Plainsboro Township has received a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that would pay for the improvement of nature trails at the Plainsboro Preserve.
The $94,964 grant will also be used for widening footbridges and boardwalks to better access trails, installing erosion control measures at Maggie’s Point and benches made of recycled plastic along scenic trail areas, improving handicapped parking access to preserve and removing unwanted debris along trails.
The township will also contribute additional funding to support these improvements. Improvements to the Preserve, which is located on Scotts Corner Road, are expected to be completed by the fall of 2017.
“This grant will allow the Preserve to make trails more pedestrian-friendly, provide ample seating and give better access to handicapped individuals that want to visit the Plainsboro Preserve and Environmental Center,” said Mayor Peter Cantu.
The preserve was created in in 1999, when 530 acres of land formerly owned by the Turkey Island Corporation and Walker Gordon Laboratory Company were acquired by the Middlesex County and the Township. The property was originally the site of a quarry run by the McCormack Sand and Gravel Company.
The county purchased and owns 401 acres and provided a grant to Plainsboro for the purchase of an additional 126 acres. In 2003, the County purchased 126 acres of the former Perrine Tract to add to the Preserve. The Township added additional land to grow the Preserve to almost 1,000 acres.
The centerpiece of the Preserve is the man-made Lake McCormack. In the late 1960s, McCormack began mining the property. After only a few years, the mining operation hit a spring and began to flood. As the mining dwindled, water filled and created Lake McCormack. The lake is now used by many species of waterfowl and wading birds, along with some other wildlife like beavers, turtles, fish and otters.
New Jersey Audubon manages the Preserve and Nature Center on the site, providing year round environmental educational opportunities for the local community. The nature center houses a variety of exhibits, live animals, a reference library, a nature store, and several miles of trails.
“New Jersey Audubon looks forward to the ongoing improvements the grant will bring to this already beautiful preserve and nature center,” said Eric Stiles, president of New Jersey Audubon.
