Thursday Night Nature: Collaborating with Nature: A Botanical Art Garden Grows at Herrontown Woods with Steve Hiltner (Apr. 27)

Years of institutional neglect had left the first nature preserve in Princeton, NJ, unusable—its trails overgrown, historic buildings boarded up and the parking lot a staging ground for crime. Ten years ago, three volunteers formed a nonprofit, Friends of Herrontown Woods, and began clearing trails and cutting invasive species. When storms blew down a pine grove next to the parking lot, the Friends saw an opportunity to create something special. Without a budget, invasive growth was quelled, paths grew and a forest opening took shape, now home to 150 native plant species. Artists helped combine nature and culture to create a place of whimsy, beauty and discovery. This is a story of persistence, serendipity, incrementalism, combining physical work and intellect to build a community through stewardship. The Barden has become a place to learn about and collaborate with nature—the most generous and creative force of all.

Steve Hiltner has degrees in botany and water quality and has founded and led two nonprofits: a watershed association in Durham, NC, and the Friends of Herrontown Woods in Princeton, NJ. He has planted and maintained prairies in Michigan and wetland gardens in North Carolina floodplain parks. In Princeton, he has restored habitat, converted detention basins to native wet meadows, performed ecological assessments in preserves and has written over 1500 posts at PrincetonNatureNotes.org. Hiltner is also a professional jazz musician and composer who has written and performed climate change theater.

Program Fee: $15 (Members, enter your code at checkout to receive your 20% discount.)

All lectures will be held virtually using Zoom. They will be recorded and shared with everyone who registers for a short time.