Hi! My name is Emily and I am really excited to be a YLC liaison to our township’s Open Space Committee. The Open Space Committee is an advisory branch of our local government that is in charge of the preservation of land and creation of parks and pathways. The Open Space Committee was founded in 1989 and since then, they have preserved over 7,000 acres of land, constituting about 38% of our township. I find it super amusing that the guiding document divides little ol’ Monty into what seems like an infinite amount of squares. But don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it!

     Everyone in the Open Space Committee is extremely passionate and welcoming and meetings are relatively informal. Something that I love about Open Space is that they strongly adhere to the philosophy of preserving land before developing it in the first place. Additionally, through Open Space, it was incredibly insightful to see how public support and “appearances” contribute to the operations and success of preserving land. For instance, in preserving land, Open Space always offers a fair market price. They explained to Ana and I that many owners or developers don’t want to be cheated out of money by selling the land for a cheaper price under the guise of environmental reasons. Thus, offering a fair market price is important for maximizing potential for preserving land. Furthermore, a recent discussion about whether or not the township should build a cell tower on a piece of preserved farmland was really interesting. On one hand, they don’t want to set a precedent for allowing developments on preserved land. But on the other hand, the people who live there need cell service and if Open Space decisions force people to compromise on commodities such as these, it puts public support for future Open Space endeavors at risk. They haven’t made a decision yet, but I’m excited to continue the discussion because it shows the real life dilemmas that go into environmental decision making. 

     They’re also working on a lot of interesting projects! For me, I’m really interested in their plans for incorporating art into our parks. Open Space is currently working with ecological artist Susan Hoenig to implement rock leaf sculptures in Montgomery. Her sculptures are incredible and I love the message behind it. Even though they’re technically just rocks, because they’re so purposefully placed, if anybody were to take a walk and see it, it would really make viewers stop and think. Her leaf sculptures also match the type of tree in the area. Specifically in Montgomery, she’ll be creating a White Ash leaf sculpture in Hoboken Park to match the surrounding dying White Ash trees. It was eye opening to see the aerial pictures of the dying landscapes in Montgomery because oftentimes, environmental issues can seem more distant than they are. 

     Open Space has also approved the creation of a sidewalk from MHS to OHES, which is currently under construction and will be incredibly useful for students. A new park and trail that connects playa bowls to Montgomery Park has also been created. I personally wasn’t aware about projects like these even though they directly affect and benefit Monty students and citizens. So, Ana and I are planning on creating an instagram page to increase communication about local environmental changes. This would also target the lack of youth engagement. Ana and I are the first youth representatives in Open Space and most of the members are older individuals, which is probably a similar trend among other committees as well. 

     To better understand community initiatives, we also met with Montgomery Friends of Open Space, a nonprofit affiliate organization whose goal is to increase appreciation of our open space. They often help Open Space with funds to purchase land to preserve and they conduct community outreaches. You may also know MFOS from their farmer’s market across from ShopRite. Moving forward, our role with MFOS will most likely be connecting student groups for them to work with. 

     Like Open Space, there was the recurring trend of a lack of youth engagement even though both groups are always in need of volunteers and would really love for more youth to be involved. If you’d like to get involved, consider volunteering at the MFOS farmer’s market, embarking on a stewardship project, or participating in OS tree planting days. I cannot emphasize enough that they are always looking for more volunteers. 

     Overall, it’s been an incredible experience and especially for environmentalism, local government is so critical for creating change. Whether it be as a YLC liaison or a citizen, I highly recommend getting involved with Open Space!