October 2026
By Lauren Orme, Monmouth Conservation Foundation
Scudder Preserve boasts a rich diversity of habitat, including woodlands, wetlands, meadows, ponds, and stream corridors. Its mature forests include pockets of old growth, while its connection to neighboring preserved lands and Huber Woods Park creates an extensive network of contiguous habitat. Located along the Atlantic Flyway, the preserve also provides important habitat and stopover opportunities for migratory birds and other wildlife.
Over the past two years, MCF has worked to better understand the preserve’s natural resources, address environmental challenges, improve public access, and invite the community to experience this special landscape in all seasons. MCF’s stewardship work has been guided by a comprehensive Natural Resource Inventory, completed in 2025, which documented the preserve’s ecological features and helped identify priorities for long-term management.
The inventory revealed some remarkable natural treasures, including a 202-year-old tulip tree that is among the largest of its kind in New Jersey. More recently, another extraordinary discovery has added to Scudder Preserve’s botanical significance: a rare American chestnut tree. Once one of the dominant trees of eastern forests, the American chestnut was devastated by chestnut blight beginning in the early 20th century. The discovery of a surviving tree at Scudder is an exciting reminder of what conservation and intentional stewardship can achieve.
This year, Scudder Preserve also received official designation as an accredited arboretum through ArbNet, recognizing MCF’s commitment to preserving, documenting, and interpreting the preserve’s diverse tree and plant life. The designation adds a new dimension to Scudder Preserve’s educational outreach potential and offers visitors another way to explore the relationship between history, land preservation, and horticulture.
Restoring the Landscape
Stewardship is an ongoing labor of love. MCF is actively working to address habitat restoration at Scudder Preserve, including removing invasive species, supporting native pollinators, reducing erosion, channeling stormwater runoff, and managing other
pressures that affect the health of natural habitats. A recent project is the installation of a series of rain gardens and bioswales designed to slow and filter stormwater before it reaches the preserve’s 1.41-acre pond and surrounding waterways. The professionally designed green infrastructure will feature native plants that help capture runoff, reduce sediment and nutrient pollution, improve infiltration, and provide additional habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.
The project, supported by a grant from the American Water Charitable Foundation, also creates an opportunity for MCF to demonstrate how relatively simple, nature-based solutions can help communities manage stormwater while creating healthier habitats. This work builds on a broader stewardship effort supported by a five-year, $500,000 grant from New Jersey Resources through its Coastal Climate Initiative, as well as the generosity of MCF’s donors and partners. Together, these investments are helping MCF develop Scudder Preserve as a model for thoughtful, science-based conservation and public
engagement.
A Place to Learn and Explore
Visitors can explore the preserve’s trails and natural areas from the entrance at 85 Browns Dock Road in Middletown, while MCF’s free public programs provide opportunities to experience the landscape with educators, naturalists, artists, photographers, and other community partners. This fall, visitors will have even more reasons to return. Families can explore the preserve through Halloween-themed scavenger hunts, while an autumn leaf appreciation activity will invite visitors to slow down and discover the remarkable diversity of trees and changing foliage throughout the property. These programs are designed to encourage curiosity and give visitors of all ages new ways to notice and appreciate the natural world around them. Scudder Preserve will also be part of the inaugural New Jersey Climate Week this fall, when MCF will host two activities at the preserve highlighting the connections between climate, habitat, stewardship, and our everyday experience of nature. By bringing climate education outdoors and making it place-based and accessible, MCF hopes to help visitors see that climate action can begin with understanding and caring for the places in our own communities.
As a nonprofit land trust and proud founding member of EarthShare New Jersey, Monmouth Conservation Foundation is committed to preserving the open spaces, farmland, and natural habitats that define Monmouth County. Scudder Preserve is a living example of what that commitment can make possible: protecting land for wildlife while creating healthier, more connected places for people to learn, explore, and enjoy.