If you enjoy the outdoors in the South Jersey area, chances are you’ve been to the Black Run Preserve. It’s a magical 1,300 acre island of still pristine Pine Barrens in southern Evesham Township. Its beautiful bogs and uplands are a refuge for native plants, animals, and people to enjoy over twelve miles of multi-use trails; walking, trail running, mountain biking, nature study, and birding. The Black Run Preserve is owned by Evesham Township but its major clean-ups, sustainable trail development and maintenance, educational signage, restoration projects, and educational programs are provided by the volunteer stewards of the Friends of the Black Run Preserve a 501(c)(3) non-profit.
DONOR LEVELS & BENEFITS
Once we hit our goal of $50,000, we will send out these donor level benefits below based on your donation amount!
- Benefactor Level: Two (2) $10,000 name recognition on two prominent “Peace Bridge” signs (on either side of the bridge). Plus, name/logo on our website and social media banner.
- Sponsor Level: Name plate on a plaque affixed to the bridge @ $500 each. Plus, name added to a page of Sponsors on our website and social media banner.
- Supporter Level: Donate any amount of $100 or more and you’ll receive a tee shirt and hat!
- Friend Level: Donate any amount from $50 to $99 and you’ll receive a hat.
- All donation levels: Make any donation and you’ll receive a special sticker that says “I helped build the Peace Bridge.” www.blackrun.org
Why we need to build the “Peace Bridge”
The planned “Peace Bridge” will provide safe access for trail users to utilize the west side of the Preserve. In 2004 a flood breached a sand dike of an old cranberry bog and its trail connecting one side of the preserve with the other. For the past four years, locals utilized a structure known as the “shaky bridge” to access the trails on the west side of the preserve. The “shaky bridge” has been claimed by a clan of beaver who built a five-foot dam on top of it!
Public/Private/Co-op Partnership
REI Co-Op has provided Friends of the Black Run Preserve with $20,000. This buys the weathered steel 20 foot-long, six-foot wide bridge, but the final cost includes: a geotech study, engineering, design plans, Pinelands permits, bridge foundation, and installation which bring the total cost to $140,000. Friends of the Black Run Preserve is grateful to Evesham Township, which has committed $70,000 toward this project. Friends of the Black Run Preserve must raise $50,000 to cover our half of the costs.
Why is it called the “Peace Bridge”?
The FBRP has been working to inspire a culture of peace and respect. The Peace Bridge will be a key link in a proposed nine-mile Peaceful Partners Trail (PPT). The PPT will begin on the adjacent Rancocas Conservancy’s Cold Springs Reserve, go through the Black Run Preserve, and end at the Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in Medford. Along the way, 30 signposts will identify the 30 Articles of the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights and be illustrated by Evesham middle school students. In addition, the history of peaceful interactions between the Lenni Lenape and the Quakers who founded communities in the Pine Barrens will be celebrated.
We Need Your Help
Since its inception, FBRP have worked to create an accessible and sustainable place for people to connect with nature, learn more about the unique Pine Barrens ecosystem and share this special place with one another in a peaceful and respectful manner. Please help us expand the accessibility of the Black Run Preserve by donating to our GoFundMe campaign. Please share our story, donate money, or sign up for a membership to help us raise the money for the “Peace Bridge.”
Checks can be made payable to:
– Friends of the Black Run Preserve – with a note in the memo field: Peace Bridge and sent to:
Friends of the Black Run Preserve 123 East Main Street PO Box 1124 Marlton, NJ 08053
EMPLOYER MATCH!!! Ask your employer to match your donation!
Our 501(c)(3) non-profit organization is officially called “Friends of the Black Run Preserve” and our Tax ID# is 46-1685413.
Let them know to make checks payable to: Friends of the Black Run Preserve – with a note in the memo field: Peace Bridge and send to:
Friends of the Black Run Preserve 123 East Main Street PO Box 1124 Marlton, NJ 08053
Explore The Black Run Preserve
Watch John Volpa, Founder of the Friends of the Black Run Preserve, show you around the preserve and all that it has to offer.
PEACE BRIDGE SUPPORTERS
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About Friends of the Black Run Preserve
The Black Run Preserve is a 1,300 acre parcel of permanently preserved land in Evesham Township, located between the Marlton Lakes and Kings Grant neighborhoods. It is an ecological wonder of Pine Barrens forest, wetlands, streams and old cranberry bogs, and hosts a variety of threatened and endangered plant and animal species.
The Friends of the Black Run Preserve is a volunteer organization formed in 2012. Our mission is to preserve and protect the unique natural beauty and Pine Barrens ecology of the Black Run Preserve for the benefit of all citizens. We strive to maintain the pristine quality of its natural resources while promoting healthy outdoor activities, environmental awareness and education.
Friends of the Black Run Preserve will support the Evesham community in being good stewards of the Preserve and helping people to enjoy its many beauties through hiking, school field trips, biking, birdwatching and other forms of compatible recreation. The Friends coordinate many programs and activities within the Preserve, including guided hikes and stewardship projects like clean-ups and trail improvements.
