• TRAIL RESTORATION PROJECT 2020

    on October 3, 2020

    TRAIL MAINTENANCE

    The Closter Nature Center has begun a multi-year Trail Restoration & Renovation Project.

     

     

    Existing Planking on Trail

    CNC Trustee Tom Golodik & Wood Mill

    Black Locust Logs

     

    The existing boardwalk trail system, made of black locust boards, has been in place for up to 16 years. Although this wood is extremely durable, and almost 90% of the planks have continued to resist the wetland swamp waters, approximately 10% of these boards have developed splits or holes and require replacement. By the end of 2021 all the damaged boards will be replaced by new planks cut from Black Locust logs.

     

     

    The lumber will be milled by the McCaffery family at the Sutter Mill Farm in Alpine. These logs were secured through the efforts of Todd Bradbury and Ken's Tree Care to recycle the wood. New boards will be cut to the needed sizes and then transported for installation next spring at the Closter Nature Center.

     

     

     

    Sutter Mill Farm

    Nature Center Class

    We welcome volunteers interested in helping to move the new planks to the sites where they will be installed. Please contact Tom Golodik, Mary Mayer or Beth Ravit if you would like to join us in repairing the trails.

    To read more about trail maintenance or other volunteer opportunities with the Closter Nature Center, check out our listings  at "Volunteer Positions Available" and join us today!

     

     

     


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  • Deer Exclosures

    on September 5, 2019

    Deer Exclusion Fencing Complete!

    With the Borough's support, and tremendous dedication from almost three dozen hard workers, installation of fencing for three deer exclusion sites is complete! 

     

     

    Cabling, 2019

    Rebecca

    Seven CNC trail maintenance volunteers, Dr. Jay Kelly and 6 students from Raritan Valley Community College, plus 20 young people from the Closter Nature Center Summer Program, installed 6,600 feet of fencing (a total of 1 1/8 miles!), enclosing 30 acres of our 136 acre nature center.  This will keep the deer out of certain areas so the forest understory and young trees can recover from many years of deer browse, and survive to shape our future forest.

     

     

     

    With Naturalist Director Marc Gussen, board members Joel Rudin and Beth Ravit attended the Mayor & Council meeting on Wednesday, August 14thto thank the Borough for their financial support for this project, and to let them know the fence is installed.

     

     

    Mary Flagging, 2019

    Steve, Volunteer 2019

    Lee, Cabling 2019


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  • Trail Naming

    on May 6, 2018

    Ageless and Tireless Volunteers

    The Closter Nature Center's hardworking angels, Mary & Gay Mayer, seen here by the pond at the newly installed sign in their honor.

    CNC Director and Naturalist Marc Gussen built and installed the new sign. 

    Photos courtesy of Trustee Susan McTigue. 

     

     

    Mary and Gay Mayer

    Marc Gussen

    Marc Gussen and Co.

    Mary Mayer


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  • Forest Stewardship Project

    on May 3, 2018

    Operation Multiflora Rose January, 2021

    The Closter Nature Center is a magical place loaded with native plants and animals. Unfortunately, we have a problem in our preserve--an invasive species called "Multiflora Rose", a plant that threatens the health of our forest. Over two Saturdays, a group of volunteers attempted to remove as much of the troublesome plant as possible. The rush to remove the plant is due to expectations that the Nature Center will lose ALL of its ash trees to another invasive species, the Emerald Ash Borer opening up the forest canopy and letting the opportunistic Multiflora Rose the sunlight it needs to proliferate.

    One group of volunteers worked to clear masses of multi-flora rose and other invasive brambles along the Ruckman Avenue verge opposite the Nature Center pond.

    Clearing Ruckman Verge:

    One group of volunteers worked to clear masses of multi-flora rose and other invasive brambles along the Ruckman Avenue verge opposite the Nature Center pond.

    Forest Stewardship Study

    Starting in 2015, the Closter Nature Center (CNC) Board undertook a long-term project to assess and protect the health of its 136-acre site of forested wetlands. Soon after, a forest stewardship study was conducted by New Jersey Audubon for the CNC which has served as a baseline for further study and recommendations of care. Please check here for continuing updates and information. (Note: Most recent information appears first.)

    CNC Spring Woods, 2018

    Woodland Stewards Worry About Deer Impact

    Following is a link to an article in the Northern Valley Press published August, 2019. 

    NORTHERN VALLEY AREA, N.J.—While a regional approach to deer population control remains a major theme among Pascack and Northern valley municipalities—save for Saddle River and River Vale now planning fall 2019 bowhunts—managers of several area nature sanctuaries warn that an overpopulation of deer is causing long-term impacts to forests and biodiversity—and they are taking action. 

    Woodland Stewards Worry About Deer Impact 

    Greenbrook Sanctuary (Autumn 2018)

    "It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words."

    Following is a link to Palisades Nature Notes, the Autumn, 2018 Newsletter of the Greenbrook Sanctuary, Palisades Nature Association. 

    Of note: two photos at the top of the page that starkly illustrate the difference between woods are protected from white-tailed deer with an exclosure or, fence and woods that are not protected. 

    Greenbrook Sancturary Newsletter

    EAB Monitoring Stations

    Look UP! You may notice these green, cylindrical cones hanging from a tree in the Nature Center. These are monitoring traps for the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), an invasive beetle that is impacting Ash trees in our region. Tracking the path and impact of these beetles is important to understanding the changing nature of our forests. Monitoring invasive species is part of our ongoing Forest Stewardship Project at the Closter Nature Center. These stations were put in place by local volunteer, Todd Bradbury.

    EAB Monitoring Station

    Assessing Forest Health in Central New Jersey

    White-tailed Deer

    The Closter Nature Center held its Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2018 at 7pm. in the log cabin by the pond. There was a brief business meeting highlighting our past year followed by a presentation on "The Impacts of Deer and Invasive Species on Forests in Northern-Central New Jersey”.

    Dr. Jay Kelly from Raritan Valley Community College presented the results of his research on the impacts of overabundant deer and invasive plant species on forests in northern-central NJ. Since 2014, he and his students have studied over 135 forests, primarily in the Raritan Watershed, documenting how tree regeneration and other aspects of forest understories have changed since the mid-Twentieth Century, when deer and invasive plants were much lower in the state. They also studied the effectiveness of different strategies for forest restoration, including exclosures and deer management programs, at improving forest conditions over time. The goals of this research are to provide real-world research opportunities for students, and to provide local communities with information needed to understand these important issues; showing what is happening to our forests, and what can be done to address them.

    Link to Study

    Here is a link to Professor Kelly's presentation: 

    Impacts of Deer and Invasives in Central New Jersey Forests_May 2018

    Area of Expertise: Ecology & Conservation

    Jay Kelly, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Science, Raritan Valley Community College

    Forest Stewardship Study

    This project has been ongoing since 2015.

    Following is a link to an article which appeared in a local newspaper in 2016:

    https://closternaturecenter.org/project/forest-stewardship-plan/


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  • Eagle Scout Project

    on September 14, 2017

    Patrick Lee’s Eagle Scout Project

    Over the years, the Closter Nature Center has been the recipient of projects completed by Boy Scouts attempting to become "Eagle Scouts". This recognition is not come by easily, it is something the Scouts earn by building skills and learning how to become leaders. By building a bridge at the Nature Center, Patrick Lee earned the right to be called an "Eagle Scout", the highest rank in scouting. 

    Here is a copy of Patrick Lee's presentation to the Board of Trustees.

    Good evening board members, leaders, scouts, and parents.

    My name is Patrick Lee and I would like to thank the Nature Center for allowing me to complete my final steps toward Eagle Scout here at the nature center. The Nature Center holds a special place in my childhood. When I was a little boy I would spend a lot of time here fishing and attending camps, I especially enjoyed the fishing derbies. For my project, we replaced the main bridge. The previous bridge has been there for as long as I could remember, and it needed to be replaced. The new bridge now has steps for easier access, a handrail & is much sturdier.

     I would especially like to thank Mr. Gussen, working with him was a great experience. A special thank you to Mr. Mattes, who has been my leader since the first day of cub scouts in first grade, all the way up to Eagle Scout in my senior year of high school.  Also thank you to Dr. Baron, who worked with me every step of the way throughout my project. Thank you to the scouts, parents, and leaders who helped on my work days, and generously donated time, energy, efforts, and funds to my project, without them this wouldn’t happen. And a huge thank you to my Father and Grandfather for helping and teaching me the carpentry side of this project. Additionally a thank you for the Sapper family for creating this giant check, of which is the remaining funds of my fundraising efforts for the bridge. I am proudly able to donate $730.15 to the Closter Nature Center, so that it can continue to be a special place for other Closter children as they grow up.


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  • Technology Upgrade

    on August 1, 2017

    Help us, help you!

    The Closter Nature Center is working to upgrade its technology infrastructure to more easily meet the needs of our community. We are migrating class registrations and some back office functions to CommunityPass, a cloud-based registration and payment software based in Ridgewood, New Jersey. In order to fully migrate our membership database over to CommunityPass, there is a setup fee of $1000.00. We welcome any donations towards that goal.

    Thank you!

    Lori Spechler

    Closter Nature Center President


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  • Plants of the CNC

    on June 13, 2017

    Zach Weiss’ Senior Service project at Northern Valley…


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  • Animals of CNC

    on May 31, 2017

    Zach Weiss’ Senior Service project at Northern Valley Demarest, Class of 2017 included documentation of the animals of the nature center.

    My project was to create…


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  • New Bridge, November 2016

    on December 12, 2016

    An aging bridge spanning a stream at the Closter Nature Center has been replaced with a new and sturdier one thanks to a grant from Whole Foods…


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  • Forest Stewardship Study

    on December 12, 2016

    A forest stewardship study was conducted by New Jersey Audubon to assess the health of the Closter Nature Center’s forest.

    Newspaper articles on study: 

    Forest stewardship study looks at…


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  • How to feed the world

    on September 24, 2014

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  • We will miss them

    on September 24, 2014

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