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Archive for the 'recreation & aethestics' Category
Tags: edison wetlands association, wma 9
Posted in ecological restoration project, franklin parker small grants program, projects funded by conservation resources, recreation & aethestics
In 2011, CRI awarded this project $4000 through its Franklin Parker Small Grant program.
The Dismal Swamp Conservation Area Trails Project was conceived in 2003 by the nonprofit Edison Wetlands Association (EWA). As the largest natural area remaining in this densely populated region of the state, the 1240-acre Dismal Swamp habitat enjoys a wide range of biodiversity, with nearly 200 species of birds sighted as well as a dozen threatened species. EWA has led the effort to preserve the Dismal Swamp since 1990, and has preserved approximately half of the area.
EWA continues to engage the public through mainstream media, blogs, videos, the web, and social media sites, as well as through public meetings, presentations, tours and cleanup events.Unfortunately, it has been historically difficult for the public to access this natural oasis. That changed in 2011 with the opening of the first fully public trail in the Conservation Area–Songbird Trail, a half-mile trail created, designed, and constructed by EWA in partnership with the Township of Edison. The trail currently offers hiking and mountain biking through an upland area crossed by waterways and adjacent to a public park and neighborhood. EWA has conducted cleanups, and installed security cameras, signs, kiosks, and benches. In the next few years, EWA will be hanging bird feeders, marking trees with identification tags, adding bike racks at trail heads, constructing bird blinds, and designing additional trails for future phases. They are also considering options for restoring native wildlife habitat.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Recreation and Aesthetics: Public access- hiking trails; Environmental education
Total Project Cost: $302,000
Status: While EWA completed the Songbird Trail, it offers additional opportunities for expanding side trails to incorporate the 70-acre South Plainfield Holdings, Adams Farm property, and General Pallet Factory tract. Funding is needed to help with upcoming projects, and ongoing outreach efforts.
If you would like further information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources.
Tags: ridge and valley conservancy, wma 1
Posted in franklin parker small grants program, land preservation project, recreation & aethestics
In 2011, CRI awarded this project $4000 through its Franklin Parker Small Grant program.
The Lightning Bug Hollow property consists of obtaining a conservation easement on two adjoining properties totaling approximately 202 acres in Hardwick Township. The properties consist of steep-to-rolling topography that culminates in a flat, developable plateau. An abandoned but not vacated township road - Butler Road – runs through both properties, giving access for development. The properties are completely forested, contain a small lake and numerous vernal pools that serve as critical wildlife habitat, adjoin Princeton Blairstown Center, and are in close proximity to Ridge and Valley Conservancy’s 360-acre Limestone Forest Preserve and the Bennett Farm, recently preserved by Warren County, creating a significant greenway.
The properties will remain in private ownership after the easement is placed on them. RVC and Hardwick will hold the easement, with the State holding a secondary right to enforce the easement. The easement will require public access via the Ridge and Valley Trial. Butler Road provides the missing link of the Ridge and Valley Trail, which will connect the Paulinskill Valley Trail and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Recreation and Aesthetics: Public access- hiking trails, creating a greenway
Total Project Cost: $850,000, including $31,500 for soft costs associated with obtaining the easement
Status: RVC has been in discussion with the Liberty-to-Water Gap Trail proponents, who would be able to use the Ridge and Valley Trail to finalize the connection to the Water Gap should the easement be obtained.
For more information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources.
Tags: d&r greenway land trust, wma 10
Posted in biological diversity, franklin parker small grants program, projects funded by conservation resources, recreation & aethestics
In 2011, CRI awarded this project $3325 through its Franklin Parker Small Grant program.
The goal of this project is to promote native pollinators by the enhancement of nectaring and nesting habitat on a 7-acre portion of a 22-acre farm. The conservation value of the project is to reduce surrounding produce farmers’ reliance on European honeybees and to create early successional habitat to benefit species that rely upon this habitat type. After planting, interpretive signage along a trail through the created meadow will explain the importance of our native pollinators and providing habitat for them.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Biological Diversity: Habitat for native pollinators through the creation of a pollinator meadow
Outreach, Education, and Aesthetics: Environmental education- interpretive signage; Public access- hiking trail
Agricultural Production: Crop pollination
Total Project Cost: $7500
Status: Herbicide has been applied to an existing stand of overgrown shrub willows on the property, and dead stand has been cut down.
If you would like further information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources.
Tags: new jersey conservation foundation, wma 08 (north and south branch raritan)
Posted in agricultural production, climate stabilization and/or air pollution mitigation project, land preservation project, NRD settlement candidate project, recreation & aethestics
The Hill & Dale Preserve is located in Tewksbury Township, Hunterdon County. It provides magnificent and sweeping views of preserved farmland and distant mountain ranges, including Round Valley Reservoir.
The first 115 acres of the new Hill & Dale Preserve at the base of Hell Mountain were acquired by New Jersey Conservation Foundation. Conservation Resources helped facilitate a large grant to this project from a previously collected Natural Resource Damage Settlement. To read the press release, click here.
Project History
New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF) has been looking for a preserve in its Black River Greenway project area that would host both natural and agricultural components representative of the region. This property meets their criteria. If NJCF could acquire this whole site, then they would intend to convert the lower agricultural land to an organic farming operation, while some of the more steeply sloping fields would be converted to conservation land for passive recreation. The hayed areas towards the top would likely be converted to warm-season grasslands, and would include hiking trails where visitors could enjoy distant views.
The property has been of critical local interest for many years, and nonprofits and the local government have sought to preserve it for over a decade. The Garden State Greenways project identified the property as containing both Critical Resource: Agriculture and Grasslands, as well as providing a Critical Connector. Tewksbury’s Open Space Plan identifies parcels of greater than 30 acres in size (p.140) The plan proposes to carry out the Township’s policy to preserve open space by evaluating these parcels based on several criteria, including the following which the property meets: aquifer recharge, presence of freshwater wetland, unique wildlife and plant habitats, mature woodlands, headwater streams, steep slopes, aesthetic views and vistas, accessibility to the public, suitability for multiple types of uses, sustainability of the property’s intended use, and opportunity for preservation. The Township plan encourages preservation of large interconnected natural areas. Preservation of this property, nestled between the Township’s Hell Mountain Preserve and the Rothpletz farm, certainly meets this goal. The County plan recommends collaboration with nonprofits and others in the conservation of priority lands in conservation zones. The County Park Plan encourages protection of meadows of significant size (25 acres or more) to provide habitat to grassland bird species, and encourages 200 foot or larger buffers to streams, which would be afforded by preserving this property. Furthermore, the Hunterdon County Planning Board identified Hell Mountain as the area in Hunterdon County with the highest Natural Resource Score, based on its groundwater recharge, significant forest cover and significant habitat for rare plant species.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Climate Stabilization and Air Pollution Mitigation: Carbon sequestration- avoided deforestation, grassland restoration
Water Protection, Filtration and Control: Water quantity- protection of groundwater recharge areas
Agricultural Production: Local food systems- organic agriculture
Recreation and Aesthetics: Public access- hiking trails
Total Project Cost: $7,100,000
If you would like further information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources.
Tags: new jersey conservation foundation, wma 20 (assiscunk crosswicks and doctors)
Posted in climate stabilization and/or air pollution mitigation project, land preservation project, recreation & aethestics, water protection, filtration, & control
This 20-acre property is a key link in the Allentown Historic Greenbelt and the Crosswicks Creek/Doctors Creek Watershed Greenway Plan, a plan devised by the Crosswicks Creek/Doctors Creek Watershed Regional Greenway Planning Group. It offers a scenic vista and gateway to Allentown and the region. The historic house is a community landmark that reminds citizens and visitors of the region’s history as a backdrop for Revolutionary War activity. A local citizens group is working to preserve a greenway commemorating the region’s historic legacy, referred to as the Allentown Historic Greenbelt, with this property featured as key to the integrity of the Greenbelt.
The property links with adjacent preserved lands, creating a greenway for healthier habitat. The land is identified in the Crosswicks/Doctors Creek Watershed Greenway Plan as well as the Township of Robbinsville’s Land Preservation Plan. The connected system of lands will create an opportunity for a trails network. With few wetlands, the property can support a variety of recreation activities.
The land buffers Indian Run, a tributary to Doctors Creek to Crosswicks Creek which outlets into the Delaware River through the Hamilton Trenton marsh. Flooding along Indian Run severely impacts the drinking water supply of Allentown Borough. Preservation of this land would help protect the drinking water supply from further degradation.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Climate Stabilization and Air Pollution Mitigation: Carbon sequestration- avoided deforestation
Water Protection, Filtration and Control: Water quality- protection of wetlands, water supply
Recreation and Aesthetics: Public access- hiking trails as part of historic greenbelt
Total Project Cost: $4,075,000
Status: This property is under option with the private landowner. One appraisal has been completed, and a CMV is underway.
If you would like further information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources.
Tags: harding land trust
Posted in franklin parker small grants program, projects funded by conservation resources, recreation & aethestics
In 2010, CRI awarded this project $3,000 through its Franklin Parker Small Grant program.
The Harding Land Trust (HLT) plans to publish a Landowner Stewardship Guide as part of a new initiative to educate landowners about the conservation of natural habitats in the Great Swamp Watershed.
The Guide will provide landowners with simple recommendations to improve habitat quality and ecological values on private lands. Distribution will be targeted to owners of conservation properties and lands adjacent to preserved properties to reduce violations and promote consistent stewardship of resources.
The guide will be made available to other land trusts and conservation organizations who want to customize the information to their organizations’ needs. 
This project will enable the Harding Land Trust to:
- Promote stewardship ethics and best management practices
- Draw on the experience and knowledge of conservation partners within the watershed
- Identify and address local stewardship needs in partnership with others
- Resolve issues through compromise and respect
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Outreach, Recreation and Aesthetics: Environmental Education- outreach materials to educate landowners about conserving natural habitats
Total Project Cost: $8,240
Status: A draft of the guide is under development.
If you would like further information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources.
Tags: franklin parker small grants program, friends of princeton open space
Posted in biological diversity, ecological restoration project, franklin parker small grants program, projects funded by conservation resources, recreation & aethestics
In 2010, CRI awarded this project $2,000 through its Franklin Parker Small Grant program.
The Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS) has worked for 40 years to preserve and restore open space in Princeton, NJ. Its home base is Mountain Lakes Preserve, in the middle of 411 acres of preserved land, 300 of which are publicly owned. Sometimes called “Princeton’s Central Park”, this popular destination for hikers is well-situated for public outreach, being in the middle of the township, well connected to bike trails and bounded by three schools. A FOPOS-maintained system of trails allows easy access to all preserved lands. Preliminary plant inventories have been made of the complex of habitats, which vary in soil type and elevation from spring- or stream-fed wetlands to mature oak-hickory forest and upland meadow.
Though ten years of intensive deer control has greatly improved prospects for native flora, past farming and browsing pressure mean much work is needed to reintroduce native understory species. Invasive shrubs are pervasive, with Photinia villosa of particular concern, while invasions by herbaceous exotics such as lesser celandine and Lespedeza cuneata are in earlier stages.
Various initiatives to manage and restore the publicly held lands are underway through FOPOS, including the planting of a wet meadow, management for native flora in a spring-fed marsh (WHIP grant), restoring populations of native chestnut, butternut and hazelnut, deer exclosures to be built as mitigation for the dam and lake restorations, invasive removal by individuals and school groups, conversion of Mountain Lakes House landscaping from exotic to native, native seed collection and growing.
There is a need to integrate all these initiatives within the framework of a detailed ecological assessment and stewardship plan that will offer a comprehensive vision, identify priorities, partners and opportunities, and provide a plan for reaching a set of ecological and educational goals.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Biological Diversity: Ecosystem restoration- invasive plant removal, ecosystem-level management and planning, restoration of native wetlands and forest species
Recreation and Aesthetics: Public access- hiking trails
Total Project Cost: $22,600
Status: Approximately 15 acres of the property have been cleared of Photinia villosa. Further funding is needed to continue efforts to remove this species, as well as develop an integrated ecological assessment and stewardship plan.
If you would like further information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources.
Tags: stony brook millstone watershed association, wma 10 (millstone)
Posted in biological diversity, completed projects, franklin parker small grants program, land preservation project, projects funded by conservation resources, recreation & aethestics, water protection, filtration, & control
In 2010, CRI awarded this project $3000 through its Franklin Parker Small Grant program.
The 68.84 acre Thompson property is of critical importance to the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed and its surrounding region. It was purchased in July 2011 by the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association (SBMWA) through the state Green Acres program, in partnership with Mercer County and Hopewell Township, with support from CRI. The tract now connects the Association’s formerly separate units into 930 contiguous acres. In addition to important habitat and resource protection, securing this land is also critical for completing an uninterrupted hiking trail between Hopewell Borough and Kunkel Park in Pennington.
Honey Brook, a tributary to the Category One waters of the Stony Brook, bisects the property. Approximately one third of the tract includes associated wetlands and habitat. Honey Brook is also the feeder stream to a 4.5 acre pond, so the protection of this area is crucial from a habitat management standpoint.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Water Protection, Filtration, and Control: Water quality and quantity- protection of wetland habitat, groundwater recharge areas
Biological Diversity: Habitat- management of wetlands habitat
Recreation and Aesthetics: Public access- hiking trails
Total Project Cost: About $1.5 million
Status: Purchase was completed July 2011.
If you would like further information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources.
Tags: ny-nj baykeeper, wma 07 (arthur kill)
Posted in recreation & aethestics, water protection, filtration, & control
The Head Mistress is moored in Keyport, NJ and is modeled after NY/NJ Baykeeper’s successful pumpout boat program in Jamaica Bay, NY. The boat offers free, convenient and reliable pumpouts to the over 4,000 recreational boaters in Raritan and Sandy Hook Bays from April through November. During the Summer of 2010 the boat serviced 168 recreational boats in Raritan Bay, from Keyport Harbor up to Perth Amboy, and 157 boats in Sandy Hook Bay. This amounts to approximately 6,460 gallons of waste that might have otherwise been dumped overboard, polluting our shared waters. All these pumpouts were provided at no cost to the boat owners.
The Bayshore Pumpout Boat captain and crew educate the public about the nuisance of algae blooms and hypoxia through the distribution of brochures and discussion with boat owners about the detrimental effects of excess nitrogen from sewage disposal into the bay waters. The brochures, news releases and stories in local newspapers related to the project build a constituency for cleaner water, combined sewer discharge abatement, and bolster the local municipalities’ knowledge of the effects of nitrogen discharges from its sewage treatment. The project also highlights positive steps being taken toward the clean-up of Raritan and Sandy Hook Bays, engaging our constituents to take a greater personal interest in the health of these shared waters.
There are only five stationary pumpout stations in the Raritan and Sandy Hook Bays, excluding the tributaries. The Pumpout Boat travels the coast and provides easily accessible pumpouts to recreational boaters in the Bays. This decrease of waste discharge into the bays will help reduce the occurrence of algae blooms, lesson introduction of toxics into the water and decrease fish kills.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Water Protection, Filtration, and Control: Water quality- preventing water pollution from sewage
Outreach, Recreation, and Aesthetics: Environmental education- outreach to boat owners
Total Project Cost: $14,500 per year
Status: Initial funding for this project, including the purchase of the boat, was provided by the Clean Vessel Act, IBoatNJ, Keyport, Hazlet, Atlantic Highlands, Matawan, Perth Amboy, and Middletown, and in-kind support from John Olsen’s Marina. The project was made possible thanks to a loan from the Keyport Yacht Club. NY/NJ Baykeeper is seeking $14,500 per year to continue this vital service.
If you would like further information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources.
Tags: american littoral society
Posted in biological diversity, recreation & aethestics, water protection, filtration, & control
Part of the New York – New Jersey Harbor Estuary, Jamaica Bay is truly New York’s last great wilderness. Jamaica Bay is the most intact remnant of what was once a thriving estuarine ecosystem throughout New York City. Collectively, its salt marshes, mud flats, and shallow water areas are the largest expanse of estuarine habitat in this highly urbanized landscape. It lies at the confluence of two of the world’s most urban, heavily trafficked, and stressed waterways–the New York Bight and New York Bay. Add to this the Bay’s position in the geographic “corner” formed by the east-west position of Long Island and the North-South orientation of the Mid-Atlantic Coast, Jamaica Bay is a unique ecological phenomenon, supporting an exceptionally high concentration and biodiversity of life.
As part of a larger plan to restore the bay’s coastal habitats, in 2011-12 the American Littoral Society will be restoring 40 acres of coastal marine habitat including saltmarsh, mudflats, and intertidal beach in Jamaica Bay, New York City, by removing derelict boats and other large and small marine debris. This will enhance critical fish habitat for Atlantic silverside, killifish, alewife, striped mullet, winter flounder, Atlantic menhaden, bluefish, and striped bass. They will clean up habitat essential to the endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle and federally threatened loggerhead turtle, as well as the diamondback terrapin, a New York State Species of Concern. Avian species that depend on these habitats include the federally endangered roseate tern and the state threatened least bittern, American oystercatcher, black-crowned night heron, osprey, pied-billed grebe, and common barn owl.
The American Littoral Society would also like to produce brochures that will increase public engagement in and knowledge of marine debris issues, and train volunteers to aid them in their efforts.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Water Protection, Filtration, and Control: Water quality- improving the health of a tidal ecosystem
Biological Diversity: Habitat- enhance aquatic habitat for threatened and endangered turtles, shorebirds, and fish species
Outreach, Recreation and Aesthetics: Environmental education- train volunteers, educate public
Total Project Cost: $250,000
Status: The American Littoral Society has been awarded a grant of $120,000 from the NOAA Marine Debris Program. The NYC Department of Sanitation, Brooklyn College, and the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance are some of the partners that have agreed to donate time and services to Jamaica Bay Clean Sweep. The American Littoral Society needs to raise $25,000 to complete the first phase of this project.
If you would like further information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources.
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