Stewardship of protected lands

Stewardship is the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care. This principle guides NJCF's Stewardship Program, which manages and protects over 20,000 acres of preserved land statewide. The stewardship team maintains public access and protects natural resources on both lands owned by NJCF and properties where NJCF has purchased a conservation easement—a restriction placed on a piece of property to protect its resources.

In addition to forming partnerships to help protect lands statewide, the stewardship team strives to protect plant and wildlife habitat. One current NJCF stewardship project in the Pine Barrens is designed to bring back Atlantic White Cedar forest, a habitat that is rapidly disappearing from New Jersey and is vital to many threatened and endangered species. The stewardship team also aims to provide quality public access to parks and natural lands and serve as a model for protected lands management.