63 acres in Rockaway Twp. preserved as open space (05/05/10)

Original article appeared here.

By Colleen O'Dea

ROCKAWAY TWP. — The 63-acre Copper Beech tract on Lyonsville Road is now protected open space.

At their meeting Wednesday night, the Morris County Freeholders presented a ceremonial check for $1.95 million to The Trust for Public Land, which closed April 30 on the property adjacent to the Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area. The total cost for the project was $2.15 million, with the remaining $200,000 coming from the state Green Acres program. The Morris County Preservation Trust approved the county funding portion last November.

"Morris County is a great place to live, and conservation areas such as Wildcat Ridge, Dixon's Pond, and Pyramid Mountain play a large part in the quality of life here," said Anthony Cucchi, The Trust for Public Land's New Jersey director. "The county's commitment to link these natural areas only strengthens the value of these areas, and the Copper Beech property will be a keystone for that effort."

Known as Copper Beech for the beech trees on the property, the land contains both water protection and forest resources according to the Highlands regional master plan and because it is in the planning area of the region, it was open for development. Johanson Holding Company owned the property.

"This is another exceptional example of our long commitment to protect our county's natural areas, especially those with this level of environmental significance," said Morris County Freeholder Jack Schrier, who is currently serving as acting chairman of the New Jersey Highlands Council and is the liaison to the county's open space program.

The land was a priority for protection for many years, and in 2005 the township open space committee asked the The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit conservation organization, to help preserve it. In 2008, with real estate values dropping due to the economic downturn, the trust and New Jersey Conservation Foundation worked together for a solution that included the foundation agreeing to manage the land.

"We are very excited to work with The Trust for Public Land in preserving this property," said Michele S. Byers, executive director of New Jersey Conservation Foundation. "This property provides another link in a network of preserved lands, which will ultimately lead to more trails for the public to enjoy."

Rockaway Township Mayor Louis Sceusi said township officials are grateful that the land is now protected: "I applaud and appreciate that in these difficult economic times, our county and The Trust for Public Land continue to recognize the paramount wisdom in preserving and protecting critical watershed property and our supply of clean water."

Colleen O'Dea: 973-428-6655, codea@gannett.com.

Hillsborough and Somerset County working to preserve 57-acre farm (05/03/10)

Original article appeared on mycentraljersey.com.

Hillsborough and Somerset County working to preserve 57-acre farm

BY PAMELA SROKA-HOLZMANN • STAFF WRITER • MAY 3, 2010

HILLSBOROUGH — Township and county officials are working to preserve the development rights of the 57-acre Maple Lane Farm on Township Line Road. If the preservation is successful, it will bring the total farmland acreage preserved in the area between Township Line and Homestead Roads to more than 800 acres, said Mayor Frank DelCore.
The purchase price is $1.1 million or $19,500 per acre. The property will remain a farm in private hands in perpetuity, but the development rights will be stripped from the land, said Clerk and Business Administrator Kevin Davis. Through a resolution approved by the Township Committee in June 2009, the township had committed to providing $200,000 or 18 percent of the cost from the Township's Open Space Trust Fund. The county had originally agreed to pay $244,600 or 22 percent of the cost. The state was expected to fund 60 percent of the cost.
However, Tom Miller, the attorney representing the county, said Monday the Somerset County Agriculture Development Board, who is coordinating the effort, has gained financial commitments from the New Jersey Conservation Foundation for $530,000 and the federal Farm and Ranchland Protection program for $581,500. As a result of that additional funding, Miller said the township and the county might not be required to provide the funds it originally committed. The additional funds are expected to be received no later than the property's closing expected by June 30, Miller said.
 Committeeman Bob Wagner, liaison to the Open Space Advisory Committee, said the farmland preservation had been a priority for that committee. "The good news is that the acreage can be preserved from development, the better news is that Hillsborough may not have to contribute any funds toward that preservation," he said.
 According to the New Jersey Conservation Exchange, the Maple Lane Farm property is located in the Raritan-Piedmont Wildlife Habitat Partnership (RPWHP) Grassland Conservation plan and marked as a "high priority" property for protection.
The Bobolink, Dolichonyx oryzivorus, a small New World blackbird and a state-threatened species, has been observed on a portion of the property. Additionally, the property is located next to more than 250 acres of additional suitable habitat and sits east of the largest expanse of open space in the area — the Sourland Mountain Preserve.
Pamela Sroka-Holzmann: 908-243-6615 Psroka@MyCentralJersey.com