When the church acquired the land and developed the property in the early 2000s, the use of the land was planned with our UU 7^th Principle in mind.  The open land (previously farmland) was left to develop into a meadow that would serve as wildlife habitat, and the existing scrubby wooded edge along Polly Drummond Hill Road was left standing.

Input and hard work was provided by many church members. A landscape architectural firm was hired, and a mix of native trees (Red Oak, White Ash, Red Maple, and a White Oak) were planted along the Polly Drummond Hill Road property line and in the vicinity of the church parking lots. Tree and shrubs were also planted along the boundary between the church and the county’s Paper Mill Park (including many natives like Eastern Redcedar, American Holly, Canadian Serviceberry, and large Fothergilla).  This was completed under the guidance of member and landscape architect Richard Lyon. Over the first few years after moving into the new church, the Senior Youth group took on the project of overseeding and planting small plug plants of various native grasses and wildflowers in the front meadow.

The building’s front entrance garden was designed by Richard Lyon and Pam Allenstein and planted with native shrubs (including the large Serviceberry, several Winterberry Holly, Arrowwood Viburnum, Bayberry, and Virginia Sweetspire) and a variety of flowers. Many church members have helped with the natural lands and the church entrance gardens over the years, adding to the plantings and removing undesirable plants as deemed necessary.

A memorial grove was also started on the hillside adjacent to the back parking lot.  The memorial trees include a large Weeping Cherry, 2 Red Maples, a pink Flowering Dogwood, and a Redbud. The memorial grove is available for internment of ashes of deceased loved ones. A lawn care company was hired to regularly mow an area around the memorial trees, and to mow selected lawn areas around the church building and parking lots.

Maintaining native meadows and woodlands is hard work.  Very aggressive, non-native plants require ongoing maintenance to prevent them from pushing out the native plant species that are critical for keeping ecological balance.  Countless members and friends have worked since the property was first developed to combat invasive species.  Control efforts using purely mechanical means were largely unsuccessful.

In 2017, UUSMC launched a Meadow Stewardship Project, engaging meadow expert Tom Brightman (then land steward at Longwood Gardens) to assess our meadow, provide feedback on its current status, and make recommendations for stewarding it into the future. Tom stated that “a dual strategy of gradual invasive species reduction, combined with replacement with more aggressive native species, is the most likely to succeed”. The plan included recommendations for using a limited amount of selective herbicides at specified times to help eliminate the most problematic non-native species.  Brightman made a presentation to interested members and provided a management plan.  (For more information, see Tom Brightman’s December 10, 2017 presentation powerpoint here: : UUSMC Meadow Stewardship Presentation and Report and a pdf of his detailed December 2017 UUSMC Meadow Stewardship Plan here: Meadow Stewardship Plan.  The Natural Land Stewards continue to work with Tom’s recommendations in mind.

In 2018, the Natural Land Stewards developed a plan to create a “Woods for the Wild” in the eastern corner of the property.  This area was overrun at the time by invasive Callery (“Bradford”) pear trees and other non-native, invasive plant species.   The woodland, with a network of short trails, would provide valuable wildlife habitat as well as enhance use of the area by people.  The tree and shrub plantings create a visual and audial buffer from the busy Polly Drummond Hill Road.  The mowed area adjacent to the growing woodlands has been used for campfire gatherings, solstice celebrations, and various meetings, as well as casual use by the membership and neighboring community.  The memorial trees planted in previous years by church members enhance the area’s use as a meditative setting.  Since 2018, more than 150 native trees and shrubs have been added to the Woods for the Wild and along the wooded border of Polly Drummond Hill Road to the park entrance drive.

We have also worked to increase our outreach to the wider community, in educating about native plants and wildlife habitats. In 2021, two beautiful wildlife habitat signs were added that welcome and educate visitors about native plants. In 2023, nine benches were added to enhance visitor enjoyment of the natural lands. And in 2024, UUSMC hosted an event in collaboration with the Newark Interfaith Green Team, which was open to the public and featured a presentation by the Delaware Nature Society emphasizing the value of incorporating native plants in home landscapes, followed by a tour of our native meadows and woodlands.