What is a herbarium? A herbarium is a collection of preserved plants which are annotaed for scientific and public study in a filed taxonomic system. The first herbarium dates back to 1578 when a count in Italy established the national herbarium. Presently, there is a functional national herbarium in every nation in the world. In the United States the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. houses about 1.8 million mounted plant specimens from all over the world.

Island Beach State Park was purchased in 1953 with the intent of protecting one of the few remaining natural barrier beaches in New Jersey and its unique plant communities. In 1959, William Martin, Rutgers University, developed an illustrated vegetational cross section of the island's various plant species and communities as they were known at that time.

The herbarium at Island Beach State Park began in 1995 with the support of Superintendent William Vibbert. Funding was from a generous donation from the William deCamp family of Mantoloking and Short Hills, and from the friends of Mr. deCamp. The herbarium was named to honor the memory of Emily deCamp, a conservationist and artist. No state funding went into the building of the herbarium or establishing the plant collection.

The herbarium is fortunate to have a Board of Directors comprising Dr. David Fairbrothers, retired Professor of Botany at Rutgers University, and Director of the M.C. Chrysler Herbarium at the university; Karl Anderson, Director of the New Jersey Audubon Society's Rancoas Nature Center and a superb botanist; Frank Parker, of the Trust for Public Land, and William deCamp as Chairman. The staff of the Emily deCamp Herbarium is Paul "Pete" McLain, Director, and Diane Bennett, Supervisor.

Between 1995 and 2000 over 400 (Visit the Emily deCamp Herbarium online) vascular plants from the park have been collected and identified during their blooming season, carefully pressed to dry them, then frozen to destroy any insects. They were then carefully labeled and mounted in individual 8 by 12 inch glass or plastic modified Riker mounts. At the Island Beach Interpretive Center these mounts are presented in a humidity controlled cabinet under a nine color coded cross section showing the location of the various plant communities at Island Beach State Park.

One of the main attractions of the Emily deCamp Herbarium is that the visiting public and scientists have the opportunity to handle and examine individual modified Riker mounts. Most herbariums are not open to the public due to the delicate nature of sheet-mounted plant specimens. A children's plant exhibit and an outside native plant garden are available for public use at Island Beach.

The Interpretive Center is open on weekends starting in May from 10 AM to 4 PM. From June to September the daily hours are 10AM to 4PM. It will be closed on Tuesdays. For additional information on the Emily deCamp Herbarium call the Nature Center at Island Beach State Park at 732-793-1698 or write Nature Center, PO Box 37, Seaside Park. New Jersey, 08752.

Visit the Emily deCamp Herbarium online