Saddler's Woods Annual Stewardship Event Needs Volunteers

Saddler’s Woods needs assistance to upkeep its natural beauty.

Volunteers are needed to plant native saplings, remove invasive species, maintain trails, pick up litter, and remove stream debris.  Spend the day in a lush wooded area during the annual stewardship event on from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 12,  rain or shine.

The woods are home to some of the oldest trees in North America. It is also part of a historic homestead founded by a freed slave, Joshua Saddler in the 1800s.

Since 2004, Saddler's Woods Conservation Alliance, has executed and managed well over $250,000 in restoration grants. SWCA most recently received a $30,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for the Five Star Urban Waters program. These funds along with over $60,000 in matching funds will help restore the habitat and stream of Saddler's Woods.

“We are going to have three to four planting teams for this event removing invasive species and planting native saplings. For instance, we will be removing winged euonymus and replacing it with arrow wood. As one invasive is removed a native sapling will take its place. We will also be removing litter and removing the stream of concrete and asphalt debris,” said Kristen Kwasek, director of education and community outreach. The native saplings will be purchased from the Pinelands Nursery and Yellow Spring Farms.

Through its history SWCA has significantly reduced the amount of invasive species by planting native saplings.