Friends of Carson Road Woods: News

We've been 'park pals' for quite a while

Bob Hunsicker, The Trenton Times, May 14, 2009

Recently, the mayor of Lawrence Township has been stressing the need for a "Park Pals program where neighbors help with their neighborhood parks." I am pleased to inform Times readers about the Friends of Carson Road Woods, a volunteer organization dedicated to the continued preservation of Lawrence's beautiful Carson Road Woods wildlife preserve.

The Friends was established in 2001. Our members live throughout Mercer County and generously volunteer their time and energy to ensure that Carson Road Woods remains open and accessible to the community.

full letter...

Join Park Pals Program

Pam Mount, The Lawrence Gazette, May 2009

As Mayor, I have heard from and seen just how much residents use, enjoy and appreciate our parks from the hundreds of children who play games on our fields to the seniors who walk, to bird watchers, star gazers and bike riders.

Over the years, our public works department has done a fantastic job developing and maintaining our parks.

full column...
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On the trail of a worthy project

Pam Mount, The Trenton Times, May 9, 2009

As I attend meetings and functions all over town, one of the most frequently asked questions is: "When will the Lawrence Hopewell Trail be finished and, specifically, the section through Carson Road?"

full op-ed...

Friends Group Elects New Board Members

On Wednesday, January 21, 2009, the Friends of Carson Road Woods elected three members to their Board of Directors.

Elected to a two-year term were Sharon Lauchaire of Carter Road, Mark Rudnick of Karena Lane, and Chris Pettit of Belleview Terrace, the latter joining the Board for the first time. They will join continuing board members Benjamin Brickner, Peter Christensen, Pat Clancy and Bob Hunsicker, whose terms expire next year.

Mr. Rudnick was selected to serve as Vice President. Mr. Hunsicker will continue as President, Mr. Brickner will continue as Secretary and Mr. Christensen will continue as Treasurer.

From Carson Road Woods to Your Grocers and Kitchens

October 6, 2005

Distant sounds of motors and running machinery came across the fields of Carson Road Woods last week. Someone must be cutting the fields at last, I thought. This has long been expected as the fields of the Woods have badly overgrown with weeds and knotted grasses towering more than six feet in height.

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Carson Woods group awarded $5K Grant

By Lea Kahn, The Lawrence Ledger, October 6, 2005

The Friends of Carson Road Woods was recently awarded a $5,000 state grant to make improvements to portions of the trails at the township-owned preserve.

The money was awarded to the Friends group by the state Department of Environmental Protection through the federal Recreational Trails Program, which finances development and maintenance of recreational trails.

full story...

LAWRENCE - A group opposed to paving part of the trail that winds through the Carson Road Woods is starting a letter-writing campaign to state officials after learning that advocates of the pathway are mounting their own lobbying effort.

Friends of Carson Road Woods, which does not want any paved path that would disturb the area's natural setting, is urging people to write letters to the Department of Transportation voicing their opposition to the trail.

Note: this story was written at the request of the Friends' Board in response to an article that appeared earlier in the week. That article can be found below.

LAWRENCE - Advocates of the controversial biking/hiking trail through the Carson Road Woods have called on supporters to join them in a letter-writing campaign in support of their efforts to get financial support for the project.

They are urging those in favor of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail to e-mail state Transportation Commissioner Jack Lettiere before a state funding decision is made.

Note: the Friends' Board believes this article represents biased reporting and has sent a letter to The Times requesting an equal opportunity to present a different perspective to its readership. This letter can be found here. (Adobe pdf file - 154k)

Bunny trails to double diamonds — that's how Mayor Pam Mount described the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail (LHT) at a recent council meeting. After years of rhetoric claiming that the LHT would be family-friendly, safe and accessible to all, including the handicapped, the mayor's tune has changed. If the truth is that the trail will be diverse in terms of surface and accessibility, why does Mayor Mount and her Democratic council colleagues continue to insist that the segment of the trail through the nature preserve, Carson Road Woods, be paved with asphalt and be 10-feet wide? Why can't there be compromise in terms of surface that protects the natural resources of Carson Road Woods?

On Friday, May 13, about two dozen students from the Princeton Junior School spent a morning visiting Carson Road Woods. Led by veteran tour guide, Bob Hunsicker, the students and their teachers explored the preserve's open fields and beech forest. Two of the preserve's resident foxes paid the group a surprise visit as well.

The next phase of the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail — a 1.2-mile stretch of asphalt along the perimeter of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s Hopewell Township campus — is expected to officially open to bicyclists and pedestrians June 11.

That's the word from the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail Task Force, which met Monday morning at the Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s Lawrence campus. The task force holds public meetings twice a year.

We highly support Lawrence Township’s local aid application to the New Jersey Department of Transportation to fund construction of the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail through Carson Road Woods. The bicycle and walking trail makes good sense for community health and safety, and securing funding from sources other than local taxes is sound fiscal policy as well. Even with the best of planning, traffic on our local roads will only continue to increase.

We are residents of Lawrence Township and we oppose the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail (LHT) through Carson Road Woods. We hold this position not because we dislike bike trails or the people that use them. Nor do we oppose this trail because we wish to keep the public out of Carson Road Woods. We believe the LHT has been poorly planned, is an irresponsible use of taxpayer dollars, is inappropriate for the landscape, and will be of little use to our community.

On Saturday, April 16, 2005, the Friends of Carson Road Woods participated in Lawrence Township's community cleanup day. About a dozen members of the Friends and five students from the Lawrenceville School spent several hours picking up trash while enjoying the beautiful spring weather. All told, the group cleared the Carson Road Woods nature preserve of a dozen trashbags full of garbage weighing several hundred pounds.

LAWRENCE - A resolution supporting the paving of a 10-foot-wide bike trail through Carson Road Woods reignited neighborhood opposition to the 3-year-old plan.

Before the township council passed the resolution in a 3-1 vote Tuesday night, at least a dozen residents criticized the township's second attempt to get state funding for an asphalt path for the Carson Road Woods segment of the Lawrence Hopewell Township Bike Trail.

Undaunted by failed attempts to gain state aid, Township Council is applying for a state Department of Transportation grant to construct a bicycle path through the township-owned Carson Road Woods property.

Despite neighbors' objections, the council voted 3-1 Tuesday night to apply for a $225,000 state grant to construct the path. Lawrence Township would provide a $25,000 match for the grant, either in cash or in-kind services.

On Wednesday, January 12, 2005, the Friends of Carson Road Woods elected four members to their Board of Directors.

Elected to a two-year term were Sharon Lauchaire of Carter Road, Mark Rudnick of Karena Lane, and Lauren Eder of Belleview Terrace, the latter joining the Board for the first time. Ben Brickner of Belleview Terrace was elected to fill the final year of an unexpired term.

Ms. Lauchaire was selected to serve as Vice-president and Mr. Brickner will serve as the group's Secretary. Bob Hunsicker will remain President and Peter Christensen will be the group's Treasurer.

On Monday, November 15, 2004, first graders from the Princeton Junior School came to explore Carson Road Woods. They were led by veteran tour guide and Friends president Bob Hunsicker.

For pictures from the event, click on the thumbnails below! (opens larger image in new page)

On Sunday, October 24, 2004, the Friends of Carson Road Woods led members of the public on a fall foliage walk through the Carson Road Woods nature preserve in Lawrence Township.

With the first phase of the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail completed, the trail's backers are making plans for the installation of the second phase of the 20-mile bicycle and pedestrian loop. The Lawrence-Hopewell Trail Task Force would like to construct the second phase between now and August 2005. In Lawrence Township, a portion of the trail would be built along the perimeter of the township-owned Carson Road Woods property.

Township Council has given final approval to a resolution that changes the route of the proposed path through Carson Road Woods to one that runs mostly along its perimeter instead of through the center of the property.

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP- Bristol Myers Squibb has received planning approvals to begin building the first leg of a 20-mile bike path linking this township and Lawrence. The mile-plus stretch will run from Pennington-Rocky Hill and Old Mill roads to Titus Mill Road near Wargo Road.

Hoping to derail plans for a 10-foot-wide paved path through the township-owned Carson Road Woods, a group of residents is organizing a letter-writing campaign to express opposition to the proposal. The Friends of Carson Road Woods Inc. agreed Monday night to initiate the letter-writing campaign in response to Township Council's application to the state Department of Transportation for a $200,000 grant to create a paved trail.

A tweaked version of the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail, which would relocate a portion of the path from the middle of the Carson Road Woods to the western perimeter of the property, gained Township Council's approval last week. The revised plan that was presented to the council at its July 6 meeting is a compromise version that was suggested last month by Eleanor Horne, who co-chairs the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail Task Force. She suggested installing the path along the perimeter of the property, rather than through the middle of it.

[A] mother and son were among the more than 50 people that went to the Lawrence Township Council meeting June 16 which resulted in council deciding to apply for a $200,000 state grant to fund the installation of a 10-foot-wide, solid bike path through the township-owned Carson Road Woods property.

With the June 30 deadline looming to apply for a state grant to construct a portion of the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail through the township-owned Carson Road Woods property, there is divided opinion regarding the grant on Township Council.

Township Council must decide by mid-June whether it wants to apply for a state grant that would pay for installing a portion of the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail through the township-owned Carson Road Woods property. A resolution that would authorize an application for a state Department of Transportation grant is expected to be placed on the agenda for Township Council's June 16 meeting, Municipal Manager William Guhl told the council Tuesday night. The grant filing deadline is July 1.

The long-awaited Rinck House outdoor education center at the Drexel Woods preserve is scheduled to officially open Sunday afternoon as nature lovers gather to celebrate Earth Day.

It seems that as soon as sites that I have been involved with, both in the field and in public meetings, are purchased for preservation by coalitions of non-profits, State and local funds they become threatened by schemes of anthropocentric development.

A community forum, sponsored last week by the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail Task Force, was intended to discuss solely the proposed route through the village of Lawrenceville. However, comments from the approximately 100 audience members led to a discussion of the overall 20-mile loop that would connect Lawrence and Hopewell. In that dialogue, the task force heard a diverse mix of support and distaste for the project.

[A]s the euphoria that followed the purchase wore off, members of the Friends of Carson Road Woods Inc. began to wonder--what exactly is the Carson Road Woods? What is its history? Who had owned it before it was purchased from developer G. Reider and Sons Inc.? Those are the questions that a newly published book, "Carson Road and Its Woods," hopes to answer. The Friends of Carson Road Woods Inc. has published the book, written by member Sheila M. Ager.

Listen to the Republican Party candidates for Township Council and they will say that the township's parks in the southern end of town are in deplorable condition, full of antiquated playground equipment. Yet Village Park, in the northern part of the township, is in good condition, according to Republican candidates Robert Brackett, Colette Coolbaugh and Victor Murray. They are seeking three seats on Township Council in the Nov. 4 general election. But the three Democratic Township Council candidates--incumbent Councilman Greg Puliti and Councilwoman Pam Mount and their running mate, Michael Powers--disagree. All of the township parks are in good shape and the equipment has been updated, they said. The two sides also offered differing views on appropriate uses of open space and the manner in which the township's latest open space acquisition--the 183-acre Carson Road Woods--should be handled.

Municipal Manager William Guhl refuted allegations of a conflict of interest in his role as finance chairman of the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail Task Force and as the municipal manager of one of the participating townships.

A segment of the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail that is proposed to be constructed on the Carson Road Woods property would not be disruptive to the flora and fauna that live there--especially if a comprehensive nature-management plan for the tract is prepared, according to a study commissioned by the Delaware & Raritan Greenway.

To the editor: The Lawrence-Hopewell Trail has gotten a lot of attention lately. For such an unassuming issue, this proposed 20-mile bike trail has generated a great deal of interest from residents in both Lawrence and Hopewell Townships. For every tidbit of fact that surfaces, more questions and concerns emerge. Since this trail would inevitably traverse Township owned property, the council and manager both will have a say over the planning, process, and execution of this project.

The proposed Lawrence-Hopewell Trail should be realigned slightly to follow hedgerows in the Carson Road Woods property, and the width of the path should be narrowed to 8 feet, from the proposed 10 feet, according to the Delaware & Raritan Greenway. The group makes that recommendation in a report prepared for the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail Task Force. The report will be discussed by the trail group tonight (Thursday) at the Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

LAWRENCE - A local official wants to see the proposed 20-mile bike trail that would loop through Hopewell and Lawrence rerouted entirely through a county park. Township Councilman Rick Miller, the lone Republican on the council, has drafted an alternate route for the Lawrence Hopewell Trail through Mercer County Park Northwest and Rosedale Park and submitted his suggestions to county officials.

Aiming to make the proposed Lawrence-Hopewell Trail a family-friendly bike path, Councilman Rick Miller has proposed placing it in Mercer County Park Northwest. Mr. Miller suggested creating a bike trail along the perimeter of Mercer County Park Northwest, in a letter to Mercer County Executive Robert Prunetti. The park consists of the former AT&T pole farm, off Keefe and Cold Soil roads, and Rosedale Park in Hopewell Township.

The decision on the route of the proposed Lawrence Hopewell Trail through Lawrence Township-owned land specifically, the Carson Road Woods parcel rests with Township Council. That's the message that was delivered by Township Council to the dozen residents who have an interest in the Carson Road Woods property and who were sitting in the audience at the council's Tuesday night meeting.

LAWRENCE - Less than a month after plans to put an asphalt bike path through Carson Road Woods were put on hold, an advocacy group for the preservation of the woods has announced it has become an incorporated, nonprofit organization.

Aiming to have a greater say in the oversight and maintenance of the Carson Road Woods property, the Friends of Carson Road Woods has formally incorporated as a nonprofit group. Organized to address issues surrounding the Carson Road Woods property shortly after Lawrence Township purchased the 183-acre parcel in 2001, the Friends group filed legal papers with the secretary of State last month.

Take a walk through the Carson Road Woods or the perimeter of the Princeton Battlefield Park, and along the way one may see slender, green plants topped by clusters of small white flowers, with four petals in the shape of a cross. These pretty and innocent-looking plants are garlic mustard plants, whose ancestors were imported from Europe for use as a salad green and wherever they find a home, they take over and stamp out their neighbors.

To the editor: Enclosed herewith are the comments I made at the open meeting of the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail held this past Wednesday, July 9, at the Chauncey Center at ETS. I believe that Carson Road Woods is a beautiful and serene park and that its preservation will be a great asset to the community for generations to come. I am writing to you as I would like to share my views with you and your readers.

Reaching out to residents who are concerned about a proposed 20-mile-long bicycle trail, the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Task Force has invited opponents to send three or four representatives to sit down with its members and work out alternative routes and materials for the Lawrence portion of the trail.

Facing opposition from neighbors who do not want a 10-foot-wide asphalt bicycle path bisecting the Carson Road Woods property, township officials have quietly withdrawn an application for state funding for the path.

Carson Road Woods is a lovely 183-acre park. Its rescue from the threat of development a couple of years ago by a coalition of public, corporate and individual contributors organized by the Delaware and Raritan Greenway was a huge preservation success story. And it will not be marred by routing of a bicycle path through a portion of the park, if the planning is sensibly done.

LAWRENCE - Before paving the way for a 20-mile bike path that would loop through three Mercer County towns, officials want to smooth out a few bumps they've hit along the road. In response to a neighborhood meeting earlier this week at which people voiced concerns about the proposed trail, the Lawrence Hopewell Bike Trail Task Force has put the brakes on some of its plans.

LAWRENCE - The five trails that wind their way through Carson Road Woods have names like Sassafras, Sweet Gum and Beech Forest. Handmade markers shaped like leaves guide visitors through the 183-acre park, along with a trail map made by a nearby resident who loves the woods, especially its old peach tree orchard and beech forest.

To the editor: I am writing in regard to the proposed Lawrence-Hopewell bike trail, a 20-mile bike path that will traverse both Lawrence and Hopewell Townships. My primary concern is with the one-mile section that will cross Carson Road Woods, a passive recreational park in Lawrence Township. The Lawrence-Hopewell task force, the group that organized to oversee this project, is insisting that the path be routed across this parkland.

Last month, the Township Council made a wise decision not to add a resolution to its agenda that would have approved a grant application for a part of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail. The Department of Transportation grant application sought $219,200 in state funding for the Lawrence Township segment.

Township Council will decide next week whether to endorse a proposed grant application that would provide money toward construction of a 10-foot-wide bicycle path linking Lawrence and Hopewell townships.

LAWRENCE - The Lawrence Hopewell Trail Association will host a meeting with residents tonight to discuss a proposed bike path slated to run through Carson Road Woods.

A handful of neighbors who live near the Carson Road Woods, concerned that a 10-foot-wide asphalt bicycle trail may be built on the township-owned parcel, took those concerns directly to the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Task Force last week.

It wasn't opposition to the proposed bike path through Carson Road Woods that scuttled a Township Council vote last week on a grant application for the project, rather it was the lack of information on the financing and construction details.

LAWRENCE - A proposed 20-mile bike trail that would loop through three Mercer County towns may have hit a major bump in the road here. The township council balked Tuesday night at a proposal to apply for $200,000 from the state and provide $45,000 of its own money to build a portion of the bike path through Carson Road Woods.

A resolution that would have authorized a grant application for a section of the proposed 20-mile bike trail through Lawrence and Hopewell Townships never got off the ground at the Township Council meeting Tuesday.

Members of WCAS selected a sunny spot within the Carson Road Woods this past June and, with the encouragement of the WCAS board and the written approval of the Lawrence Township, we started a Butterfly Garden.

Preserving open space has become a high priority for communities throughout central New Jersey, where developers have gobbled up large chunks of farmland and forest over the last 20 years and suburban sprawl has steadily eaten away at the once-rural landscape.

Business and government officials unveiled plans Tuesday for a 20-mile bikeway and walking trail that will loop through corporate and school campuses, parkland and open-space preserves in Lawrence and Hopewell townships.

LAWRENCE - Gas pedals will give way to bicycle pedals along a new 20-mile trail that will loop through two Mercer County towns. Hailed as a recreational asset and a resource that will give options to commuters who normally drive to work, the $6 million Lawrence Hopewell Trail was unveiled by business and government leaders yesterday.

This is an abstract for the Carson Road Website of a longer, documented history of the land which made possible the creation, in 2001, of Carson Road Woods by Delaware and Raritan Greenway, with help and contributions from neighbors and other, more distant, supporters of land preservation. The author and her husband are the current residents of Carson Road who have lived on the road longest. They moved to Carson Road as almost newly-weds to the only house they have ever bought and lived in.

In January, at the invitation of Friends of Carson Woods, WCAS volunteer naturalists began an inventory of the flora and fauna of Carson Woods in the northeast corner of Lawrence Township. The project will continue through the end of 2002.

A 2-cent increase in the municipal open space tax for 2002 will be used to pay down debt that includes the recent purchase of the Carson Road Woods property. Heeding voter approval, Township Council approved the 2-cent hike in the open space tax Tuesday night, bringing the open space tax to 3 cents for 2002. The municipal open space tax had been set at 1 cent since its inception in 2000.

The long and winding road toward the purchase of the Carson Road Woods came to an end last week, with the passing of a check from Mayor Pam Mount to landowners G. Rieder & Sons of South Brunswick.

Lawrence Township will officially close on the purchase of Carson Road Woods at a special ceremony 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at town hall. The township signed a contract with landowner G. Rieder & Sons in August authorizing the sale of 183 acres of the 186-acre parcel.

Township Council would have the option to increase the municipal open space tax up to a maximum of 3 cents, if voters approve a special referendum question on the Nov. 6 ballot. The council voted last week to place the question on the ballot. The measure, if approved, would allow the council to tax property owners up to 3 cents per $100 of assessed value. Voters approved a 1-cent open space tax in 1999.

I want to personally thank you for your help in preserving the 186 acres of Carson Road Woods. Your quick response to our plea for financial support enabled the Fund-raising Committee to raise $3 million in less than two months. The energy and commitment of the Fund-raising Committee, David Prescott, Sam Hamill, Joyce Copleman, Bill Guhl, Holly Ross, Jude Rich, Ben Brickner and myself and all your positive responses made this success possible. Your dedication to your community and commitment to actually participate in helping to preserve the quality of life in our town is so important.

When land slated for the bulldozer is preserved, everyone usually gets together to celebrate and swap "war stories." These sessions give us important lessons on the consensus we always need - and controversy we sometimes encounter - when fighting to save a threatened open space.

LAWRENCE - Despite a $1 million pledge by pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Meyers Squibb last weekend, the township has $300,000 more to raise in its quest to protect the $8.4 million Carson Road Woods from pending development.

LAWRENCE - Old-fashioned fund-raising has its benefits, people said yesterday after a three-hour effort yielded $17,480 in donations and pledges to preserve Carson Road Woods as open space. For a sunny Sunday afternoon, this is excellent," said Ben Brickner, a Belleview Terrace resident who spent much of his adolescence hiking through the 186 acres of wetlands, peach and beech trees that distinguish the tract.

LAWRENCE - Although donations to save the Carson Road Woods from development must be pledged by June 30, the money does not have to be paid in full immediately, the Delaware & Raritan Greenway said yesterday. Armed with a $500,000 pledge of its own, the Princeton nonprofit group has taken over the township's effort to raise money to buy the 186-acre woods from developer G. Rieder & Sons and preserve it for recreation.

Developer G. Rieder & Sons Inc. of South Brunswick has turned in plans for a 62-lot development on a parcel that Lawrence Township has been eyeing for open space. But township officials have not given up hope that the 186-acre tract, known informally as the Carson Road Woods, can be permanently preserved.

Nearly 80 acres of undeveloped land in northern Lawrence Township will be added to the list of permanently preserved properties, if the Delaware & Raritan Greenway conservation agency has its way.