Conservancy buys 205 acres for green space

HAMPTON — Located within the heart of Sussex County, The Missionary Society of Salesian Sisters has recently sold 205 acres adjoining the Paulinskill Wildlife Management Area in Hampton Township to be preserved, in perpetuity, for natural resource protection. The sisters sold the land directly to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres program. They were assisted in this preservation transaction by The Land Conservancy of New Jersey, formerly Morris Land Conservancy. Bounded by the ridge line above Junction Road, the property slopes down to the Paulinskill Valley Trail, one of Sussex County’s two regional rail-trail hiking corridors. This conservation project provides a permanently preserved green buffer for approximately three-quarters of a mile of the Paulinskill Valley Trail. A limestone sinkhole pond sits near the center of the property and provides habitat for rare plant species. In addition, this site represents a significant addition to the Paulinskill Wildlife Management Area, and is part of an approximately 9,500 acre block of forested land along the Paulins Kill. “The original purpose of the Salesian Sisters purchasing this parcel of land was to preserve it for use in our various missions at both Camp Auxilium and Sacred Heart Center,” said Sister Lou Ann Fantauzza. “Through the State of New Jersey’s Green Acres Program, we are now able to achieve this goal and make the land available for others to enjoy, also. It is a wonderful program that should help to keep our state as beautiful as it is, and our Sussex County truly God’s County. We are grateful to all those who helped to make this preservation possible, especially Hampton Township and The Land Conservancy of New Jersey.” The Land Conservancy of New Jersey worked with the sisters for several years to develop a preservation plan for the property. Based on this preservation plan, the property was offered to the State Green Acres program, which completed the transaction. Founded in 1981, The Land Conservancy of New Jersey is a member supported non-profit land trust that has been preserving open space land and protecting water resources in New Jersey for the past 27 years. The Conservancy has preserved over 14,400 acres of land since 1996 and has helped towns receive $170 million in grants to purchase and protect land throughout New Jersey. For more information, to volunteer or make a donation, call 973-541-1010, or visit our website at www.tlc-nj.org