To extend our community outreach, the library partners with the many municipal, non-profit, and business organizations that make Princeton such an extraordinary town. This month, we spoke with Wendy Mager, Board President of Friends of Princeton Open Space.
Friends of Princeton Open Space and the library have had the joy of numerous collaborations across our shared mission of environmental literacy.
We’ve co-presented events like bringing Doug Tallamy to talk about the importance of native species and the Princeton Environmental Film Festival. We have also worked together to build our collection through a generous donation of FOPOS and the Master Gardeners (see the book list at the end of this post).
How long has Friends of Princeton Open Space been in Princeton?
Since 1969.
What is your primary area of focus?
Preserving and protecting land and natural resources in Princeton, environmental education, advocating for sound policy decisions.
How does your mission align with the library’s?
FOPOS shares the library’s mission to engage, inspire, educate and unite the members of our diverse community, specifically around the goal to protect the beauty and major environmental services associated with preserving open space. We bring people together to enjoy and take care of passive parks and to preserve the resources that ultimately support not just birds and animals, but the entire chain of life.
With whom do you work most in the community?
We work most with people who enjoy the aesthetic experience and health benefits of being outdoors, birders, people who care about controlling invasive species and planting native species to improve the beauty and habitat value of our parks, and people (including other non-profits) who want to preserve land and protect the integrity of the ecosystem for this and future generations. We also work with government at the municipal and state level on environment-related issues, land stewardship and land preservation.
What is something that you do that people might not know about?
FOPOS is a member of the Outdoor Equity Alliance and in 2021 is hosting a series of events at the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve as part of a program of outreach to communities of color.
Is there any project or event that you are particularly excited about at the moment?
We are very excited about finishing the planting stage of our 18-acre forest restoration project in early June of this year, and turning our attention to removing invasive species and planting native species in the riparian areas of Mountain Lakes Preserve, adjacent to the streams and the lake. If you’d like to volunteer you can sign up here.
We’re also excited about the forest restoration being nominated as a “Partners for Plants” project of the Garden Club of America.
To see a list of books curated by Friends of Princeton Open Space and The Garden Club of Princeton click here.