D&R Greenway Walk Bonfire St. Michaels Farm Preserve Oct. 13

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, D&R Greenway invites the public to their October Trails-to-Table event at Hopewell’s St. Michaels Farm Preserve. Come for an easy trail walk, followed by a bonfire and refreshments by the Boro Bean of Hopewell. The evening showcases the land trust’s newest TravelStorys mobile app. The tour activates smartphones at twenty points of historic and natural interest upon St. Michaels preserve trails. The tour was created in honor of the children who once lived on the property and is “designed to give children ways to find a home in nature.” With stories about geology, birds, wild mint, and the bridge named for former Hopewell leader David Knights, “The sounds of nature feed the soul, and provide a means of centering and peace.”

This event honors D&R Greenway’s partnership with the Hopewell community to preserve over 400 acres of land. Four exceptional birders will be honored for their volunteerism, which includes the collection of data on the birds of St. Michael’s Farm Preserve. They are leader Sharyn Magee, Juanita Hummel, Beth Nichols and Hannah Suthers.

The family-friendly walk and bonfire will take place Sunday, October 13, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Participants should wear closed shoes suitable for uneven terrain. Bring water and insect repellant. Guests are asked to enter off Hopewell’s Princeton Avenue and park near and gather at the restored barn.

Suggested donation is $30 per family or $15 per person and includes the guided tour and refreshments from the Boro Bean, Hopewell. To register, email rsvp@drgreenway.org or call Deb Kilmer at (609) 924-4646, ext. 132. Proceeds support D&R Greenway’s New Jersey land preservation and stewardship mission.

The new app is part of a series that D&R Greenway has created to highlight significant preserves. This audio tour, which can be downloaded free to a smartphone, features stories with intriguing titles such as “Happy Birthday Kay: the Joy of Native Edible Plants” and “I Won’t Grow Up: the Mosaic Trail.” The twenty stories automatically play, like museum audio tours, as walkers traverse these trails.

“Especially meaningful is the connection to people who helped preserve this land, including children,” says Linda Mead, D&R Greenway President & CEO. “An emphasis on the benefits to children of being outside in nature, and reflections on life stages that are mirrored in the bird families, rock layers, and landscape elements, makes this a unique experience.” In development for the past year, the app tour will begin at the new barn on St. Michaels Farm Preserve with a demonstration that will enable participants to return to listen on their own or with family and friends.

The children who helped save St. Michaels are highlighted in the new app, including Hopewell resident Callie Considine, who went trick-or-treating as a tree-loving hippie, collecting dollars instead of candy. Her contribution grew to almost $4,000 raised for preservation! A poem by local poet Linda Arntzenius is included in the app, inspiring listeners with this opening line, “When was the last time you walked barefoot, through wet grass?”

Visitors will notice the newly refurbished entrance on Princeton Avenue with additional parking and a trailhead, where fields will be planted so as to greet visitors with wildflowers next spring. Having preserved the St. Michaels Farm Preserve in 2010, D&R Greenway has emerged as one of the most effective land conservation organizations in New Jersey, with a current legacy of over 20,800 acres preserved. 2019 is its 30th anniversary year.

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D&R GREENWAY LAND TRUST IS IN ITS 30TH YEAR of preserving and protecting natural lands, farmlands and open spaces throughout central and southern New Jersey. Through continuous preservation and stewardship -- caring for land and easements to ensure they remain protected and ecologically healthy in perpetuity -- D&R Greenway nurtures a healthier and more diverse environment for people and wild species in seven counties.

Accredited and renewed by the Land Trust Alliance’s Accreditation Commission, D&R Greenway’s mission is to preserve and care for land and inspire a conservation ethic, now and for the future. Since its 1989 founding, D&R Greenway has permanently preserved more than 20,800 acres, (an area 20 times the size of New York City’s Central Park), including 33 miles of public trails.

The Johnson Education Center, a circa-1900 restored barn at One Preservation Place, Princeton, has been D&R Greenway’s home since 2006. Through nature-centric programs, art exhibits and related lectures by preservation leaders, D&R Greenway continually inspires greater public commitment to safeguarding New Jersey’s open land.