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Save the Environment of Moorestown was founded in 1972 as a grassroots
organization with a mission to preserve, protect, and enhance the natural environment of Moorestown, New Jersey, for today and for future generations. STEM’s work over the years to address local environmental issues such as water and air pollution, solid waste disposal, & recycling also includes helping to preserve and protect Moorestown’s open spaces. Our Natural Area Care program helps to maintain these sites on an ongoing basis. We are always looking for new members. |
*Rained Out*
STEM's 50th Anniversary Celebration
STEM's 50th Anniversary Celebration
Sunday, October 2nd 12:00pm to 4:00pm
at Pompeston Park
STEM is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year. Over the past 50 years STEM has been a leader in advocating for the preservation of open space in Moorestown. Today there are over 275 acres of preserved open spaces that provide Moorestown residents a great opportunity to get outside and enjoy nature. STEM has also put their money where their mouth is, providing $50,000 in funding that helped make the Esther Yanai Preserve a reality. In the last couple of years STEM has led the charge that resulted in the creation of a 1,300 plant native pollinator garden in Swede Run Fields along with a 75 acre native grassland and pollinator field on the eastern side of Westfield Road.
at Pompeston Park
STEM is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year. Over the past 50 years STEM has been a leader in advocating for the preservation of open space in Moorestown. Today there are over 275 acres of preserved open spaces that provide Moorestown residents a great opportunity to get outside and enjoy nature. STEM has also put their money where their mouth is, providing $50,000 in funding that helped make the Esther Yanai Preserve a reality. In the last couple of years STEM has led the charge that resulted in the creation of a 1,300 plant native pollinator garden in Swede Run Fields along with a 75 acre native grassland and pollinator field on the eastern side of Westfield Road.
Native Pollinator Garden at Swedes Run Update
The native pollinator garden at Swedes Run Fields now has a beautiful bench where visitors can as the bench says “Sit, enjoy the view”. The bench was a gift of a STEM member and is a wonderful addition to the site. The bench sits between two trees which were purchased by STEM and installed by Moorestown's Department of Public Works. The garden is looking amazing - hope you have an opportunity to check it out. It is hard to believe that the plants at the garden, some of which are now over two feet in height, started as two-inch plugs just little over a year ago. Penstemon, early goldenrod, and purple cone flower are currently blooming. The garden will always have something in bloom from now until December. I hope you can find some time to visit the garden watch the pollinators do their thing.
Save the Environment of Moorestown celebrates 50 years
STEM preserves hundreds of acres, 12 open-space sites.
STEM preserves hundreds of acres, 12 open-space sites.
By Christine Harkinson, originally published in the Moorestown Sun on February 24, 2022
Save the Environment of Moorestown (STEM), a community-based organization dedicated to addressing environmental issues, will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year.
Founded in 1972 by Barbara Rich, Esther Yanai, Kay Smith and Renee Boulis, STEM has preserved and protected more than 275 acres of land in Moorestown, including South Valley Woods, Strawbridge Lake Park, Waterworks Woods and Stokes Hill.
“Because of the knowledge that Esther Yanai had … she was on the planning board, and we decided that with the potential development of the township, we should be involved in where the development happens and is it a good place or not for development,” Rich said.
As noted by STEM President Mark Pensiero, the goals of an open-space plan are to preserve natural systems, provide better close-to-home recreation and improve the public’s experience moving through the landscape.
“One of STEM’s missions is to protect and enhance these open spaces and we’ve done, over the last couple of years, a lot with the Department of Parks and Recreation,” Pensiero noted.
According to its official website, STEM has maintained the health of Moorestown’s farmland with the development of natural and open-space inventories and establishment of the Natural Area Care (NAC) program, among other efforts.
Last year, STEM worked with volunteers from the First United Methodist Church of Moorestown and students from the township high school’s Outdoor Service Club to install eight elevated walkways, four each at the Esther Yanai Preserve and South Valley Woods. A parking lot was also funded by Yanai’s late husband Steve.
“With the trail enhancements we’ve done, it’s a really nice place and it gets a lot of use,” Pensiero said.
Two of STEM’s biggest projects in 2021 – with volunteer help – were installation of a 1,200-native plant pollinator garden at Swede Run Fields and a collaboration with the township and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to turn 75 acres of land across from the dog park into a meadow of native grasses and pollinator plants.
STEM received a grant from the Xerces Society, a nonprofit whose mission is to improve the habitat for pollinating insects in the pollinator garden.
“It really succeeded beyond my wildest expectations,” Pensiero said. “That’s one of our goals, is to educate people about the environment and about the importance of pollinator plants and native plants, and that native plants can be beautiful.”
Founded in 1972 by Barbara Rich, Esther Yanai, Kay Smith and Renee Boulis, STEM has preserved and protected more than 275 acres of land in Moorestown, including South Valley Woods, Strawbridge Lake Park, Waterworks Woods and Stokes Hill.
“Because of the knowledge that Esther Yanai had … she was on the planning board, and we decided that with the potential development of the township, we should be involved in where the development happens and is it a good place or not for development,” Rich said.
As noted by STEM President Mark Pensiero, the goals of an open-space plan are to preserve natural systems, provide better close-to-home recreation and improve the public’s experience moving through the landscape.
“One of STEM’s missions is to protect and enhance these open spaces and we’ve done, over the last couple of years, a lot with the Department of Parks and Recreation,” Pensiero noted.
According to its official website, STEM has maintained the health of Moorestown’s farmland with the development of natural and open-space inventories and establishment of the Natural Area Care (NAC) program, among other efforts.
Last year, STEM worked with volunteers from the First United Methodist Church of Moorestown and students from the township high school’s Outdoor Service Club to install eight elevated walkways, four each at the Esther Yanai Preserve and South Valley Woods. A parking lot was also funded by Yanai’s late husband Steve.
“With the trail enhancements we’ve done, it’s a really nice place and it gets a lot of use,” Pensiero said.
Two of STEM’s biggest projects in 2021 – with volunteer help – were installation of a 1,200-native plant pollinator garden at Swede Run Fields and a collaboration with the township and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to turn 75 acres of land across from the dog park into a meadow of native grasses and pollinator plants.
STEM received a grant from the Xerces Society, a nonprofit whose mission is to improve the habitat for pollinating insects in the pollinator garden.
“It really succeeded beyond my wildest expectations,” Pensiero said. “That’s one of our goals, is to educate people about the environment and about the importance of pollinator plants and native plants, and that native plants can be beautiful.”
Special to The Sun: The native plant pollinator garden at Swede Run Fields was completed last year by Save the Environment of Moorestown (STEM).
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Special to The Sun: To help enhance the community, STEM has marked storm drains with medallions to raise awareness of littering.
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Among its accomplishments, STEM has marked more than 1,600 storm drains in town to help raise awareness about not disposing of trash in the street.
“We do a lot of things with the township to, in some way, improve the quality of life for Moorestown residents,” Pensiero noted.
He also emphasized the importance of having bigger, preserved open space for wildlife.
“As things get developed, you just have these little pockets of little, tiny woods,” Pensiero explained. “And (a) little, tiny woods isn’t really going to support wildlife (and) birds.”
“STEM, in the future, will still advocate for preserving open space and then taking care of the space we have and making the environment better through just public awareness of native plants and the importance of open space,” he added.
Rich noted STEM accomplishments over the years.
“It took a lot of groundwork to get anything done – going to town council meetings, attending planning board and zoning board hearings – to educate them as much as they educated us,” she said.
“When you show that, ‘Hey, you can do this, you can put a little garden in,’ and if it’s just a handful of people that we’ve encouraged to do that, that’s a plus,” Pensiero said.
“We do a lot of things with the township to, in some way, improve the quality of life for Moorestown residents,” Pensiero noted.
He also emphasized the importance of having bigger, preserved open space for wildlife.
“As things get developed, you just have these little pockets of little, tiny woods,” Pensiero explained. “And (a) little, tiny woods isn’t really going to support wildlife (and) birds.”
“STEM, in the future, will still advocate for preserving open space and then taking care of the space we have and making the environment better through just public awareness of native plants and the importance of open space,” he added.
Rich noted STEM accomplishments over the years.
“It took a lot of groundwork to get anything done – going to town council meetings, attending planning board and zoning board hearings – to educate them as much as they educated us,” she said.
“When you show that, ‘Hey, you can do this, you can put a little garden in,’ and if it’s just a handful of people that we’ve encouraged to do that, that’s a plus,” Pensiero said.
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