Kari Lloyd--Bringing People and Nature Together in Princeton

Nature has a new ally in Princeton, a new source of organizational energy that in its initial stages feels transformative. Long active as the organizer of the Hopewell-based NJ Native Plant Swap and other ventures, Kari Lloyd has now come to Princeton as the K-5 STEAM teacher at Littlebrook Elementary, and has brought her organizational energy with her. 

Her first event was the Native Seed Sowing Extravaganza, which brought 100+ parents and kids together in the Littlebrook cafeteria to put some seeds in the ground.

It being Feb. 5, the ground came in the form of pre-moistened potting soil. 

  

Kari had lots of well-trained helpers, as families chose from an impressive selection of seeds, 

then planted them in plastic gallon milk jugs. Some helpers had gotten jugs by the hundreds from coffee shops, others cut them in half (leaving one corner as a hinge), then partially filled them with potting soil. Others instructed participants in how to scatter their seeds on the soil and tape the jugs back together with packing tape. And don't forget to scribble the name of the plant on the jug. Cost per jug was $5, making the event something of a fundraiser for the school. 

There to witness the event were members of a number of longtime Princeton environmental organizations that themselves have been gaining momentum over time--Friends of Princeton Open Space, Sustainable Princeton, and the group I lead, Friends of Herrontown Woods. 

Princeton can feel like a cocoon at times, wrapped up in itself.  In addition to longtime regional institutions like the Watershed Institute and DR Greenway, a lot of energy and expertise has been gathering in the small towns and countrysides beyond Princeton's borders. While Princeton has its Friends groups--FOPOS and FOHW, and the lesser known FoRR--Hopewell has its FOHVOS, short for Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space. We've benefitted in the past from periodic visits from the FOHVOS NJ Invasive Species Strike Team, but Kari is the first to my knowledge to plant herself firmly in Princeton, and bring all that wonderful nearby environmental energy to town. 

She arrives at a time when Princeton has made great strides in preserving the last tracts of open space, and started to chip away at the massive invasions of nonnative species on preserved land. But at the same time, many people remain disconnected from nature, seemingly with little curiosity about the plant world around them, and with little time or inclination to surround their homes with anything more than grass. Still, there's a sense of momentum in the air.

Next on Kari's docket is organizing a series of monthly family hikes in Princeton and Hopewell, beginning with a hike in Herrontown Woods, to be led by myself and Hopewell Valley-based Nicole Langdo, founder of Painted Oak Nature School.