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DEP PARTNERSHIP
WITH MERCER ADDS 202-ACRE PARCEL TO DUCK POND RUN;
ESTABLISHES GREENBELT & PROTECTS WATER QUALITY
There are 202 more acres of protected open
space in West Windsor (Mercer County) due to the recent
acquisition of the Maneely property that is now a part of
the Duck Pond Run and Open Space Preserve, announced State
Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Shinn today.
"West Windsor's open space program is a
model for other municipalities to follow. The township has
an ambitious program and has worked with various partners
and volunteers over the last eight years to save 1,480 acres
of open space and farmland," said acting Governor Donald
T. DiFrancesco.
"Saving land makes sense. It promotes smart
growth, provides space for parks and keeps our air and water
clean. We encourage more local governments to initiate land
preservation efforts and leverage dollars through creative
partnerships," DiFrancesco said.
Shinn joined West Windsor officials in
the celebration of the new open space acquisition in West
Windsor and detailed preservation plans for the recent $4,350,000
land deal. The parcel is the newest addition to 175 acres
already preserved within the Duck Pond Run Greenway and
Open Space Preserve.
"This is yet another significant milestone
for West Windsor Township which has long been a leader in
land-use planning and aggressive in its open space preservation
efforts,"said Shinn. The preservation of this property will
not only enhance the water quality of the Duck Pond Run
and the D&R Canal but also will eventually protect the headwaters
of the Little Bear Brook which runs into the Millstone River."
Shinn stressed that the property is important
to protect because it serves as a forested buffer zone which
will play a major role in West Windsor's effort to avoid
streamwater degradation. Shinn praised the Maneely partnership
for their willingness to sell the valuable piece of land
which could have been purchased for future development,
and applauded the public-private partnership efforts between
the state's Green Acres Program, Mercer County and the New
Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Financing Program.
"West Windsor residents have shown their
support for clean air, water and less traffic congestion
by voting three times for the township's own open space
taxes," said Shinn. "They know like many New Jerseyans that
open space preservation is interconnected to an overall
healthy ecosystem and that it pays back great dividends
by protecting the quality of life in our communities which
makes New Jersey a better place to live, work and raise
a family."
West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said
that the future looks bright for the open space preservation
movement in West Windsor and township officials are committed
to acquiring even more open space in the near future.
"Special thanks to members of the Township
Council, Planning Board, the Open Space Task Force and the
Friends of West Windsor Open Space for this purchase and
for making West Windsor's open space program successful,"
said Hsueh. "The greatest challenge now facing the township
is how to manage growth and development in an environmentally
sound manner. This will require us to plan on a regional
level with state, county, and municipal partners. Open space
acquisition will play a major role in promoting this goal
given the pressures of development, increase in traffic
and demand on local services. We need more open space, smart
planning, and responsible growth to assure our continued
economic vitality."
Hsueh also noted the township is currently
involved in other environmental initiatives such as working
to develop the 25-acre Ron Rodgers arboretum, which when
completed, will offer mature woodlands, paths and rolling
lawns. A DEP tree-planting grant of $17,800 will also be
used to purchase 125 trees for the arboretum, Hsueh said.
The parcel was funded with a $793,348 grant
from Green Acres, a $2,877,657 low interest loan from the
New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Financing, and $676,995
from Mercer County, and will be managed by West Windsor.
Duck Pond Run flows west past North Post Road, swings Northwest
and ends at the D&R Canal. The successful creation of the
Duck Pond Run Greenway and Open Space Preserve will result
in an extensive greenway when linked to existing municipal
greenbelt lands east of Penn Lyle Road.
"The New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure
Trust is very pleased to be able to play a part in the growing
movement to preserve New Jersey's open spaces," said Dirk
C. Hofman, executive director of the Trust. "Working closely
with the Municipal Financing and Construction Element at
DEP, and with Green Acres, we have been able to help finance
the preservation of about 2,600 acres in this, the first
year of our land acquisition financing program. Preserving
stream corridors and the land that drains into them represents
front-line protection for our surface waters from the impacts
of nonpoint source pollution. We hope that more municipal
and county governments will take advantage of our low-cost
financing program to accelerate their land acquisition plans."
Ample financing for clean water projects
including open space acquisition is available. Municipalities
and counties contemplating open space acquisitions should
keep this in mind when applying. Applicants should file
a letter of commitment and planning documentation on or
before Oct. 1, 2001 for the 2002 fiscal year by calling
Tracy Sheulin, supervisor, Open Space Land Acquisition unit,
Municipal Finance and Construction Element, Division of
Water Quality.
The state has protected 1,115,110 acres
of open space since 1961 with 211,574 acres preserved as
part of the state's million-acre goal.
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