There is an old family farm near Palmyra by the name of “Taylor’s Farm.” We used to take the nursery school students there every fall for pumpkin picking, and have always been impressed with how the family is intent on preserving the land.

A couple of years ago I noticed a trail guide had been set up at the beginning of the access road to their farm and became intrigued. It turns out back in 1975 the family gave a “conservation easement” of 89 of their 115 acres of land to the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust, forming the Taylor Wildlife Preserve. Upon discovering this my appreciation for the family only grew, and I’ve been looking for an opportunity to explore its trails. Today I managed to find a window to head out.

Unfortunately, many of the trails are under-used and overgrown — including the loop out to the river which I wanted to traverse. This bummed me out, but I’ll head back in the late fall to see if I can penetrate deeper into the canopy ¹. I was able to locate the path through the wetlands on the property, including the marvelous boardwalk depicted below. Once on the path it felt almost as if we were in an isolated forest, and the dense vegetation on either side of the boards put the “wild” in “wildlife.” In reality, we were less than half a mile away from a busy industrial center and major roadway.

I can’t wait to get back here when the paths are a bit more open again.

Nikon D7000 with 18-105 mm lens
26 mm
ISO 400
ƒ/5
1/250 sec