Welcoming our new Natural Resources Manager

Wombat surveillance, Snowy Mountains ‘The Snowies’, Australia

We are excited to welcome Anna Corichi as our new Natural Resources Manager as of December, 2018.  Anna is a restoration ecologist and New Jersey native, with experience in the redesign, restoration and management of landscapes that have been negatively impacted by invasive species and other factors.  Anna comes to us from the private sector, having worked for an ecologically focused landscape design/build company from its founding in 2014. Anna is skilled in ecological monitoring and surveying for pests such as the emerald ash borer, as well as in managing affected forest areas.  She received her B.S. from Oberlin College with majors in Biology and Environmental Studies, and during her studies worked with the National Parks and Wildlife agency in Cairns, Australia studying wombats and other herbivores! Anna is looking forward to working on our 18-acre forest restoration project on the west side of Mountain Lake.

If you are interested in volunteering with Anna and FOPOS, please email info@fopos.org.

Many invasive plants, such as this Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), have a photosynthetic advantage over our native trees and shrubs. While most native plants are dormant, this invasive vine continues to produce and store energy throughout the winter season.

Leave the Leaves! A Message from Sustainable Princeton

Reprint from Sustainable Princeton

What’s more beautiful than the fall colors that adorn Princeton each autumn? Leaving those leaves where they can do some good. Consider them an asset to the soil and plants. The Princeton Environmental Commission (PEC) recommends 6 things you can do to take advantage of leaves:  

• The simplest thing to do is to rake or blow leaves into your woodlot, if available, or in an obscured portion of your yard such as behind shrubs.

• Mulch leaves with a mower so they can disappear back into the lawn. The fragmented leaves can also be raked onto flower beds as a mulch—a technique particularly appropriate for owners of small lots. Some leaves, like those of silver maples, crinkle-up and all but disappear into the lawn on their own, even before mowing. For thick, persistent leaves like those from a red oak, a corral or the mulch mower approach will keep them from blowing back into the yard. Though a mower with a mulching blade would be optimal, all power mowers should do an adequate job.

• Spread leaves on garden and leave them there to hold in moisture, suppress weeds, keep the soil cool in the summer, and slowly release nutrients. Planting tomatoes, for instance, requires nothing more than parting the leaves to put the new plants in. The leaf mulch reduces rotting of any tomatoes that touch the ground.

• Create a leaf corral. A corral or circle of wire fencing will help contain the leaves and keep them from blowing around. A readily available fencing is 3 feet high, green, and comes in rolls at the local hardware store. The corral is essentially invisible when tucked in a back corner of the lot. A U-shape may be preferred so that leaves can be raked right into the enclosure rather than lifted over the fencing. The leaf pile quickly reduces in size over the winter. The leaves can be left to decompose, acting like a sponge to catch the rain, and releasing nutrients to benefit the health of all trees and other landscaping in the vicinity. Contrary to popular notions of composting, it is not necessary to laboriously turn the pile. Leaf piles do not create odors.

• Use leaves to control weeds by raking them towards the fence line where they can serve as a mulch to keep down weeds that often dominate there. Dump leaves on any other weeds or groundcovers that are getting out of control. A thick layer of leaves discourages weeds. For weeds or groundcovers strong enough to push up through the leaves, first place overlapping pieces of cardboard on the undesired plants, then use the leaves over top to hide the cardboard. Both will decompose over time.

• If the leaves must leave the property, bag them.

Taking these steps will reduce flooding, water and noise pollution, energy consumption, and municipal costs to pick up and transport the leaves.

Here is information from the Municipality of Princeton’s brush, leaf and log collection, including Princeton Environmental Commission’s guide to composting and mulching leaves.

For information about Sustainable Princeton, please visit sustainableprinceton.org.