| 
Mt. Olive Township, Morris County
252 Acres
Curving along the northern end of New Jersey’s largest
naturally formed lake, Budd Lake Bog supports a wetland habitat
rare in New Jersey. The black spruce-tamarack bog vegetation community
is a floating mass of plants, roots and moss all held in a sponge-like
substrate, without solid ground. Formed over thousands of years
after the last ice age, the bog represents a geological process
of how a lake might slowly fill with decaying matter. This wetland
supports some unique herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees including
black spruce, tamarack, azalea, sphagnum moss, sweet pepperbush
and common alder. Budd Lake is considered the headwater source
for the South Branch of the Rartian River.
Public Access and Uses:
The Trust, along with Mt. Olive Township and the NJ Division of
Fish and Wildlife, manage much of the bog area surrounding portions
of the lake. Access to the site is best available from Sand Shore
Road. Parking is limited and no facilities are available. Visitors
enjoy the unimproved trails for hiking, botanizing, and bird watching.
The Trust allows registration
for deer hunting at this preserve.
|
