Natural, Social, and Historic Resources of the Borough of Roosevelt,
Monmouth County, New Jersey

Fund for Roosevelt, Inc., P. O. Box 404, Roosevelt, New Jersey 08555-0404

Photos of Rocky Brook environment by Robert J. Brauman, Creative Habitat Corp., White Plains, New York (Copyright 1999 Fund for Roosevelt, Inc.).
Photo of Monarch Butterfly by Ms. Ilene Levine, Roosevelt Public School.
Other photos by R. E. Tulloss (Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Rodham E. Tulloss).

Natural Resources

Some scenes...

• Empty Box Brook in the snow, 22 December 2000 (images).
  
• Roosevelt Woodland Trail in the snow, 22 December 2000 (images).
  
• Roosevelt Cemetery in the snow, 22 December 2000 (images).

Fauna of Roosevelt
Fauna of Roosevelt.   Originated by Wayne Cokeley and David Schwendeman.
Fauna of Roosevelt (Acknowledgments & Bibliography)    

Flora of Roosevelt.
Flora of Roosevelt (Except Grasses, Rushes, & Sedges).    
Flora of Roosevelt (Grasses, Rushes, & Sedges).    
Flora of Roosevelt (Acknowledgments & Bibliography). 
Originated by Wayne Cokeley.  We are grateful to Karl Anderson and Linda Kelly for their expert help in expanding our survey of plants during 2000. Thanks to the work of Karl and Linda, our list now contains more than 430 names of plants occurring in Roosevelt. Some images (in the form of PDF files) are in the process of being moved from ftp://ftp.goldsword.com/pub/amanita/Flora.Roosevelt/ to this site.  Warning: Many images on the ftp site are VERY LARGE files (most over 1 Mbyte, a few up to 4+ Mbytes).  Sizes will be reduced as time permits.

• New Jersey's rare, threatened, and endangered ferns and fern allies are listed with indications of the possibility of finding them in the SW "panhandle" of Monmouth County. Botrychium oneidense (New Jersey threatened Blunt-lobed Grape Fern) has been found in Roosevelt.    
  

• Ferns and fern allies that have been found in or adjacent to the SW "panhandle" of Monmouth County, but have not been found in Roosevelt are also listed for reference and to encourage search for them in Roosevelt. There remain 16 taxa in this list..

  Mycota of Roosevelt (Macromycetes)  are listed with occasional comments as to edibility. WARNING: This site does not provide sufficient information to determine the species of mushrooms. "There are old mushroomers, and there are bold mushroomers. But there are no old, bold mushroomers."

Mycota of Roosevelt (Micromycetes). Scope extremely limited at present.

Mycota of Roosevelt (Lichenes). Scope extremely limited at present.

Protostelids of Roosevelt   At present limited to myxomycetes (slime molds) -- a small list.

Some useful and interesting links

• A Roosevelt Weather Almanac is maintained by Ron Filepp.  His site links to many useful weather-related sites.  For example, want the local forecast for the next week?  How about the current doppler radar picture for our area?
   
• For a history of stream water quality monitoring in Roosevelt, send email to Kirk Rothfuss.
  
• To contact the Borough of Roosevelt Environmental Commission, send email to Chair Rod Tulloss.
  
• American Farmland Trust
  
• The Assunpink Creek Watershed Association
  
• Division of Parks and Forestry, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protections
  
• Environmental Section, Monmouth County Planning Board

• Garden State Environet
  
• Invasive Exotic Plants Chart from Rural Action, southeastern Ohio.
  
• Monmouth Conservation Foundation
  
• Native Plant Society of New Jersey
  
• Norwalk River Watershed list of invasive plants with links to descriptions of invasives in the Virginia Natural Heritage Program Invasive Plants List and Tennessee Exotic Plant Management Manual with methods of extirpation and suggested replacements for landscaping.
  
• League of Conservation Voters - See how your U.S. Senators and Congressment have voted on Environmental Issues.
  
• Land Trust Alliance
  
• Natural Heritage Network - Special Plants of New Jersey
  
• Natural Heritage Program, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
  
• The Nature Conservancy
  
• New Jersey Audubon
  
• New Jersey Conservation Foundation
  
• New Jersey Trails Conference
  
• The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Assoctiation
  
• Washington Crossing Audubon Society
  
• Worth checking and re-checking. A neighboring ATBI effort at Georgian College can be found at
  http://gcconline.georgian.edu/gross/biodiversity/alltaxa.htm.

Historic Resources

• Images of the Roosevelt Cemetery including some individual stones (winter views).
  
• Bibliography.  Taken from the Borough's nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places.
  
• Roosevelt Historic District - 1341 (t.b.d.).  The Borough of Roosevelt is the only municipality in New Jersey which, in its entirety, is an historic district.
  
• "Jersey Homesteads" -- a chapter from Stories of New Jersey by the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of New Jersey (1938)
  
• Notes on the history of the Jersey Homesteads National Historic District and the Jersey Homesteads National Historic District Advisory Council by Dr. Arthur Shapiro.
• Notes toward an intellectual history of Roosevelt and the successful creation of "community" from "housing" by Pearl Seligman.
  
• Click here to read excerpts from letters to the Fund from Hugh C. McClellan, an architect of Jersey Homesteads working (1936-37) with Louis Kahn.
  
• The story of the Hechalutz Hightstown farm
  
• Roosevelt has been recognized as an early example of ecologically aware town design in the United States.
  
• Click here for information concerning the Borough of Roosevelt Historic Collection at the Rutgers University Library.
  
• Rutgers University students have created a webpage about New Jersey Homesteads, the original name of our town.

Social Resources

• Roosevelt Public School (K-6).  This small, historic school has no class size greater than 18.  Artists, writers, scientists, computer experts, and other citizens of the town regularly volunteer in the classrooms. The school has an active Parent-Teachers Association.
  
  A famous WPA mural by Ben and Bernarda Shahn adorns our lobby.  The original, hammered, low relief, aluminum doors of the school have been restored and were unveiled in the lobby in May, 1999.  Photos of the town (originally a Utopian community founded by the Federal Government) from the late Depression Era are on display as are many works by local artists past and present.
  
  We are proud of having a Presidential Award winning science teacher, Ms. Ilene Levine, teaching a creative, exploratory science program to our third and fourth graders---raising Cecropia Moths and Monarch Butterflies, Leopard Frogs, American Toads, and pond snails from eggs; building volcanoes; collecting and examining fluorescent ores; studying sands of the world; building a Lenape longhouse from the digging the post holes on up; designing and building a butterfly garden (spring, 2008), and more.   A 1999 project involved " making a comet."
  
  Every child gets a period of work in our computer/technology lab at least three days each week.
  
  If you and your child are searching for a very special, elementary education environment, the school has a few tuition students from outside our district; and additional tuition students will be considered.
  
  Find out more about our unique school and its program.  Email Karen Minutolo, Business Administrator, or Shari Payson, Principal.
  
  
• The grounds of the Roosevelt Public School is beginning to serve as a memorial arboretum as well. The most recent addition is a Sweet Bay Magnolia (flower above) planted in memory of the late Josette Altman. Among other plantings is a Star Magnolia in honor of the late Stephan Martin.
  
  Seedling from seeds of several historic trees are also growing on the school grounds and will be planted according to a plan to be developed by the children of the school. The historic trees include the Timothy Ball Black Walnut (mature during the American Revolution), the Tennent White Oak (mature during the Battle of Monmouth), the Carranza Pitch Pine (which shades the Carranza Memorial in the Pine Barrens), and a Horse Chestnut and a Yellow Buckeye both from the grounds of the home of the first governor of New Jersey.

• Roosevelt Arts Project.  View portions of our famous Shahn mural.  Link to many of the artists, musicians, writer, and poets living in town.  Read about our artistic community and its members past and present.  Find the schedule of events for the RAP weekend programs ranging from theater to jazz to classical piano to poetry and more.  What town of under 1,000 inhabitants has so much to offer?!

Last change 24 June 2008.
This page is maintained for the Borough of Roosevelt Environmental Commission by R. E. Tulloss.
Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008 by Fund for Roosevelt, Inc.