Arctic Meadows Preserve
Town: Stillwater Township
County: Sussex
Acres Protected: 64
Established: 1990
Managed by: The Nature Conservancy
Why is this land Special?
Located in the foothills of the Kittatinny Mountain Range, Arctic Meadows Preserve is a wetland of grasses and herbaceous plants surrounded by a hemlock-deciduous forest. The preserve includes the steep, lower southeast face of the Kittatinny Ridge. In the early part of the 20th century, much of the local land had been logged, grazed or farmed. The preserve borders a rare inland acidic seep--a unique wetland habitat, in which cold, acidic water intersects the ground surface and gradually and diffusely flows into the preserve. In this seep and in the woodlands at Arctic Meadows, the yellow spring beauty (Claytonia virginica, var. hammondiae) thrives. This variety of the small and delicate flowering plant is found nowhere else in the world. Black bear and beaver also inhabit the area.
How may I visit?
Because of the sensitivity of the rare vegetation, visitation is restricted to scientific research by advance arrangement. Contact the New Jersey Chapter Office at 908-879-7262 for more information.