SOUTH MOUNTAIN CONSERVANCY INC

Programs

1. *Forest Regeneration & Preserve Landscape Improvement and Forest Stewardship* -- The goals of these ecology-focused programs are to: 1.) Monitor, maintain and improve the ecology and infrastructure of the 14-acre Wildflower and Forest Preserve and, to a lesser extent, the 41 smaller regeneration sites throughout the Reservation, and to address select problems in areas adjoining these sites. 2.) Establish a implement a long-term invasive plant monitoring and management plan for the entire reservation with a particular focus on emerging invasive plant species and overall forest health. 1.Started in 2008, this long-term Forest Regeneration program seeks to provide native seed sources for the Reservation at large from these regeneration sites in order to restore a balanced forest ecology. This is necessary as the forest's natural regeneration has been impaired by an expanding set of invasive plants and insects and the over-browsing of native plants by an overpopulation of white-tailed deer. The program enlists the efforts of some two dozen volunteers who meet multiple times throughout the year, supplemented by community groups and two paid college summer interns (the program's most…

   $19,581 spent
   36% of program spending

2. *SMR Family Campout* -- For a decade, this award-winning, overnight, nature-intensive overnight program with activities tailored to families with children ages 4-11. These programs are co-sponsored with the Essex County Parks Department. In 2023, the fall campout was cancelled due to rain on both the original and rain dates. To compensate, in 2024, programs were held in May and October that served over 90 families.

   $7,585 spent
   14% of program spending

3. *Citizen Science* -- This program combines public involvement with monitoring and stewardship of the Reservation's flora and fauna and creation of a pollinator meadow. For the past several years, interested members of the public have been trained in programs affiliated with Frogwatch USA and eBird to help monitor these populations. It has also overseen the installation and maintenance of bird nest boxes throughout the Reservation. In 2023, this program expanded its work by preparing an acre-sized (44,000 sq. ft.) meadow in the reservation to increase pollinators of all varieties. In 2024, the pollinator meadow ended its preparatory stages by removing clear plastic that had been used to solarize (kill off) existing seeds and sowed seeds to plant the meadow with a specially developed mix of native plants.

   $5,928 spent
   11% of program spending

4. Other programs ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Wildflower Sculpture Park (WSP)* -- Started in 2012, this program offers the public the opportunity to see innovative art pieces in a naturalistic setting. Located on a broad strip of land outside the 14-acre Wildflower and Forest Preserve along Bear Lane and within the Preserve, the WSP provides artists a chance to present their work to the public and expand on ideas in a much larger format. It augments its set of 16 permanent pieces each year with three to four new works on short-term loan. In addition, the WSP curator, artists and volunteers occasionally provide classes for community groups to better understand the art and the creative process. The WSP is supported by grants and infrastructure improvements by the Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs. In 2024, we had three new exhibits, two of which were installed in the adjoining Preserve. ----------------------------------------------------------------------*Fairy Trail* -- Nationally publicized (NY Times, Reader's Digest), this enormously popular half-mile path…

   $22,025 spentof which $2,000 as grants
   40% of program spending

The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990-EZ. Program spending in total: $55,119.