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TRAILS |
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In collaboration with Morris Township, the 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 board member Rick Bye and volunteers of all ages have extended the trails into a 3+ mile network that has been marked, mapped, enhanced and maintained on an ongoing basis. Download map.
The BPA and Morris Township has instituted a program of invasive species management and habitat restoration in the Green Strip and Jones Woods which includes removing vines that are strangling trees, controlling erosion by spreading native grass and forb seeds on steep slopes and rutted areas, and removing invasive plants and replacing with natives. Contact us to join the team! In 2023, the Township planted four trees on the East Lake side of the Green Strip. In June 2023, BPA trustees accompanied Mike Van Clef on an invasives assessment tour of Jones Woods and the Green Strip. Mike has a Ph.D. in ecology from Rutgers University and over 25 years of experience in land stewardship, planning and research, working extensively in the evaluation and management of rare and invasive species and deer management. He has consulted with over 30 organizations in NJ (including the Friends of Footes Pond) and is the co-founder of the New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team. The group spent 5 hours in Jones Woods and the Green Strip trail network with Mike taking copious notes on the location and condition of plant species, both native and invasive. He will be preparing a report for us containing simple tables documenting the various species present in the two tracts and prioritizing recommendations for management of invasives and encouragement of native plant species. Jones Woods Enter through the gate at the dirt road where Hillcrest Ave meets East Lake Ave. The trail head is a few hundred yards on the right. Five trails - marked in yellow, white, red, blue and green - interconnect and loop around the pond and stream, down to Mendham Road, up to Picatinny Road and over to the Municipal Water Authority dirt road in back of the houses on Dorothy Drive, and up to Villa Walsh School. Benches installed by the Boy Scouts are situated around the pond and stream. Green Strip This trail runs through the wooded green space area between East and West Lake avenues, off of lower East Lake up to the top where East Lake and Hilllcrest avenues meet. This trail needs regular maintenance, best handled through regular use, so spread the word! Why not walk on a trail through the woods rather than on pavement! History
BPA member Tom Bowmaster began blazing hiking trails in Jones Woods and the Green Strip in 2017 in collaboration with Morris Township, the County Park Commission, and the Boy Scouts. In 2019, Rick Bye took over. Together with the Morris Twp Parks and Recreation Department, Rick and volunteers of all ages have extended the trails into a 3+ mile network that has been marked, mapped, enhanced and maintained on an ongoing basis. Trailmaster Rick Bye led a hike in the fall of 2019 in Jones Woods. He gave a brief history of the area and pointed out landmarks along the way. Others on the hike identified plants and how they got here, distinguishing between natives and invasives. It was a glorious day with adults, kids and dogs enjoying the hidden gem locals call our "100 Acre Woods." |
Jones Woods
New Bridge in Jones Woods
In February 2020, the Morris Township Recreation Department built a bridge over the gully for easier access to the trail in Jones Woods that runs around the rim of the reservoir.
In February 2020, the Morris Township Recreation Department built a bridge over the gully for easier access to the trail in Jones Woods that runs around the rim of the reservoir.
