Since arriving in New Jersey, I have been eager to familiarize myself with the local ecosystems and biodiversity that exists here. I’m happy to report that in the past two years, I’ve come across so many cool flora and fauna. Living in New College West, one of the seven residential colleges, I have seen my fair share of red foxes and white-tailed deer in the early morning and late at night. Also, being so close to Lake Carnegie, there are lots of waterfowl that I enjoy visiting at different times of the year. The first species that come to mind are Canada geese, ring-billed gulls, and mergansers! On the main campus, I have seen blue jays, northern cardinals, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and red-tailed hawks.
Beyond the everyday wildlife that I encounter on campus, I've also been able to visit several nature preserves and parks off campus. In fact, today I write as a proud member and officer of the Princeton Conservation Society (PCS), a student-run organization that encourages conservation through hands-on work, speaker events, and other awareness events like documentary screenings and book/clothing swaps. Last fall was my favorite semester with PCS because of the countless events we had, and the community built along the way. We kicked off the semester with a nature walk in the Institute Woods in the Institute for Advance Study, which is a short 20-minute walk from Princeton’s main campus. It was my first time going out to the Institute Woods, and it was stunning! Along our walk, we talked and talked, plus took breaks to identify different fungi, birds, and plants that we came across.
Later in the fall semester, we planted trees at the Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, conveniently also a 20-minute walk from campus. The forest here has experienced decades of damage from storms, invasive species, and deer over browsing. Fourteen of our PCS members helped to plant over 60 native trees in one work session! I loved getting my hands dirty and actively maintaining public lands.
In the first half of this spring semester, several of our outdoor working events were cancelled because of the weather conditions, but now we are booked every weekend! Last Saturday, we traveled to Washington Crossing State Park and helped with invasive species removal. Now, this Saturday, we are heading to Tannersville Cranberry Bog in Pennsylvania to assist with restoration efforts. The Bog is home to incredible rare plants like native orchids and carnivorous plants. Lastly, we have a few upcoming trips to the Jersey Shore for ocean cleanups and it’s sure to be a blast, with the (hopefully!) warmer, spring temperatures.
I arrived at Princeton with the desire to experience a different landscape than back home, and I’ve fulfilled this ten times over. PCS is a space where I have met so many cool people, participated in lots of environmental stewardship, and I’m so excited for the events yet to come! To the prospective Princeton students, there is so much more to the Princeton experience than just our academics. I’ve shown how cool the Princeton Conservation Society is, but we have so many amazing clubs that this is just the tip of the iceberg!