2024-11-12T09:51:34-07:00 2023-12-31 990EZ 2023-01-01 562410919 SOUTH MOUNTAIN CONSERVANCY INC SOUT 8447666266 PO Box 273 South Orange NJ 07079 Dennis Percher Chairperson, Board of Trustees 9738686994 2024-11-10 1 2023 2024-10-15 13:58:12Z X www.somocon.org X X 80929 X 51357 11255 0 5022 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13295 3868 9427 0 77061 0 0 0 33434 0 2991 30841 67266 9795 130812 2 140609 X 142104 137264 0 0 3496 9982 145600 147246 14788 6637 130812 140609 The South Mountain Conservancy is a volunteer-driven, non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation founded in March 2000 dedicated to the stewardship and advocacy for, and public engagement with, the 2,110-acre South Mountain Reservation, a county park in Essex County, New Jersey. Through extensive volunteer activities and public programs, many in partnership with the Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, the Conservancy strives to preserve, protect, and enhance the ecology, infrastructure and natural beauty of the reservation. It also seeks to foster public appreciation, involvement and support for this beloved, forested regional park situated in densely populated suburbs 15 miles west of lower Manhattan. *Forest Regeneration & Landscape Improvement* -- The goals of this program are to 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 established in 2009 throughout the Reservation, and to address select problems in areas adjoining these sites. Started in 2008, this long-term 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 significant expense). The Conservancy also spends thousands of dollars each year on plants for the Preserve and materials to repair ( as needed) the eight-foot regeneration site fencing that ensure deer are kept out. Besides its ecological importance, the Wildflower and Forest Preserve serves as a destination to educate and engage people of all ages. The Preserve offers: a mile of easily traversed trails; informational signage regarding the woodland, vernal pond, and meadow ecosystems; and artwork that is part of the adjoining Wildflower Sculpture Park. In 2023 we had two interns for the summer; removed or eradicated several thousand invasive plants in the Preserve and in or near regeneration sites using basal bark herbicide application and hand removal; planted native species in the spring; and repaired fencing at two forest regeneration sites that were damaged by fallen trees; and maintained the Preserve trails. 0 8571 *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 2023, we had three new exhibits, one of which became a permanent addition. 0 8588 *Citizen Science* -- This program combines public involvement with monitoring and stewardship of the Reservation's flora and fauna. 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 to prepare an acre-sized (44,000 sq. ft.) meadow in the reservation to increase pollinators of all varieties. This pollinator meadow preparation required hundreds of hours of volunteer effort to complete the first two steps: tilling the compacted soil and removing large rocks and laying down and securing rolls of clear plastic to solarize (kill off) any seeds in the soil over the following year. The meadow will then be seeded with native plants in 2024. This pollinator meadow project was a major expense for the Conservancy. 0 6380 Other programs ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Fairy Trail* -- Nationally publicized (NY Times, Reader's Digest), this enormously popular half-mile path at the start of the Rahway Trail near the Locust Grove picnic area in Millburn features dozens of "fairy houses" consisting of weathered wood and natural materials built and maintained by SMC volunteers. Originally created and maintained independently by local resident Therese Ojibway, the South Mountain Conservancy joined with Therese several years ago to enhance the experience of visitors of all ages to improve the trail by putting down woodchips, installing railings, improving drainage,etc. Our aim is to make it sustainable in light of its enormous popularity. In 2022 when Therese left the area, the SMC recruited, trained and provided resources for two new program coordinators to maintain and construct new houses, some in coordination with the local schools and community groups. In 2023, dozens of new houses were constructed to replace a large number that had been vandalized. In addition, the Conservancy directed three separate high school groups and three Trail Work sessions early in the year to improve drainage, the evenness of the trail tread and the rope-rebar railings to ensure greater safety. This was completed in preparation for the first "Fairy Tales at the Fairy Trail" program in May which attracted hundreds of children and their families. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*Map and Wayfinding Systems* -- The Conservancy has spent significant resources publishing an updated SMR every few years since 2007 and expanding its wayfinding system to improve access to and the safety within the reservation. Ten large-sized kiosk displays are maintained at major access points to the reservation along with 40 small, 12"x12" localized "mini-maps" at trail intersections. (The smaller maps have generally been installed as part of Eagle Scout projects we oversee.) In 2023, we published our printed version of the SMR map, updated the Android version accessible from the Google Playstore, and finalized development of an Avenza SMR map that will be available for Android and iOS (Apple) users alike. These efforts are all in service to our mission to encourage safe exploration of the park.------------------ *Trail Maintenance and Construction* -- This stewardship program area involves an enormous volunteer effort throughout the year through four coordinated Conservancy programs. Though collectively these generally require far fewer financial resources than our Forest Regeneration program, it has a more direct impact on the thousands of people who visit the Reservation each month. These programs are: ------------------- *Trailkeepers* Thirty-five volunteers who independently monitor, brush back vegetation, clean water bars, culverts and swales, and blaze our 50-plus miles of trails and woods roads.--------------------------------------- *Chainsaw Gang* A dozen volunteers that remove fallen trees that block trails throughout the year. In 2023, they removed 185 trees from the trails.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Trail Work Crew* This group of volunteers (supplemented at times with community groups) has constructed or overseen contractors that built over six miles of new, sustainable hiking trails since its creation in 2007. It also works to improve drainage on wider woods roads and builds raised bog bridges and other infrastructure, often with the assistance of Scouts BSA and other community groups. In 2023, these groups rerouted the connecting trail to the new West Falls Parking lot and spent several months and hundreds of volunteer hours improving drainage along the wide Pingry Trail and narrow Lenape Trail south of the Openwood Trail to minimize muddy conditions in the spring and icy conditions in the winter. ---------------- *Trash Tacklers/Ploggers*Both groups and independent volunteers have been engaged with removing trash from trails and picnic areas through coordinated programs (even contests) several times during the year. During the pandemic, when trail use has been estimated by national organizations to have tripled, the amount of litter has increased substantially. In 2023, dozens of volunteers, in groups and individually, collected 253 bags of trash from the trails and picnic areas.-----------------------------------------------------*Hiking* -- Our hiking program probably engages the largest number of participants each year. Open to the public and free of charge, these guided hikes led by SMC volunteers offer programs year-round for people with a wide range of abilities, including special children's hikes. In 2023, we offered 56 hikes serving over 300 participants. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *SMR Family Campout* -- For a decade, this award-winning, overnight, nature-intensive overnight program, co-sponsored with the Essex County Parks Department, is held each October with activities tailored to families with children ages 4-11. In 2023, the campout was cancelled due to rain on the original and rain date. Spring and fall campouts are planned for 2024. ------------------------------------------------- *Mayapple Trail Run* -- Offering challenging trail runs of 10 to 50 miles, this event has been held annually since 2008 except for 2012 and 2020. The event highlights the exceptional trail system in the South Mountain Reservation and serves as a fund-raising opportunity for the Conservancy. In 2023, 142 runners participated in the spring race, plus another nine children completed the Kids One-Mile fun run.----------------*Community Outreach* -- We are continually updating our social media platforms and distributing our monthly electronic bulletin to provide information about and encourage individuals to join our public programs such as hiking and campouts, and our many volunteer programs. We also have expanded our website to provide links to data on flora and fauna in the reservation, health tips regarding "tick safety checks," dealing with coyotes, and other information to make visits to the Reservation interesting and safe. 0 12120 35659 Dennis Percher Chairperson, Board of Trustees 30 0 0 0 John Verzani Vice Chairperson Board of Trustees; Trail Work Crew Leader 5.5 0 0 0 David Berry Trustee;Coordinator of Community Outreach;Trash Tacklers and Chainsaw Gang 30 0 0 0 Sarah Jane Jelin Trustee; SMC Secretary; Membership 2.5 0 0 0 Craig Leisher Trustee 0.2 0 0 0 Ivette Halama Canjura Trustee 2 0 0 0 Paul Kerner Treasurer 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NJ Paul Kerner PO Box 273 South Orange NJ 07079 8447666266 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NONE NONE 1 X 45612 55084 48298 64506 62612 276112 4809 5866 5542 27659 13295 57171 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 100 100 250 1000 1550 50521 61050 53940 92415 76907 334833 1700 5400 3025 6500 3100 19725 0 0 0 0 0 0 1700 5400 3025 6500 3100 19725 315108 1246 872 611 478 5022 8229 0 0 0 0 0 0 1246 872 611 478 5022 8229 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 51767 61922 54551 92893 81929 343062 0.91852 0.93000 0.02399 0.01134 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED Form 990-EZ, Part I, Line 16 Description;Amount^Banking and Ticketing Charges and Fees;43|Credit Card Fees;1060|WFSG Art Expense;6850|Supplies;11792|Food and Water and OTC Medical;1602|Infrastructure;2273|Equipment Purchase and Maintenance;1326|Travel;234|Conferences and Meetings and Events;849|Insurance;1102|Donations to Other Organizations;184|Staff Development;54|Marketing;598|Taxes and Government Fees;2874^Total;30841^ Form 990-EZ, Part I, Line 20 Rounding Errors Form 990-EZ, Part II, Line 24 Description;EOY Amount^Merch Inventory;9656|Accounts Receivable;296|Petty Cash;30^Total;9982^ Form 990-EZ, Part II, Line 26 Description;EOY Amount^Credit Cards Payable;6160|Sales Tax Payable;403|Consultants Payable;74^Total;6637^ Extension was Filed and accepted.