FOPOS Land Stewardship Volunteer Session // 8.16.25

Join the Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS) for a volunteer land stewardship session on Saturday, August 16th. There will be two volunteer sessions; the morning session is from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m and the afternoon session is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Come to one or both. Bring a friend!

Volunteers will work under the guidance of the FOPOS stewardship staff to perform ecological restoration work and invasive species removal in the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve.

What to expect: Our volunteer sessions start with a short presentation about the scope of work for the day. We will then walk to the project site. Volunteers will learn to identify and remove invasive plants. The stewardship skills learned at these sessions can easily be applied to restoring habitat in your own backyard.

Why this work is important: The current focus is the 25-acre riparian restoration project that buffers Mountain Lake and portions of its feeder streams. Riparian areas play an essential role in protecting water quality by slowing down stormwater and filtering out pollutants before they enter the water system. Water that flows through Mountain Lakes Park ultimately finds its way into the Raritan River, an important drinking water source for central New Jersey. Riparian areas also provide critical habitat for birds, insects, and aquatic life.

Meetup Location: Mountain Lakes House Parking Lot

Directions & Parking: We will meet at the Mountain Lake House parking lot, located within the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve. Here is a link to the parking lot location on Google Maps & Apple Maps. The address of the Preserve is 57 Mountain Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08540; this will bring you to the entrance of the Preserve, not our meet-up location. To get to the Mountain Lakes House parking lot, look for the white gate along Mountain Avenue, marked by a series of black mailboxes along the road. Drive slowly down the long paved driveway. The gravel parking lot will be on your left, approximately 1/2 mile down the driveway.

Event waiver: Please complete this event waiver - fopos.org/waiver. This needs to be completed once per calendar year.

About FOPOS: Founded in 1969, FOPOS has been working to preserve and protect natural spaces in the greater Princeton area for more than 50 years. As a part of our work, we rely on volunteers to help make progress when it comes to restoration work, such as our current forest and riparian restoration projects in the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve.

Can't make this session? Consider making a donation to show your love for our local environment! All donations support our year-round stewardship work.

Looking to register for multiple volunteer sessions this summer? Register HERE.