Local Business Support

Ricciardi Brothers
The Paint and Decorating People
1915 Springfield Ave., Maplewood, NJ 07040, 973-762-3830
For many years, Ricciardi Brothers has donated paint, scrapers, pails and other supplies for trail blazing by the Trailkeepers and garbage bags for the Trash Tacklers. We thank them for their continued support.

Sneaker Factory
308 Millburn Ave, Millburn, NJ 07041
Sneaker Factory supports the Mayapple Trail run and we are grateful for their support.

Sassquad Trail Runners
Sassquad Trail Runners celebrates every runner and every mile. All paces and abilities are always welcome to the Sassquad community. Sassquad hosts trail races all around New Jersey with distances ranging from 5K up to ultramarathons. Sassquad gives back to the community by partnering with a local non-profit or charity organization local to the event where they are hosting the race. Sassquad proudly supports the efforts of the South Mountain Conservancy to maintain the trails at the South Mountain Reservation. Since 2018, Sassquad has donated over $9,000 to the Conservancy.

Website Design

We thank Kaja Circle for their assistance developing our new website and Short Hills Design with helping us get our website over the finish line and into production.

Essex County Groups

Essex County Parks Department
The County supports Conservancy programs like the Wildflower Sculpture Park, the Wildflower and Forest Preserve, the annual SMR Family Campout, Mayapple Trail Runs, and major improvements recommended by the Conservancy. This has included the 2017 construction of the rustic pavilion at the south end of Crest Drive near Washington Rock (designed by SMC’s Willy Weisz). Earlier, it has used NJ Green Acres applications and their Open Space Trust Fund for trail improvements and forest regeneration improvements and a 2006 master plan. The County works with the SMC on the annual deer management program.

Essex County Environmental Center
The Center offers hands-on curriculum and cutting edge programs and workshops for all ages. The Essex County Environmental Center is located in the western section of Essex County at West Essex Park. West Essex Park is 1,360 acres of wetlands preserve which remains almost entirely undeveloped. Located on Eagle Rock Ave., Roseland, NJ.

Environmental and Land Conservation Groups and Advisors

New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team
Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space in partnership with the Upper Raritan Watershed Association created the New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team (NJISST) of which the Conservancy is a member. Their goal is “early detection and rapid response” to emerging invasive plant threats. The Strike Team represents the state’s first comprehensive effort toward cooperative management of invasive plants through public-private partnerships. A sophisticated database on invasive plant species allows the public to input information and track encroaching infestations and remediation efforts.

NJ Audubon Society
Besides promoting sound environmental practices throughout the state, Society experts have helped the Conservancy plan for forest regeneration and publicly support the deer culling by the County. Troy Ettel, Director of Conservation, suggested turning the former deer paddock into an exclosure, now the 14-acre Wildflower and Forest Preserve. South Mountain Conservancy also partners with others at NJ Audubon to lead guided hikes for bird watching. New Jersey Audubon and the County of Essex have entered into an educational programming partnership at the Essex County Environmental Center. NJAS provides Outreach Programs for all ages and groups, Birding Field Trips in Essex County, Saturday Family Programs and Summer Nature Day Camp. NJ Audubon Society locations are in Bernardsville, Ringwood, Franklin Lakes, Highlands, Cranbury, Mount Holly, Cape May and at the Essex County Environmental Center.

Land Conservancy of New Jersey
Since 1981, The Land Conservancy of New Jersey has evolved from an all volunteer organization to a state leader in land preservation. The Conservancy has preserved over 15,000 acres and helped towns secure more than $180 million in county, state, and federal grants for their land conservation projects. They are currently engaged in the purchase of an additional 12 acres for the Reservation in West Orange by coordinating funding from the County, the Conservancy, West Orange, and their own organization. Their Partners for Parks program has brought corporate volunteers several times to the Reservation to assist in trail and forest regeneration work.

New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Through acquisition and stewardship NJCF protects strategic lands, promotes strong land use policies, and forges partnerships to achieve conservation goals. Since 1960, NJCF has protected over 100,000 acres of natural areas and farmland in New Jersey – from the Highlands to the Pine Barrens to the Delaware Bay, from farms to forests to urban and suburban parks. Emile DeVito, PhD, Manager of Science and Stewardship, has served as an informal advisor to the Conservancy. It was his idea for multiple, fenced sites throughout the Reservation to accelerate forest regeneration that led to the current multi-year program begun in 2008. They also helped support the development of the 2017 SMR map.

Rahway River Watershed Association
The purpose of the Rahway River Watershed Association is to protect and restore the Rahway River and its ecosystem. The Association recognizes the Rahway River and its biological communities are an important link between the environment, communities, and the quality of life of the people of the Rahway River Watershed. The Association was the driving force in coordinating the successful 24-hour Bio-Blitz in the Reservation in June 2008 to assess biodiversity and is partnering with the SMC and the County for the June 2019 Bio-Blitz. They run programs on water quality and ecological issues throughout the year.

Ecological Solutions
Michael Van Clef, PhD, a botanist, has served as an informal advisor to the Conservancy on various matters, and performed studies for the County to establish baseline measurements on deer browsing in SMR and plant density compared to the fenced areas in the nearby Hartshorn Arboretum in Short Hills. He has over twenty years of experience involving stewardship of natural resources, ecological research, and policy. Michael evaluated the SMC forest regeneration program in 2014. He is very active in N.J. ecological and park efforts, NJISST, and the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space.

Student Conservation Association
The SCA has run summer programs in the Reservation with Conservancy oversight since 2007. Using their trained staff and students from the Newark area, they have helped improve trails, erosion control, and forest regeneration. Since 2016, the SCA has worked with local school districts and small groups of high school students part-time during the school year to help build and maintain several SMR trails and those at other Essex County parks. They have worked on the West Connector and Lenape Trail reroutes near Washington Rock.

Eagle Rock Conservancy
A neighbor Conservancy for a forested environment within the Essex County Parks System. The topography’s of both parks encompass the First Mountain of the Wachtung Range. The SMR shares a section of the Lenape Trail that weaves its way through Essex County both within the Reservation and westward towards West Essex Park.

Hilltop Conservancy
Theresa Trapp of the HIlltop Conservancy has been a champion of the deer management program in Essex County’s forested parks and the restoration of Hilltop.

Cora Hartshorn Arboretum and Bird Sanctuary
The Cora Hartshorn Arboretum is a historic woodlands garden and educational institution located in Short Hills, New Jersey. It has served as the venue for year-end holiday parties for the last few years, provided assistance in planning the 2019 Bio-Blitz, and has been working with the SMC to train volunteers for Frog Watch USA.

Trail Maintenance and Hiking Organizations

NY/NJ Trail Conference
The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference builds, maintains, and protects 1700 miles of trails in southeastern New York and northern New Jersey. They offer community service opportunities for volunteers who love the outdoors. The SMC is a member.

Tri-State Ramblers
Founded in 1938, club members are men and women representing assorted walks of life, who are bound together by a common love of exercise and physical fitness in the great outdoors. Some have sedentary jobs and hike or bike for a refreshing change of pace. Many are retired and enjoy hiking during the week when trails are less crowded. The exciting events offered to the club’s varied membership include outdoor activities all year long. Several years ago, realizing that their hiking schedule was taking them far beyond the borders of the Watchung Reservation and to trails throughout the region, the club changed its name to reflect their wanderings. However, their schedule still includes several hikes a year in the Reservation.

Appalachian Mountain Club NY-NJ
The New York-North Jersey Chapter’s 13,000-plus members hail from New York City, southeastern New York, and northeastern New Jersey, and receive the newsletter Trails and Waves. AMC hike leaders have periodic hikes within the reservation. Chapter Office: 5 Tudor City Place, NY, NY 10017.