Maureen Ogden Preserve

About the Preserve




The former Drakestown Preserve has been renamed in honor of Maureen Ogden, whose 50 years of public service and environmental activism include serving as a state Assemblywoman for 14 years, the first chair of the Garden State Preservation Trust, a trustee of New Jersey Conservation Foundation since 2006, commissioner of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, member of Legacy Council of NJ Highlands Coalition and chair of the Conservation Committee of New Jersey Garden Clubs.

The preserve was acquired in 2010 from the family of the late Jack Borgenicht, a businessman, philanthropist and mountain climber with a passion for amassing open space and farmland in the Long Valley area.

Located off Drakestown Road and Fairview Avenue in Long Valley, the preserve sits high on the Schooley’s Mountain Ridge, a flat-topped forested ridge that runs through Washington Township. This land provides vital habitat for interior forest species, including scarlet tanagers, red-eyed vireos and red-shouldered hawks. The preserve is open to the public for passive recreation such as hiking and nature observation.

Most of the Maureen Ogden Preserve consists of mature forest lands crossed by meandering streams that feed the South Branch of the Raritan River. The South Branch supplies drinking water to 1.5 million New Jersey residents, so keeping the property in its natural state helps protect this important water resource. New Jersey Conservation Foundation co-owns the preserve with the New Jersey Water Supply Authority.

Read more about the preservation of the Maureen Ogden Preserve property >

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384 Fairview Avenue
Long Valley, NJ 07853
DIRECTIONS

Ideal for...

  • Bird Watching
  • Hiking

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