The Highland Park Native Plant Sanctuary (NPS) is a three-acre open space dedicated to the propagation and protection of native plants. It is open to the public and visitors can explore flowering meadows, woodlands and river views as they walk along its mowed areas and pathways.

Contact the Native Plant Sanctuary at HighlandParknativeplants@gmail.com

Location of the Native Plant Sanctuary

The NPS runs along the Raritan River on the north side of Highland Park. One end is marked by an interpretive sign about the Lower Raritan River. The other end is opposite the junction of Harrison Avenue and River Road. Sidewalks and a parking lot separate the Sanctuary from River Road. There are two buildings in the Sanctuary, the Eugene Young Environmental Education Center, nearer Raritan Avenue and a small brick building at the other end, once a pumping station for the Middlesex County Utility Authority and now a storage place for tools and materials used by the stewards of the sanctuary.

History of the Native Plant Sanctuary

The NPS (originally called the Native Plant Reserve) was founded in 1994 by the Borough, its Shade Tree Advisory Committee (STAC) and other members of the community, including Arnold Henderson and Ruth Bowers, who understood the importance of native plants in our ecosystem. Matching grants from the Middlesex County Urban Forestry Advisory Committee (1994) and the Green Communities grant of the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Parks and Forestry (1997-8) made it possible as did continuing cooperation between the municipality and utility agencies (owners of underground pipelines). From the beginning, Highland Park’s Department of Public Works has supported the NPS in many ways, including regular mowing of the sanctuary’s grassy areas and removal of trash.

Volunteering at the Native Plant Sanctuary

Volunteer stewardship is the heart of the NPS. In 2001-2003, initial enthusiasm for the new native plant sanctuary was beginning to wear thin amid the challenges of damage from floods, an unnaturally large deer population and rampant growth of non-native plants. At that time STAC members Carol Avelsgaard and Karen Swaine stepped in, planting native perennials and shrubs and removing dead wood from trees. Gradually most of the work was taken over by STAC members Mary Denver and Belinda Beetham who, until early 2023,S worked almost daily establishing planting beds, planting native plants and recruiting other volunteers to assist in that work, especially the removal of invasive non-native plant species.

The current principal volunteer steward is Andy Warren, a trained naturalist. Andy keeps an eye on everything growing in the NPS and, in addition to caring for and adding to the communities of native plants, organizes opportunities for other volunteers to assist in the maintenance of the sanctuary.

Contact Andy at HighlandParknativeplants@gmail.com to learn more about volunteering at the NPS.

How the NPS serves local communities

As a riparian buffer zone, the Native Plant Sanctuary helps to protect the Raritan River from pollution carried by stormwater runoff. It also provides streambank stabilization, shade for aquatic life along the riverbank and habitat for wildlife.

As an open space rich in plants and wildlife, it offers a refreshing change from the stresses of modern life for people who visit there.

As the result of community effort, it provides hands-on experience for those interested in learning ways to improve our local environment.

For people wanting to know more about native plants, it provides examples of many species growing locally.

Why Native Plants?

Because they evolved together over thousands of years, native plants support native insects, which support native birds, which redistribute seeds of native plants, which support native micro-organisms in the soil. One of the best ways to support the entire ecology of a place and the well-being of all living things within it is to protect and to reintroduce the plants native to that place.

To learn more about native plants, contact Andy at HighlandParknativeplants@gmail.com

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