Thanks to a $5,000 donation from the Bristol Meyer Squibb Foundation Tenafly Nature Center (TNC) is teaming up with Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University (LDEO) to install remote sensing dendrometers on selected trees on the property. The dendrometers monitor changes in the diameters of the tree trunk. A weather station will also be installed to measure air temperature, total rain, soil moisture and atmospheric vapor pressure. These real-time measurements are collected and displayed on the tree growth graphing tool, making it possible to "watch trees grow" and relate the changes to the ambient and antecedent environmental conditions. So just like Fitbit tracks people’s physical activity by counting steps this new system will Fitbit the forest!

The project will introduce baseline facts about regional ecosystems and modern ecosystem monitoring technologies, allow students and teachers to participate in essential research related to the evolution of ecosystems in an increasingly urbanized region, and engage in the intersection between scientific understanding of a complex natural system and the development of policies and actions. An ultimate research goal is the development of a long-term regional ecosystem monitoring strategy that could ultimately measure the effects of urbanization and climate change while providing the evidence base underlying jurisdictional decisions concerning land use and open-space preservation.

The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation makes grants to pre-selected organizations working in early childhood, aging in place, and medical research. They also fund institutions with historic ties to the Taub family. $5,000 was awarded for consultants to assist us in determining the best practices for the stewardship of the nearly 400 acres we have been entrusted with by the Borough of Tenafly. The result will be both a Forest Stewardship/Management Plan and a Trail Master Plan (with NY/NJ Trail Conference).

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is the primary federal agency that works with landowners to help them conserve, maintain and improve their natural resources. $2,029 was awarded for a Forest Management Plan. This grant paid for a Technical Service Provider to write a plan to manage nonindustrial private forest lands for conservation, economic, and recreational purposes. The provider will inventory the type, amount, and location of standing timber and appraise the timber's condition. They will determine how to conserve wildlife habitats, improve water quality, and soil stability, and how best to comply with environmental regulations.

In 2017 & 2018 Tenafly Nature Center was one of fifty organizations to receive a $1,000 SUEZ North America Foundation- Environmental Grant for environmental education, programs and projects this year. This grant helped remove financial barriers allowing more of our local community to participate in our Environmental Education programs. In 2018 SUEZ also granted $3,000 toward implementation of our forest stewardship plan.