TRENTON, N.J. – State officials have finalized the preservation of a nearly 1,900-acre nursery property in the heart of central New Jersey as wildlife habitat, preserved farmland, and additions to county parks and greenways along historic Crosswicks Creek.
The DEP's Green Acres Program, the State Agriculture Development Committee and local funding partners closed the preservation deal with the Flemer family, which until a few years ago operated the property as Princeton Nurseries, one of the nation's largest commercial nurseries. Other partners in this purchase are Monmouth County, Burlington County, the Monmouth County Conservation Foundation and Upper Freehold. D&R Greenway facilitated initial discussions between the state and the Flemer family.
The preservation agreement was reached with three Flemer family businesses - Wm. Flemer's Sons Inc., Crosswicks Farms Inc., and Allentown Tree Farm, known collectively as the Flemer entities.
The $28 million agreement uses more than $16.5 million in state, local and nonprofit open space funding sources for the outright purchases of land for a 512-acre state Wildlife Management Area and nearly 500 acres as additions to the Monmouth and Mercer County park systems. The SADC and its county and local partners provided another $11.4 million to purchase farmland easements on an additional 847 acres.
"Governor Christie is committed to protecting open space and New Jersey's environment," DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said. "Land preservation provides numerous benefits, among them protecting air and water quality and providing habitat for wildlife. This property is truly a beautiful piece of land right in the heart of the most densely populated state in the nation. I commend the Flemer family and all of our partners for having the foresight to recognize its significance and working toward its preservation."
"The preservation of this land was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect 1,900 contiguous acres of valuable farmland and other natural resource lands in central New Jersey," Agriculture Secretary Douglas H. Fisher said.
"We are grateful to the people of the state of New Jersey for their support of the preservation of precious open space and irreplaceable farmland in our state," the Flemer family said in a news release issued by the DEP last week. "Future generations of farmers and nature lovers will together enjoy these beautiful lands that have meant so much to the William Flemer and John Flemer families."
More than 1,000 acres will be preserved as open space through the creation of a 512-acre State Wildlife Management Area and nearly 500 acres of additions to the adjacent to Monmouth County Park System's Crosswicks Creek Greenway and the Mercer County Park Commission's Crosswicks Creek Greenway corridor.
Another 847 acres is preserved through acquisitions of development rights on farmland. When landowners sell development rights, or a farmland easement, they continue to own the land but agree to deed restrictions that keep the land permanently available for agriculture uses.
The portions of the land that will become a Wildlife Management Area and additions to the Crosswicks Creek Greenway will not be available for public use for up to one year (with an additional one-year extension, if necessary) to allow the Flemer family to remove existing nursery stock and restore the land consistent with recreational uses and wildlife needs. The goal of the DEP and the family, however, is to complete restoration and open the land for public use by spring 2013.