Salem County Town Adding 17 Acres to Park

Be vewy qwiet, I'm hunting open space.

Sorry.

This article originally appeared in South Jersey Times.

Officials will look to expand Elmer Community Park with new open space purchase

ELMER — Though Salem County currently leads the state in total acres of preserved farmland under the New Jersey Farmland Preservation Program, local and county officials this week announced the first major “open space” acquisition in the county.

Salem County freeholders, in cooperation with officials in Elmer and Upper Pittsgrove, have reached an agreement to set aside 17 acres of land in Elmer as open space, with the goal of eventually expanding Elmer Community Park.

According to Upper Pittsgrove Mayor Jack Cimprich, his township had been looking to preserve a 117 acre piece of property known as the “Anthony Estate Farm.”

Most of the farm — roughly 100 acres — falls in Upper Pittsgrove, but 17 acres of the land is located in eastern Elmer, along Harding Highway adjacent to the borough’s baseball fields.

“We were looking at preserving the entire property as farmland,” said Cimprich. “But when (Deputy Freeholder Director) Ben Laury took me out there to walk the property, he pointed out that the Elmer parcel could be preserved as open space and used to expand Elmer Community Park — providing much-needed space for all our residents.”

As a result, the decision was made to move forward with sectioning off the 17-acres to set aside the parcel as open space, marking the first major open space project for Salem County, officials said.

Since 2002, two-cents of every tax dollar paid by Salem County taxpayers has been directed into a fund for open space and farmland preservation. Until this point, however, those funds have been used exclusively toward funding farmland preservation.

The 17-acre parcel will cost $160,000 to purchase. Fifty-percent of the cost, or $80,000, will be provided through a state grant under the New Jersey Green Acres program. An additional $40,000 will be provided through the county’s dedicated fund, and the remaining $40,000 will be funded by Elmer.

According to Elmer Councilman Steve Schalick, the borough became interested in the property nearly five years ago when it was put up for sale.

“We looked at it then, and thought it would be a good place to expand the park,” said Schalick.

Freeholder Lee Ware — liaison to county Agricultural Development Board, which oversees farmland preservation and open space programs — said obtaining the property marked a win for everyone involved.

“This is a good thing for Elmer and a good thing for the county,” said Ware. “It’s a win all around, and it fits in perfectly with everyone’s master plans.”

Laury added that an expanded park in Elmer will benefit all Salem County residents.

“This park expansion gives residents throughout the area access to a large open space for athletic fields to promote healthy activities," he said. "We are proud to work with all the interested parties in finding a way to give our neighbors a gift we can all share.”

The remaining 100-acres of the Anthony Estate are still slated to enter into farmland preservation, though that part of the process is still in the works, officials said.

36 Acres Preserved in Harmony Township, Warren County

With a name like "Harmony," you know it has to be good. 
This post originally appeared on Warren Reporter.

Recently preserved land in Warren County connects local hiking trails

J. Scott Morrison was a man who appreciated the outdoors, having owned a farm in Hunterdon County after growing up in the rolling hills of Virginia.

After Morrison’s death earlier this year at the age of 76, there was never a question in his three children’s minds that a wooded 36-acre parcel he owned in Harmony Township should be preserved.

New Jersey Conservation Foundation purchased the Morrison property on Oct. 12, expanding a green belt of preserved land and allowing for local hiking trail connections.

“I think my father would be proud of the choice we made,” said daughter Cindy Morrison of Sarasota, Fla. “He always appreciated beautiful land. I’m glad it’s going to be preserved.”

Using grants from Warren County and the state Green Acres program, New Jersey Conservation Foundation purchased the property on Scotts Mountain, between Harmony Brass Castle and Fiddler’s Elbow roads, for $177,500.

The Morrison family sold the property at a “bargain sale” price, or below market value. “It’s what we all wanted to do,” said Cindy Morrison. “It’s a good thing to do.”

The property, which has an existing unpaved lane, is now open to the general public for passive recreational activities like hiking and bird watching.

The property will be linked with a hiking trail on an adjacent New Jersey Conservation Foundation property connecting to the Merrill Creek Reservoir trail system. Nearby are nearly 500 acres of preserved state lands, known as the Warren County Trail State Park.

“The Green Acres Program is happy to have assisted the New Jersey Conservation Foundation in completing this important acquisition,” said Martha Sapp, acting administrator of the Green Acres program. “We continue to work with our partners to protect the streams and natural areas near Scott’s Mountain, the Merrill Creek Reservoir, and throughout the Highlands.”

“Partnering with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation has been very beneficial to the public in term of our recreational directives in the county,” said Warren County Freeholder Richard D. Gardner, liaison to the county’s Municipal and Charitable Conservancies Trust Fund Committee.

“By partnering with New Jersey Conservation Foundation on this project, the County was able to leverage its investment in open space and contribute only a fraction towards the cost of permanently preserving this property,” added Corey J. Tierney, administrator of the Warren County Department of Land Preservation. “Not only do they deserve special thanks for all of their hard work on this project, but for their continuing commitment to preserving natural lands throughout Warren County.”

Preservation of the property protects local water quality and flood control efforts. The pristine Lopatcong Creek flows through it, ultimately making its way into the Delaware River. A small pond on the upper reaches of the Lopatcong Creek helps trap sediment from the top of the mountain.

The land contains a healthy forest with a diverse array of plant and animal species and is known as home to many endangered species, including barred owl, bobcat and red-shouldered hawk.

For more information about New Jersey Conservation Foundation and its programs and preserves, visit njconservation.org or call 1-888-LANDSAVE (1-888-526-3728).

West Orange Letting Nature Take Over on 10,000 Sq. Ft. Parcel

Here's one more we somehow missed last summer. At 10,000 square feet, this plot is less than 1/4 an acre, but we appreciate that West Orange plans to just let nature take its course there.

This article was originally posted on West Orange Patch.

West Orange Adds to Its Open Space

The amount of open space in West Orange continues to grow. 

The property at 7 Belgrade Terrace was acquired by the township at the beginning of July. The 10,000 square-foot lot was purchased for approximately $60,000 using money from the Open Space Trust Fund and the township. 

The township should receive a reimbursement of at least half of the purchase price from New Jersey Green Acres Planning Incentive Grant. 

Municipal Engineer Leonard Lepore said that said the township was in communication with the neighbors on Belgrade Terrace and they supported the purchase. 

By purchasing the property, Lepore said it prevents anyone from removing trees, which could negatively affect water runoff in the surrounding area. 

“West Orange has long supported open space preservation for our growing conservation and recreation needs,” wrote Mayor Robert Parisi in a press release. “A permanent deed restriction on land helps preserve historic, scenic and recreational areas of our Township.”

The township owns two other lots on the street at 15 and 19 Belgrade Terrace, and both are also about 10,000 square feet. These other two properties were acquired in a swap with the property owner in an effort to prevent development on the properties, said Lepore.  

“In this one we will just let nature keep taking over,” said Lepore, “because that’s what it is now.” 

Former Auction Site in Swedesboro Preserved

Somehow we missed this back in July. Alas. It's a small purchase, but as we once saw on press material for one town's preservation organization, "Every Acre Counts."

This originally was posted on the Gloucester County Times

Gloucester County, Swedesboro to preserve former auction site on Leahy Avenue

The former Swedesboro Auction property is located on Leahy Avenue.

SWEDESBORO — Swedesboro officials have big plans for the Swedesboro Auction property, a three-acre tract of land on Leahy Avenue that wasincorporated into the county’s open space plan this week.

“We are only three-quarters of a square mile, but we are rich in history,” said Diane Hale, a Swedesboro councilwoman.

Until the mid 1990s, area farmers would bring their produce to the Swedesboro market to be sold. Campbell’s Soup Co. was known to make its tomato soup with tomatoes grown at borough farms.

To preserve the history, the county chipped in about $255,000 to the borough’s $85,000 to purchase the land from Swedesboro Auction, Inc. The Gloucester County Freeholders voted to authorize the payment and will incorporate the land into the Open Space Preservation Program.

When the property settlement is complete, the borough will own it, leaving Hale and the Economic Development Commission to enact plans for the plot.

“We’re going to make it into a park and do some history so people can see it,” said Helen Fromm, member of the town’s economic development commission.

While the plans are only rough sketches of what the group envisions, Fromm said the site could include historical information about Swedesboro and Woolwich’s agricultural heritage. Plus, the site — which includes several buildings where farmers would showcase and bid on produce — could be transformed into a music venue or temporary ice skating rink in the winter.

Marco Lentini, a member of the borough economic development commission, said the reinvigoration of Swedesboro shouldn’t stop at its downtown area.

“You have a revitalization of downtown,” he said. “But you can’t neglect other parts of Swedesboro.”

106 Acres to be Preserved in West Deptford (Gloucester County)

You know it's an election season when these reports start coming at a pretty speedy clip. But, hey, we'll take it.

This article originally posted on West Deptford Patch

$1M to Preserve Large West Deptford Farm

More than 100 acres of West Deptford farmland is on track for permanent preservation through Gloucester County’s Farmland Preservation Program, Freeholder Director Robert Damminger announced today.

The 106-acre George H. Urban Farm had been targeted for inclusion in the program since its inception. And the Urban family fought off development offers for years, according to a 2001 Philadelphia Inquirer article.

“This property has been in the Urban family since 1938 and has been an active farm every since. It is one of the last large active farm parcels remaining in West Deptford Township and it is adjacent to more than 42-acres of previously preserved open space,” Damminger said in a statement.

“We are fortunate to be able to preserve 106 acres in West Deptford Township—that much contiguous land is a rare find.”

County freeholders will vote to authorize the farm’s development rights, agreement of sale and other documents at their meeting tonight, Oct. 17. If all goes well, settlement should occur in the next few weeks.

The farm costs $1,010,800 to preserve, an amount based on a certified value by the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC), according to the county. Gloucester County is eligible for about $600,000 in reimbursement from SADC. The remaining costs will be covered by the county’s open space funds.

Urban Farm straddles Ogden Station Road and includes field crops and vegetables.

“The county is grateful that the Urban family has now chosen to preserve the property through the Farmland Preservation Program,” Damminger said, “as this will ensure that the property’s agricultural operations remain in place in perpetuity and that its rich agricultural heritage will never be lost.”

343 Acres Added to Sourland Mountain Preserve

Hooray, more land taken from Bryce Thompson Land and put into permanent preservation! Of course, they get a tidy sum for their generosity, but we cannot look a preserved horse in the mouth, can we?

This was originally posted on NJ.com.

Ribbon cutting ceremony for newest Sourlands acquisition is Oct. 16 in Hillsborough

Somerset County and Hillsborough Township officials, along with representatives from the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 16, at noon, to celebrate the addition of another 343 acres to the Sourland Mountain Preserve. Rain date for the event is Oct. 17 at noon.

Due to accessibility issues with the tract itself, the ceremony will be held at the Hillsborough Golf & Country Club, directly across from the property. For GPS and online mapping, the address is 146 Wertsville Road, Hillsborough, NJ 08844. Or for directions go to bit.ly/HillsbOpenSpace. Upon arriving, proceed up the driveway to the parking area next to the clubhouse. The ceremony will be held a few yards past the clubhouse.

The property will be permanently preserved as open space. The New Jersey Conservation Foundation has secured an option agreement to purchase the property from landowner Bryce Thompson and will transfer the agreement to the county.

The 343 acres, which are made up of several tracts in Hillsborough Township near the intersection of Wertsville and Montgomery roads, are contiguous to other open space lands acquired by Somerset County in recent years and will encourage the expansion of the Sourlands Preserve to the Hunterdon County border, where many local, county and nonprofit preservation initiatives are currently underway.

For information or further directions, contact Linda Van Zandt in the Somerset County Public Information Office at 908-231-7020 or publicinfo@co.somerset.nj.us.

A PDF of Preserved NJ Farms from Jan. 1, 2012- September 11, 2012

Just found this while searching for a story on the Gimbel Farm, a 32-acre farm on Whipporwill Valley Road (this was the scary dirt road we'd drive down as teens, where the legend was there had been KKK meetings and such, to scare people), which was preserved in September. Couldn't find a proper story to post here, but this is a list of farms preserved from Jan. 1, 2012 through to Sept. 11. It may be updated over time or this is it for this list. Either way, take a few minutes out and pore through the list and say "thanks" to those that made it possible!

http://www.nj.gov/agriculture/sadc/farmpreserve/progress/preserved/2012farmsto200,000acres.pdf

Here's a sample, which includes the Gimbel Farm! Seriously, it's like stepping back in time.

Franklin Township (Hunterdon County) Farm Preserved

Chalk up another 36 acres for all of us acre whores!

This story originally appeared in the Hunterdon County Democrat.

Franklin Township's High Plains Farm to be preserved

FRANKLIN TWP. — High Plains Farm is in the farmland preservation process, says John DeMarrais, chairman of the township Open Space Committee.

The farmland consists of 36 acres on the Cherryville-Quakertown Road that belong to Linda Peterson and are adjacent to her family’s farmland, which is already preserved.

The development rights to High Plains Farm will cost $223,200, with the state paying 60% and the county and township each paying 20%.

With only a few administrative details pending, the closing will take place any month now, says DeMarrais.

The land has the desirable “Quakertown soil,” a sandy loam “that is some of the best in the state” for agriculture, says DeMarrais.

The township’s open-space tax garners about $270,000 a year, with much of it going to pay off previous purchases, he said.

South Brunswick Preserves 36 Acres

A little love for Patch.com, where this story comes from.

Township Acquires 36 Acres of Open Space

In an ongoing effort to stave off development and preserve South Brunswick's rural character, the Township Council last week approved the joint purchase of 36 acres of open space on Davidson Mill Road.

The township contributed $275,000 from the Open Space Trust Fund for the purchase, with Middlesex County matching South Brunswick's 20 percent contribution and the state chipping in the remaining 60 percent of the cost. The newly preserved Voight Farm lies adjacent to the recently preserved 229 acre Van Dyke Farm.

"These large parcels of land face development pressure," said Deputy Mayor Chris Killmurray. "More open space is something that's important for the township and the area as a whole."

The purchase followed the addition by the county in May of about 40 acres of open space from the Himmell Property. That parcel, located in the area of Broadway Road and Friendship Road, joins together with the existing Ireland Brook Conservation Area to create 484 acres of contiguous, undeveloped land.

County officials said the purchase fell in line with the Open Space Master Plan’s objective of pursuing properties that can be added to existing parkland.

“Since 1995, Middlesex County has made land preservation a top priority,” said Freeholder Director Christopher D. Rafano.  “With the support of constituents, both the Freeholders and the Middlesex County Improvement Authority have worked tirelessly to protect what remains of our undeveloped lands. In doing so, we’ve been able to preserve forever 7,457 acres of open space property to date.”

In the last 8 years, South Brunswick has added over 2,000 acres of open space.

"(The Open Space Trust Fund) is an important tool we have and that we should use," said Councilman Joseph Camarota. "Farms are disappearing. This (purchase) preserves farmland and stops development."

NJ to Spend $3M on Preservation of Islands, Forest, Wetlands and $8M on Pinelands

This story is from September, prior to the 200,000 acre preservation announcement. So, I think these would be included in that figure? Who knows? Either way, always good news!

This article originally appeared in APP.com.

New Jersey will spend $3 million to buy islands, forest and wetlands in the Barnegat Bay watershed and $8 million in the Pinelands

A $123 million shopping list for open-space lands approved by the Garden State Preservation Trust includes $3 million for islands, wetlands and forest around Barnegat Bay, $8 million for Pinelands forest and $12 million to buy out repeat flood victims along the Passaic River, state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said Tuesday.

The list has $66.2 million in cost sharing from the Green Acres fund for local open space and parks projects, such as $600,000 each for Trader’s Cove, the Barnegat Bay waterfront park in Brick, and boardwalk repairs in Long Branch.

Neptune Township will receive $600,000 for new bulkheading and boardwalks at its Shark River marina, while Ocean Township will get $325,000 in Blue Acres funding to help complete its buyout of 32 Poplar Village housing units that were heavily damaged by flooding during Hurricane Irene, which was downgraded to a tropical storm when it reached New Jersey.

Besides the Barnegat Bay and Pinelands purchases, state acquisition projects include $8 million for purchases in the Highlands region and an additional $5 million in purchases to link up public parcels in the upper Delaware River ridge-and-valley region.

The 2013 funding round comes out of the 2009 open space referendum and needs an appropriation from the state Legislature to go forward.

200,000 Acres Preserved!

We hope they are not just blowing smoke up our skirts when they say land preservation is a non-partisan issue.

This article originally appeared on PhillyBurbs.com.

County lauded as farmland preservation leader as state saves 200,000th acre

As the Garden State celebrated the milestone of preserving its 200,000th acre of farmland Tuesday, Burlington County was recognized as a leader in the race to protect it.

Burlington is the leader in the number of preserved farms and the total farmland acreage saved under the county grants program of the state's Farmland Preservation Program, state officials said. It also ranks among the top 10 in the country for preserved farmland.

To date, Burlington County has preserved 171 farms and a total of 21,191 acres through the program. The county ranks third in the state, behind Salem and Hunterdon, when all state preservation programs are considered.

New Jersey Agriculture Secretary Douglas H. Fisher recognized the county’s efforts Tuesday during a ceremony in Upper Pittsgrove, Salem County, where he and farmland preservation leaders celebrated the 200,000th acre preserved statewide.

The Cassaday Farm, one of the largest vegetable farms in the state, became the latest of more than 2,000 preserved farms in New Jersey.

“The preservation of 200,000 acres of farmland is an extraordinary achievement that underscores New Jersey’s continued reputation as a national leader in farmland preservation,” Fisher said. “This accomplishment would not have been possible without the strong commitment of all the farmland preservation partners — all levels of government, the nonprofit community, farm owners and the voters, who have consistently supported farmland preservation funding.”

More than 10 percent of the 200,000 acres is in Burlington County, which began its preservation efforts in 1985 and has been supported since 1996 by a dedicated tax overwhelmingly approved by voters at the polls.

The county currently collects a voter-approved 4 cents per $100 of assessed property value to support its program of farmland and historic preservation, open space acquisition and park development.

Through its highly ranked and well-regarded program, the county buys the development rights to farmland, deed-restricts the property to eliminate the threat of residential or commercial development, and then auctions the land to return it to private ownership and agricultural production. Proceeds of the sale help replenish the fund for future acquisitions.

“Agriculture contributes mightily to the economy in Burlington County, so preserving farmland preserves farming as an industry,” said Bruce Garganio, director of the Burlington County Board of Freeholders, on Tuesday. “At the same time, it’s been proven time and again that saving farmland, and keeping it on the property tax rolls, saves tax dollars, especially if the alternative is sprawling residential development.”

The State Agriculture Development Committee administers New Jersey’s Farmland Preservation Program, which was established in 1983. The first farms were saved in 1985.

The county has been aggressively pursuing farmland since 1985, when the threat of development of 500 acres in Chesterfield sparked the freeholders to take action.

“They were really concerned about the rapid pace of development and loss of farmland in the county,” said Mary Pat Robbie, director of the county's Department of Resource Conservation. “The pace of acquisition really picked up after 1996, when voters approved the first tax.”

While the county has set aside about 22,000 acres as part of the state Farmland Preservation Program, it has saved a total of about 25,000 acres when other programs are considered, including preserved Pinelands farms and those protected under the transfer of development rights (TDR) program, Robbie said.

“Our goal is to preserve 40,000 acres,” she said. “We’re getting close, and there is still a lot of interest. We probably have about 2,500 acres in the pipeline right now. Burlington County has always been looked upon as leaders in farmland preservation and something we can all be proud of.”