Washington Township Land Trust

08/18/2026

This past weekend, the Stewardship Committee installed two brand new interpretative nature signs at the Helen Andrew’s Memorial & Outdoor Education Area in Mill Pond Park!

Our volunteers logged an impressive 18 hours on Saturday August 15th, installing the signage, clearing invasives, and doing trail maintenance and cutback!

The new signage—Discover the Living Forest & The Forest Food Web, was developed in house, and designed by Pannier Graphics, and made possible through generous grant funding from First Jersey Energy and the Long Valley Junior Women’s Club (LVJWC).

With the signs now installed we plan to welcome the LVJWC to join us for a wellness walk thru Mill Pond Park as a special thanks. Next time you're at Mill Pond Park, take a look and let us know what you think!

07/28/2026

This summer the stewardship committee has been busy keeping the invasives at bay in Mill Pond Park! The crew has been cutting back the steady advance of Knotweed and helping to ensure that our recent riparian planting has plenty of room to grow unencumbered!

If anyone is looking for a fun way to spend a few hours outdoors, sharing laughs and camaraderie, while helping out a worthy cause, the stewardship committee is always seeking additional volunteers! We meet most Thursday mornings, and on the third Saturday of the month, weather permitting! Contact us and let us know if you plan on joining in on the fun this summer!

07/21/2026

Another important investment in New Jersey's historic preservation! 🌟

The historic Obadiah LaTourette Grist and Saw Mill in Long Valley has received a Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund grant to support the next phase of its restoration. This funding will help prepare the construction documents needed to move this remarkable 18th-century landmark closer to full rehabilitation, ensuring its story can be shared with future generations.

Every preservation project begins with careful planning, and this grant represents another meaningful step toward safeguarding one of Morris County's most significant historic resources. Congratulations to everyone working to preserve this treasured piece of New Jersey's industrial and agricultural heritage!

Read the full story: https://patch.com/new-jersey/longvalley/historic-long-valley-saw-mill-be-preserved-county-grant-funds

07/04/2026

From all of us at the Washington Township Land Trust, we wish you and your family a joyous Independence Day 2026!

06/10/2026

This time of the year, it's not uncommon to find fawns left alone by their mothers, as they go off to graze vegetation. This is perfectly normal adaptive behavior, and there is no need to "rescue" the fawns or transport them to the local animal shelter. Doing so can actually overburden the shelter's staff and resources and stress the deer. Please remember to observe from a safe distance and let them be. Nature knows best of course!

Well say it AGAIN and AGAIN
FOR those in the Back!

🚨 PLEASE STOP "RESCUING" FAWNS 🚨

We know your heart is in the right place.

Every spring, kind and caring people come across a tiny fawn lying quietly alone in the grass and assume it's been abandoned. The urge to help is completely understandable.

But the truth is...

That fawn is almost certainly exactly where it's supposed to be.

Mother deer intentionally leave their babies hidden for long periods while they feed nearby. The fawn's job is to stay still, stay quiet, and wait. Mom's job is to stay away until it's safe to return.

Unfortunately, we see the heartbreaking consequences of unnecessary "rescues" every year.

Healthy fawns are taken from the wild and brought to rehabilitators dehydrated, stressed, malnourished, injured from improper handling, or suffering from aspiration after being fed the wrong things. Some don't survive the stress alone. Others lose the chance to be raised by the one creature best equipped to care for them—their mother.

If a fawn is curled up quietly, appears alert, and has no obvious injuries, please leave it alone.

Do not touch it.
Do not feed it.
Do not move it.
Do not pose for photos with it.

The greatest act of kindness is often doing nothing at all.

However, if the fawn is continuously crying for hours, wandering aimlessly, covered in flies, visibly injured, weak, or has ears that are curled and dehydrated, then it's time to contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately.

Please help us spread the word. Share this post. Talk to your friends and neighbors.

Every fawn that stays with its mother has the best possible chance at life.

Sometimes the best rescue... is no rescue at all. 🦌❤️

06/05/2026

Did you know that Saturday, June 6th, is National Trails Day! If you've never hiked along our trails, we would encourage you to get out and explore this weekend! There's always something to see out along the trails, especially during the mornings or late afternoons!

Dress for the weather, and don't forget some sturdy hiking boots, and remember to bring extra water since the forecast is looking like it's going to be hot and sunny. Maybe bring a friend for some good company while you're hitting the trails!

Mill Pond Park and Crystal Springs are always a great option for light exploring, and you can learn more about some of our other properties on our website https://wtlt.org/properties/ Let us know what you think and we'd love to see photos or videos as well!

05/25/2026

Today we honor and celebrate the memory of those who have served and sacrificed for our great country. On behalf of the entire Land Trust, we pause to solemnly remember and pay tribute to our fallen. In reverence, Memorial Day 2026.

05/16/2026

Good morning Land Trust followers! The forecast for today looks to be absolutely gorgeous, and we'll be set up outside the Coffee Potter chatting about the latest updates on our mill restoration, stewardship initiatives, and more!

Whether you're planning on hitting the trails for a run or a ride, or just stopping by the Potter for a delicious cup of Joe, swing on over and chat with us for a bit today until noon!

Also, don't forget to head over to 29 Parker Road and see what unique items trustees Bob and Mary have up for grabs at our stop along the town wide yard sale today until 3pm!

05/01/2026

This past weekend our Stewardship Committee joined forces with members of the Washington Township Green Team, and volunteers from Raritan Headwaters Association to successfully plant, cage, and tube, 80 native riparian trees and shrubs at Mill Pond Park!

The collaborative partnership began back in 2024, when we first applied for, and were awarded grant funding from RHA's Woods and Waterways initiative. Then it was time to prepare the site for the eventual planting, which ended up taking longer than anticipated!

After a full year of invasive plant removals, the Stewardship Committee was finally prepared to host our long-awaited tree planting! The new additions to the park will benefit wildlife, improve air and water quality, slow runoff, and filter stormwater pollutants just to name a few benefits!

Be sure to visit the park to check out all of the steady progress we've made, and of course, if anyone is interested in volunteering to help steward our new plantings, we'd love to hear from you!

Thanks again to our partners, and to Robert and Raritan Headwaters Association for all of their assistance with coordinating this wonderful project. Shout out to East Coast Natives as well, for supplying us with such healthy trees and shrubs!

04/22/2026

Way Back Wednesday! Here's a throwback to Centenary College's Earth Day Festival in April of 2016! Former board trustee John Holt inspires the youth to roll up their sleeves and play in the dirt! We hope you all find time to plant a tree, participate in a cleanup, or donate to your favorite non-profit to help us celebrate our shared planet! From all of us at the Washinton Township Land Trust, a very Happy Earth Day 2026!