South Mountain Conservancy e-Bulletin. November 2021

Stories of Stewardship in South Mountain Reservation

by Andrew Joyce, Adult Leader- Troop 6

The South Mountain reservation is an important area for Troop 6 of West Orange and other troops in the area based upon conversations I have had with other area troop leaders. We have run projects out of the reservation to increase the scout awareness of this incredible resource in their backyard and to foster the stewardship needed to keep the park at its best.

Most troops in our area and the Northern New Jersey Lenape Trails District as a whole recreate in the reservation as part of the scout program. One large event is the Klondike outing usually held in mid winter often out of the Oakdale parking area. In the past it has also been run out of Mayapple area. This combines many troops from the entire district who use sleds to travel from town to town (skills area setup to teach the scout troops scout craft) over the area and to experience the frontier feel of staying outdoors all day in often chilly temps and making do. Though there might be hundreds of scouts outdoors that day, I can guarantee after attending several of them that the area is always left better then they found it following the BSA tradition. Often piles of litter are removed from the woods and vicinity that day all while the scouts are making their way around the grounds attending to their program. 

Troop 6 visits the reservation often through our troop program each year. We most frequently hold our end of season picnic and combined awards ceremony at Mayapple Hill or some years at Turtle Back Rock picnic area. Other times we have conducted an evening meeting either at Turtle Back Rock or Mayapple. For each instance, while we bring provisions to our picnic or troop meeting, we are sure to follow careful clean up and often litter patrol to improve the area beyond what we experienced when got there. Other times we have done our 5 mile hike for advancement in the reservation usually trash tackling as we go. Still some of us thought even more can be done. 

Individually scouts or parents of scouts in the troop have volunteered for forest regeneration days held by SMC or trail rebuilding days through the years. On one day returning tools to the tool shed at the dog park, we did a walk through the wildflower preserve and came across another troop from Short Hills doing excellent work toward their service hour commitment. They were building walkways over the muddy terrain. We helped for a short impromptu Troop 6 appearance at their project though left them to complete the rewarding efforts that they accomplished. 

Other scouts from the troop decided to take a more direct approach to service in the reservation to give back for stewardship of this important local resource and to satisfy  requirements towards attaining the highest rank in Scouting- Eagle. The South Mountain Conservancy provided support and project planning for our Troop 6 in West Orange to take these efforts to the next level of accomplishment. Shane Donagher chose revamping heavily used and often broken picnic tables at the Locust Grove picnic area. Aidan Joyce refurbished a forest regeneration site that had been damaged through trees falling on the fencing. In both efforts; troop, council, community, county government,  and conservancy help and beyond contributed to successful projects. These are two examples while it could also be noted that Sean Coxe's project to clean up the North Branch of the Rahway river before it enters the reservoir also benefits the reservation with cleaner water with less litter passing downstream. I note only three larger examples while many smaller efforts by Troop 6 continue to contribute to the stewardship of the South Mountain Reservation. 

Andrew Joyce
Adult Leader- Troop 6
Former SMC Board Member

Thank you to the many Mayapple Trail Runs volunteers and runners and congratulations! 

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