Student intern helps develop maintenance plan

WAYNE — Nicholas Cowie, a senior at William Paterson University and resident of Newton, has been working as an intern at Laurelwood Arboretum in Wayne under the direction of Executive Director Elaine Fogerty. His assignment is to develop and write a management maintenance plan for the arboretum.
“I started out by researching what other arboreta had and found that only two had existing management plans—Newport Arboretum in Rhode Island and Washington Park Arboretum in Washington State,” he said. “The Newport plan was the starting point for my efforts.”
Nick has since been writing a plan that addresses such issues as pest and wildlife management, infrastructure maintenance, and protection of plantings. He will also prepare a monthly maintenance schedule. Nick began the project in April and hopes to complete it by November.
At William Paterson, William is majoring in environmental science with a minor in English and writing. In addition to his work at Laurelwood, he has an internship in urban forestry with Paul Cowie & Associates
Nick’s internship is sponsored by Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum, the nonprofit organization that helps preserve and manage the 30+ acre arboretum in partnership with Wayne Township. To learn more about internships, membership or opportunities to volunteer, go to www.laurelwoodarboretum.org, send an email to info@laurelwoodarboretum.org or call 973-831-5675.