New exhibits in the works at Huber Woods Park Environmental Center upgrades include new hands-on activities BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer Environmental Center at Huber Woods Park on Brown's Dock Road. MIDDLETOWN - As the seasons change so do the exhibits at the Environmental Center at Huber Woods Park on Brown's Dock Road. Areas of the center are temporarily closed until February for renovations to the exhibit rooms at the park. "We like to freshen up the exhibits every now and then," said Susan Walsh, Monmouth County Park System public information officer. "We've looked at the areas being used and will make the needed improvements." With help from the naturalists located in the building and comments from the general public, the Monmouth County Park System will be working to improve the center. The renovations will be paid for by donations from the Huber Institute and with funds from the operating budget. The 258-acre park, which includes seven miles of multiuse trails, is located in the Locust section of Middletown Township. The Huber family acquired the property over the years after Joseph and Anna Huber settled in the area in 1908, and was later donated to the county. Visitors to the center will enjoy new themes, displays and different hands-on activities when the exhibits reopen in the spring, according to Walsh. "We wanted to give the center a whole new décor," Walsh said. "We want to make it more interesting for residents to bring their children and to enjoy what the center has to offer." One new exhibit will be an area called the Forest Room. Located where the bird viewing area was, the Forest Room will provide a panorama of the natural environment surrounding Huber Woods. Walsh wanted to assure people who frequent the center that the birds will still be able to be seen in the popular exhibit. "Basically, what we are doing is one big paint job of the center," Walsh said. "It's a face-lift that we have been talking about for a long time." The Environmental Center will remain open during the renovations, as visitors will be able to use the program space in the meantime. Another new exhibit will be titled "Our Changing Environment," where a junior naturalist station will be located and young visitors can identify and examine natural objects. "What we do is we rearrange the exhibits to make them relevant," Walsh said. "It's done so that people who come frequently can see the things they like and something different every time they come." The final new exhibit will be the Lenape Cultural Room, where hands-on activities and artifacts highlighting life among the Lenape tribe and other Native American traditions will be located. "It's going to be a place for people of all ages to enjoy," Walsh said. "We like to keep things seasonal and fresh."