Two Schooley's Mountain properties preserved

NJCF and the Washington Township Land Trust recently preserved two properties in Washington Township, Morris County totaling 124 acres of woodlands and natural areas. Both properties add to over 1,100 acres of preserved lands on top of Schooley's Mountain in the New Jersey Highlands.

NJCF worked with the Washington Township Land Trust and Washington Township to preserve the 89-acre Covalesky property.

"We are a small, 100 percent volunteer organization, so partnering with NJCF was extremely beneficial," said Keith Hayes, Washington Township Land Trust President.

"NJCF has gone out and found preservation opportunities for us that we would have never known about," Hayes said. "These two recent projects were important to us as an organization because most of our preservation work to this point has protected farmland. But we wanted to start preserving some lands that protected forests and water supply and both of these projects accomplish that goal."

NJCF and the Washington Township Land Trust began working in partnership to preserve the 35-acre Boyle property on Middle Valley Road several years ago. A developer had made an offer to purchase the property with the intent of creating a seven-lot subdivision. "It would have been awful to see McMansions on this beautiful property," Hayes said. "The property is also rated very highly in terms of groundwater recharge, where water flows from the surface down to the underground aquifer, so it is important from a water supply perspective as well."

NJCF purchased the property in May for $153,250 utilizing its land funds and agreed to hold the property temporarily. The property will be transferred to the Washington Township Land Trust and the New Jersey Water Supply Authority later this year and NJCF will be reimbursed. The Washington Township Land Trust and Washington Township are collaborating to purchase a trail easement from a bordering property that will provide public access to the land.

NJCF also worked with the Washington Township Land Trust and Washington Township to preserve the 89-acre Covalesky property on Califon Road. Washington Township and the land trust used grants from the Morris County Open Space Trust Fund and Green Acres. NJCF wrote the Green Acres grant application, which was critical to the preservation effort.

Offering beautiful woodlands to the community for passive recreation, the land protects the water quality of the South Branch of the Raritan River and Spruce Run Reservoir, two of the area's most important trout streams and drinking water sources. NJCF assisted the Washington Township Land Trust and other partners to preserve a 290-acre property in this area in 2004.

"The Covalesky property is part of one of the most important forest patches in Washington Township," said Hayes. "This largely unbroken forest covers a significant portion of Schooley's Mountain between Long Valley and Califon and provides exceptional habitat for wildlife species that are declining throughout the region."