RIPARIAN RESTORATION PROJECT

The following is a description of our work on the Riparian Restoration Project in the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve.

We welcome your comments and suggestions about this project. Please email info@fopos.org with any questions, comments or recommendations. The project will also be on the agenda for Municipal Council's meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, February 13, 2023.  You are welcome to give comments and suggestions at that time.

1. Project Overview / Description

The Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS) is seeking an NJDEP Green Acres stewardship grant to restore the riparian areas bordering the lake and streams at the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve (Mountain Lakes). The funding would help to support the purchase of over 6,500 native plants including 1,080 trees, 570 shrubs and 5,000 herbaceous plants; materials to protect those plants from deer browse and beaver chew (e.g. caging, and stakes); ancillary expenses such as additional tools for volunteers and identifier flags for plant material; and for invasive species removal by third party contractors where it is not practical for volunteers to do the work (approximately 6 acres). Herbicides will not be used in the riparian or wetland areas that make up the project site, and an NJDEP general permit 16 will be obtained for the purposes of habitat restoration in wetland areas. HERE is the Project Plant List.

The primary purpose of the project is to rehabilitate riparian areas that protect lake and stream banks from erosion, slow and store stormwater, and filter pollutants from runoff. The riparian areas of the Preserve also provide critical habitat for a variety of birds, insects, and aquatic life. The rehabilitation of the areas identified in the concept map involves removing large swaths of invasive species that are choking out native species and planting native species that will enhance both the ecosystem quality and the experience of park users. The riparian restoration project builds on the success of the 18-acre forest restoration project conducted at Mountain Lakes, which was a $165,000 effort supported by the NJDEP Green Acres Stewardship program. The expansion into riparian areas will only further enhance the experience of hikers, runners, bicyclists, birdwatchers and others, who are coming to Mountain Lakes in greater numbers than ever before.

The restoration area is designated as having Statewide and/or Regional importance on the NJMap2 database and as being an area of core forest and high climate change resilience.

With the support of FOPOS’s Land Steward Intern Team, a series of volunteer stewardship sessions will be offered to the public, school, community, and corporate groups to support invasive removal work, native plantings, cage installation, and maintenance in riparian restoration project areas. Stewardship sessions provide environmental educational opportunities for the public and help to foster current and future generations of land stewards.

HERE is the Riparian Restoration Project Budget.

2.     Project Schedule: multi-year, 2 years

Year 1: Baseline botanical surveys conducted leading up to year one. GP16 application for wetland areas and secure Historic Preservation Office approval. Winter: Contracted invasive removal in riparian area east of the lake, approx. 3 acres (non-wetland area); Spring and Fall plantings in area east of lake; Summer: supplemental watering if needed. Ongoing volunteer sessions for invasive removal, planting, caging, and maintenance. Contractors will be hired to assist with bare root plantings in early spring, and container plantings in fall.

Year 2: Winter: contracted invasive removal in riparian areas to the south and northwest of the lake, approx. 4 acres; Spring and Fall plantings. Summer: supplemental watering if needed. Ongoing maintenance and invasive removal by volunteers, and contractors will be hired for targeted follow-up mechanical invasive plant removal throughout the project timeline to keep invasive species suppressed while native species are establishing.

Post-project, Years 3-4: Mortality survey conducted for prior plantings. Ongoing invasive species management, replacement of plants and protective caging as needed. Supplemental watering as needed.