top of page

2025 Meeting Minutes

Monday October 13, 2025,

7 PM on Zoom 

                        

1. Attendance: Linda, John F, Karen, Marcia, Kristine, Deb, Judy, Thelma, Lisa, Gail, Susan 

 

2. September Minutes: Kristine moved to approve. Deb seconded. All approved.

 

3. Treasurer’s report: 

  -Deb reports that we have about $17,000 in our account. 

  -Recent donations include substantial funds from Thelma for “Isla’s Bat House” and an anonymous donation to cover the entire cost of the house and installation. 

  -We also have $1,050 in donations in Memory of Willie Juhlin. 

  -Recent expenditures include about $700 for a second seven-inch auger and a new water pump. These will make our planting days far more efficient. 

  -And we have spent about $9,000 for two trucks worth of native plants from Pinelands Nursery!

 

4. Website: John F. gave us a virtual tour of the website updates. Which includes a new “Visit" page and additions to the photo galleries and special donations. Karen suggested adding cautions, asking that people refrain from wandering onto school property. Susan will contact Officer Jason asking for the signs to be moved to the actual gate posts. 

 

5. Membership: Kristine reports that we now have 406 people on our email list. Kristine and Susan will need to reconcile lists soon. Also we now have 117 contributors/contributing members. 

 

6. Mission Change: Everyone is asked to consider changing our mission statement to: “FoFPW seeks to restore and protect Foote’s Pond Wood ecosystems and the connected ecosystems of nearby public properties through volunteer engagement and education of the broader community.” 

This change will allow us to spend some small amounts of money in Lidgerwood Park and on TJ School grounds. It will really enhance our educational outreach. This will be up for a vote in November. 

 

7. Restoration Projects:

     A. Volunteer Sundays have resumed 1:00-3:00 

     B. Fall planting plans are going nicely

     C. Deloitte came for a super volunteer day and Devon was a brilliant teacher in the field. ADP comes for a volunteer day Friday. Susan will send these corporate volunteer days out so that anyone available to help can join. 

 

8. Bat House: Thelma and Greg have made fantastic progress with the bat house. In coordination with the town and town engineer, this bat house will be installed in brown: https://batmanagement.com/products/bcm-super-rocket-roost?variant=39688379531367&country=US&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&srsltid=AfmBOortluJ9K2DRU2RL7OoChmVYyv0Lvg_LjWBrnhGemTSkk2rEkV-lHOc. The experts at Bat Conservation and Management will install this. Thelma has also designed a fun sign that has been fabricated by FastSigns. 

 

9. TJ/schools connection: Karen, our FoFPW Board Education Advisor and Susan met with every TJ class over two days. Karen wrote and with the support of the new principal at TJ, implemented a Community Curriculum that applies equally well to school communities of people and plant communities in the field. The 3rd and 4th grades both voted for black gum trees as their grade level trees for 2025-2026. The 5th grade voted for witch hazel for their understory layer addition. 

 

10. Next Meeting: Monday November 10, on Zoom at 7 PM

 

11. Adjournment: Judy moved to adjourn at 7:55 and Karen seconded, all voted in favor. 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Susan

​

Monday, Sept 8, 2025  

6:00 pm near the FPW doc

                                  

1. Attending: Susan D., Joan, Kristine, Thelma, John F., Lisa, Michelle, Marcia, Greg, Suzanne, Linda, Judy, Susan L, John L. 

 

2. August Minutes: Kristine moved to approve, Lisa seconded. Unanimously approved with one abstention. 

 

3. Treasurer’s report: We have approximately $20,000 in our account. $6,000 has just been spent on plant material and an additional $630 has been spent on caging material to protect plants from deer. 

 

4. Website: John F. reported adding some fabulous new photos to the website. He has created a new “Visit” page which parallels what larger parks offer with information about entrances, parking, hours and what to do when visiting. John has also created and “Awards” page with the addition of the Land Symposium Award. The Garden Club of Morristown has been officially added to our partner page and as always, he posted last month's minutes. 

 

5. Membership: Kristine reports that we continue to steadily gain a few new members and contributing members each month. We have 115 contributing and approximately 400 on our email list to date. 

 

6. Volunteer Data: Michelle reports that we have more than 800 volunteer hours in the park so far. 90 corporate, 95 high school and 113 are new! She was also able to revise upward our volunteer hours from 2024, we had 1,462.5 hours in 2024! 

 

7. Restoration Projects:

    A. Volunteer Sundays have resumed Sunday 10 - noon. We will not work on Sept 28 because it’s the day of the Festival on the Green. In October we will move to afternoon hours, 1-3.

    B. Fall planting plans are ambitious! We have hundreds of native seedlings, saplings and shrubs to plant! 

    C. Plugs on the forest floor next to the path are thriving. 

 

8. Bat House: The town can install the bat house for $2,000. It’s as yet unclear whether that includes the $375 house itself.  

Linda moved that we fund this project, Joan seconded and all approved. Susan will reach out to our second donor for this.

 

9. TJ/schools connection: Karen is hard at work developing a school curriculum for trees. Susan and Karen met with the lovely new TJ principal to discuss. Karen draws connections between school communities and plant communities using “contributor, non-contributor, and detractor” to describe plant and people behavior. She also drew on the differences in growth habitat and needs of individuals, both botanical and human, with the understanding that all are valuable and valued. 

​

10. Land Ethics Symposium Award: Susan forgot the actual plaque but read the words on it to the group. The plaque will be on the STC wall in Town Hall. 

​

11. Other Topics:

    A. Please save plant tags!  We need them for the school lessons.

    B.Thelma reports that the Dark Skies event was a clear success; the room was filled with attendees from area-wide towns, organizations and private citizens. The recording is available. 

 

12. Next Meeting: Monday October 13, in person near the dock at 6:00 if the weather cooperates, otherwise we are back on Zoom at 7:00. 

 

13. Adjournment: Joan moved for adjournment and Judy seconded. All approved at 7:53 pm. 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Susan

Monday, Aug 11, 2025  

6:00 PM near the FPW dock 

 

1.Attendance: Andrea, Susan D., Jeanne, Kristine, John F., Deb, Judy, Joan, Linda, Marcia, Lisa, Gail, John L., Susan L. 

 

2. July Minutes: Kristine moved for approval, Joan seconded, all approved 

 

3. Treasurer’s report: 

     A. Deb reports that our balance approaches $20,000. We are grateful for two recent large contributions; $500 from Melissa and Jay and $1,000 community grant from Starbucks initiated by a nomination from Joe! Thank you Melissa, Jay and Joe!

     B. Susan L. is in the process of ordering from Pinelands for fall planting. The truck will arrive early am on Sept 8. Anyone available to help unload, please let Susan know! Fall expenditures will be in the neighborhood of $8,000. That is for plants and reusable deer protection.  Linda moved to approve the expenditures for fall planting, Susan D. seconded and all voted to approve. 

 

4.  Website: John F. Is working on a new “Visit” page, a place to feature awards and he will add the Garden Club of Morristown to the Partners page. Susan will ask our corporate volunteers if they could be considered partners as well. 

 

Susan noted that this website was instrumental in gaining the Starbucks donation. Thank you John F!

 

5.  Restoration Projects: 

     A. Volunteer Sundays resume Sunday Sept 7, 10 - noon.

     B. Fall planting plans are ambitious and coming together. First truck from Pinelands will arrive at about 8 am, Sept 8.

     C. Spot herbicide treatment of poison ivy and select invasive woody vines continues. We are super grateful to Kristin Ace for coordinating this and to the STC and Morristown for permission and funding. 

      D. Last year's pocket forest and shrub plantings are thriving. We have lost just a few plants, mostly due to last year’s drought.

    E. All our volunteer hours and expenditures that benefit the park are reported to the town through the Shade Tree Commission annually.

 

6. Open Space Trust Fund Initiative

John L moved that FoFPW send information about the OSTF initiative to our members and Linda seconded. All voted in the affirmative. The purpose is to expand awareness and understanding, not to urge a vote yay or nay. John F will decide when to place a lightbox on the web site with links to information about the initiative. 

 

7. TJ Partnership: Karen is working to create a partnership with the new TJ principal. She will coordinate the class tree education and voting. She will look into creating a curriculum about trees that is required by a grant jointly awarded to the Morris School District and the Morristown Shade Tree Commission. The grant provides shade trees to three schools. TJ will receive 79! 

 

8.  Next Meeting: Monday Sept 8, in person near the dock at 6:00, weather permitting

 

9. Adjournment: Linda moved to adjourn at 6:50, Jeanne seconded, and all approved. 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Susan

Monday July 14, 2025  

7 pm on Zoom

 

1.Attendance: Linda , Suzanne, Judy, Joan, John F., Lisa, Greg, Kristine, Marcia, Bilma, Susan D.,  Allen, Thelma, Susan L, John L. 

 

2. June Minutes: Kristine moved to approve the June minutes, Judy seconded, and all approved. 

 

3. Treasurer’s report: We have about $18,000 in our account. Susan is building a major shrub/tree order for the fall. It’s likely to easily reach $4,000 from Pinelands. Note: We need to vote on this expenditure in August! 

 

4. Membership: Kristine reports that we maintain about 380 members on our email list. We occasionally lose a few as people move and gain a few from conversations in the park.

 

5. Website: John F. continues to manage our website and add the meeting minutes. He has an idea for a “Visit” tab which we all thought sounds very useful.

 

6. Bat House: Thelma let us know that Leah Wells at Conservation Wildlife of NJ ( https://conservewildlifenj.org/) is designing a sign for us. Susan will contact Anthony in a few weeks and see if he has an estimate for installation. 

 

7. New Bluebird Boxes: Greg has two new boxes ready to install. They will be placed reasonably near established boxes to help bluebirds find a home. 

 

8. Restoration Projects: 

  1. Volunteer Sundays (10:00- noon) continue although July 27 is cancelled and August is TBD. We will resume in September no matter what. 

  2. The turtle raft is repaired and back in place!

  3. Fall planting plans are ambitious and coming together. 

  4. ADP is going to volunteer with us on Friday July 18. They understand it will be hot and we can’t plant in July! This will be a few hours of weeding and sheet mulching. Their help is sincerely appreciated!

  5. Rain Garden cleanup and augmented planting went well. 

  6. Spot herbicide treatment of poison ivy and select invasive woody vines may happen this week.  We are super grateful to Kristin Ace for coordinating this and to the STC and Morristown for permission and funding. 

 

9. Next Meeting: Monday August 11 in person near the dock at 6:00, weather permitting

 

10. Adjournment: Susan moved to adjourn at 7:34, Joan seconded, and all approved. 

 

Respectfully submitted, 

Susan 

​Monday June 9, 2025 6:30 PM

In person, outdoor meeting room

                                                                                                                         

1. In attendance: Linda, Karen, Lisa, Scott, John F., John L. Judy, Thelma,Greg, Jeanne, Kristine, Susan 

 

2. May Minutes: Kristine moved to approve the May minutes as written, Jeanne seconded. All voted in favor with three abstentions. 

 

3. Treasurer’s Report: We have about $18,000 in our account. Susan recently purchased more Hori Hori knives and mini picks because of large volunteer turn out volunteer Sundays.

 

4. Membership: Kristine reported that we have approximately 380 members on our email list and 111 contributing members. She noted how grateful we are for all! 

 

5. Web site: John F. added  photos of Sandi’s bench and memorial gathering to the website. He has a recording of the people addressing the gathering which can be shared with anyone interested. It’s too large a file to add to the website. 

 

6. Bat house: Thelma and Greg met with Jean Epiphan and settled on a proper site near the dock with open flyways over the water. Thelma reports that they are leaning toward a “rocket box” like this Super Rocket Roost: https://batmanagement.com/products/bcm-super-rocket-roost?srsltid=AfmBOope4jYoZwZBX6wS74d5p4OB3L3XwcrsD7E6PgF2h3kSH0npWlSq

They have been in communication with the bat experts that Chris E. introduced us to. Brook Maslo from Rutgers may be able to supply a bat box.  Leah Wells, a bat specialist for Conserve Wildlife NJ has confirmed that the site is a good choice. 

Thelma will begin work on an educational sign. Susan will ask the STC about next steps. It’s likely that, once town approved, Engineering will need to do the actual installation for us. 

John moved that we authorize up to $1,200 to be spent toward the bat box. Scott seconded and all approved. 

 

7. New bluebird box: The beautiful, colorful bluebird box donated by Lily and her family is finally in place in the TJ rain garden. 

On the subject of bird boxes, Linda explained the concept of “companion boxes” and Greg will add two sets of companion boxes to help reduce the competition pressure on bluebirds. 

 

8. New Board Member: We were very happy to welcome Karen Ruether to our board. Susan moved that Karen be added to our board. Linda seconded and all voted in favor. 

 

9. Restoration Projects: 

   A. Volunteer Sundays 10-noon continue

   B. June 6 in Lidgerwood — 26 volunteers plant $500 worth of new plants funded by Deloitte. This is a joint  STC/Rotary/FoFPW  project.

  C. The TJ rain garden was weeded and needs new plugs to replace the Cardinal flower. Cardinal flower failed because it doesn’t tolerate leaf litter. A variety of suitable species will be planted.  

  D. Sandi's bench dedication went very well. 

  E. Spot herbicide treatment of poison ivy and select invasive woody vines will begin soon.

  F. Turtle raft with a leaking pontoon was pulled from the pond by Scott, Douglass, Greg and John L. using the Foote’s Navy ( a canoe) and snow shovels for paddles. Repairs are underway and the raft should be back in place in early July. 

 

10. TJ Science Day was a success thanks to Karen! It was the first real use of the outdoor tree stump classroom.

 

11. The Open Space Trust initiative will be on the November ballot. Scott briefed the group about the initiative and the need for a public educational campaign to support the November vote. At 1 penny/$100 value it could generate $400,000 each year. Funds could make the Burnham Park master plan a reality and possibly be used to refurbish the FPW dock. It would also support grant applications as the town looks for matching  grants. 

 

12. Other topics: 

 A. Thelma reminded us of the GSWA Music Fest June 22 6-10 pm: https://www.greatswamp.org/event/great-swamp-music-fest-2025/

And Loyola’s Evening in the Gardens June 18: https://loyola.org/gardens

Jeanne and Thelma have done a great deal of work over the last four years at Loyola implementing, expanding, enhancing, and maintaining a huge native garden.

 

13. Next Meeting: Monday July 14 in-person in the park, at the outdoor tree stump meeting room, near the dock, at 6:30, weather permitting. 

 

14. Adjournment: Kristine moved and Judy seconded that we adjourn at 7:43. All voted in favor.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Susan 

973 886-8029

Monday May 12 2025

6:30 pm at the dock

​​

1. In Attendance: Debbie Ryysylainen, Chris Ebneth, Marcia Graydon, Gail Biggs, Lisa Miller, Thelma Achenbach, Suzanne Mutz-Darwell, Jeanne Cunillera, Kristine Herbst, Allen Wells, Joan Belz, Susan Landau

 

2. April Minutes: Joan moved for approval of April minutes, Debbie seconded, all voted in favor. 

 

3. Treasurer’s Report: Deb reports that we have $17,871 in our account from donations large and small. In 2025 we have received $9,488 from 24 donors boosted by four “super donations” of more than $500. We appreciate all donations of any size and take the trust implied very seriously. We have spent $2,140 on tools, deer protection, and bird boxes. $6,443 has gone toward plant material. 

 

4. Membership: Kristine reports that we have 372 members of which 110 are contributing members. She sent the annual request for contributions out on April 25. 72% of the emails were opened followed by 14 new donations. 

 

5. Volunteers: Michelle reports that we have 356 volunteer hours as of the beginning of May. 56 new volunteers, many from Corporate groups. 63 high school students have volunteered with us this year. 

 

6. Bat houses: Thelma reports that a bat house has been selected (exciting) and site selection has been narrowed. Mounting on a pole will be best for predator protection. Susan will speak first to STC and then we can open talks with Morristown. Chris may be able to connect us with Rutgers bat experts. 

 

7. Restoration Projects: 

   A. Volunteer Sunday time is now 10 am - noon

   B. Woodland multiflora rose clearing is underway to push the rose 10-20 feet back from the paths. We are planting low-growing native forest floor cover and will seed as this happens. And we plan for possible dense tree seedling planting in the fall. 

   C. The Garden Club of Morristown is returning on Fridays to weed and plant in Darby’s Garden

   D. June 6 is the date for Lidgerwood weeding and additional planting with STC, Rotary, Deloitte, and FoFPW

   E. The TJ rain garden will be weeded and spot plugged soon. 

   F. Sandi's bench dedication is set for Saturday May 17 at noon. (Thank you Marcia!) 

 

8. Rutgers Environmental Stewards evening: About 30 RES students and three faculty joined us for an evening. 12 decided to join our email list!!! 

 

9. Open Space Trust Fund initiative: This proposed ordinance was positively received by the Town Council. Final vote should be in May. 

 

10. Next Meeting: June 9 in-person in the park on the new “sitting stumps“ near the dock, at 6:30, weather permitting. 

 

11. Adjournment: Allen moved to adjourn at 7:42 and Joan seconded. All voted in favor.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Susan

Monday April 14, 2025

7:00 pm on Zoom

​​

1.In Attendance: Joan Belz, Marcia Graydon, Thelma Achenbach, Gail Biggs, John Fagan, Kristine Herbst, Jeanne Cunillera, Greg Lombardi, Susan Landau, John Landau, Lisa MIller, Judy Bayard

 

2. February Minutes: Susan moved for approval, Judy seconded, all voted in favor. February minutes were approved.

 

3. Treasurer’s Report: We have $16,786 in our account after many plug purchases for spring. Just a few more to come. P4P grant has been approved for the second year and a check for $1,500 will be arriving from the Garden Club of America. 

 

4. Membership: Kristine brought up the fact that we have not solicited “Contributing Memberships” for too long. She will write a Mailer Lite ask and send. Everyone on our email list is a member, those who donate ( $20/year is the request) become “Contributing Members”. Those contributions really add up and allow us to keep planting natives in the park. 

 

5. Website: John reports all is well and stable. Susan floated the idea of adding photos of restoration work on the site in the long run.

 

6. Bat houses: Thelma reports there are plans to look for a good site when weather allows. 

 

7. Bird Houses and Geese: Greg cleaned all 6 bluebird houses and the duck box and added baffles where needed. He reports that some may need to be replaced soon. 

Greg, Linda and Jeanne walked Windmill and FPW and reported no nesting geese so far. They did, however, see an osprey fish successfully in Foote’s Pond. 

 

8. Restoration Projects: 

  1.  Volunteer Sundays will shift to morning hours, 10:00 to 12:00 in May.

  2. 30 Unity Charter School students visited and planted five trees and 200 plugs. They also toured the pond to experience different habitats, discuss invasives and natives, observe maple and skunk cabbage blooms and much more. They then had an outdoor creative writing time. 

  3. Jean Epiphan has a study of hickory trees going and we are participating. Jean gave us 20 hickories, two species and two soil amendments and a control. Wednesday the planting will begin!

  4. The first Verizon Volunteer Day was rained out.

  5. Special thanks to all who are helping on Sundays! We have lots of wonderful MHS students participating and the FoFPW volunteering adults really make a better experience for all!

  6. Joe Curlo (DPW) is bringing more “sitting stumps” for our outdoor classroom/meeting area. The space is taking shape, we are so grateful for DPW and STC support!

 

9. Sandi’s Bench: The area has been sheet mulched and we will gather at noon on Saturday May 17 for a dedication and to plant a few blueberry bushes behind the bench. More planting will take place in the fall after the sheet mulch has suppressed the invasives. 

 

10. GSWA Labels and Volunteers: Big thanks to all who wrote the 7,000+ labels for the GSWA plant sale! AND a big thank you to all who will volunteer during the “factory week“!!! Morristown/FoFPW is very well represented :-) 

 

11. Open Space Trust Fund Initiative: Will be introduced to Council on 4/22 and possibly up for a vote on 5/13. 

 

12. Next Meeting: May 12 in person in the park on the new “siting stumps“ near the dock, at 6:30, weather permitting. 

 

13. Adjournment: Kristine moved for adjournment at 7:40, Jeanne seconded and all voted in favor.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Susan

Monday February 10, 2025

7:00 pm on Zoom

​​

1. In attendance: David Lustbader, Jeanne Cunillera, Thelma Achenbach, Kristine Herbst, John Fagan, Linda Carrington, Judy Bayard, Lisa Miller,  Susan Landau, John Landau.

 

2. January 2025 minutes: Judy moved to approve our January 2025 minutes, Jeanne seconded, all approved.

 

3. Treasurer's Report: After seed purchases, we have over $15K in our account. $488 of new donations were received recently. 

 

4. Membership: Kristine reports that we have 108 contributing members, and two are new. We have 365 members; one person moved out of state.

 

5. Website: John F. updated the Gifts page. 

 

6. Bat Houses: Thelma let us know that she is finding time to walk with Douglass to explore good sites for a bat house. She recommends Night Magic by Leigh Ann Henion:  https://www.amazon.com/Night-Magic-Adventures-Glowworms-Gardens/dp/1643753363. (Disclaimer: I’m not promoting Amazon, just the book!)

 

7. Restoration Projects: 

   -Volunteer Sundays will resume February 23 1:00- 3:00, weather permitting

   -Spreading seed is the next priority. We are stratifying some seeds in moist germination mix outdoors. 

   -Scouts will join us in April to plant native flowers and ferns near the school.

   -Unity Charter 5th graders to come for half day in April.  We will provide planting options and hope to tour park habitats with the students. 

 

8. GSWA Plant Labels: Thanks to Linda, we talked about the GSWA plant labels. Our community has written plant names on craft sticks ( big popsicle sticks) for the GSWA native plant plug sale for 3 years running. Susan will have the blank labels available in packets by species to write by Feb 15th. Please help if you can!

 

9. Green Funding Initiative: Progress is unknown. We will invite Scott Wild for an update at our next meeting. 

 

10. Our next meeting: March 10 , 2025  on Zoom. 7:00 pm is our next meeting time. 

 

11.Adjournment: Judy moved to adjourn at 7:33, Kristine seconded, and all approved.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Susan

ANNUAL BOARD MEETING

Monday February 10, 2025

6:30 pm on Zoom

​​

In Attendance: Jeanne Cunillera, Thelma Achenbach, Kristine Herbst, John Fagan,  Susan Landau, John Landau, Linda Carrington

 

1. Vote to renew expiring terms: John F,  Deb, Jeanne, and Susan 

Susan moved to appoint these board members to new three-year terms, Kristine seconded, and all approved. 

 

2. Vote for officers for 2025

There were no new nominations. Susan moved to renew the current officers for another year, Thelma seconded, and all approved. 

 

Meeting ended at 7:00 pm with the start of the January monthly meeting.

 

Respectfully submitted, 

Susan

Monday January 13 2025

7 pm on Zoom

​

1. In attendance: Linda Carrington, Joan Belz, John Fagan, Thelma Achenbach, Jeanne Cunillera, Suzanne Mutz-Darwell, Lisa Miller, Judy Bayard, Marcia Graydon, Kristine Herbst, Scott WIld, Susan Landau, John Landau.

 

2. Dec 2024 minutes: Kristine moved for approval, Joan seconded, all approved. 

 

3. Treasurer's Report: We have had wonderful donations. One from the L and M Crawford Foundation and we would love the information to thank them! We have over $17,000 in the bank now. We spent approximately $12,000 directly on plants in 2024.

 

4. Membership and Volunteers: Kristine reports that we have 106 contributing members and approximately 360 members on our email list. Michelle let Susan know that FoFPW posted 1,226.5 volunteer hours in 2024 and there were 149 new volunteers. 

 

5. Website: John F. shared the website and navigated to highlight dropdown menus. He posts our minutes every month. He reminds us to record donations that recognize individuals and events. We need to add Sandi’s bench with 35 donors and gifts for new babies in the neighborhood!

 

6. Bat Houses: Thelma and Greg continue to work on bat houses. They have selected a bat box and are looking for an expert to consult on proper location. 

 

7. Restoration Projects: 

  1. Volunteer Sundays will resume in January from 1:00-3:00 ,beginning  Sunday January 19. We will focus on overseeing the main meadow to increase diversity and sheet mulching fall plantings. 

  2. Seeds have been ordered from Pinelands and Ernst.

  3. Signs for TJ School trees are in place.

 

8. Next meeting: February 10, 2025  on Zoom. 7:00 pm

 

9. Adjournment: Kristine moved to adjourn at 7:35 and Marcia seconded, all approved.

 

Respectfully submitted, 

Susan 

bottom of page