Sourland Mountain

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The Sourland Mountain is a 17 miles (27 km) long ridge in central New Jersey, extending from the Delaware River at Lambertville to the western end of Hillsborough Township near the community of Neshanic in Branchburg Township, through Montgomery Township and into Hopewell Township in Mercer County.^[1] It comprises the largest contiguous forest in Central Jersey, nearly 90 square miles (233 km²) in area. The highest point is only 568 feet (173 m) above sea level, but the way it rises steeply from the surrounding farmland has earned it the title of 'mountain'.

1 Etymology
2 Geology
3 Wildlife
4 Recreation
5 Notable inhabitants
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Etymology

The origin of the name Sourland is unclear and a few theories exist. It could be derived from the term “sorrel-land” which describes the sorrel (reddish-brown) colored soils encountered by the pioneering German farmers, or German immigrants from the Sauerland region simply anglicized the name of their home region. Another possible source for the name is from 17th century Dutch settlers who referred to the region as "sauer landt" because the region was clearly not suitable for farming. To this day, the area remains relatively undeveloped - besides being unsuitable for farming, the hard igneous rock, nonporous clay soils, steep slopes and perched wetlands create groundwater conditions which make the area difficult for drilling wells and installing septic systems.

[edit] Geology

The ridge was formed by a plutonic intrusion of a hard igneous rock, diabase, into the Brunswick Shale formation.^[2]. The diabase and related hornfels are much more erosion resistant than the surrounding shales, and this difference is what formed the mountain. The hard igneous rock diabase, called "trap rock", is quarried commercially in several locations.

[edit] Wildlife

The Sourland Mountain is an environmentally sensitive area and is home to several rare and threatened plants and animals, including: trout lilies, wood anemones, ginseng, spotted salamander, pileated woodpecker, bobcat, wood turtle, barred owl, bobolink, Cooper's hawk, grasshopper sparrow, savannah sparrow, upland sandpiper, and the scarlet tanager.

The Sourlands serve as a stopover area for migratory birds that travel between South and Central America and the Arctic as well as forest birds migrating between Washington, D.C., and Boston. The area also supports a large population of deep-woods birds such as scarlet tanagers and barred owls.

Being the largest contiguous forest between the Pine Barrens and the New Jersey Highlands, it is critical to the survival of neotropical migrant birds and other rare species of plants and animals. D&R Greenway Land Trust's partner in Mexico, Amigos de Calakmul, protects bird habitat at the southern end of the migratory flyway.^[3]

[edit] Recreation

Small parks and access points make the mountain popular for hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, hunting, and bird watching. The largest park is the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Nearby is the Sourland Mountain Nature Preserve^[4]

[edit] Notable inhabitants

Notable residents of the Mountain include: playwrights Eugene O'Neill and George Bernard Shaw, aviator Charles Lindbergh, patriot John Hart (signer of the Declaration of Independence), and the painter George Bellows.

In March of 1932, the Mountain was the scene of the notorious kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby. The Lindberghs had chosen the Mountain for their new home precisely because of its isolation and inaccessibility.