Ancient forest is urban jewel

Thursday, March 01, 2007

BY DAVID WHEELER

Picture an old-growth forest. The canopy of trees dates back hundreds of years with trunks too large for arms to wrap around. White and red oaks, black walnut, red cedars and groves of American beech dapple the sunlight above artesian wells and vast wetlands.

A fallen, ancient ash tree forms a sturdy bridge across a deep, winding ravine. Owls and hawks search for prey from the treetops where woodpeckers hammer away in excavation. A stealthy gray fox pads across the mossy forest floor, and salamanders hide under leaf litter and fallen branches.

Is the location the great Pacific northwest? Or deep into the Maine woods, perhaps?

Try Rutgers Ecological Preserve and Natural Teaching Area just across the Raritan River from bustling New Brunswick. The 370-acres preserve of old-growth Kilmer Woods and younger forest regenerating from old farmland offer a unique family adventure just waiting to be explored.

"Kilmer Woods is crucial be cause you can count on one hand the mature upland forests still left in Middlesex County," said Emile DeVito, a forest habitat expert with New Jersey Conservation Foundation who did his undergraduate research project at the preserve while at Rutgers. "It's a living lab, intact and big enough to function as interior forest."

Formally established by the university in 1976, Rutgers Ecological Preserve sits mostly in Piscataway, with portions in Highland Park and Edison. Professors teach classes in the preserve and the public enjoys its scenic trails for hiking, jogging, mountain biking, birding, and nature walks.

"It's a breath of fresh air and sanity just minutes away for many thousands of people," said Matt McDonnell of the Friends of the Rutgers Ecological Preserve. "What it does for the quality of life in central New Jersey is irreplaceable."

The preserve boasts an impressive history. In the 1500s, Dutch settlers began farming part of the preserve. Forest and farms thrived alongside the bustling Raritan trade route for the next few centuries. After World War I, Seward Johnson, from the Johnson & Johnson family, leased much of his land to the federal government to create Camp Kilmer. Once military operations left, the Johnson family donated the land to Rutgers as a natural preserve.

The preserve is vast -- only South Plainfield's Dismal Swamp is larger among natural areas in northern Middlesex County. During a recent walk on the property, songs by more than 150 species of birds filled the air amid the gentle gurgling of the five brooks that gently wind through the preserve.

"Occasionally bald eagles fly by, which is really amazing to see," said McDonnell. "We have woodcock and quail from time to time, and Baltimore orioles and flocks of our state bird, the American goldfinch."

Bordering Johnson Park and the Raritan River, the preserve sits along the major migratory bird path, making it a stopover point for scores of birds.

"Come here on a morning in May, and you'll find an incredibly important migrant trap for birds," said DeVito. "Kilmer Woods is a treasure."

On a frigid winter morning, a rich blue belted kingfisher flitted from tree to tree near the canopy, and four deer bounded off into deep forest cover.

"What a scene," said Arnold Henderson, a Highland Park resident walking the trails, shaking his head in wonder. "Three winding ice-covered streams converging right here, and it's been like this for centuries."

For more information on the preserve, visit the Friends of Rutgers Ecological Preserve at www.freporg.org.

David Wheeler is a freelance writer and the director of operations for the Edison Wetlands Association, a nonprofit organization working on environmental issues in Central Jersey. The wetlands association may be reached at www.edisonwetlands.org or (732) 287-5111.

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