Columbia Wildlife Management Area

Mount Pleasant Road, Knowlton Township, Warren County, NJ

997 acres

Directions:

Bounded by Hemlock Road on the west, Mount Pleasant Road on the north, and Hainesburg River Road on the south.

US 80 west to exit 4; Route 94 northeast for 2.4 miles and turn left onto Mount Pleasant Road; drive 0.5 of a mile and turn left into the parking area for the Columbia Wildlife Management Area.

(For maps see: www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/wmaland.htm)

From the parking lot on Mount Pleasant Road,  turn right out of the parking lot and right onto Route 94 south; turn left onto Brugler Road; left turn onto Warrington Road; go under US 80 and in a short distance turn right into the parking area by a small lake. 

Another section of the Columbia Wildlife Management Area is found around Delaware Lake.  Heading south on Warrington Road/Delaware Road, one will find another sign for the Columbia WMA on the southwest corner of the intersection with Linaberry Road. 

Trails:

Lillian Shupe reported that: "Very wet. I only went about 1/3 a mile until the pathway became too soggy. Need high rubber boots for this place."

(Source: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NJBD.html)

6/26/04.  Rosemary, Carl, dog Sonar and I parked in the area for the Columbia Wildlife Management Area.  There is a very large filed with a border of woods.  The place was thick with wild flowers.  There were no apparent paths leading from the parking area.  We did find an informal one going off to the right (west).  We had to bushwhack a bit as the path may have been more of a deer path than anything else.  There were a lot of flattened circles of vegetation where the deer have been sleeping.

We later found an informal path along the western edge of the field. Bushwhacked a little ways into the woods but it was tough going.  Rosemary and Carl were too discouraged by the thickness of the vegetation, so I went on alone for awhile.  I will have to come back by myself and check out the area in more detail. 

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney; date = date plant found in bloom

Trees:
Acer negundo (ash-leaved maple)
Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven)
Catalpa sp. (catalpa)
Celtis occidentalis (hackberry)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Juglans nigra (black walnut)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Tilia americana (American basswood)
Ulmus rubra (slippery elm)

Shrubs:
Cornus alternifolia (alternate-leaved dogwood)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)

Vines:
Convolvulus arvensis (find bindweed)
Menispermum canadense (Canada moonseed)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis sp. (grape)

Herbs:
Achillea millefolium (yarrow)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) 6/26/04
Allium vineale (field garlic)
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)
Amphicarpaea bracteata (hog peanut)
Apocynum cannabinum (Indian hemp) 6/26/04
Arabis glabra (tower mustard) ?
Arenaria serpyllifolia (thyme-leaved sandwort) 6/26/04
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) 6/26/04
Carduus nutans (nodding thistle) 6/26/04
Cerastium vulgatum (mouse-ear chickweed)
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy) 6/26/04
Cichorium intybus (chicory) 6/26/04
Circaea lutetiana (enchanter's nightshade) 6/26/04
Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle) 6/26/04
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace) 6/26/04
Dianthus armeria (Deptford pink) 6/26/04
Erigeron annuus (daisy fleabane) 6/26/04
Eupatorium rugosum (white snakeroot) 6/26/04
Galium aparine (cleavers)
Galium mollugo (wild madder) 6/26/04
Geum canadense (white avens) 6/26/04
Hackelia virginiana (Virginia stickseed)
Hieracium caespitosum (field hawkweed) 6/26/04
Hypericum punctatum (spotted St. Johnswort) 6/26/04
Impatiens capensis (orange jewelweed) 6/26/04
Leonurus cardiaca (motherwort) 6/26/04
Linaria vulgaris (butter and eggs)
Matricaria matricarioides (pineappleweed) 6/26/04
Medicago lupulina (black medick) 6/26/04
Melilotus alba (white sweet clover) 6/26/04
Melilotus officinalis (yellow sweet clover) 6/26/04
Nepeta cataria (catnip)
Osmorhiza claytonii (sweet cicely)
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel) 6/26/04
Penstemon digitalis (foxglove beardtongue) 6/26/04
Pilea pumila (clearweed)
Plantago lanceolata (English plantain) 6/26/04
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum cespitosum (cespitose smartweed) 6/26/04
Polygonum virginianum (jumpseed)
Potentilla norvegica (rough cinquefoil) 6/26/04
Potentilla recta (rough-fruited cinquefoil) 6/26/04
Prunella vulgaris (self-heal) 6/26/04
Pycnanthemum virginianum (Virginia mountain mint) 6/26/04 soon
Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black-eyed Susan) 6/26/04
Rumex crispus (curled dock)
Satureja vulgaris (wild basil) 6/26/04
Silene antirrhina (sleepy catch-fly)
Silene latifolia (white campion) 6/26/04
Silene vulgaris (bladder campion) 6/26/04
Solanum carolinense (horse nettle) 6/26/04
Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet nightshade) 6/26/04
Solidago sp. (goldenrod)
Symplocarpus foetidus (skunk cabbage)
Taraxacum officinale (dandelion) 6/26/04
Thlaspi arvense (field pennycress)
Trifolium hybridum (alsike clover) 6/26/04
Trifolium pratense (red clover) 6/26/04
Trifolium repens (white clover) 6/26/04
Typha latifolia (broad-leaved cattail)
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein) 6/26/04
Verbascum blattaria (moth mullein) 6/26/04
Verbena urticifolia (white vervain) 6/26/04

Sedges:
Carex crinita (sedge)

Grasses:
Anthoxanthum odoratum (sweet vernal grass)
Bromus inermis (smooth brome grass)
Bromus japonicus (Japanese brome grass)
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Elytrigia repens (quack grass)
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stilt grass)
Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass)
Phleum pratense (Timothy grass)
Phragmites australis (giant reed grass)

Ferns and Fern Allies:
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)