(16/P7) TRENTON – The Christie Administration has approved 63 applications totaling $1,188,500 for recreational trail projects throughout New Jersey, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Bob Martin announced today.  The funds come from the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program and are administered by the DEP’s Green Acres Program. 

The goal of the Recreational Trails Program is to improve public access to open space, provide outdoor recreation opportunities, develop trail linkages, create urban and suburban trail corridors and provide sites and facilities for additional and improved hiking, biking, horseback riding, and off-highway vehicle activities.  
  
“Preserving and enhancing natural resources and open spaces, and providing affordable recreational opportunities for our residents are priorities for the Christie Administration,” Commissioner Martin said. “New Jersey’s trails not only provide residents and visitors with recreational and health benefits, but improve the quality of life in our communities. This funding will further improve and enhance those experiences.”

“These funds are critical to the ongoing development and maintenance of our statewide trail network, which provides greater access to New Jersey’s many open spaces and  highlights our abundant recreational and historic treasures,” said DEP Assistant Commissioner for Natural and Historic Resources Rich Boornazian.

The New Jersey Trails Council recommended the grant recipients for funding, and the Federal Highway Administration approved them. The Trails Council is comprised of representatives from hiking, mountain biking, motorized trail use, canoeing/kayaking and equestrian interest groups, as well as general trail advocates and state government representatives.

The Federal Highway Administration provides financial assistance to states for developing and maintaining trails and trail facilities. The funds come from the Federal Highway Trust Fund, and represent a portion of the motor fuel excise tax collected from non-highway recreational fuel use. Since the program’s inception in 1993, New Jersey has awarded more than $15.9 million to federal, state, county and local governments, and nonprofit agencies. Of the funding available each year, 30 percent is allocated for non-motorized trail projects, 30 percent for motorized trail projects, and 40 percent for diversified use trail projects.  Recipients are required to provide a 20 percent matching share for each project.

The approvals cover a wide variety of trails projects statewide, including:

• $24,000 to the Monmouth County Park System for a 1,300-foot extension of the Henry Hudson Trail in Freehold Borough.  The paved 10-foot-wide, 24-mile trail is developed on a former railroad right-of-way, and would extend from the current trail terminus in Freehold Borough to the town center, linking neighborhoods and parks.

• $17,200 to the New Jersey Youth Corps of Paterson to restore the Great Falls and Westside Park trails in the City of Paterson.  The Youth Corps will revamp the trail areas, improving access to the Passaic River for fishing and walking.  Restoration of the Overlook Trail at the Great Falls is included in the project.

• $24,000 to Egg Harbor Township to restore trails at the township’s Nature Reserve by adding parking, trailhead facilities and signage. Trail uses in the Reserve include hiking, biking, equestrian activities and cross-country skiing.

• $24,000 to the Appalachian Mountain Club for the Buttermilk Falls Rehabilitation Project to minimize trail erosion and eliminate off-trail damage. Buttermilk Falls is the state’s highest waterfall and is a popular destination in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

Applications for the next round of competitive federal grants will be accepted by the DEP this spring for funding consideration to develop, maintain and improve trails, as well as to operate trails throughout New Jersey. The federal funds can be used to improve open space access, enhance environmental resources, create urban and suburban corridors, and provide additional hiking, biking, horseback riding, and off-highway vehicle opportunities.

For more information on DEP’s Recreational Trails Program, please visit: http://www.nj.gov/dep/greenacres/trails/index.html

Following is a list of approved 2015 recreational trail projects:

Atlantic County:
Buena Vista Township, Collings Lakes Interpretive Trail: $12,000
Egg Harbor Township, Nature Reserve Restoration: $24,000

Bergen County:
Bergen County Parks Department, Ramapo Valley Reservation Pedestrian Bridge: $24,000
Rutherford Recreation Department, Rutherford Walking Trails: $800
Park Ridge Borough, Park Ridge Walking Trail: $24,000
Woodcliff Lake Borough, Woodcliff Lake Reservoir Walking Trail Project: $24,000

Burlington County:
Bordentown Township, Crosswick Creek Trails: $24,000
Burlington County, Delaware River Heritage Trail: $24,000
Friends of the Black Run Preserve, Black Run Preserve Trails: $24,000
Medford Township, Hartford Crossing Bike Trails, $24,000
Mount Laurel Township, Bicycle Master Plan/Multipurpose Trail: $24,000

Camden County:
Cherry Hill Township, Cherry Hill ADA Trails: $24,000                               
Camden County Department of Parks, Grove Street Connector Trail: $24,000
Cooper's Ferry Partnership, Camden-Merchantville Circuit Connector Trail: $24,000

Essex County:
City of East Orange, Soverel Park Trail: $21,000
Trust for Public Land, Newark Waterfront Trail: $24,000
Bloomfield Township, Morris Canal Greenway Trail: $24,000
Eagle Rock Reservation Conservancy, Summer Trail Crew: $24,000

Gloucester County:
Woolwich Township, High Hill Trailhead Parking Area: $24,000

Hudson County:
Jersey City Parks Coalition, Morris Canal Greenway: $24,000
Town of Secaucus, Secaucus Greenway Improvements: $24,000

Hunterdon County:
High Bridge Borough, Nassau Multipurpose Trail Expansion: $11,300
Clinton Township Environmental Commission, Windy Acres Preserve: $12,800
Union Forge Heritage Association, Ironworks Trail: $24,000
Readington Township, Lazy Brook Greenway: $4,600
Tewksbury Township, Pascale Arboretum: $3,700
Holland Township, Holland Township Park Trail: $24,000

Mercer County:
Hamilton Township, Veterans Park Boardwalk and Trail Renovations: $24,000
Hopewell Township, Lawrence Hopewell Trail Hillman and Christensen Segments: $24,000
Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation, Lawrence Hopewell Trail Signage: $24,000
Lawrence Township, Lawrence Hopewell Trail Carson Woods Segment: $12,000
D&R Greenway Land Trust, Cedar Ridge Trail Expansion: $15,500

Middlesex County:
Highland Park Borough, Highland Park Meadows Trail: $6,500
City of Perth Amboy, Raritan Riverwalk Trail: $24,000
Sayreville Borough, Capik Nature Preserve Trail: $24,000
Middlesex County Office of Parks and Recreation, Helmetta Pond Paddling Trail: $5,400

Monmouth County:
Friends of Holmdel Open Space, Ramanessin Brook Greenway Trails: $10,000
Monmouth Council Boy Scouts of America, Quail Hill Recreation Trail: $11,100
Monmouth County Park System, Henry Hudson Trail Extension: $24,000
Middletown Township, Campo Tract Trail: $24,000
Whale Pond Brook Watershed Association, Whale Pond Brook Greenway: $4,100
Roosevelt Borough Environmental Commission, Roosevelt Woodland Trail: $8,000
Student Conservation Association, Roosevelt Woodland Trail: $24,000

Morris County:
Town of Morristown, Martin Luther King/Patriots Path Gateway: $12,000
Pequannock Township, Pompton Riverwalk: $11,800

Ocean County:
Brick Township, Airport Tract Trail: $24,000
Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, Grassle Marsh Trail: $24,000
 
Passaic County:
New Jersey Youth Corps of Paterson, Great Falls and Westside Park Trail Restoration: $17,200
Pompton Lakes Borough, Morris Canal Greenway: $24,000
Woodland Park Borough, Henderson Pond Trail: $24,000

Salem County:
South Jersey Land & Water Trust, Oldmans Creek Preserve: $24,000

Somerset County:
Bernardsville Borough, Patriots’ Path Extension: $22,200

Sussex County:
Appalachian Mountain Club, Buttermilk Falls Rehabilitation: $24,000
Lake Hopatcong Foundation, Lake Hopatcong Trail: $20,000
Student Conservation Association, Stokes State Forest Loop Trails: $24,000
Sparta Township, Town to the Trails Project: $2,600

Warren County:
YMCA Camp Ralph S. Mason, Wilderness Trail Renewal and Extension: $10,700
Frelinghuysen Township, Frelinghuysen Forest Preserve: $14,400
Mansfield Township, Hector A. Cafferata Jr. Multiuse Trail: $24,000

Projects in Multiple Counties:
New York/New Jersey Trail Conference, Highlands Trail Crew: $24,000
New York/New Jersey Trail Conference, Signage and Maps: $12,300
Friends for the Abbott Marshlands, Abbott Marshlands Signage: $14,500
Student Conservation Association, Central Region State Parks: $24,000