Contact:

SANDY PERRY, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
PHONE: 908-234-1225, EXT. 104
SANDY@NJCONSERVATION.ORG

Land preservation to help protect Wild & Scenic river

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Protection for the Great Egg Harbor River, a federally-designated Wild and Scenic River that is a favorite of canoeists and birders, has been strengthened with the preservation of a 23-acre property along one of its tributaries in Monroe Township, Gloucester County.

The New Jersey Conservation Foundation, a private nonprofit land preservation group, has purchased land surrounding a half-mile stretch of stream, a tributary of the river’s Squankum Branch.

“It made sense for us to try to preserve this stream corridor, since it’s a tributary of a Wild and Scenic river,” explained Chris Jage, the foundation’s assistant director for South Jersey. He noted that although the Wild and Scenic designation gives the Great Egg Harbor River certain protections, tributaries at the river’s headwaters are not covered.

Located near Black Horse Pike (Route 322), the property was purchased for $13,000 through New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s Doland Estate Fund, named for the late Nelson C. Doland Jr. of Boonton Township, Morris County, and his wife and daughter-in-law. The Dolands, conservation supporters who put some of their own property into farmland preservation, bequeathed money to support New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s preservation efforts.

Fred Akers, executive director of the Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association, said the preserved parcel will help protect natural ecosystems and water quality in the Great Egg Harbor River. Urbanization near the top of the watershed, he noted, places stress on the aquatic environment.

“Extensive urban land use both in and out of the Pinelands around Williamstown drains into the upper headwaters of the Squankum Branch, causing flash flooding and impaired water quality,” said Akers

“Further downstream, the Squankum Branch drains into the state’s Winslow Wildlife Management Area, and 4.5 miles of the Squankum Branch are part of the National Wild and Scenic River System,” he added. “Protecting and maintaining the natural wetlands along Squankum Branch is critical to reducing the impacts of flooding and filtering urban stormwater runoff.”

In addition to protecting a headwaters stream, the newly-preserved property builds the foundation for a future greenway of connected open space, a fundamental goal of New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s Garden State Greenways project. It is located between the Winslow Wildlife Management Area and the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust’s Squankum Branch Preserve.

The Great Egg Harbor River begins in suburban towns and meanders for 59 miles on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. The river’s watershed – that is, all the land draining into the river – covers 304 square miles in New Jersey's Pine Barrens. Dissolved iron and tannin, a product of fallen leaves and cedar roots, produce the river's characteristic tea-colored "cedar water" along much of its length.

Known to locals as the “Great Egg,” the river was designated a national Wild and Scenic river in October 1992 by President George H. W. Bush. Freshwater and tidal wetlands along the river serve as resting, feeding, and breeding areas for waterfowl throughout the year.

New Jersey Conservation Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization that preserves land and natural resources throughout New Jersey for the benefit of all. Since 1960, the Foundation has preserved more than 120,000 acres, from the Highlands to the Delaware Bayshore. For more information, visit www.njconservation.org or call 908-234-1225.