Restoring the 'Mount' in Mount Holly

Tucked away behind Mount Holly homes, boxed in by residential blocks, stands the Mount, a park on a hill that has returned to its natural, healthy state after three years of reforestation.

Thanks to 45 hungry goats unleashed on the Mount two years ago, the park is 90 percent clear of the invasive English ivy that was choking out other growth.

"This is the first year you can see the progress," said Johannus Franken, a member of the township's Environmental Advisory Committee, which piloted the reforestation project.

The land has new native trees emerging, which the committee planted after the reforestation project began.

The ivy had taken over the forest floor and prevented other species from growing. It climbed trees and branches, weakening them and leaving them vulnerable to damage during storms, said Randi Rothmel, the committee chairwoman.

The committee received a grant from Sustainable Jersey to properly clear the ivy. With about $20,000 it received in spring 2013, it brought in Grazing Green Goats of Lancaster County to start the job.

"This looks very different than it was," Rothmel said. "I'm quite pleased with the turnout."

The goats did not kill the ivy, they just chewed away five acres of the 10-acre space in the month they were there in 2014. The committee then sprayed herbicides on the plants' exposed roots in the cleared area to prevent the ivy from growing back.

"Ivy is extremely hard to kill," Rothmel said. "It can just revert to what it was if you don't keep it up."

The Mount includes trails amid the towering trees and plants. Like the other parks in Mount Holly, it is maintained by the Public Works Department, said Deputy Mayor Richard DiFolco.

"It's one of our goals that our parks and resources made available to the community at large are kept up, well maintained," DiFolco said.

DiFolco said the project preserved the park's natural beauty. But he added that the township will have to keep an eye on the area to make sure ivy does not spiral out of control again.

The project demonstrated alternative ways to control invasive species, Rothmel said, instead of just using chemicals and labor-intensive machinery. One spot in the ivy-laden area was treated with only herbicides, and it's still filled with ivy, likely because the chemicals couldn't access the roots, she said.

The Mount has regular visitors every day - people run, hike, or walk a dog. In the winter, children pack the hill for sledding, said Franken, who lives behind the Mount.

"You'll hear them until the middle of the night," he said.

Near the top of the Mount is an altar, which the Rancocas Valley Clergy Association uses for religious ceremonies. Every Easter for more than 35 years, the association has hosted a well-attended sunrise service there, said Pastor David Jost of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Hainesport.

"Some people bring their hiking sticks and their hiking boots to get to the top," he said.

The secluded spot is loaded with folk stories and lessons, DiFolco said. A Revolutionary War battle in 1776 took place between the Mount and Iron Works Park in the township.

It's an interesting area for kids and families, DiFolco said - though that's not obvious from the outside.

"You would never know it unless you went up there," he said.

856-779-3912 eserpico@philly.com