Property support group gets incorporated

Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
The Lawrence Ledger

August 7, 2003

Friends of Carson Road Woods now official.

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.

The proposed Lawrence-Hopewell Trail, which would bisect the property, galvanized the Friends of Carson Road Woods to incorporate--but it was not the only reason, said Ben Brickner, who serves on the board of directors.

Some members of the organization, which initially was a group of neighbors, questioned the width of the proposed trail. They brought those concerns to the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail backers, which included representatives of the Educational Testing Service and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

"The Lawrence-Hopewell Trail is a coherent, organized group," Mr. Brickner said. "They draw members from ETS and BMS. We felt we were not being listened to because we did not have (the same) recognition."

In its new guise as the Friends of Carson Road Woods Inc., the group now has a seat at that table in a way that it did not have before its incorporation, added Robert Hunsicker, president of the board of directors.

Mr. Brickner emphasized that the Friends group does not want to be perceived as a force against the Lawrence Hopewell Trail. In fact, the trail issue is only one of many issues, he said.

In addition to offering advice on the oversight and maintenance of the Carson Road Woods property, the Friends group says it wants to serve as stewards of the property.

It also wants to guarantee that the property remains open and accessible to the public--except for a 35-acre deed restricted portion of the land that may only be farmed, according to the group's new bylaws.

The Friends of Carson Road Woods Inc., wants to ensure that the land remains basically undisturbed in its natural state in perpetuity. It also wants to organize and carry out public activities, such as educational hikes through the property, the bylaws said.

In fact, the group has maintained the property on a volunteer basis. It has created five walking trails on the property, which includes a beech forest, peach orchards, open fields and active farmland.

A handful of volunteers attempted to clean up the peach orchard on the property last weekend. The fate of that peach orchard is one of the issues that must be addressed, Mr. Brickner said.

The peach orchard could be allowed to become overgrown and revert to a natural or semi-wild state, or someone could be found to plant new trees and revitalize it, he said.

Then, there is the question of what to do with the open space portion of the tract, Mr. Brickner said. Some of the land can only be used for farming, but presently most of it is being farmed.

One thing that will have to be addressed in six or nine months is what to do with the open space, he said. Should it continue to be farmed, should it be allowed to go back to its natural state, or should it be kept mowed, he said. Although the land belongs to Lawrence Township, the group could offer input to township officials.

The Friends of Carson Road Woods, Inc., which held its first meeting last week, numbers about 40 people, Mr. Brickner said. The members come from the immediate neighborhood as well as other sections of Lawrence Township. There are members who live in Pennington Borough and Hopewell Township.

Membership is open to anyone who is at least 13 years old, Mr. Brickner said. It is not necessary to live in Lawrence to join or contribute. The group has been meeting once a month, but there is not a set schedule, he said. The next meeting is set for 7:30 p.m. Aug. 14 at the Municipal Building.

In addition to Mr. Brickner and Mr. Hunsicker, the board of directors includes Sharon Miller, vice president; Mark Rudnick, secretary; Henry Clancy, treasurer; and board members Pat Clancy and Sheila Ager. They will serve until the group reorganizes in January.

For more information, write to Friends of Carson Road Woods Inc., 84 Carson Road, Princeton, NJ 08540. Also e-mail the group at CRWFriends@yahoo.com.

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