Pollution Settlement Fund Preserves Deptford Land

A pollution settlement fund established with NJCF in 1992 when an oil company was cited for polluting the environment has helped save nearly 80 acres of Deptford land in the last 14 years. The latest and final acquisition with the $400,000 fund helps expand the Old Pine Farm Preserve along Big Timber Creek in the Blackwood Terrace section of Deptford Township.

Big Timber Creek, Gloucester County Click for Full Photo

NJCF and the Old Pine Farm Natural Lands Trust recently preserved 11 different properties in Deptford totaling four acres along First, Washington and McNaughton Avenues. The $414,000 acquisition expands the now 36-acre urban greenway provided by the Old Pine Farm Preserve.

"Gloucester County is a better place to live today because of the land we have been able to protect with this special fund," said Michele S. Byers, NJCF Executive Director. "Our goal is to extend the greenway from the headwaters of Big Timber Creek to a portion of the Delaware River."

The fund was established after Coastal Eagle Point Refinery was cited in 1989 for violating water pollution control laws at its West Deptford facility. Interest payments and reimbursements on lands that NJCF sold to the State have allowed the monies to be used repeatedly over the years.

The recent acquisition was funded equally by grants from NJCF and the State Green Acres Program. The property is owned by the Old Pine Farm Natural Lands Trust, which manages the preserve with guidance from NJCF.

Janet Eisenhauer [About] Regional Manager NJ Conservation Foundation (856) 589-4317 janet@njconservation.org

"The recently acquired properties are part of an area of Deptford where many children go out their door and have a beautiful open space to play so we are happy that it will remain that way forever," said Joan Tracy, Chairperson of the Old Pine Farm Natural Lands Trust. "Our land trust and NJCF have worked together since 1992 to protect Old Pine Farm, which provides the community with an ideal place for passive recreation and nature study."

Located in NJCF's Big Timber Creek project area, Old Pine Farm is one of the few remaining natural and protected areas along the highly developed, tidal section of Big Timber Creek. The area features grassland savannas, hardwood forests and a thick maple swamp.

"Big Timber Creek is surrounded on three sides by acres of freshwater, tidal wetlands that are an important resource for many wildlife and plant species," said Janet Eisenhauer, NJCF Delaware Bayshore Regional Manager. "The lush wetlands that surround Old Pine Farm are home for many species of plants, such as wild rice, an important food source for many resident and migratory bird species."