31 March 2019

Beatrix Farrand documentary

CORRECTION: On Wednesday at 7 join us for a visit from Karyl Evans as we learn about her documentary on Beatrix Farrand.

This is the first documentary ever produced about the life and gardens of Beatrix Farrand, the most successful female landscape architect in early 20th century America and one of the founders of the American Society of Landscape Architects.




This compelling film chronicles the life of Beatrix Farrand (1872-1959), the niece of Edith Wharton, who grew up in the privileged world of the East Coast elite and fought through the challenges of working in a male-dominated profession to design over 200 landscape commissions during her remarkable 50-year career.
The documentary takes viewers on an inspiring journey across the country as we explore her personal story and many of her most spectacular gardens, including Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C.; the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden at the New York Botanical Garden; Garland Farm in Bar Harbor, Maine; the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden in Bar Harbor, Maine; and her California gardens.



The narrative is recounted through interviews with Farrand scholar Diana Balmori, landscape historian Judith Tankard, and landscape architect Shavaun Towers. Current photographs and footage of more than 50 Farrand-related sites along with archival images from the Beatrix Farrand Archives at the University of California Berkeley are woven together to bring to life Beatrix Farrand’s extraordinary story, reminding us why her awe-inspiring work is still relevant to this day.

Karyl Evans is a six-time Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker. Ms. Evans, owner of Karyl Evans Productions LLC in North Haven, Connecticut has produced more than 50 historical documentary projects over her 30 year career. Karyl is on the National Speakers List for the Garden Club of America and is a Fellow at Yale University.

To learn more about the work of Karyl Evans visit: KarylEvansProductions.com 

28 March 2019

Forked River Mountains

The latest The State We Are In column introduces many readers to the Forked River Mountains of the Pinelands. Well worth a read, especially as spring fever sets in. You will surely want to take a trip down to explore some section of the Pinelands, if not this one.


27 March 2019

New Brunswick Memories

The Library of Congress kept a collection online called American Memory. Within that there are some great New Brunswick resources. Here is a sample...

A 1936 photo near the tracks

The Indian Queen Tavern

 A D&R Canal lock






05 March 2019

NJ GeoWeb

As a quick study tool, try exploring NJ GeoWeb.

Start out trying something simple, like overlaying schools on land use.

But then try something harder. Can you make a custom digital map of superfund sites within 100’ of all streams in Middlesex County, NJ, overlaid on a backdrop showing the county’s soils?