Town Topics — Princeton's Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946.
Vol. LXIII, No. 31
 
Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Mailbox

Princeton’s Floodplains and Wetlands Are Now Displaying Nature’s Bounty

STEVE HILTNER
Natural Resources Manager
Friends of Princeton Open Space

80th Anniversary of Nursery School Will Be Celebrated at Drumthwacket

WENDY COTTON
Executive Director
DIANE SANDAHL
President, Board of Trustees
Princeton Nursery School


Princeton’s Floodplains and Wetlands Are Now Displaying Nature’s Bounty

To the Editor:

If you’re a newspaper-reading six-legged looking for some nectar, or a two-legged with an appreciation for big floral displays, this is a good time to pay a visit to Princeton’s floodplains and wetlands. Some of the showiest native wildflowers have been hard at work gaining some serious altitude, and are now unveiling their blooms, sometimes at a height of ten feet.

Two spots are highly recommended: the High School ecolab wetland, just behind the High School’s Performing Arts Center on Walnut Street, and the towpath and nature trail loop along the canal just upstream of Harrison Street. Both spots are easily visited without getting your feet wet.

It’s worth noting that these diverse native congregations don’t thrive without some help. The High School wetland, replete with frogs, dragonflies, and nesting birds, succeeds in part because a sump pump regularly delivers water to it from the school’s basement. In addition, teacher Tim Anderson and his students have been working with staff at Friends of Princeton Open Space to limit the overly aggressive plant species that would otherwise take over.

Along the towpath, the D&R Greenway State Park’s annual mowing in the winter prevents woody plants from shading out the expanding array of native wildflowers.

Tours of these locations are planned for upcoming weekends. For more information, visit www.princetonnaturenotes.blogspot.com.

STEVE HILTNER
Natural Resources Manager
Friends of Princeton Open Space

80th Anniversary of Nursery School Will Be Celebrated at Drumthwacket

To the Editor:

The year 2009 marks a milestone for Princeton Nursery School. Founded in 1929 by Margaret Matthews-Flinsch, the school is celebrating eight decades of service to the greater Princeton Community. For eighty years the staff at Princeton Nursery School have held the hands, wiped the noses, and kissed the scrapes of over 1,500 children. These preschoolers have learned their letters, numbers, and colors here, along with positive social skills and a love of learning that equipped them to enter kindergarten with self-confidence.

We are proud of the contribution PNS has made to the community over the course of the last eight decades. To mark this important milestone we will be holding an 80th Anniversary Celebration at Drumthwacket, the Governor’s mansion, on October 16. We invite all to join us to celebrate this remarkable achievement.

As part of the celebration we would like to build albums that chronicle PNS “times gone by” in pictures. In order to do this we need the help of former students and their families. We ask those who have pictures to share to please contact us at (609) 921-8606 or email a .jpeg file to pnskids@gmail.com.

Princeton Nursery School has a Facebook page, where photos will reside for all to view. Those with internet access can visit the PNS Facebook page to view the albums via our website, www.princetonnurseryschool.org.

We invite those who would like to be on the list to receive an invitation, place an ad, or become a sponsor, to give us a call or send us an email. Proceeds from the 80th Anniversary Celebration will be used to support the costs of delivering our preschool program.

WENDY COTTON
Executive Director
DIANE SANDAHL
President, Board of Trustees
Princeton Nursery School

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