2020-10-25 - Somerset County - Bridgewater - Fall Walking Tour of the Finderne Wetlands Mitigation Project

 

Sunday, October 25 – Somerset County

The Somerset County Historical Society is pleased to announce that a Fall Walking Tour of the Finderne Wetlands Mitigation Project is scheduled for Sunday, October 25th at 2:30. As in the past, we will meet at the house (9 Van Veghten Drive, Bridgewater, NJ 08807) in order to access the trails through the Trail Head in the county park parking lot. The route will be decided by the participants. (Depending on the route, the hike can take 45-75 minutes). Dogs on leashes welcome. Bring your masks. Be prepared for mud it there's been rain during the week.

    The land is level and children and seniors have participated in the past. We will be hiking in the flood plain of enhanced grassland which separates the historic Van Veghten House from the Raritan River. Currently, it is under the control of the Army Corps of Engineers as part of the 130- acre Finderne Wetlands Mitigation Project. (This effort is “part of the Green Brook Flood Control project designed to reduce flood damage in New Jersey’s Raritan River Basin” and protect the town of Bound Brook.) The long-term plan is for the Corps to return the manmade wetlands to Somerset County’s Park system when the work is completed.  

    The area has been seeded with warm-season grasses including Indian grass and bluestem and wildflowers such as ox-eye daisy, asters, and coreopsis that support a population of pollinating birds and insects. The meadow is a foraging area for the resident deer, fox, and red-tailed hawk as well as other small mammals. The website eBird says 183 species of birds have been spotted in the area.  

  After the hike it's only a hop, skip and a jump to main street Manville and its many eateries.