26-acre Bedminster Property Protected by Conservation Easement Donation

The estate of Condict Hyde of Bedminster recently donated a conservation easement on the family's 26-acre Spook Hollow Road property to NJCF. Owned by the Hyde family for some 80 years, the property features forest, open fields and hills and valleys along the pristine Middle Brook.

NJCF received a conservation easement donation on this 26-acre Bedminster property Click for Full Photo

"Our parents absolutely loved the land and they would be happy that it will be protected forever," said Brooke Goode of Gladstone, one of Condict Hyde's four children. "The property was part of an old pig farm and my father and our whole family grew-up on the land so it is very special for us."

The conservation easement donation comes at a time when Congress has significantly expanded the tax benefits available to landowners and farmers who donate easements. Until the end of 2007, landowners can take a tax deduction of up to 50% of their income, as compared to 30% under previous law, and qualifying farmers can actually deduct up to 100% of their income. Donors also now have up to 16 years to take tax deductions for conservation easement donations as opposed to the previous six years - a significant benefit for those with insufficient income to enjoy the full benefit of their donation.

Click for Full Map

"The expanded tax incentives definitely help make donating an easement more feasible from a financial point of view and we hope other landowners will consider the opportunities they present as well as the importance of protecting our natural resources," said Goode.

"We are extremely grateful to the Hyde family for their generous conservation easement donation, which illustrates the family's tremendous commitment to saving Bedminster's land and natural resources," said Michele S. Byers, NJCF Executive Director.

The conservation easement donation paves the way for Bedminster Township to purchase the land outright from the Hyde family at a fraction of its market value. Later this year, it is expected that Bedminster will acquire the land in partnership with Somerset County, Lamington Conservancy and Upper Raritan Watershed Association (URWA). Ultimately, URWA will own and maintain the property as a nature preserve which will have public access.

Beth Davisson [About] Project Manager NJ Conservation Foundation 1 (800) LAND-SAVE beth@njconservation.org

The Hyde property is part of NJCF's Black River Greenway project area, a region that includes parts of Hunterdon, Morris and Somerset counties where NJCF has preserved nearly 3,000 acres of land for both public access and the protection of environmentally sensitive resources.