Stewardship
The BPA partners with Morristown and Morris Twp, Morris County parks commissions, environmental organizations and other groups on projects to enhance, preserve, restore and maintain Burnham Park, Jones Woods, the Green Strip and neighboring areas. We invite input and volunteer assistance.
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​In 2023, Morristown issued the Burnham Park Revitalization Plan. We encourage everyone to review this comprehensive plan and join the community wide effort to raise funds and improve and maintain Burnham Park.
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In 2023, the BPA contracted with Dr. Mike Van Clef of Ecological Solutions to prepare an inventory of invasives and a priority outline for ongoing stewardship in Jones Woods and the Green Strip. The BPA has shared this Stewardship Plan with Morris Township and will work with the Township to address the recommendations in the report in the months and years to come.
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Habitat Restoration
To protect and restore natural habitats, ongoing projects involve de-vining trees, removing invasive plants and replacing with natives, controlling erosion by spreading native grass and forb seeds on steep slopes and rutted areas, and planting trees. In the late fall and winter, a team of volunteers rakes up stilt grass and prepares areas in Jones Woods and the Green Strip for future seeding. They return at the best time of year for seeding and replace the invasives with meadow grass and flowers.
Invasives Management
Invasives removal and removing vines that are strangling trees is a integral part of habitat restoration best conducted in the early Spring, late fall and winter. BPA Board members John and Susan Landau, who are leading a similar ongoing effort at Morristown’s Foote’s Pond, provide training and guidance to help us on this side of town.
Arbor Day
Since the late 1980s, every Spring, the BPA has held an Arbor Day celebration in Burnham Park at which over 2,000 trees have been planted. We clean up the Park, plant trees, provide lunch and get to know our neighbors. All ages enjoy this special day, often supported and attended by Morristown and Morris Township officials, environmental groups and the Burnham heirs.
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In recent years, numerous diseased Ash trees have been removed from the Park, Woods and Strip. Morris Twp has begun replacing trees in the Green Strip.
Trail Management
In collaboration with Morris Township, Morris County Park Commission, and the Boy Scouts, the BPA has created a network of hiking trails in Jones Woods and the Green Strip. Together with the Morris Twp Parks and Recreation Department, BPA trailmaster Rick Bye and volunteers of all ages have extended the trails into a marked and mapped 3+ mile network. These trails must be maintained on an ongoing basis.
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One way to keep the trails clear is to walk on them!
Goose Management
Every spring since 2009, in collaboration with the Town of Morristown, volunteers with the BPA and the nearby Alexander Hamilton Neighborhood Association pursue active Canada Geese control in Burnham Park through “addling” (replacing geese eggs with dummy eggs). This project takes place weekly from late March through May. The preferred commitment period is for 12 weeks, for about two hours every 7-10 days. Volunteers are trained in the classroom and on site. Using a protocol developed by the Humane Society, this is a humane way to deal with a growing resident goose population in order to keep our parks, ponds, and recreational facilities clean.
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Site Aversion: The Riparian Buffer Zone around the pond was created in 2000 as an aspect of site aversion for geese. By not allowing a clear view from water to shore, the vegetation makes it less attractive for geese who can’t be sure the coast is clear of predators. This vegetative zone serves as a buffer to pollutants (such as goose feces) entering a stream from runoff, controls erosion, and provides habitat and nutrient input into the stream.
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Another site aversion technique is to reduce areas of lawn where geese gather and feed. Since the 1980's, the BPA has held an Arbor Day tree planting every Spring.