DEP Grant Preserves Ocean County Boy Scout Reservation

One benefit to Election Season: A lot of these deals move through much quicker, as to help the ruling party look better. When it comes to acres, I'll take it!

Post originally appeared on Ocean County Family & Community News:

Barnegat-(PR)–An agreement that will permanently preserve a 544-acre tract in the Barnegat Bay watershed in Ocean County was completed today when the Department of Environmental Protection acquired a conservation easement from the Jersey Shore Boy Scout Council and the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, DEP Commissioner Bob Martin announced.

The $1.1 million agreement with the Scout Council will preserve the Joseph A. Citta Boy Scout Reservation Camp in Ocean Township, which contains camping facilities used by the Boy Scouts and many other outdoor user groups. The property, which offers public hiking trails, also is environmentally important, containing Pine Barrens habitat in the headwaters of the Oyster Creek, which is a tributary to Barnegat Bay.



The preserved land will link Ocean County’s Wells Mill Park to other preserve land in the Forked River Mountains, an ecologically unique area of rolling forests in the Pinelands National Reserve. The Scouts will be able to continue to own and manage the camp for camping and recreational use, and in turn have extinguished their development rights on the property while agreeing to providing a public trail system linking other open space.

As part of the 544-acre preservation deal, the Conservation Foundation assigned to the DEP an 84-acre conservation easement that it held since the 1970s on a portion of the Citta Camp. This acreage was included in the purchase agreement at no cost to the state.


This 544-acre easement acquisition brings the state’s total of preserved land in the Barnegat Bay watershed to 2,895 acres since Governor Christie announced his comprehensive 10-point Barnegat Bay restoration plan in December of 2010.

“New Jersey Conservation Foundation is pleased to play a role in the preservation of the Joseph A. Citta Scout Reservation,” said Michele S. Byers, executive director of New Jersey Conservation Foundation. “The Boy Scouts had the foresight to preserve 84 acres of the camp with New Jersey Conservation Foundation back in 1979, and we congratulate them and the Department of Environmental Protection for now preserving the entire camp"

Byers noted that over the past 30 years, New Jersey Conservation Foundation and the DEP have worked together, and with other partners, to preserve thousands of acres in the Forked River Mountain area of Ocean and Lacey townships.

The easement purchase is financed by $1.1 million in voter-approved state Green Acres Program funds. Ocean County provided funding for the survey work needed for the acquisition.

Stewardship of this easement will be provided by DEP’s Green Acres Program and the Division of Parks and Forestry as part of Brendan T. Byrne State Forest. The trails through the Boy Scout Camp will be an expansion of the trail system at Wells Mill County Park and open for public use.

Commissioner Martin first announced a pending deal for the Citta Camp in December, 2011 at an event to mark the first anniversary of Governor Christie’s Barnegat Bay plan. At that time the agreement called for a 436-acre easement purchase. But detailed surveying of the Scout Council’s tract found it to be much larger, resulting in a 544-acres easement purchase, with an adjusted extra cost of $56,681.

In bid to protect Barnegat Bay, state buys 385 acres of Pinelands

Always good to see more acreage preserved along the Barnegat Bay!

Originally appeared on New Jersey Newsroom.

249 acres in Eagleswood and 136 acres in Stafford

The state Green Acres Program has purchased 385 acres of forests in the Barnegat Bay watershed, and Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said Monday the agency is on pace to preserve some 3,000 acres in the watershed by the end of the year.

The Green Acres State Land Acquisition Program purchased the land, encompassing two separate properties, for $607,052 from International Recycling Systems. The acquisitions are intended to preserve high-quality Pinelands habitat that will help protect water quality in the headwaters of Cedar Run, Westecunk Creek and Mill Creek, all tributaries of Barnegat Bay.

The properties - 249 acres in Eagleswood and 136 acres in Stafford - will be added to the Stafford Forge Wildlife Management Area, managed by the state Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Both properties consist of pine and oak forests that provide suitable habitat for species such as the state-endangered Pine Barrens tree frog, the state-threatened northern pine snake and the pine warbler.

At more than 11,500 acres, Stafford Forge is one of New Jersey's largest wildlife management areas. The area is popular with hikers, canoeists, bird watchers, hunters and nature lovers.

Since launching an effort to restore the ecologically stressed bay in December 2010, the state Department of Environmental Protection has set its sights on preserving 50,000 acres in the watershed. Martin said protected land helps filter and control stormwater that can carry harmful nutrients into the bay.

“The Christie administration remains steadfast in its commitment to improving water quality in Barnegat Bay, an ecologically and economically vital asset to the state," Martin said. "The preservation of land is a critical component of Governor Christie's 10-point comprehensive restoration plan for the bay."

The Christie administration has committed nearly $3 million to the preservation of more than 2,000 acres in the watershed so far, including projects that have added 180 acres to the DEP's Forestry Resource Education Center in Jackson, expanded Double Trouble State Park by 306 acres, and assisted Ocean County in preserving 836 acres of Pinelands in Ocean Township.

In addition, the Green Acres Program has reached agreement on a project that will permanently protect a 436-acre Boy Scout camp in Ocean County.

21 Acres Preserved in Jackson Twp., Ocean County

By Phil Stilton

             Almost 21 acres of natural lands in Jackson Township will be preserved as open space by the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders.   “This purchase comes with a number of benefits,” said Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr., who serves as liaison to the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund Advisory Committee. “It will preserve this land as open space and provide an added buffer to future encroachment of the Joint Base.”

            As part of the acquisition, the military has committed to fund 50 percent of the purchase price of $450,000.        “The location of this property, near the northern boundary of Joint Base – Dix, McGuire, Lakehurst, makes it eligible for the cost share funding from the Department of Defense,” said Freeholder John P. Kelly, Director of Law and Public Safety. “This continuing partnership shows our commitment to the Joint Base and the military’s commitment to continue to work with Ocean County.

 “The purchase helps to minimize future encroachments to base operations,” Kelly said.  Kelly noted that a recently completed Joint Land Use Study with the military bases, surrounding municipalities, Burlington and Ocean counties identified the preservation of certain lands as important to provide a buffer for the Joint Base.

“This parcel is consistent with that recommendation,” Kelly said. The land is located along Toms River Road (County Road 571) and Lakehurst Road in Jackson Township. It is across from properties already preserved.  “This parcel contains a small tributary to the Ridgeway Branch of the Toms River which has been recognized as an important critical habitat corridor,” Bartlett noted. “Acquisition of this property will help create a greenway from the Joint Base north to Patriots’ County Park and the state’s Forest Resource Education Center. This land meets the eligibility requirements of the county’s open space program and has been recommended for preservation by the Natural Lands Advisory Committee.”

The owner of the property is BG Investments @ JoAnn Timbers LLC, Lakewood. “This purchase emphasizes the importance of working in cooperation with different agencies for the best results possible for Ocean County,” said Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari. “The military’s contribution to this purchase helps Ocean County and the base which is a vital economic and safety engine for the region.”

294 Acres Preserved in Jackson Twp.

A nice piece from November, from the land of Six Flags Great Adventure: Nearly 300 acres was preserved in Jackson Township!

TOMS RIVER – Ocean County will join with Jackson Township, the state and the non-profit Trust for Public Land in preserving almost 300 acres of land off of Route 528 and Perrineville Road in Jackson Township.

“This purchase again highlights the great work that can be done when agencies come together with one common goal – to preserve environmentally sensitive land,” said Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr., who serves as liaison to the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund Advisory Committee. “This purchase does not just help to preserve land, it helps to preserve the quality of life in Ocean County.”

The parcel is adjacent to the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area in addition to open space owned by Jackson Township. It is at the headwaters of the Toms River and close to an additional 167 acres of land already preserved by the county.

The land is zoned for a planned retirement community.

“With its proximity to the headwaters of the Toms River and the wildlife area, this land was a perfect complement to the county’s natural lands program,” Bartlett said. “Preserving environmentally sensitive areas comes with a number of benefits including helping to protect and preserve our waterways.”

The land purchase represents almost half of a 650-acre tract owned by Hovbilt.

“The acquisition removes almost half of that acreage and about 373 planned single-family and age-restricted units from development,” Bartlett said.

Bartlett said the purchase will be completed with the help of funding from Jackson Township, state Green Acres, a grant from the Trust for Public Land and the county’s Natural Lands Trust Fund.

The cost share breakdown is $2 million from Jackson Township, $500,000 from the state Green Acres, $250,000 from the Trust for Public Lands and $1,750,000 from Ocean County. The purchase price for the property is $4.5 million.

“I want to commend the Trust for Public Land for spearheading this project, along with Jackson Township, and the state so we can make this purchase. This partnership is allowing us to save this space and reduce the size of a proposed residential development,” Bartlett said. “The spirit of cooperation among the agencies has resulted in true benefits for the residents and the environment that will last forever.”

The Board of Chosen Freeholders has scheduled a public hearing on the land preservation during the Nov. 17 board meeting, which begins at 4 p.m. in Room 119 of the Ocean County Administration Building, 101 Hooper Ave., here.

“Our natural lands program has helped us preserve more than 12,000 acres of open space and farmland in Ocean County,” said Freeholder Director James F. Lacey. “Partnerships with municipalities and non-profit organizations helps the county in its ongoing efforts to acquire environmentally sensitive open space.”

Murray Grove Property Will Be Added to Forsythe NWR (06/15/10)

Link to TPL press release here.

Happily, one piece of bad news this morning is balanced with a piece of good news. For more information on the good work of The Trust for Public Land, visit www.tpl.org.

Murray Grove Property Will Be Added to Forsythe NWR

Contact: Matthew Shaffer, The Trust for Public Land, 415-495-4014 x316, email
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge image courtesy National Geographic

LACEY TOWNSHIP, N.J., 6/15/2010: The Trust for Public Land today announced the purchase of a 242-acre wooded and wetlands property, one of the largest remaining unprotected bayfront properties on the west side of Barnegat Bay, in Lacey Township, Ocean County, N.J. In the next year the organization intends to transfer the property to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an addition to the Barnegat Division of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national conservation organization, has been working for the last year and a half to conserve the land, known as the Murray Grove property, for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). TPL was able to assemble private funding and interim loan capital to finance the purchase of the property and will hold ownership until federal funding is available to complete the transfer to the refuge.

"Because of the critical importance of this property to the health of Barnegat Bay and the Forsythe Refuge, TPL assembled funding to purchase and hold the property until federal funds are available for adding it to the refuge," said Anthony Cucchi, New Jersey state director for TPL. "Our commitment to the richly wild and naturally significant Barnegat Bay is in its third decade, and we are grateful for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's stewardship of this important landscape."

The tidal salt marsh property is the top conservation priority for the Forsythe Refuge and would link three previous conservation additions to the Barnegat Division of the refuge, which TPL completed in 1994 and 1995. USFWS and TPL have been partnering to protect property at this refuge since 1991and have completed 25 separate transactions, adding more than 2,700 acres.

"The Service is pleased that TPL has been able to respond rapidly to land acquisition opportunities within the approved refuge acquisition boundary," said Steve Atzert, E.B. Forsythe Refuge Manager. "TPL has assured the protection of important natural capital and the continuation of valuable ecosystem services to fish, wildlife, and people, until the Service is able to obtain appropriated funding to purchase the properties and incorporate them in the National Wildlife Refuge System."

This new addition would create an 821-acre conservation area, protecting the marshes of Murray Grove and Stouts Creek, a complex of, pools, embayments, mud flats, and natural waterways including Hancy's Pond, Stumpy Pond Creek, Bony Creek, and Wire Creek Pond. State- and federally-listed threatened and endangered bird species-including peregrine falcon, bald eagle, northern harrier, osprey, red-shouldered hawk, American bittern, and grasshopper sparrow-have utilized the site for foraging or roosting.

TPL and USFWS are hopeful that federal funding for the $500,500 purchase price through the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act funding will allow for the conveyance of the land to the refuge in the coming months. The Act is funded from the sale of Federal Duck Stamps, which function as the federal licenses required for hunting waterfowl. TPL's acquisition of the property was enabled through a grant from the William Penn Foundation and other philanthropic support.

TPL and Forsythe Refuge managers identified the property as a priority for conservation in The Century Plan, a 1995 study of 100 top conservation priorities in the Barnegat Bay watershed.

The wetlands of the E. B. Forsythe Refuge are one of only 26 Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. All of the Barnegat Division of the refuge is within the Environmental Protection Agency Barnegat Bay National Estuary, one of only 28 national estuaries in the US. The entire refuge is designated a unit of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Network Reserve, one of only 52 in the US.

The Trust for Public Land is a national nonprofit land conservation organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and natural areas, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Since 1972, TPL has helped protect nearly 3 million acres nationwide, including more than 24,000 acres in New Jersey. TPL depends on the support of individuals, corporations, and foundations.