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Tewksbury Land Trust Celebrates Its Mission to Create a Ten-Mile Trail through Tewksbury

Nov 19, 2018

The Tewksbury Land Trust celebrated its mission to create a Ten-Mile Trail through Tewksbury, which is scheduled for completion in 2020. Held in the 18th century stone barn at Gregg and Jean Frankel’s Applewood Farm, on Wednesday evening November 14th, the event also honored Beth Davisson, New Jersey Conservation Foundation Regional Manager. Thanks to her sponsorship by New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Ms. Davisson has guided the Land Trust through the acquisition of 17 properties and easements, with more on the way.

The mission to develop the Ten-Mile Trail has been dubbed, “Vision 2020.” Larry Ross, TLT president, shared his excitement with 70 some supporters in attendance:

“Now, 24 years after our founding by Ted Koven and others in 1996, we are in a position to ‘connect the dots’- thanks to you all! Building on the conservation efforts of others, we are creating a trail that winds its way from existing TLT preserves on Fox Hill, through the Township’s Hell Mountain Preserve, on to New Jersey Conservation’s Hill & Dale Preserve, and finally, with the help of yet another TLT acquisition under way, to Hunterdon County’s Cold Brook Preserve on the edge of Oldwick. Our dream to build this trail is taking shape!”

Following a presentation by Beth Davisson regarding the environmentally advanced design and engineering of the trail, Chris Teasdale, TLT Secretary, paid homage to Beth Davisson for guiding the Board through the acquisition of many of our preserves and the gathering of funds needed to complement donor contributions.

“An organization is blessed when a rare talent supports its efforts,” said Teasdale. “Beth Davisson is that rare talent. She blends the skills of a consummate professional with a positive, cheerful, leap-over-any-obstacle approach to her work. Any Tewksbury Land Trust Board Member will tell you that without Beth’s tireless efforts, we would have nowhere near the 200+ acre portfolio of land preserves that we now have (not to mention approximately 400 acres of land we have preserved in partnership with other trusts – again led by Beth’s efforts).”

In receiving her testimonial, Beth Davisson graciously stated, “Working with the Tewksbury Land Trust has been a terrific experience. The Board’s energy, creativity and commitment to teamwork has made this preservation mission very productive and rewarding.”

To mark the occasion, board members published a 40-page booklet, which includes a letter from Tewksbury Township Mayor Louis DiMare, commending the Vision 2020 mission, and the TLT’s cooperation with the Township, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Raritan Headwaters Association, and County as it builds the Ten-Mile Trail and preserves more land. Beth Davisson describes some of the remarkable engineering that will establish an environmentally state-of-the-art trail. A map of the trail is presented in four-color on the center spread, followed by TLT Secretary Teasdale’s glowing testimonial regarding Ms. Davisson’s singular contribution. To round out the commemorative editorial, Alison Jones, board member and past resident, recalls growing up in Tewksbury, and what she believes the Ten-Mile Trail will do for succeeding generations. Larry Ross also put pen to paper to recall a wonderful childhood in Tewksbury, and how – six decades later – the new trail will make living in Tewksbury even better. Board member Sandy Ross, professional landscape designer and photographer, designed the booklet and contributed wonderful photos of the vistas hikers and horseback riders will enjoy along the new trail.

About the Tewksbury Land Trust

Since 1994, when Ted Koven and others began organizing the Tewksbury Land Trust to preserve our rural ambiance, community support has helped it purchase more than two hundred acres that dot the landscape throughout the township. Contributions by residents enabled the TLT to work with other like-minded organizations in efforts that led to the preservation of 400 more acres. These important stewardship partners included NJ State, Hunterdon County, and Tewksbury Township organizations as well as the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Hunterdon Land Trust, Raritan Headwaters, and Lamington Conservancy.

The mission of the Tewksbury Land Trust is:

  1. Preserving land to protect Tewksbury’s rural charm and agricultural & natural resources
  2. Providing opportunities for passive enjoyment and wildlife habitat
  3. Educating the community about the importance of protecting open space and farmland

This content was originally written by the Tewksbury Land Trust.

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