22 Acres of Forest Preserved in Hunterdon County

A beautiful part of New Jersey stays beautiful, with the help of preservation efforts like this:

From the D&R Greenway Land Trust:

We did it! With your help, D&R Greenway Land Trust   and East Amwell Township preserved 22 acres in   East Amwell Township, Hunterdon County!  On June 14, D&R Greenway Land Trust and East Amwell Township preserved the 22-acre Lang property in Hunterdon County, valued at $300,000.     D&R Greenway provided the staffing to secure this parcel for preservation, and will manage the land in partnership with East Amwell Township. The 22-acre property is an addition to D&R Greenway's 65-acre Omick Preserve. The property provides for public access opportunities for future trails on the total 87 acres. The newly preserved land is entirely forested with a mix of upland and wetland hardwood trees. The property provides habitat for bird species of conservation concern including veery, hooded warbler and barred owl. The considerable wetland areas show evidence of hummocks and hollows that typically serve as ideal amphibian breeding grounds. More protected land for people, plants and wildlife! Location of the Lang Property within the Sourland Mountain Greenway. Click on image to view larger. From Mayor Peter Kneski, of East Amwell Township: "I am pleased that the Township in conjunction with D&R Greenway has preserved this lovely wooded area.  It enhances and makes accessible the larger Omick Preserve to the north.  There are plans to build a trail in the combined woodlands to provide a natural trail close to Ringoes and the school."   From Kevin Richardson, County Open Space Program Administrator at Hunterdon County: "The County of Hunterdon is pleased to provide grant assistance for, and continue our support of, D&R Greenway Land Trust's land preservation initiatives. This acquisition demonstrates the importance of building strong partnerships with land trusts and leveraging funds from State, County, and Municipal sources which benefit all Hunterdon County residents by enhancing our rural character and preserving our natural, cultural and environmental resources."   D&R Greenway again thanks the outstanding work and support of East Amwell Township, and the funding contributors - the State Green Acres Program and the Hunterdon County Open Space Program.

Delaware Township Preserves 24 Acres

A little acre whore love before we head to bed. My, that sounds dirty.

Originally appeared on NJ.com.

Four, 6-acre building lots are being preserved in Delaware Township

DELAWARE TWP. — Four approved building lots of 6 acres each on Locktown-Sergeantsville Road will be preserved for $663,000. The land is owned by longtime resident Harriet Fisher and adjoins a farm where a proposal to “harvest” spring water for bottling was denied two years ago.

The deal was arranged by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and the land would connect to other preserved property.

On Jan. 30 the Township Committee approved spending $40,775 of the money raised by the township open space tax. The rest of the money will come from county, state and federal tax dollars: $132,600 will come from Hunterdon County’s open space fund; $249,625 from the state Agriculture Development Committee; and $240,000 from the federal Farm and Ranchland Protection Program.

The lots were subdivided from a 70-acre farm at the intersection of Reading and Locktown-Sergeantsville roads.

Harriet’s son, Charlie, had sought Board of Adjustment approval to “harvest” 43,200 gallons of spring water daily for bottling. He wanted to pipe water from springs to new silos that would have replaced feed silos next to a former dairy barn on the remaining land at Spring Meadow Farm.

He said that water tanker trucks emptying the silos would have been similar to the bulk trucks that once took milk from the farm. The Fishers’ dairy operation was replaced by crop farming. The family previously preserved three other farms nearby.

The Board of Adjustment denied the application in 2010, feeling it wasn’t a suitable use. During the hearing process, Fisher said that water harvesting would allow the family to keep the land open. Had it been approved, he had promised to sign a promissory note with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation to preserve the land and create a habitat for threatened and endangered species by creating “wetter wetlands” and planting native species.

Prior to the water harvesting application, the family had subdivided the four building lots from the rest of the farm.

22 Acres Preserved in West Amwell, Hunterdon County

This is a beautiful part of the state. Continued preservation efforts can only help keep it that way.


Information provided by D&R Greenway Land Trust newsletter (www.drgreenway.org):

• Preserved in a 50% bargain sale in honor of the owner's parents, who had owned the land.
• Located on Barry Road in West Amwell Township, just east of a major concentration of D&R Greenway-preserved land.
• Primarily wooded with young successional forest on the east side and older woodland on the west side.
• Protects forested headwaters of the Moores Creek.
• Provides opportunities for public trails near the existing Dry Run Creek and Rockhopper Trails.
• West Amwell will own and manage the land for recreation and conservation purposes.

89 Acres Preserved in East Amwell, Hunterdon County

From the Hunterdon County Democrat. 


Love seeing stories from East Amwell, which has often been covered for its expansive open space preservation efforts.

EAST AMWELL TWP. — Overlooking the vast expanse of grasslands that slopes toward the forested Sourland Ridge, more than a dozen advocates of open space held a celebration Nov. 2 to applaud the acquisition of the 89-acre parcel on Cider Mill Road.

In a cooperative partnership, the Delaware & Raritan Greenway Land Trust cobbled together money for the $2,056,110 acquisition from state funds and nonprofit groups: $400,000 from state land acquisition funds, $400,000 from East Amwell’s Green Acres grant, $200,000 from the Natural Resource Damages Fund to match half of the township’s contribution, $407,882 from the county’s nonprofit grant program, $411,222 from Conservation Resources Inc., and $237,006 from a Green Acres nonprofit grant.

Since some of the money pledged was unavailable for the December 2010 closing, a low-interest loan from the Open Space Institute enabled the land trust to meet the purchase price by the deadline. Earlier this year, the other partners helped pay back the loan.

The township shares ownership of the property with the land trust and the state Division of Fish and Wildlife. Mayor Larry Tatsch said it is the first grasslands habitat that the township has been able to preserve for public use.

Sean Grace, an East Amwell resident and sanctuary director of the New Jersey Audubon Society, said grasslands are one of the least preserved habitats in North America, noting that less than 1 percent of the original grasslands remains.

“They’re critically endangered habitats and all animals that are then associated with it,” he said.

Among the birds that will frequent the Cider Mill preserve are American kestrels, bobolinks, Eastern meadowlarks, Northern harriers, short-eared owls, grasshopper sparrows and indigo buntings, many of which are listed as endangered, threatened or as a species of special concern.

As a result of changes in farming practices, providing and managing a place for grassland birds is an uphill battle in New Jersey, said Tony Petrongolo, Bureau of Land Management chief for the state Division of Fish and Wildlife.

“Where most of the landscape used to provide a habitat before, today every 90 acres like this is a struggle,” he said.

Michael Catania, president of Conservation Resources Inc., called the preservation of the property a substantial victory.

“One hundred years from now, people are going to look back and say, ‘Thank God, somebody had the foresight to preserve this because this doesn’t look like other parts of our state,’” he said.

In addition to protecting a critical habitat, Linda Mead, president and CEO of the land trust, said the public can walk along the property, taking in the scenic views, stars and grassland birds.

“It’s a perfect example of what the statewide Green Acres program sets out to do,” she said.
Diana Raichel, a conservation biologist for the land trust, will help manage the property. Key to effort is the need to delay mowing until after the birds have nested and fledged, and to keep woody vegetation at bay, she said.

“Anything that breaks up a field is less suitable for these area-sensitive birds,” she said, adding that grassland birds require large open spaces. “You want to maintain this ecological state to keep it from succeeding into a forest.”

Stockton Property Preserved in Hunterdon County

15.5 acres overlooking Delaware River saved at a cost of $554,000

A 15.5-acre property along the Delaware River bluffs in Hunterdon County that could have become four building lots has instead been preserved as permanent open space, the New Jersey Conservation Foundation announced Monday.

Using a combination of grants and donations, the Foundation and the New Jersey Water Supply Authority purchased the property near the intersection of Route 29 and Worman Road in Stockton for $554,000.

The property is located behind the historic John Prall house, a circa 1795 stone building on Route 29 that is owned by the Foundation and used as a regional office.

The acquisition expands the Wickecheoke Creek Preserve, a green belt of preserved open space and farmland along the stream for which it is named, and will allow connections to be made between existing public hiking trails.

“We’re thrilled to be able to add this beautiful property to the Wickecheoke Creek Preserve,” Michele S. Byers, Foundation director, said. “It had preliminary approval for four building lots, so it could have very easily been developed. We’re very grateful to our partners and donors for making this acquisition possible.”

Funding for the property’s purchase and stewardship came from the Water Supply Authority ($262,250), the state Green Acres program ($131,125), the Hunterdon County Open Space Trust Fund ($100,860), and substantial private donations from nearby residents Dr. David and Karen L. Holmes and Suzanne Perrault and David Rago.

“The authority is pleased to help preserve this parcel using funds provided by its water customers and financing through the NJ Environmental Infrastructure Financing Program,” Henry Patterson, the agency’s director, said. “Protection of this property will contribute to the health of the D&R Canal, a drinking water source for more than one million central New Jersey residents.”

"The New Jersey Conservation Foundation is to be congratulated for its foresight and longstanding efforts in creating the Wickecheoke Creek Preserve. This particular parcel is very unique, with a fabulous overlook of the old quarry pond," Pam Thier, Green Acres program development specialist, said.

“This property is a major save in a small community like Stockton,” Hunterdon Freeholder Ron Sworen said. “It is a great use of our Open Space Trust Funds.

The Foundation is a private, member-supported nonprofit that preserves land and natural resources throughout New Jersey. Since 1960, it has protected more than 120,000 acres of open space.

— TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

240 Acres Preserved in Kingwood Twp., Hunterdon County

By Teresa Fasanello


KINGWOOD TWP. — Township officials signed the deed to about 240 acres on the Horseshoe Bend Road property on May 26, after more than five years of negotiations and waiting for funding.

The financial transaction of $5.8 million is expected to take place later in June, Mayor Phillip Lubitz said. About $4.7 million will come from the state Green Acres program, $1.1 million from township open space funds, $444,000 from the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and $150,000 from a Natural Resources of New Jersey grant.

About 73 acres were already purchased last year by the township, the conservation foundation and Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance, bringing the total purchase price to about $6.3 million.

Formerly owned by Deer Run Equestrian Village LLC, the property was subdivided into about 60 residential lots in 2006, and could have become a development if not preserved as open space.

Lubitz called the property “the jewel of all the Hunterdon County parks.”

Use of the property is free to Kingwood Township residents, hikers and “nature lovers” for horseback riding, mountain biking, bird watching and other “passive” recreational activities, he said.

An 11,000-square-foot indoor equestrian center already stands on the property, along with barns and other structures.

Township officials are negotiating with equestrian, biking and hiking associations, and hope to create an agreement for those associations to use the property in exchange for helping to maintain it, according to Committeeman Jim Burke.

310 Acres Getting Preserved in Tewksbury!

Here's a nice big purchase, which will create nearly 900 acres of contiguous green space:

TEWKSBURY TWP. — The township will chip in $300,000 of Green Acres money to help the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and three non-profit partners preserve 160 acres of the landmark Hill & Dale Farm here.

The foundation is coordinating a $7.2 million preservation effort to turn 160 acres on Hill and Dale Road into a nature and agriculture preserve. Another 150 acres of the farm is the subject of a state farmland preservation application.

In October, $738,000 more in private funding was needed to complete the deal. The township’s money will be in the form of a matching grant so the groups must come up with the matching amount. Since October, $230,000 has been raised, according to the foundation, including $14,270 at a dinner at the Tewksbury Inn.

The township had tentatively designated the $300,000 previously so that money does not count toward the $738,000. The Township Committee made it official with a resolution adopted on Jan. 11.

Originally a dairy farm, Hill & Dale has served as an equestrian facility in recent decades. Along with the Tewksbury Land Trust, Upper Raritan Watershed Association and Lamington Conservancy, the foundation has secured nearly $5.5 million in financial commitments and is awaiting another $1 million in pending approvals, for a total of almost $6.5 million.

The funding package consists of $2.3 million in state Green Acres grants, $2.3 million in state Natural Resource Damages funds, $1 million from Hunterdon County, $652,500 from the state Water Supply Authority and $192,000 in grants from the federal Farm and Ranchlands Preservation Program.

Preservation of Hill & Dale Farm would create an 830-acre contiguous green belt of preserved open space and farmland, extending from the township’s Hell Mountain Preserve eastward to the county’s Cold Brook Preserve off Route 517 in Oldwick.

In addition to the 310 acres to be preserved, a 13-acre parcel within the farm, containing a cottage and historic barn, will be sold privately. Several other houses and farm buildings on Hill & Dale Farm will remain in the possession of the Rothpletz family, its owners. The family has applied to sell developments rights to the 150-acre section to the State Agriculture Development Board in the form of a farmland easement.

For information about donating to create the preserve, contact Beth Davisson, project manager for the foundation, at 908-234-1225 or beth@njconservation.org.

73 acres preserved in Kingwood, Hunterdon County

From a NJ Conservation e-mail... this one is so fresh it's not even on their Web site yet!

Vital stats:

ACRES:  73 

TOWN: Kingwood TownshipCOUNTY:  Hunterdon

REGION: Western Piedmont 

TYPE: Farmland easement and fee purchase of natural area

PARTNERS: Kingwood Township, Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance, State Agriculture Development Committee, U.S. Department of Agriculture/ Natural Resources Conservation Service

KINGWOOD TOWNSHIP - New Jersey Conservation Foundation and its partners have preserved a 73-acre property outside Frenchtown for public recreation and agricultural use. 

The newly-preserved property on Horseshoe Bend Road consists of a 48-acre parcel, on which a farmland easement was purchased, and a 25-acre parcel that was purchased outright.

The land sits on the Delaware River Bluffs and offers spectacular views of Pennsylvania. It contains the finest farmland in Kingwood Township, trout production tributaries to the Delaware, and significant woodlands.

New Jersey Conservation Foundation purchased an easement on the 48-acre farmland parcel, ensuring that it remains in agricultural use forever. Funding came from the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) and U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm and Ranchlands Protection Program.

Kingwood Township and the Hunterdon Land Trust Alliancebought the 25-acre natural area in fee, using state Green Acres funding and Kingwood Township open space money.

Five-acre Hunterdon County Parcel Connects Preserved Lands (04/18/10)

Some McMansions are located on five acres. But, hey, think of it this way: one less McMansion.
Five-acre Hunterdon County Parcel Connects Preserved Lands 

By New Jersey Conservation Foundation 4/17/2010

Pat Hilton has wonderful memories of growing up with her three brothers on their family’s farm along the Wickecheoke Creek: collecting eggs from the chickens, raising heifers, discovering stone ruins in the woods and cooling off in their favorite swimming hole. Future generations will be able to enjoy many of the same pleasures, thanks to the Hilton family’s conservation ethic. Thirteen years ago Pat’s parents, Estella and the late Edward J. Hilton Sr., preserved 70 acres of farmland through an easement that permanently restricts it to agricultural use. Now Estella Hilton has preserved a wooded 5.2-acre parcel along the creek by selling it to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. Acquisition of the landlocked property expands New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s Wickecheoke Creek Preserve, an ever-growing network of protected parcels along the scenic Wickecheoke Creek. The preserve extends from the creek’s confluence with the Delaware River and D&R Canal in Prallsville to its headwaters in Franklin Township, and encompasses more than 2,000 acres of preserved farmland and public open space. The newly-acquired property bridges the gap between other preserved lands. "It’s a small property, but one that is very important to us," said Michele S. Byers, executive director of New Jersey Conservation Foundation. "We’ve been working for more than 20 years to preserve land along the Wickecheoke Creek, and it’s critical to keep adding in the connecting parcels." "This fills a hole in the doughnut, if you will," said Hilton. "It’s been a pleasure to work with New Jersey Conservation Foundation on this project." The property is bordered by the Hilton family’s preserved farmland and two other preserved open space tracts, increasing public opportunities for hiking and nature observation along the Wickecheoke. The property is near the foundation’s Wickecheoke Creek Preserve kiosk on Lower Creek Road in Delaware Township. Hilton said her mother and two surviving brothers, Joseph and Michael, are happy to be able to preserve the property. "It’s such a beautiful creek," she said. "I remember when we were growing up we had a swimming hole. It was a lot of fun to go down there and get refreshed." The steeply-banked property also includes ruins of an old stone building. "I remember seeing them as a kid and wondering what they were," said Hilton, adding that the site still looks the same 40 years later. The property was purchased for $42,092, using funding from Delaware Township and the state Green Acres program. "We are grateful to both the Hilton Family and NJCF to their commitment to this acquisition," said Delaware Township Deputy Mayor Kristin McCarthy. "While it is a small property, it plays an important role in maintaining the fragile ecosystem of the Wickecheoke and the watershed in general." "We are proud to have provided assistance to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation in preserving this important link in their established greenway system," said Amy Cradic, DEP’s Assistant Commissioner for Natural and Historic Resources. New Jersey Conservation Foundation is celebrating its 50th anniversary of preserving land and natural resources throughout New Jersey for the benefit of all. Since 1960, it has protected more than 120,000 acres of open space - from the Highlands to the Pine Barrens to the Delaware Bayshore, from farms to forests to urban and suburban parks. New Jersey Conservation Foundation has been in the forefront of land preservation policy since its inception, advocating for historic laws protecting the Pine Barrens, Highlands, farmland, water quality and every Green Acres open space initiative. For more information, go to www.njconservation.org or call 1-888-LAND-SAVE.