Woods advocated an official group

Krystal Knapp, The Trenton Times

August 7, 2003

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.

The Friends of Carson Road Woods Inc. was formed to give the preservation group an organizational framework. Incorporation gives the group formal recognition with the state, allows it to collect and disburse funds and gives the group legal standing in the judicial system, organizers said.

While the bike trail issue was the catalyst for becoming a more formal group, it is one of many reasons for the change, said organizers. They said the group probably should have incorporated when it was founded more than two years ago.

"The bike trail was the galvanizing issue," resident and member Ben Brickner said. "But it is just one of many issues that resulted in the decision to become a more formal organization."

The group is dedicated to the conservation and maintenance of the Carson Road Woods preserve.

It was originally formed to help raise money to preserve the 183-acre tract between Carson Road and Belleview Terrace, which also borders homes on Carter and Province Line roads.

The preserve contains a beech forest, peach orchards, open fields, active farmland and five walking trails.

It was preserved in 2001 at a cost of $8.4 million through the efforts of Lawrence Township, Mercer County, the New Jersey Green Acres Program, the state Farmland Preservation Program, the Delaware and Raritan Greenway and several hundred private donations.

The Friends of Carson Road Woods maintains the woods on a volunteer basis, organizes public activities to help the community enjoy the woods and strives to ensure that the woods maintain their original character.

Members of the group recently protested a proposed 10-foot-wide asphalt path through the woods as part of the planned 20-mile bike trail that would loop through Lawrence and Hopewell Township.

Leaders of the Lawrence Hopewell Bike Trail Task Force, which has worked on the path for about two years, decided to delay moving forward with plans and grant applications for the Carson Road Woods portion of the path until concerns can be worked out with residents.

Members voted last week to become a nonprofit group and have already chosen an interim board of directors. Regular elections for the seven board members will take place at an annual reorganization meeting in January.

The group's next meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 14 in the township municipal building. All meetings are open to the public.

The group is seeking new members. Membership is open to anyone age 13 and older. There is no residency requirement or membership fee.