NJ.com: West Windsor sets a summer opening for restored farmstead

It's not an announcement on preserving a new piece of land. But, having lived in that area for several years, I am familiar with the writer's comments on West Windsor's (way too many) shopping centers, highways and modern subdivisions. There are still some very, very nice parcels there, however, including here.

Originally appeared on NJ.com.

WEST WINDSOR — This township of shopping centers, highways and modern subdivisions can still lay claim to a piece of its past — a big piece, in fact.

Officials say they are very close to finishing a 15-year project to restore a farmhouse property from the 1750s that will offer a step back in time for legions of school children, tourists and history buffs.

The historic Schenck Farmstead on Southfield Road has had a makeover that includes a renovated carriage house, the installation of a one-room schoolhouse moved from another location in the township and rebuilt, and, now, the creation of an education center inside a big barn on the property.

Outside the idyllic homestead that brings to mind thoughts of lemonade and porch swings on warm summer afternoons, the grounds are filled with antique farm machinery, on display for young and old inquiring minds alike.

The barn, once its contents are reorganized, will offer a wealth of other historical items. 
“When we talk about sense of communities, I want people to not only understand the history of West Windsor, but understand the environment, the natural resources we have in West Windsor,” Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said. “It’s not just demographic or human side. It’s also the environment we live in.”

The work to improve exhibits and offerings at the Schenck house was the fruit of hard-working volunteers and hundreds of thousands of dollars, township officials said.
Steeped in the township’s agricultural history, the farmstead will also be available for weddings and other gatherings.

The gravel entrance gives way to a small sea of farm equipment from the Civil War up to the 1930s. The rusted remains are a reminder of a self-sustaining time when plows were pulled by horses and the barn’s oak beams were masterfully sawed by hand.

The environmental education center is currently being designed inside a portion of the renovated 3,700 square foot red barn by Redmond-Jones and Associates, a Swarthmore, Pa., firm that provides services for museums and other organizations.

Last week, town council approved a resolution to pay Redmond-Jones and Associates $7,500 to develop the concept and design phase of the environmental project at the Schenck barn. The funds come out of the township’s capital improvement fund, business administrator Robert Hary said.

West Windsor land use manager Sam Surtees has been in charge of the renovations to Schenck since it began. And while commercial projects in West Windsor tend to take years, that wasn’t supposed to happen with the Schenck Farmstead.

“I didn’t think it would take this long,” he said.

Surtees gives credit to Hsueh and council for their “slow patience to get it done right,” he said.

The center will display artifacts that date back to a time when farming was a part of everybody’s life, Surtees said. The West Windsor Historical Society and Environmental Commission have been in charge of tagging each item for display.

The environmental center will share space with the artifacts room, where a replica of a general store with historical items like an old cash register, a sales ledger dated July 1900, and a glass case with other treasures will be open to the public.

Additional improvements to the Schenck Farmstead include work done on the 528 square foot carriage house, which is adjacent to the barn, and improvements to the 704 square foot first schoolhouse of West Windsor.

The schoolhouse was originally located on Clarksville Road, opposite the current Maurice Hawk Elementary School, before it was moved to the Schenck Farmstead in the mid 1990s, Surtees said. Much of the original wood had deteriorated, and 80 percent has been restored. Inside, old-fashioned school desks with ink wells are lined in a row, facing a chalkboard and American flag.

Much of the original framework dates back to 1880-1890, Surtees said.
West Windsor Environmental Commission liaison and landscape architect Dan Dobromilsky, said the barn was reconstructed a few years ago, to include electric and a heating and cooling system. Bathrooms and the environmental center are expected to be added by this summer, he said.

Tours of the Schenck Farmstead to be offered on Sundays from 1-4 p.m. are expected to begin this summer.

Stillwater, Sussex County, Preserves 113 Forested Acres

It's been a rough couple weeks here at the fulltime job. So, this is as much for me as it is for you. Enjoy!

Originally appearing on NJHerald.com

By LYNDSAY CAYETANA BOUCHAL

lbouchal@njherald.com

STILLWATER -- Some 113 acres in the heart of the township have been preserved, helping to close the gap between patchy parcels of the state's Trout Brook Wildlife Management Area in Stillwater.

The township Environ-mental Commission in partnership with The Land Conservancy of New Jersey had been striving toward preserving the 113 acres off Stillwater Road since the middle of 2010, said Barbara Davis, the Land Conservancy's vice president of programs.

The scenic, forested property was purchased through the New Jersey Green Acres program from the Goldschmidt family, who reside elsewhere in the county. The acres have now been added to the state's Trout Brook Wildlife Management Area that is managed for wildlife habitat and public recreational access, and offers programs for hunters, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts.

Davis said the Trout Brook Wildlife Management Area "jumps and skips a bit" throughout Stillwater. The acquisition of the 113 acres helps "close in the borders" of the area and is "a nice addition to it."

The acquisition of the property, located near Camp Lou Henry Hoover, creates a contiguous parcel of 200 wildlife management acres, Environmental Commission Vice Chairman Paul Klimek said. He said other pieces of the Trout Brook area are separated by a few hundred feet.

The Trout Brook Wildlife Management Area is now more than 1,700 acres in Stillwater, 785 of which were acquired through the help of The Land Conservancy.

Further, the newest addition contains existing trails and stunning specimen trees, said Sandy Urgo, land preservation director at The Land Conservancy. It helps protect habitat for common wildlife such as bears, turkey, owls, deer, bobcats and coyotes, Klimek said.

"It feels great (to bridge a gap)," Klimek said. "It probably couldn't be done without The Land Conservancy."

This is the fifth addition to the Trout Brook area in Stillwater through the Green Acres program and the assistance of The Land Conservancy since 2007. Davis said Stillwater began working with The Land Conservancy in 2005 to create an Open Space and Recreation Plan for the township, which was completed in 2006.

Founded in 1981, The Land Conservancy of New Jersey is a member-supported nonprofit land trust dedicated to preserving and protecting vital natural lands and water resources. The conservancy has preserved more than 20,000 acres of land and helped towns secure $220 million in county, state and federal grants for their land conservation projects.

"The landscape of Stillwater Township has been permanently improved, forest fragmentation has been reduced, wildlife habitat has been protected, and space for resource-based recreation and hunting has been provided," Urgo said. "The results of the township's commitment to this conservation program will be enjoyed by residents of Stillwater and future generations, in perpetuity."

205 Acres of Farmland Preserved in Cumberland County

Eventually, I want to get down to Cumberland County (as well as Salem County) and explore this area in detail. It seems that, even though only about 16,000 acres have been preserved in Cumberland, there is a lot of open space there still available to preserve. So, what are we waiting for?!

Originally appeared on NJConservation.org

Third generation nurseryman preserves Cumberland farm FAIRFIELD TWP. - Roger Ruske grew up growing landscape plants on his grandfather’s nursery farm in Connecticut. He knew he wasn’t in line to inherit the family property, but he never lost his desire to work “down in the dirt” as a nurseryman. Fate intervened when Ruske and his wife Peggy traveled to South Jersey as a young married couple. “We were driving through Cumberland County and saw this run-down farm for sale,” he recalled. “Within a year my wife and I had bought it, at the grand old age of 22.” That was back in 1967, and the Ruskes have owned Cumberland Nurseries on Route 49 in Fairfield Township ever since. Over the years they’ve expanded the farm by buying contiguous properties. Nearly 45 years later, the Ruskes have permanently preserved 205 acres of farmland. Cumberland County purchased the development rights on the farm, using funding from the State Agriculture Development Committee and New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) grant. The sale of development rights means that, although the Ruskes still own the land, it can never be developed. “It’s good agricultural land and I’d like it to stay that way,” said Ruske, 66. “A lot of (farmers) my age want to make sure their land stays in agriculture. The last thing you want to see on this land you’ve spent your whole life nurturing is someone growing houses.” Preserving land for agriculture, Ruske added, also makes it more affordable for future generations – like his son, Chris, who is taking over the nursery operation, and Chris’ three young children – to become farmers and nurserymen. Cumberland County Freeholder Thomas Sheppard was quick to point out the benefits of this collaborative effort. “By having Cumberland County partner with New Jersey Conservation Foundation, we were able to apply federal funding to this transaction in addition to the continued strong financial support from the State of New Jersey,” he said. “The result of these partnerships is that no Cumberland County funds needed to be spent on the direct preservation of these 205 acres.” Noting that the county has nearly 16,000 acres of permanently preserved farmland, Freeholder Sheppard expressed his strong continued interest in the program. “Open space is for the good of all Cumberland County residents and will be available to our children and grandchildren forever,” he said. Cumberland Nurseries specializes in growing wholesale stock for sale to commercial nurseries and garden centers. “We’re the nurserymen to the nurserymen, so to speak,” said Ruske. Among the nursery’s most popular products are native plants, plants that are deer resistant, and hedge plants that increase privacy for homeowners. The Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. “The Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Farm and Ranchlands Protection Program supports the production of locally grown agricultural products in perpetuity,” said Don Pettit, State Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. “We are pleased to have a part in protecting this wonderful farm and its productive soils, knowing that these soils will be available for generations of farmers to come here in New Jersey.” Greg Romano, assistant director of New Jersey Conservation Foundation and head of its land preservation program, said the foundation is happy to allocate part of its Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program grant toward preserving the Ruske farm. “Including the funding for this transaction, New Jersey Conservation Foundation has contributed almost $925,000 to offset Cumberland County’s farmland preservation costs to date,” said Romano, “An additional $2.5 million is scheduled to be granted to the county in the next year, so this is definitely a continuing partnership.” New Jersey Conservation Foundation is a private nonprofit that preserves land and natural resources throughout New Jersey for the benefit of all. Since 1960, it has protected more than 120,000 acres of open space - from the Highlands to the Pine Barrens to the Delaware Bayshore, from farms to forests to urban and suburban parks. For more information about the Foundation’s programs and preserves, go to www.njconservation.org or call 1-888-LAND-SAVE (1-888-526-3728).

Delaware Township Preserves 24 Acres

A little acre whore love before we head to bed. My, that sounds dirty.

Originally appeared on NJ.com.

Four, 6-acre building lots are being preserved in Delaware Township

DELAWARE TWP. — Four approved building lots of 6 acres each on Locktown-Sergeantsville Road will be preserved for $663,000. The land is owned by longtime resident Harriet Fisher and adjoins a farm where a proposal to “harvest” spring water for bottling was denied two years ago.

The deal was arranged by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and the land would connect to other preserved property.

On Jan. 30 the Township Committee approved spending $40,775 of the money raised by the township open space tax. The rest of the money will come from county, state and federal tax dollars: $132,600 will come from Hunterdon County’s open space fund; $249,625 from the state Agriculture Development Committee; and $240,000 from the federal Farm and Ranchland Protection Program.

The lots were subdivided from a 70-acre farm at the intersection of Reading and Locktown-Sergeantsville roads.

Harriet’s son, Charlie, had sought Board of Adjustment approval to “harvest” 43,200 gallons of spring water daily for bottling. He wanted to pipe water from springs to new silos that would have replaced feed silos next to a former dairy barn on the remaining land at Spring Meadow Farm.

He said that water tanker trucks emptying the silos would have been similar to the bulk trucks that once took milk from the farm. The Fishers’ dairy operation was replaced by crop farming. The family previously preserved three other farms nearby.

The Board of Adjustment denied the application in 2010, feeling it wasn’t a suitable use. During the hearing process, Fisher said that water harvesting would allow the family to keep the land open. Had it been approved, he had promised to sign a promissory note with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation to preserve the land and create a habitat for threatened and endangered species by creating “wetter wetlands” and planting native species.

Prior to the water harvesting application, the family had subdivided the four building lots from the rest of the farm.

Bravo. When something gets developed, it really can feel like that's the way it always will be. For much of our lifetimes, that is likely the case. Buying up flood-prone properties and returning them to their natural states is a very real way to keep preservation efforts going.

This originally appeared in The Star-Ledger.

Flood-weary Pequannock gives land back to the river

PEQUANNOCK — Pequannock is plagued by the Pompton River overflowing its banks almost every March. It is becoming as certain as spring, and the river flooded again last summer after Hurricane Irene.

But a project meant to protect homeowners from flooding is one step closer to completion. The fourth phase of the Pompton Riverwalk was finished last week, according to a statement from the Land Conservancy of New Jersey.

"This open space and flood mitigation project protects residents and provides flood storage, open space and public access to the Pompton River for future generations," a statement from the conservancy said.

The strategy is to buy the land near the river and return it to open space to try to slow the floodwaters.

The preservation has created a new community park, known as the Pompton Riverwalk.
"This program has also provided homeowners the opportunity to be removed from the floodway, which just recently had waters in excess of 10 feet high on the property," said Frank Spizzirri, chairman of the Pequannock open space advisory committee. "Irene was the worst in town since 1902 and worse than 1984, to say the least. The owners are very excited about the buyout and are searching for a new place in town to settle."

The fourth phase of the project preserved six properties: the Gidi property on North Pequannock Avenue, the Shudtz property on Riverside Drive, the Berkshire property on Harrison Road, the Hunt property on Riverside Drive, the Soldatenkov property on Pequannock Avenue and the Weir property on Pequannock Avenue.

Last November, Morris County freeholders approved the fifth and final phase of the project. Pequannock will receive $988,000 to buy the land portion of six properties totaling 1.2 acres.
"The first four phases of this project were funded with assistance from the county open-space program, and most of the properties in these phases are now preserved," Freeholder Ann Grossi said at the time. "This latest acquisition will fill in the gaps between existing preserved lands and further Pequannock’s goal of creating a linear park along the Pompton River."

Since its initial grant request, the township has received more than $1.8 million from Morris County and more than $1.7 million from the state’s Green Acres program for the Riverwalk project.

"The success of the Pompton Riverwalk project is the result of a well-planned strategy to convert these flood-prone residences to an interconnected park system along the river for the enjoyment of current and future township residents, and will also reduce the township’s emergency and cleanup costs following future major flooding in the area," said Gregory Collins of the Land Conservancy.

East Windsor Acquires 47.55 Acres

Have to love the comment from the numbnuts on this story, especially after the story notes no taxpayer money was used in the land acquisition. Sigh.

This originally appeared on East Windsor Patch

East Windsor Acquires 47.55 Acres for Open Space Preservation

East Windsor Township acquired 40 acres on Etra Road and 7.55 acres on Airport Road for open space preservation, according to a news release.

“Preserving these properties as open space will directly contribute to and enhance the attractiveness of our community and the living environment for our residents,” Mayor Janice Mironov said in a news release. “Acquisition of these properties represents another excellent step in further expanding open space and potential recreational opportunities.”

The $1,100,000 purchase price of the Etra Road property was underwritten by several grants, including Green Acres, Mercer County open space grants and New Jersey Turnpike Authority funds, the release said. The Airport Road property, which is wooded, has some wetlands and a pervious parking lot, was donated by Pulte Homes to be used for open space.

“These acquisitions are a continuation of a major goal of the Township to preserve farmland and open space for the benefit of current and future residents of East Windsor Township,” Mironov said.

No property taxpayer money was used to acquire the land, the release said.
More than 2,600 acres in the Township have been permanently preserved as open space and farmland, according to Mironov.

“With these most recent grants, the total amount of Green Acres funds approved to date through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for the Township and East Windsor Green Space is over $6.35 million, along with approximately $3 million in Mercer County open space grants and over $2 million in developer donations,” she said.

1,800 Acres Preserved Under Lakehurst Flight Path

After reading about the mess going on in Holmdel (which still has some absolutely beautiful farmland in some parts, but massive castles–seriously, one is like a castle on Holland Road. A tribute to the owner's massive ego?) right now, I needed a little "Acre Whore" boost. Here's one that popped into my inbox today. Good timing!

1,800 acres tract under Lakehurst flight path to be preserved

Originally appeared in Asbury Park Press

A sand and gravel mine and surrounding woods just east of the military runways at Lakehurst will be preserved in a joint $7.5 million effort by the Department of Defense, Ocean County and the state Pinelands Commission.

Ocean County will buy outright 387 acres on the Ralph Clayton and Sons property on Route 547 in Jackson near the Manchester boundary, with another 1,415 acres preserved with a conservation easement, said Anthony Cucci, New Jersey director for the Trust for Public Land, which helped put the deal together for the military and civilian agencies.

“It helps protect the water flowing into Barnegat Bay, which is a major goal of Ocean County and the State of New Jersey, and it helps the military base protect land around its runway from residential development,” Cucci said in a statement announcing the deal Thursday.

The agreement comes at a critical time on two fronts.

With the economic downturn, the county and state have a chance to preserve more land in the Barnegat Bay watershed, in a race to save natural lands that filter water heading to the bay. The Clayton property includes part of Long Brook, a headwaters tributary of the upper Toms River, said Dennis Blazak, community planning and liason officer for Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

Keeping future development away from the runways helps protect the future of the base, at a time when defense officials have just revealed they will look for new rounds of base closings. The joint base is a survivor of earlier closings, and aviation units from all branches of the military have been consolidated there in recent years.

Blazak says flights in and out of the base have increased four-fold in that time. Once a dedicated Navy installation, Lakehurst now hosts training flights by Air Force C-17 transports that make steep descents and climbs near the Clayton property as they practice combat operations.

In the announcement, county Freeholder John P. Kelly said the Clayton tract was a “high-priority acquisition” when Ocean County completed a joint land use study with the Department of Defense and Pinelands Commission in 2009.

“The Clayton acquisition removes a major encroachment threat to the Joint Base and enhances Ocean County's long term economic development viability,” Kelly said. “Ocean County has made a commitment to the base to make certain it remains an integral part of our homeland security.”

Without the county purchase 55 homes could have been built on part of the property. The acquisition cost $7.5 million, with $3 million coming from the Pentagon’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative (REPI), and $3.375 million from the Ocean County Open Space Trust Fund, which is funded with a dedicated portion of the county property tax paid by property owners and homeowners.


The Pinelands Commission contributed $1.125 million from its Pinelands Conservation Fund, which was set up in 2004 with $13 million from Atlantic City Electric, as part of an agreement that allowed the company to build electric lines in southern Ocean County.
County and Pinelands officials say keeping the land open will help preserve water and natural resources in the area, including several lakes and wetlands along the upper reaches of the Toms River. The county, Pinelands Commission and Jackson Township have cooperated for years to limit development potential along the Route 547 corridor – both to control residential growth and tax burdens in Jackson, and to preserve water quality and wildlife habitat along the upper Toms River.