New county work force to improve O.B. park

Old Bridge

Members of the newly formed Middlesex County Conservation Corps will take to Old Bridge's John A. Phillips Preserve on Saturdays this fall, cleaning up trash and removing invasive plant species.

The corps, which includes a paid staff of high school and college students along with adult volunteers, is being administered by the Middlesex County Department of Parks and Recreation. The group's mission is "to protect and preserve natural areas from misuse, polluters and the forces of nature" at the 6,000-plus acres of open space owned by the county.

"To fulfill the responsibility as stewards of these lands, the Middlesex County Conservation Corps will be charged with the care and management of them, by performing projects that maintain and improve the quality of the open space and allow limited public access," said David B. Crabiel, director of the county Board of Chosen Freeholders. Crabiel first proposed the corps last January.

The group's first project is the John A. Phillips Preserve, some 1,700 acres located west of Route 18 near Maple Street and Pleasant Valley Road in Old Bridge. About 100 acres of the preserve are being used for active recreation, while the rest remains undeveloped and can be used for passive recreation such as hiking and bird watching.

The corps will be divided into two groups - the youth corps and volunteers. The youth corps will comprise paid seasonal employees who attend high school or college. They will work at the preserve on Saturdays throughout the fall and spring, and on weekdays in the summer.

The youth corps will perform projects dealing with trash removal, trail building and maintenance, perimeter marking, and inventory of existing trail conditions. They will also serve as team leaders during project days that involve the general public, such as one planned for Oct. 7 at the preserve.

Volunteer citizens will be charged with collecting information on the preserve to help frame a management plan. Projects include plant and animal inventories, breeding bird census, trail monitoring and vernal pool surveys, as well as any of the projects being worked on by the youth corps. Volunteers could also include college students completing fieldwork from area schools.

"Volunteers provide an invaluable service by helping to maintain the quality of our open space, while providing opportunities for citizens to use them," Crabiel said. "They would allow the county to effectively manage open space at no extra cost to the taxpayer."

The county is still seeking volunteers for the conservation corps. No special skills are required, though candidates should have an interest in the outdoors. Volunteer days and times are flexible.

The county is also seeking help from the general public on Oct. 7, which is National Public Lands Day Cleanup. Volunteers that day will help the conservation corps with trash removal and invasive species control.

For more information and to register, call Rick Lear at the county's Parks and Recreation Department at (732) 745-5988.