OCEAN COUNTY – Nearly 90 additional acres in three Ocean County municipalities are slated for preservation following action by the Ocean County Board of Commissioners.
The county approved the preservation of properties in Eagleswood, Berkeley and Plumsted townships during September using the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund.
Together, the properties total about 89.5 acres and will expand a preservation program that has already protected more than 30,000 acres of open space and 3,600 acres of farmland across the county.
The largest acquisition involves 78.35 acres along Route 9 in Eagleswood Township. The county plans to purchase the environmentally sensitive property for $850,000.
Ocean County Commissioner Robert Arace, liaison to the Natural Lands Trust Fund Advisory Committee, said the land had faced the possibility of being developed with nine single-family homes. It will be the second property purchased through the program in Eagleswood.
In Berkeley Township, the county will preserve a 1.22-acre parcel near Route 9 that was donated by a private property owner.
Officials said the land sits between areas associated with the former Blackbeard’s Cave property and includes trails that could eventually connect with the previously preserved 746-acre NJ Pulverizing property. That site also connects with a portion of the Barnegat Branch Trail.
The county also approved the purchase of development rights on 9.97 acres of mostly wooded farmland along Hopkins Road in Plumsted Township for $255,000.
Under the agreement, the property owners will retain ownership and continue operating the farm, while Ocean County will hold the agricultural easement and development rights. The arrangement permanently prevents the property from being developed for other uses.
The farm is near approximately 64 acres of county-preserved land known as the Schen property, or Old Hopkins Farm, as well as other preserved properties overseen by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
The Natural Lands Trust Fund is used to preserve forests, wetlands, farmland, waterways and other environmentally important property throughout Ocean County.
County voters will be asked in November whether to increase the trust fund tax from 1.2 cents to 2.2 cents per $100 of equalized property valuation. Officials said the additional revenue would support future land purchases, maintenance, cleanup and habitat preservation.
