Credit: (Richard Castillo NJ School of Conservation)The New Jersey School of Conservation, the nation’s oldest environmental field center, has been given a new lease on life.
In a major milestone for the historic facility, the Friends of the New Jersey School of Conservation signed a 20-year lease with the state Department of Environmental Protection, paving the way for the school to resume educational and environmental stewardship programs on its 240-acre tract in Stokes State Forest.
The 74-year-old school was shuttered in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic due to fiscal problems. It was reopened by the Friends last year, thanks to the nonprofit’s fund-raising efforts as well as an infusion of state funding from lawmakers and the Murphy administration.
“It’s been a long and winding road,’’ said Kerry Kirk Pflugh, president of the Friends of the NJSOC. The school, nestled in forested area by a lake, plans to resume overnight programs next fall. “As soon as someone books us,’’ Pflugh said.
First opened in 1949 as a residential outdoor education field center, the school was constructed during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Originally set up as a children’s summer camp, it evolved into an environmental and conservation education center visited by more than a half-million students and researchers.
Repairs needed
When it closed in 2020, the Friends convinced the state to allow the group to partially reopen the facility, and then fix up the dozens of buildings and cabins scattered around the roughly 240 acres. That job is ongoing, Pflugh said, but enough work has been done to resume overnight stays next fall. The school now can accommodate at least 150 students overnight.
Even so, the school still faces a daunting challenge. A historic dam located on the campus needs significant upgrades to meet safety standards. The dam supports a lake at the very center of the property. While the exact cost of repairs is not yet known, the Friends anticipate needing to raise millions of dollars to bring the dam up to standards.
“The same broad-ranging effort that brought the school back from the brink and set it on the path to success will be necessary to address this threat to our future,’’ Pflugh said.
At this point, the school is gearing up for its summer program.
Overnight stays avoid long treks to visit the school in the northwest portion of the state, particularly for South Jersey students, said Pflugh, whose father was one of the first directors of the facility.
“We are optimistic we will be inundated with requests for next fall,’’ she said.
In addition to resuming overnight stays, the lease agreement also will make it easier to carry out critical repairs to the school’s facilities, which are in a state of disrepair after decades of underinvestment.
More funding?
The school is hoping to receive a new infusion of funding once legislators and the Murphy administration reach agreement on a new state fiscal year budget, which is set to go into effect July 1.
Reopening overnight and accommodating longer stays at the school allows researchers to stay for extended periods gathering data to assist scientists studying at one of the state’s ecological treasures.
“At a time when our state and our planet are facing the existential threat posed by climate change, it is essential that the New Jersey School of Conservation remain a resource to arm the next generation of students with the tools they need to understand and combat this threat,’’ said Ed Potosnak, executive director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters.
Dennis Toft, chair of environmental law at the league, agreed. “As a former student at NJ SOC, I know how valuable exposure to the natural world is for our young people,’’ he said. The school provides a unique place for students and teachers to experience nature and learn how important protecting the environment is for the future, he said.
