WMA 5, Hackensack River

Flat Rock Brook Nature Center is a natural oasis for many thousands of adults and children every year. They walk the trails on 150 acres of preserved open space, observe wildlife, attend nature programs, and browse through the Nature Center.   Flat Rock Brook Nature Association would like to enhance visitor's experience and environmental education opportunities by developing "A Walk in the Woods", a professionally designed and fabricated exhibit to be located in their headquarters building.

A Walk in the Woods will be open to the public every day of the year. It will offer a comprehensive, multi-media interpretation of local wildlife habitats and illustrate its place in the community and the wider world. Coordinated, interactive components will explain the significance of a nature preserve in a highly developed suburban location and address key environmental issues such as Flat Rock Brook Nature Center's role in the Hackensack River watershed and management of biodiversity.  Such an exhibit will strengthen Flat Rock Brook Nature Center's mission of land preservation and environmental education.

The center is a beloved community institution, a place of beauty and serenity and an important regional site for nature study. The A Walk in the Woods exhibit can make Flat Rock Brook an even more valuable regional resource.

Location map of Flat Rock Brook Nature Center (from Google Maps)

A Walk in the Woods is an exhibit designed to inspire visitors to walk on the trails with a sense of what can be observed and learned in nature, and help them understand what they see.  The displays will help visitors visualize what a watershed is, observe ecological connections within a habitat as they observe plant and animal life, and understand the underlying geology and significance of the Palisades as they stroll around a quarry or stand atop a cliff.

After viewing A Walk in the Woods, visitors will better understand the impact of their own actions on water quality, biodiversity and other important environmental issues. And for those who are unable to walk the extensive trail network, the exhibit can offer an alternative experience.  Flat Rock Brook Nature Association also hopes that A Walk in the Woods will help attract a broader, more diverse range of visitors and members.

Click here for a copy of a brochure produced by Flat Rock Brook Nature Association (2.4 mb)

Flat Rock Brook Nature Association has raised approximately $40,000 in private funding and will be applying for $250,000 in county and state grants in early 2007.  If the government grants are awarded in-full, they will have a shortfall of $150,000.