Volunteers Help Restore Hilltop Reservation
Conservancy plants native species, removes invasive plants from Essex County preserve.
Local volunteers kicked off a project to restore several acres of woodland at the Essex County Hilltop Reservation earlier this month. Led by the Hilltop Conservancy, the group planted, mulched and fenced 10 deer exclosures and removed thousands of invasive wineberry and privet plants, according to Theresa Trapp, treasurer of the conservancy. These projects, Trapp explained, are part of a master plan to regenerate seven acres of the forest understory at the reservation, which straddles North Caldwell, Verona and Cedar Grove. In early April, native plants — such as redbud, serviceberry, arrowwood and summersweet — were planted and then protected from deer with eight-foot fencing. The conservancy also spread tons of wood chips from recent …
gregory l. mitchell
8:45 am on Saturday, March 30, 2013
Talk to any policeman from any of The Caldwells,Essex Fells,Verona and Cedar Grove as they ride all through the aforementioned boroughs at night.Since the development of The Hilltop and now the county hunts the last several years,deer are now noticed in greater numbers than ever before.Obviously this makes sense,the deer will now head out to our yards for protection and that is exactly what they … more ›