Evesham’s Black Run Preserve is often described as a gateway to the Pinelands.
With about 1,300 acres of land in Evesham’s southern half, the preserve is an area of naturally low pH and low nutrient levels, which enables only native Pine Barrens plants and animals to flourish within.
Tasked with supporting those 1,300 acres are the Friends of the Black Run Preserve, the group of volunteer stewards working to preserve and protect its unique ecology for the benefit of the public.
Now, as the next step in that mission, the FBRP is hosting its inaugural Black Run Preserve Fall Fundraiser Dinner on Friday, Oct. 23, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Indian Spring Country Club.
The idea of the FBRP holding a large-scale fundraising event stems from a discussion between FBRP Chair John Volpa and Mayor Randy Brown at a May 2014 town council meeting.
At the meeting, Brown said before the township would consider spending any money on improvements to the preserve, he wanted to see the FBRP conduct a fundraiser and demonstrate its ability to garner support for the needs of the BRP from the public at large.
Volpa told Brown the group would hold a fundraiser once it became an official non-profit, which happened one year ago, and will be part of the celebration at the fundraising event.
“I informed Mayor Brown we would conduct a fundraiser once we became an official nonprofit, so FBRP is keeping its promise,” Volpa said.
With official 501c(3) non-profit status, contributors and members of FBRP can receive federal tax deductions for their donations, and the status also opens the group to many grants that are only available to official nonprofits.
Although the FBRP is accustomed to making people aware of the Black Run’s assets through activities such as hiking, school field trips, biking and bird-watching, the fall fundraiser will serve as the FBRP’s first indoor fundraising event.
With a buffet dinner and dessert, cash bar and auction, Volpa said the event would also serve to honor the “2015 Best Friend of the Black Run Preserve” Carleton Montgomery, who serves as executive director of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance.
Volpa said Montgomery marshaled a variety of PPA resources from 2007–2012 to help develop public awareness and support of the BRP, and the nucleus of the Friends organization was brought together in May 2012 as a culmination of those efforts.
“Quite simply, the FBRP would not exist without Carleton Montgomery, therefore the BRP would not have its caregivers and advocates, and it probably would have been lost to abuse and neglect over time,” Volpa said.
According to Volpa, the preserve was originally used as a dumping ground for many years, with fragile soils and wetlands abused by off-road vehicle use.
Volpa said future FBRP initiatives include the №1 priority of closing off vehicle access to the preserve and also hopefully moving forward with the addition of two trailheads/parking areas, a bathroom and a longer ADA trail.
Later this year, the FBRP will also utilize a $13,000 grant from REI to expand the preserve’s trail system, replace bridges and potentially add viewing platforms along the edges of bogs.
Volpa also notes the improvements planned for the BRP result from a professionally produced concept plan.
Those interested in attending the fundraising dinner or learning more can purchase tickets through the FBRP website at blackrun.org under the “events” section. Tickets must be reserved by Oct. 10 and will cost $50. Tickets can be paid for online using PayPal at blackrun.org or by downloading a form and mailing a check.
Those who cannot attend the event but still wish to contribute to the FBRP can also do so by downloading the form.
“We need public support because it’s our local open space,” Volpa said. “It’s not only a refuge for Pine Barrens flora and fauna, it’s one for people, too.”
