The Peapack Gladstone Environmental Commission would like to invite nature enthusiasts to visit Rockabye Meadow now that the meadow is in bloom! Former PGEC Chairwoman Stephanie Casendino and volunteer Fran Gradone spent many summers battling the deer in an attempt to establish a bird and butterfly meadow. The fence erected at the far side of the meadow on Church Street has proven effective in just one year as seen by the masses of flowering rudbeckias. These flowers will not only attract butterflies, but will also provide a food source for birds in the fall and winter months. While still too young to tread upon, plans to mow a path through the fenced area will allow for closer observation. Plans to dedicate the meadow in appreciation of the years of Stephanie’s service to the community are on the fall agenda.
Thanks to a grant from the Garden Club of Somerset Hills and countless hours of labor donated by PGEC Vice Chairman John Kappler, a kiosk has been installed along the entry path on the Church Street parking lot. We hope to use the kiosk to share information about Rockabye Meadow and its rich and unique history. In recent years, activities along the Peapack Brook with Natural Resource Conservation Service have led to some interesting observations and taught us a great deal about the challenges in natural resource protection. We welcome your experiences, photos, and observations by submitting them for display so we can continues to learn as the Preserve evolves.
Management of the Preserve, however minimal, still requires more man hours than our budget allows. We would like to thank stewards such as the Kenny Family for all the extra time spent in the Preserve. Tim Kenny put in over nine hours of community service over Memorial Day weekend, removing invasive thistles from the warm season grass meadow, tending young seedling trees, and removing debris from the streamside. We truly appreciate his enthusiasm and support of this important project!
