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Bedminster 'heartland' tract is preserved

BEDMINSTER, NJ, Aug. 13, 2007 – A 26-acre property in the heart of rural Bedminster Township has become permanent public open space, thanks to a partnership between the township, Somerset County, the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and the Lamington Conservancy.

Bedminster Township closed on the $1.9 million Spook Hollow Road property in July after lengthy work to create a mutually beneficial agreement between the family of the late Condict and Hugh Hyde and three public-private preservation partners.

The sloping property, which borders the Middle Brook and includes forests and fields, will be used for passive recreation such as hiking, bird-watching and possibly horseback riding.

Bedminster Mayor Robert Holtaway (pictured above, with Brooke Hyde Goode) said the land acquisition would not have been possible without mutual cooperation between the Hyde heirs and the other groups. “How great it is to have this private-public partnership, to have this opportunity to save a property in the heartland of our township,” said Holtaway. “I hope this provides synergy for others to contribute as generously.”

A former pig farm that was once part of the sprawling Hamilton Farm estate, the property was purchased in 1929 by Leslie Hyde, who raised her two sons there. After Leslie Hyde’s death, her son Hugh Hyde bought out his brother’s share of the property and raised his own family there.

After Hugh and Condict Hyde passed away, their four children wanted to preserve the undeveloped portion of the family property on the north side of Spook Hollow Road as a tribute to their parents while selling their stone farmhouse across the road to a private buyer. That’s where NJCF came in.

With guidance from NJCF project manager Beth Davisson, the family first donated a conservation easement on the 26-acre parcel to NJCF. The contribution of the easement, which essentially extinguished all development rights, reduced the market value of the property and provided an estate tax benefit to the family.

With the value of the property significantly lower, it became financially possible for Bedminster Township to purchase it with help from Somerset County and the non-profit Lamington Conservancy, a Bedminster-based land preservation group. Somerset County provided $1 million, Bedminster Township contributed $685,000 it had gotten through a state Planning Incentive Grant, and Lamington Conservancy covered the remaining $215,000 through a state Green Acres grant it had received.

Brooke Goode of Gladstone, one of Hugh and Condict Hyde’s children, said she and her siblings are thrilled that the land that was treasured by their family for nearly 80 years will be available for future generations to enjoy. “My parents absolutely loved the land and would be happy that it will be protected forever,” she said. “It’s really beautiful land. I can’t imagine houses going there.”

Goode added that she hopes her family’s decision to preserve the land will inspire other families to do likewise. “I talk it up quite a lot,” she said. “People should really look at doing this, because it’s such a win-win situation for both the community and the family.”

NJCF Executive Director Michele S. Byers noted that the Hyde property is valuable from a public standpoint because it is part of the foundation’s Black River Greenway project area, a region where the borders of Somerset, Morris and Hunterdon counties meet. NJCF has helped preserve nearly 3,000 acres of land in the Black River Greenway for the dual purposes of providing public access and protecting environmentally sensitive resources. The Middle Brook is a tributary of the North Branch of the Raritan River, an important water supply source.

Byers also pointed out that expanded federal tax incentives for donating conservation easements are available through the end of 2007, although conservationists are trying to convince legislators to extend the period.

For more information on saving land and natural resources through conservation easement donation, contact NJCF at 1-888-LAND-SAVE (1-888-526-3728) or visit the organization’s website at www.njconservation.org.