Location

Mountain Lakes is located in the northern section of Princeton Township west of Route 206 and north of Mountain Avenue. A long paved drive leads from Mountain Avenue into the property, and parking is available off Mountain Avenue in the adjoining Community Park North lot .

Overview

Once an active farm, this 74-acre tract--a Y-shaped valley--is reverting to a natural state, and today impress visitors as an exquisitely peaceful, self-contained world of its own. There are unbroken views from the high ground on either side of the valley, which holds the series of lakes that give the Preserve its name. A house built for private enjoyment but now used for social and community gatherings and for environmental groups' offices sits next to the largest lake. An unpaved trail named in honor of James Sayen, a leader in acquiring open space for public use, loops the lakes and provides a rewarding way to tour the Preserve.

History

The Preserve was originally part of the William Penn land grant from James, Duke of York (who later became King James II) brother of King Charles II. Until the late nineteenth century the land was farmed. In the 1880's, the Margerum family built a series of earthen and masonry dams to impound water from two of the streams that flowed through the property. The lakes they created enabled a commercial ice business to thrive on the site for many years. Large barns with cavity walls were built on the slopes west of the lakes and hay was grown in the fields to fill the walls and insulate the large blocks of ice stored there.

The ice company closed in 1930 and the property was not used extensively again until the 1950's when the present house was constructed. When the land was put up for sale to developers in the early 1980's, Friends of Princeton Open Space rallied the community and obtained both a very large private donation and state Green Acres funds for its purchase and preservation for public use.

Geology andTopography

The Preserve lies in the physiographic province of the Piedmont Lowlands. The northern end of the property is a well-drained upland plateau. The valley has particularly steep slopes on the western and northern sides of the lakes, where grades reach 25 % or more. To the east, the grade averages 12%. Soils throughout are finely grained, having evolved from the siltstone and shale rock of the area. The soils are quite thin on the slopes, and erosion and gullying are common. The tract slopes to wetlands in the southern portion. Here the soils are deeper, and drainage is very slow.

Hydrology

As the name "Mountain Lakes" suggests, water is a major feature of this Preserve. Four streams flow through the property. Two streams enter from the northern corners, feeding a two-tier lake. The upper lake acts as a sediment trap; it is four feet deep on average, and has noticeably lower water quality than the deeper, clearer main lake with its abundant fish.

Vegetation

The oldest trees in the Preserve are at the northern end of the property. Mixed hardwoods are found here, and particularly interesting is the "seven sister" cluster of red oaks in the fence row on the northern boundary. On the western side of the Preserve, red cedar (juniper) trees predominate, with a few old apple trees testifying to the farming activity of earlier times. Flowering dogwoods are abundant in the understory here.

Two groves of single tree species stand out in contrast to the mixed vegetation elsewhere in the Preserve, the hemlock grove on the west bank of the lower lake and the red pine plantation near the abandoned tennis court to the north. Visitors notice another area dominated by a single species as they walk along the entry drive and pass a grove of tall black walnuts.

Wildflowers are as varied as the terrain and woodlands. In the spring, the meadows sport buttercups, creeping phlox, daisy fleabane and thyme-leafed speedwell. In the wetland areas, skunk cabbage, spring beauties, jewelweed, and jack-in-the-pulpits flourish in season.

Wildlife

Small animals, amphibians, and birds abound in the Preserve. Each has its preferred habitat. The lakes attract Canada geese, herons, swallows, and cedar waxwings. The hemlock grove draws chickadees and nuthatches. Warblers, woodpeckers, and thrushes enjoy the wet woodlands at the southern end of the preserve. White-tailed deer are in their element; they thrive in areas like this, where open fields meet woodlands.

More Information

Princeton Township owns this preserve, while the Mountain Lakes Holding Corporation maintains the house. Call 609-924-8720 Tuesday through Friday for more information.

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