Big plans in the works for the Dismal Swamp
Proposed environmental center could be a source of learning and revenue
BY JOHN DUNPHY
Staff Writer

MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Edison Wetlands Association Executive Director Robert Spiegel gives the Sentinel an exclusive tour of the Dismal Swamp on Saturday, outlining the plans to build an environmental education center and network of trails throughout the swamp’s 660 acres.

Despite its somewhat negative name, the Dismal Swamp could soon be the site of a very positive addition to Edison Township.

A joint venture between the Edison Wetlands Association (EWA), the Board of Education, the Edison Open Space Committee, the township and the newly formed Educational Task Force could see a nature museum, environmental education center and student campgrounds built on the site of the former General Pallet Factory, which was previously purchased by the township for open space.

This is just one piece to a larger plan to redevelop the 660-acre swamp, which extends from Edison through Metuchen and into South Plainfield.

Every year, fifth-grade Edison public school students are treated to a trip to YMCA Camp Bernie in Warren County, where they stay overnight, learning more about nature, science and various environmental issues. All this education, however, comes at an estimated cost of $200,000 a year, according to Township Council President Robert Diehl.

MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Almost 300 of the 660 total acres that comprise the Dismal Swamp are located in Edison Township. Here, Edison Wetlands Association Executive Director Robert Spiegel traverses its extensive woodlands, which could soon be a network of trails that run the swamp’s entirety from Edison and Metuchen into South Plainfield.

That money could be saved if Edison had its own environmental education center and campgrounds, he said.

“[The education center and campgrounds] are not a new idea,” Diehl said. “We’ve had some excitement before about it, then it would pass. It’s time for us to develop this center. It would be good for the entire community, not just for overnights.”

The environmental education center would include cabins, a dining hall, first aid center and additional availability for local senior citizen programs, Scout troops, church groups and corporate retreats, according to the EWA-created master plan for the proposed Dismal Swamp Conservation Area.

Because it is planned to be built on the site of already existing structures, officials said the wetlands within the swamp would not be harmed.

“We want to build for our town and our students while leaving as little a footprint on the environment as possible,” said Robert Spiegel, executive director of the EWA. “As part of the master plan for the Dismal Swamp, we want to have this unique place where our students can learn to honor themselves, the ecology and learn about ecology firsthand in their own town.”

Nearly 300 of the Dismal Swamp’s acreage is located in Edison, a piece of land Mayor Jun Choi called an environmental treasure. He said the environmental education center would benefit the town in multiple ways.

“It improves educational opportunities for all Edison children,” Choi said. “It is good for the environment; it’s close by and saves the Board of Education approximately $200,000 a year.”

The environmental education center could also prove a revenue-generating opportunity for the township, with other school districts sending their children to Edison for overnight educational programs, much like Edison currently does at Camp Bernie, the mayor said.

Spiegel said he’s optimistic that ground could be broken for the center within six months, and the project could be completed within the year. But it’s only one part of a greater project for what he affectionately referred to as “The Diz.”

Restoration to the Dismal Swamp includes further improvements to the Triple C Ranch on Tyler Road, the last farm in Edison; the creation of a network of hiking and horseback-riding trails throughout the entire 660-acre tract; and an extension of the Middlesex Greenways that would bring it from its current end location in Metuchen all the way into South Plainfield, according to the EWA’s master plan.

“The Diz is the largest piece of wetlands left in northern Middlesex County,” Spiegel said. “What we’re looking to do is honor the Dismal Swamp, protect it, but also have public access that is balanced and reasonable. We know the uniqueness of this resource.”

He said the programs that could be available at the Dismal Swamp are more unique than anything else in the area and could very well establish Edison as a true destination for residents and out-of-towners alike.

“We’re looking to really promote interesting programs offered nowhere else in the region,” Spiegel said. “We’re setting the gold standard for what you can do.”