MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY (April 3, 2023) — Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) announced today the successful negotiation of an easement that took place at the end of 2022. The nearly 2.5-acre easement, part of a larger multi-acre parcel in Bernards Township, contains multiple habitats including Passaic River frontage, floodplain and wetland forest, and rich warm season meadows. The conservation easement contains land representing all these habitats as well as an agricultural area.
“Preserving this land minimizes impervious cover, non-point runoff, and other pollution that might have emanated from a new house so close to the river, while protecting this valuable, marshy habitat,” stated Hazel England, GSWA Director of Education, Outreach, and Land Stewardship. “Additionally, the viewshed of those paddling along the upper Passaic also remains protected from unsightly structures close to the banks, which are prohibited in the terms of the easement.”
The contribution of a conservation easement furthers the effort supported by the State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to protect, preserve, and enhance aesthetics and public recreation opportunities along the Passaic River Headwaters.
“GSWA would like to thank the donors of this conservation easement for thinking of us with this generous contribution,” said Sally Rubin, GSWA Executive Director. “This charitable gift will have a positive impact on our water quality protection mission by restricting this land from future development in perpetuity, including the possible addition of another house on the parcel which could have been permitted by Bernards Township zoning rules.”
GSWA, a nonprofit Land Trust, accepts donations, easements, and other parcels that help to protect the land and water of the Great Swamp and Passaic River watersheds. Anyone who has land they may be interested in donating should email Sally Rubin at SRubin@GreatSwamp.org.
