Native Plant Sanctuary

History of the Sanctuary

The NPS (originally called the Native Plant Reserve) was founded in 1994 by the Borough, its Shade Tree Advisory Committee (STAC) and other members of the community, including Arnold Henderson and Ruth Bowers, who understood the importance of native plants in our ecosystem. Matching grants from the Middlesex County Urban Forestry Advisory Committee (1994) and the Green Communities grant of the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Parks and Forestry (1997-8) made it possible as did continuing cooperation between the municipality and utility agencies (owners of underground pipelines). From the beginning, Highland Park’s Department of Public Works has supported the NPS in many ways, including regular mowing of the sanctuary’s grassy areas and removal of trash.

New Brunswick and Highland Park, New Jersey 1948. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3NP2589

A Legacy

Volunteer stewardship is the heart of the NPS. In 2001-2003, initial enthusiasm for the new native plant sanctuary was beginning to wear thin amid the challenges of damage from floods, an unnaturally large deer population and rampant growth of non-native plants. At that time STAC members Carol Avelsgaard and Karen Swaine stepped in, planting native perennials and shrubs and removing dead wood from trees. Gradually most of the work was taken over by STAC members Mary Denver and Belinda Beetham who, until early 2023, worked almost daily establishing planting beds, planting native plants and recruiting other volunteers to assist in that work, especially the removal of invasive non-native plant species.

Volunteer Stewards

Volunteer stewardship is the heart of the NPS. In 2001-2003, initial enthusiasm for the new native plant sanctuary was beginning to wear thin amid the challenges of damage from floods, an unnaturally large deer population and rampant growth of non-native plants. At that time STAC members Carol Avelsgaard and Karen Swaine stepped in, planting native perennials and shrubs and removing dead wood from trees. Gradually most of the work was taken over by STAC members Mary Denver and Belinda Beetham who, until early 2023, worked almost daily establishing planting beds, planting native plants and recruiting other volunteers to assist in that work, especially the removal of invasive non-native plant species.

Volunteer group weeding out invasive plants