Mission
Wagner Farm Arboretum seeks to enrich, educate and inspire the community by increasing environmental awareness and recreational opportunities.
Board of Trustees
2023 Board of Trustees OF Wagner Farm Arboretum
President – Kat Britt CLICK HERE TO MEET KAT
Vice President – Rory Britt
Treasurer - Tom Gove CLICK HERE TO MEET TOM
Secretary – Lori Meier CLICK HERE TO MEET LORI
Trustee - Kirk Baldwin
Trustee – Catherine Cooney CLICK HERE TO MEET CATHY
Trustee - Chris Cooney
Trustee - Michael Matrone
Trustee - Jennifer Shankar CLICK HERE TO MEET JEN
Click on the VOLUNTEER tab to learn more and to access the Trustee application form.
Arboretum Staff
Office Manager – Eileen 908-350-7383
Wagner Farm Arboretum is located at 197 Mountain Ave. Warren NJ 07059
Office and Meeting Room
Our headquarters is located at the Arboretum in the small red building that was used in the past by the Wagner Dairy Farm as a retail store. Today, the “Store” includes an office and a large room for classes, meetings, displays or demonstrations. There is a handicap accessible bathroom.
Wagner Farm Arboretum uses the meeting room space in this building for programs, demonstrations, art classes, or sometimes as a “Boutique” during planned Spring and Winter Boutique events. During our special events, the room also functions as a “Store” temporarily.
If you wish to reserve the meeting room to hold your meetings, classes or programs, please call the Arboretum and speak with our Office Manager at 908-350-7383. In addition, the Children’s Garden is available as an “outdoor classroom”. Please call for more information and reservations.
Vision
In New Jersey, our open space is rapidly disappearing. New Jersey is one of the most densely populated states and most of our land is now developed. To meet the needs of children and adults who desire a connection with nature and an appreciation of open space, the Wagner Farm Arboretum (WFA) exits on land that will not be developed and will continue to be a place that people can go to read, relax, watch birds, be in a quiet place, take photos, have a picnic, plant a garden and meet other gardeners, to name just a few. We want adults and children to experience a feeling of peacefulness, appreciation of beauty and nature, great photos and a place to enjoy a family day.
Preserving the relationship between people, plants and nature through education and conservation, WFA will continue to provide a connection to nature, a place to experience, appreciate and be inspired by its beauty. Visitors can take some time away from their daily hustle and bustle, and leave refreshed and renewed with an enhanced appreciation of nature, plants, flowers, insects, birds and land. They’ll be inspired by the beauty of the land, the gardens, the educational workshops and events, and emerge from the experience with some knowledge of the former dairy farm. The arboretum serves as an educational/cultural center as well and will continue to offer workshops to the public.
Initiated in 2007, WFA’s Giving Garden Project (GGP) has been providing fresh vegetables for the poor and needy, distributed through local food banks, soup kitchens and other agencies. The program includes vegetables grown by volunteers in WFA’s Giving Garden, as well as the harvest and distribution of excess produce from Snyder Farm of Pittstown, NJ by GGP volunteers. In addition to the thousands of pounds of locally grown fresh vegetables, the Giving Garden Project provides an opportunity for individuals, schools, corporations and service groups to participate in a worthwhile service program through volunteering and donations. Since its inception, the WFA GGP has distributed nearly 495,000 pounds of food to combat local hunger and we look forward to expanding this program as much as possible
WFA strives to provide a sense of the old farm with a new twist. Effort is made to retain the feeling of old time living but maintain the property so that it has a restored and well-tended, though well-lived, appearance. Providing a very special enrichment for future generations of Warren Township and beyond, WFA hopes to showcase the special aspects of our rural agrarian community history, the unique geographic and geological aspects of the Watchung Mountains and the Passaic River Valley, and how these help shape our future quality and appreciation of life, community and country.
No admission is charged to visit WFA. Fundraising continues to raise revenue through events, memberships, corporate and local business sponsors, and grants from large foundations. Other revenue for on-going operations will be generated through a wide range of educational classes and special events for children and adults in the immediate community; plans are to eventually service a wider community. A planned online WFA store will also be a source of revenue generation along with the proposed Amphitheatre.
Projected growth based on current donations
2012 - 2019
GROWTH
To date most of Section 1 and Section 2 has been completed: Installation of a community garden, an arbor entrance, memorial benches, an engraved brick walkway, a gazebo, installation of Whimsical Children’s Garden, installation of a maze and butterfly garden, installation of life sized cow sculptures and improved parking area.
Phase Cost vs Fundraising
Revised Site Plans
NEW PHASE 3 (1-3 Years)
Installation of a large greenhouse to support the gardens and a teaching facility
Expansion of the Community Garden,
Paving for compost and soil area,
Installation of a garden comprised of raised tables under pavers for gardeners with disabilities. These raised tables would make it possible for anyone to garden that has difficulty bending over or is wheelchair bound.
Expansion of the Children’s Garden to include a rose garden and learning stations, including Food web, Plant Identification (Flowers/Bark/Seed), Plant Reproduction and Seed Game, Native vs. Exotic, Butterfly Life Cycle and a Bug Game. Learning Station will educate all ages on different ecological concepts.
Addition of 5 trees with benches at the beginning of Tree Alley to frame silo, Improved side entrance with additional signage with operational hours.
Replace burning bushes with Viburnum.
Electricity to new shed.
New PHASE 4 (3-5 YEARS)
Formal Garden Area – This will be designed and constructed behind the new shed building. It will be designed with undulating terrain, walkways, a learning area and formal gardens including a Butterfly meadow, a sensory garden, a Fragrance walk, a Zen garden and an Aster field. A shallow pond will be added for water plant viewing near the rear exit into the Recreational trails.
Phase 5 (5-8 years)
The design of this area will be a continuation of gardens from Phase 4, expanding the property westward to the woods boundary. This will be designed and constructed to include an orchard, a topiary area, a four season walk, Azalea Way, raised beds, an outdoor Amphitheatre as well as additional parking and entrance. The walkways will be designed to flow around topographically enhanced gardens. The Arboretum trails will link with the walking and hiking trails in the flood plain and will allow the visitors to leave the formal gardens area and travel into a totally natural setting with bird and wildlife watching facilities and enhancements.
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