Native medicinal plant garden closed

West Milford has closed the Adopt-A-Spot native medicinal plant garden at the triangle between Warwick Turnpike and Clinton Road after 15 years because of complaints from nearby residents that it has been poorly maintained, officials said.

Members of Nature Connection of West Milford, the group that ran the garden, say closing the garden was unfair.

“My understanding is that the Beautification and Recycling Committee assigns a particular area of the township to an interested group and it is the group’s responsibility to maintain - cut the grass, do the maintenance on the area they are assigned,” said Mayor Michele Dale.

“If it is not being maintained and there are complaints that it is not being maintained, the committee can reassign it to someone else who will maintain it. My understanding is that the town received several complaints about the non-maintenance of it, that things were overgrown and grass not cut.”

Luke Slott, a Nature Connection member, said he and others in the group addressed any maintenance concerns brought to them by the Beautification and Recycling Committee.

In addition, language in the Adopt-A-Spot agreement with the township does not say that Nature Connection was responsible for that type of upkeep, he pointed out.

“(The Beautification and Recycling Committee) requested tree trimming, grass cutting, putting down mulch and regulating who put signs up at the location,” Slott said. “Really what you are supposed to do with an Adopt-A-Spot is take care of the litter. We went above and beyond that and turned it into a garden.”

Township Administrator Bill Senande said the township owns the land.

“Though we grant people or groups limited rights to the property, it remains township property. My understanding from the Beautification Committee is that the property was not maintained to the standards that apply to all township-owned properties. The township is legally responsible to maintain all of its properties regardless of whether it is ‘adopted’ by someone else.”

On Nature Connection’s website, its chairwoman, Wendy Watson-Hallowell, wrote a statement that says in part:

“Glass, asphalt, rocks, oil from trucks and poison ivy were the main residents when our group took over in 2008. Within three years of our volunteers’ efforts, it was transformed into a peaceful and blossoming native medicinal plant garden that visitors could not only relax in and enjoy but also learn about the medicinal benefits of local flora and of preserving the local habitat ... . The wide variety of both shade-loving and sun-loving medicinal plants have been re-homed around town between March and April of this year.”

What’s next for the triangle at Warwick Turnpike and Clinton Road is up in the air.

“I discussed this matter with Councilwoman (Ada) Erik, and she has advised that the (Beautification and Recycling Committee) has not yet allowed someone else to adopt the location,” Senande said.

“She actually is not sure if the two individuals that previously expressed interest are still willing to adopt the location. The committee has put in a request to our Public Works Department to have the location brought up to acceptable standards over the next couple of months in hopes of finding someone that will continue to maintain it.”