The research for this page was done in May 2002 by Julia Chambers, a 6th grade student at Briarcliff School, as part of the class’s Environmental Integrated Curriculum project. In the EIC, each student picks a topic and does separate sub-projects on that topic in Social Studies, Science, Math, and English. Miss Chambers’s teacher is Ms. Robin Anderson.
Social Studies
In 2002, the Arbor Day Foundation honored Mountain Lakes with the title “Tree City, USA” for the fifth time. The historic pictures below, from the early years of our borough, show that this name did not always fit. Geology and government have worked together over the past 90 years to help Mountain Lakes earn this distinction.
This is how Mountain Lake looked originally in 1911 & 2002
1911 Today (2002)
Boulevard at Briarcliff Road with Trolley Track
Early Days Today (2002)
1912 Today (2002)
Looking across Wildwood Lake toward Briarcliff Road
1912 Today (2002)
1 Briarcliff Road
1912 Today (2002)
90 Melrose Road
1912
Originally there were Wetlands
The wetlands in Halsey Frederick Park resemble what much of the town must have looked like when Herbert Hapgood first came here.
The people who built Mountain Lakes used the plentiful surface water to create the Borough’s nine man-made lakes. By draining some of the swampy land, Herbert Hapgood created fertile ground for the large trees of the Inland Forest to grow.
The Role of Government
Because trees are such an important part of Mountain Lakes, the Borough Council appoints two groups to watch over them: the Shade Tree and the Environmental Commission. In addition, a special Woodlands Management Task Force was created in 1995 and in 2000, the Borough Council adopted a tree protection ordinance.
Who Knew?
Wetlands today are protected, both by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and by the Borough’s own conservation policies. If Hapgood had come along 80 years later, Mountain Lakes wouldn’t exist!
Fun Fact about our Trees
The trees that line the boulevard were purchased by a resident and planted by volunteers in the early 1930’s. Five different types of trees were planted in a pattern to separate the roadway from the path (old trolley line). The trees cost 15 cents each.
Science
A glacier formed the land that became Mountain Lakes. The glacier pushed a huge mixture of soils and rocks into our area; when it melted, it left behind an underground river and many sprints and swampy pockets of wetlands.
Water in the soil is the most important factor in determining what types of trees will grow. Two main plant communities are found today in the forested areas of Mountain Lakes: the Inland Red Maple Swamp and the Dry-mesic Inland Mixed Oak Forest. Although the red maple is found in both, trees in the swamps are generally smaller than the inland forest varieties, such as the oak, beech and ash.
How can you use Math to estimate a tree’s height?
Brainstorming: Collect data from fallen trees. Count number of rings to determine approximate age. Make ratio of trunk circumference to height for the fallen tree. Measure the trunk of a living tree of the same variety, and use the ratio to estimate the height.
Data from a fallen oak tree in Wilcox Park:
8′ 4″ Circumference
65′ Height
72 Rings
(The students have graduated and are long gone. This e-mail link goes to the Webmaster who will attempt to answer.)
Please preserve these irreplaceable pieces of history for future generations. It’s up to you!
