MWA Educational Trail
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The Musconetcong Educational Trail System has level trails passing through riparian forests and wetlands along the Musconetcong National Wild and Scenic River. Noted for its wildlife and recreation, the Musconetcong River also has a remarkable human history spanning 13,000 years. Human uses of the landscape are visible on the Great Blue Heron Trail which connects former farm fields in the Musconetcong Wildlife Management Area to the Asbury Historic District. This Historic District includes the River Resource Center, the Asbury Mill and the Island Park.​ ​ The trails cross rich wetland soils that provide excellent habitat for wildflowers and wildlife. It is common to see ducks and Great Blue Herons year round. In warmer months, turtles and frogs are abundant. The trails are mostly located on the Musconetcong Wildlife Management Area where hunting and fishing are permitted. ​ ​ The trail system allows for short loops of less than 1 mile, a 1.6 mile trail along the river (3.2 miles round trip), and an extension of 0.4 miles (0.8 miles roundtrip) on the Fishing Spur Trail. All trails are suitable for beginners. Educational signs are placed along the trails to share information about the area’s plants, wildlife, and people. The Educational Trail developed from an Eagle Scout project in 2010, and has grown with numerous partnerships, including the Luunape, the Munsee speaking Lenape, who have an ancestral connection to this landscape.
Working in Partnership
​Caring for the land, water and air that sustains us is a tradition in the Musconetcong Valley. The Lenape lived along the Musconetcong River in several inter-connected villages and towns, fished in the river’s waters, and hunted in its forests and grasslands. Since then, the land passed through many hands. It has been tilled for crops and grazed by sheep and cows. Near Asbury, the river’s flow slackens due to the mill dams that alter the river’s habitat.​​The trail passes through a landscape that is evolving. Agricultural practices are increasingly focused on restoring soil health and retaining more moisture through improved conservation methods. Wildlife management is focusing more on reducing deer overpopulation to bring balance back to the forests. The forests are maturing, but are increasingly susceptible to invasive insects and weather damage. Reforestation helps keeps forest healthy. Many trees along the trail were selected because of their significance to the Lenape, including Shadbush and Willow. As you pass through this landscape, consider all who have lived here in the past and the future generations who will live and visit here.
The Two Canoes – Different cultures, in alignment, to conserve nature
​​This trail system was redeveloped by the Musconetcong Watershed Association in partnership with the Ramapough Culture and Land Foundation, made up of descendants of the Lenape people of this region. They speak the Munsee dialect and refer to themselves as Luunape, the elder people. Conservation of the natural world is central to all life. It is a path that the Lunaape and the Musconetcong Watershed Association follow together, in parallel, like two canoes on river.​
A Ceremonial Stone Landscape​​
Both this sign and a stone cairn mark the trail entrance. The Cairn is a traditional trail marker used in many cultures. Stones are added by those who pass by. As time passes, each generation knows their ancestors had a hand in building the cairn. The cairn connects our spirit across generations and to the landscape. Throughout New Jersey and the Northeast are Ceremonial Stone Landscapes, most of which were formed by Native Americans and may have been added to by others.​
Koolamalsi ​
Kwiinguneewulohmwa. ​​Ndulaangoomaawuna ​munsiiw-eeliixsihtiit waak munsiiw-ahkiing eenda-niipawuyeekw yu tali. ​​Mbahtamawehna eenda-payeekw yu tali nal weemu eelaangoomwuyeengw ​kuwiicheewukook​Nunohtamuneen yoon ahkiing keeleelundang waak ngumee weeliikung. ​​Shukw ambee koolii-punawuna keenj peeyahtiit, kway peeyahtiit waak aayaaxkwu-ch peeyahtiit.
Greetings. ​​We are the descendants of the Munsee speaking peoples whose land you stand upon. ​​It is our hope as well as our prayers that when you enter this place, that you feel the presence of our Ancestors.​​We see this place as one that has been preserved and protected, but one that allows for all humans to enjoy and to reflect, not only on those who came before but, for those here and now and all those yet to follow.​
The trail system is the culmination of efforts of more than a dozen partner organizations.
Thank you to each of them!
