drew University President Hilary Link, who has been in the role for about three months, spoke at the meeting after Friends of the Drew Forest members Claire Whitcomb and Christine Hepburn took to the microphone.
Whitcomb and Hepburn continued a streak going back more than two years of Friends members advocating for the threatened forest at council meetings, as the university has sought to have much of the 53-acre forest rezoned and sold to a developer to build multi-family housing.
The borough, with the support of officials such as Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11, and environmental groups and municipalities from across the region, is seeking to acquire the land from Drew in a conservation sale.
Out and About
Come visit us this fall to learn more about the Drew Forest.
