|
|
LAND TRUST - Land Trust Projects
PRC’s land acquisitions and activities can be divided into a number of greenways or geographic areas.
|
|
|
Wyanokie Highlands
The Wyanokies is in the rugged, heavily wooded Tory Tract overlooking Wanaque Reservoir in Ringwood, New Jersey. A big addition to the Wyanokies was Federal Hill (read description below).
Tory Tract in Ringwood, New Jersey
|
|
|
Federal Hill
Matt Polsky, director of the Land Trust, points this purchase benefits the watershed by preserving a historic area of dramatic natural beauty and at the same time forestalls housing and road construction on a steep hillside. Such construction would have predictably worsened downstream flooding in areas such as Pequannock and Pompton Lakes. New Jersey's Green Acres program, the Passaic County Open Space Trust Fund and the Borough of Bloomingdale contributed to the acquisition.
Federal Hill Greenway
|
|
|
Ramapo Greenway
The PRC’s Mahwah River Property adds to the Township of Mahwah’s river front park, which is located on the opposite side of the river. Located just above the confluence of the Mahwah and Ramapo Rivers, the property is a well-vegetated lot that has potential to become a healthy and functioning riparian buffer. As a vegetated buffer, the site will help keep the river water clean and reduce the impact of periodic flooding.
|
|
|
Greenwood Lake/Wanaque River Greenway
The PRC purchased 6.8 acres of land on Pine Island located at the southern end of Greenwood Lake in West Milford. Pine Island is the only permanently preserved open space on any of Greenwood Lake’s islands.
Pine Island
|
|
|
The purpose of the project is to create open space along the Pequannock River. So far, we have been able to acquire the funding for "Butler Raceway" and "Butler Forest Preserve". In the future we would like to purchase the Brinster Tract and build canoe trails.
|
|
|
Upper Passaic Project
River Road Acres II
|
|
|
The Lower Passaic is the source of heavy industrialization that has had a big effect on water quality. The Land Trust is working to rescue riverbank land from decay and realize the vision of a new 2-mile long continuous urban greenway park on the east bank of the lower Passaic River in Lyndhurst, Rutherford and North Arlington, New Jersey. The projected greenway park will include walking and biking paths and access to the river for rowing and boating. So far we have been able to purchase the following acquisitions: Garfield Historic Park, Lyndhurst Riverfront Park, Lyndhurst Greenway and Block 791 in Paterson. In the future we are looking forward to expanding our open space by purchasing Elmwood Boat House and assist the municipalities with acquiring other land parcels on Lower Passaic RiverbankLower Passaic
|
|
|
Liberty Corner Greenway/ Upper Passaic River Greenway
The King George Wetlands Preserve is the PRC’s most recent purchase. Once used for farmland, the 82.77-acre preserve is now heavily wooded freshwater wetlands. The PRC’s plan regarding the property are to remove some invasive plants, promote public education, reforest the former “truck stop” at the frontage of King George Road, and secure it as a significant floodplain that will never be developed on.
Downstream at King George Road Wetlands Preserve
|
|
|
Russia Brook/ Rockaway River Greenway The Bat Cave, a unique refuge for an estimated 40,000 bats, including the endangered Indiana bat, in New Jersey's Rockaway Township. Russia Brook Sanctuary is a two-stage acquisition project totaling 368 acres located in Morris and Sussex Counties. The sanctuary, adjacent to Sparta Mountain Wildlife Management Area, preserves a headwaters stream and wetland, which flows into the Rockaway River.
Bat Cave Russia Brook Sanctuary |
|
