Contact:

FRED FEINER, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
PHONE: 908-234-1225, EXT. 104
FRED@NJCONSERVATION.ORG

Hunterdon County Goes South of the Border

DELAWARE TOWNSHIP, NJ, April 25, 2007 – The annual barn dance of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF) will take on a distinctive South of the Border flavor on Saturday, May 12. FIESTA MEXICANA! will be held at the preserved Brook Hollow Farm beginning at 6 p.m. and will feature the music of Mariachi Oro De Mexico, a spectacular variety of delicious food, live and silent auctions, dancing and a raffle.

Tickets are $100 and can be purchased by contacting NJCF at 1-888-LAND-SAVE (1-888-526-3728). All proceeds from the event benefit NJCF’s work to protect the land and natural resources of the Wickecheoke Creek Preserve. The Brook Hollow farm is west of Sergeantsville.

“NJCF’s barn dance annually attracts close to 200 people and this year’s event promises to be memorable,” said Alix Bacon, NJCF Western Piedmont Regional Manager. “Attire will range from blue jeans and cowboy boots to beautiful Mexican wedding gowns. The Latin music will have everyone up and moving and the food from Chambers Walk Café will be unforgettable.”

Suzanne Perrault of PBS’s “Antiques Roadshow” and The Perrault-Rago Gallery in Lambertville will conduct the event’s live auction, which includes many impressive items. Auction items include golf outings at Baltusrol and Plainfield, a week in Hilton Head, an Afghan rug, a Toshiko Takaezu sculpture, wine tasting party for 10 people by Wine 54 in Mt. Airy, and a cooking demonstration for 10 people by Chef Mario Mangone at Chambers Walk Café of Lawrenceville or your home. The Afghan rug is unique in that it is part of the Cultural Survival Tibetan Weaving Project, which was founded in 1990 to establish a collection of rugs that represent the various sources of inspiration found in fine antique Tibetan carpets.

Corporate sponsors for the event include The Russ Poles Group at NT Callaway, Norm Goldberg, Lisa James Otto Country Properties, Amy S. Greene Environmental Consultants, Ronald A. Curini Appraisal Company, Thompson Toyota and Thompson BMW, and Triassic Technology.

The New Jersey Conservation Foundation is a private, non-profit organization that relies on private philanthropic support and grants from a variety of public and private sector organizations. Through acquisition and stewardship, NJCF protects strategic lands; promotes strong land use policies; and forges partnerships to achieve conservation goals. Since 1960, NJCF has protected over 100,000 of acres of open space – from the Highlands to the Pine Barrens to the Delaware Bayshore, from farms to forests to urban and suburban parks.

Over the last 20 years, NJCF and its partners have preserved over 2,000 acres of precious land for public enjoyment and the protection of natural resources in the Western Piedmont area of Hunterdon and Mercer Counties. Today, NJCF manages the Wickecheoke Creek Preserve, a 988-acre public greenway that provides public trail access along the course of the beautiful Delaware River tributary. The Wickecheoke Creek is a vital public resource as it feeds the Delaware & Raritan Canal, a source of drinking water for 1.2 million New Jersey residents. The Wickecheoke Creek Preserve is home to elusive beaver and mink, spectacular great blue herons and endangered species such as red-shouldered hawks, wood turtles and long-tailed salamander as well as over 400 species of native plants.

For more information, please contact NJCF at 1-888-LAND-SAVE (1-888-526-3728) or info@njconservation.org.