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Nature Center requests annual borough assistance; council to place funding request on May meeting agenda
Summary
Speakers including the Tenafly Nature Center executive director and board members asked the council for continued annual assistance to maintain nearly 400 acres of preserved natural lands; the council asked staff to add the request to the first May meeting for full review.
The executive director and several board members of the Tenafly Nature Center urged the mayor and council to continue annual financial support for maintenance and stewardship of nearly 400 acres of preserved open space the organization manages.
Deborah Davidson, executive director of the Tenafly Nature Center, told the council the center cares for preserved natural lands that protect biodiversity, groundwater, and the town’s character. Davidson said the center was created in 1961, now stewards almost 400 acres, and has taken actions to strengthen emergency-management planning and wildfire mitigation following several dry seasons. She asked the borough for annual assistance to support maintenance and conservation needs and said she had submitted documentation outlining the center’s needs for the coming year.
Council members thanked Davidson and other speakers, including nature-center board members and community volunteers, and asked the nature center to appear at the council’s first meeting in May so members can review the submitted materials and ask detailed questions. Borough administrator Omar said staff will place the Nature Center request on the May agenda and council members encouraged follow-up communications in the interim.
Speakers at public comment framed the Nature Center as a community asset used heavily during COVID and a contributor to property values and the borough’s identity. Several speakers asked the council to consider continuing or increasing municipal support to avoid having the Department of Public Works assume responsibility for trail and resource maintenance.
Ending: The council will consider the Nature Center’s written request at its first meeting in May; staff will circulate the center’s documentation to council members and coordinate questions before that hearing.
