Greenwich Twp. Farm Preserved

Greenwich Township is becoming a star of preservation in not only Warren County, but New Jersey in general!

Article originally posted on NJ.com.

Fox River Farm in Greenwich Township has been preserved, adding 65 acres to the growing list of preserved farmland in the municipality. The farm was preserved via a partnership between the Township, Warren County and the State Agriculture Development Committee, with assistance from The Land Conservancy of New Jersey. This beautiful, busy horse farm is located along Route 519 bordering Lopatcong Township.

Working closely with The Land Conservancy of New Jersey, the Township is achieving remarkable results retaining and preserving its farmland base. Since 2005, this partnership between The Land Conservancy and Greenwich Township has resulted in the preservation of six properties for open space, recreation, and farmland totaling 580 acres. In total, there are 1,000 acres of preserved farmland in Greenwich Township.

“Without the hard work of our Open Space Committee led by Dawn Marie Kondas, willing landowners, Warren County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the State of New Jersey, and The Land Conservancy, our preservation efforts of hundreds of acres in Greenwich Township may not have ever been possible. Thank you to all,” stated Elaine Emiliani, Deputy Mayor of Greenwich Township

Almost entirely prime farmland soils, the Fox River Farm is a scenic property of rolling topography and tilled agricultural fields. Over 40 acres of this farm is harvested cropland and another 10 acres are in permanent pasture, the balance of the property is woodlands. Used primarily for horses, the farm supports an arena for riding and numerous paddocks for the horses to exercise. This was the third farm preserved in the Township using funds provided by the state and county farmland programs. Greenwich Township and Warren County each provided 19% of the total project cost, with the State of New Jersey contributing 61% of the funds necessary to close this transaction.

Located three miles east of Phillipsburg, and within the Highlands Planning Area, the Fox River Farm is surrounded by preserved open space. Within one and one-half miles of this farm there are six additional preserved farms totaling 390 acres, Fox River Farm is now the northern most farm preserved in the Township’s significant farmland belt. With the preservation of this farm, there is now over 760 acres of contiguous preserved land.

“Greenwich Township has approached land preservation in a very thoughtful, intelligent and systematic way. They are creating a lasting legacy of protected farmland and open space that will serve the township very well in its future,” explained Sandy Urgo, Land Preservation Director for The Land Conservancy of New Jersey.