Freeholders OK 93-acre tract preservation in Harrison Township

HARRISON TWP. -- The county freeholders have authorized a resolution to buy and preserve 93 acres on Woodland Avenue here.

That acreage of farmland joins another 300 adjacent to it that has already been preserved as open space, said Freeholder Director Stephen Sweeney.

The acquisition of land was through New Jersey's Farmland Preservation Program, said the freeholder director.

Gloucester County was able to hit a 10-year high in terms of land preservation at the end of last year. To reach that mark, last fall, four farms in Franklin, Woolwich and Harrison townships were preserved by the board of freeholders.

Farmland and open space totaling over 15,000 have been preserved throughout Gloucester County and the freeholders here aren't finished yet. There are several spots in the county slated to be preserved this year and into 2011.

"We were fortunate enough to get that property," said Sweeney of the 93 acres. "The goal is to do this whenever we can."

Christina Paciolla, The Gloucester County Times