FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Friends for Abbott Marshlands Announces
Independent Nonprofit Status
Hamilton, NJ, October 19, 2021 — Friends for the Abbott Marshlands
The Friends for the Abbott Marshlands(Friends) is pleased to announce that it has obtained federal recognition as an independent tax-exempt nonprofit under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. As a 501(c)(3) organization, Friends will be eligible to apply for grants and other resources that enhance its ability to develop community support for the appreciation and stewardship of the marshlands.
The Friends would not have reached this milestone without many years of active volunteer leadership by Mary Leck, Professor Emeritus from Rider University, and current Advisory member of the Board of Trustees. Dr. Leck wishes to express her gratitude to many friends, colleagues and committed volunteers over the years who helped to promote and steward the marsh. She adds “I am so pleased that Pat Coleman and the new Board have brought a new perspective to guiding the Marsh into the future.”
D&R Greenway Land Trust played an active role in the preservation of the marshlands for over 25 years and actively supported the Friends volunteers since their inception in 2002. The nonprofit land trust continues its mission to preserve land and steward the marsh’s resources. Most recently, D&R Greenway joined with the State and City of Bordentown to preserve the historic Bonaparte property, Point Breeze, at the southern end of the Abbott Marshlands. “From the spark of an idea for a ‘friends’ group to today’s celebration of independence, D&R Greenway shepherded this committed group of volunteers whose mission is important to the future of this vast area. When we open our new museum at Point Breeze overlooking the Delaware River and Abbott Marshlands, we will display materials to teach about this special place in partnership with the Friends.” Linda Mead, President & CEO, D&R Greenway Land Trust
The Abbott Marshlands are situated in Lenapehoking, the traditional and ancestral homeland of the Lenape. They include over 3000 acres of open space along the Delaware River in Central New Jersey. Although a satellite view of the area quickly reveals its ecological unity, the lands here are divided among two counties, four municipalities, and numerous landowners. Crisscrossed by a canal, a railroad, and a major highway interchange, the essential nature of the northernmost tidal freshwater marsh on the Delaware River remains, providing rich habitat for a wide variety of birds, fish, mammals, plants and others. The Friends for the Abbott Marshlands is the only organization whose sole focus is the promotion and stewardship of the entire marshlands.
The Friends efforts include a volunteer trail stewardship program, an active calendar of programs on marshlands ecology and history, and other community outreach activities including a juried photography exhibition. They coordinate their work with the Tulpehaking Nature Center, the Mercer County Park Commission and the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park. As a member of the Abbott Marshlands Council, the Friends work closely with D&R Greenway Land Trust and other stakeholders on cooperative stewardship efforts. The Abbott Marshlands Cooperative Stewardship Council members also include representatives from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the D&R Canal Commission, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, Mercer County, and local municipalities including Trenton, Hamilton, Bordentown City and Bordentown Township.
The abbottmarshlands.org website provides complete information regarding ecology, cultural history, archeology, recreation, education and stewardship.
BACKGROUND:
Historically, what we now call the Abbott Marshlands was known as the Trenton Marsh or the Hamilton Marsh or sometimes the Hamilton-Trenton-Bordentown Marsh. In 2011 a coalition of marsh supporters working on an interpretive plan for the marsh, changed the name to the Abbott Marshlands to acknowledge the historical and natural significance of the area. The Abbott Farm Historic District is the first National Historic Landmark archaeological site in New Jersey, designated by the US Department of the Interior on December 8, 1976. Recognized as the largest Middle Woodland village of its type on the east coast of the United States, it is named after Charles Conrad Abbott, whose early archeological work and writings spurred much research there.