122 Acres Preserved as Addition to Millstone Park

By Karen Keene

Millstone Township in western Monmouth County is getting greener or, more accurately, staying greener thanks to the permanent preservation of 122 acres as an addition to Millstone Park. The land was acquired via a fee simple purchase in partnership with Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF), the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Green Acres Program, Monmouth County, and Millstone Township.

Photo by Gene Madeam

The property, surrounded by existing municipal and state open spaces and preserved farmland, represents one of the largest remaining, undeveloped tracts of land in the area. Intense development exists nearby, and an analysis of the property determined that it could accommodate a 12-lot residential subdivision based on current zoning. Looming current and future development threats made the preservation of this parcel a high priority.

A preservation project officially in the works since 2021, Millstone’s Township Committee authorized the $2.6 million purchase on June 15, 2022, with funding support from the NJ DEP Green Acres Program, Monmouth County, MCF, and the Township. The property was successfully acquired on August 15, 2023.

“MCF contributed $500,000 toward this acquisition, obtained through the NJ DEP Green Acres Program.  This is a significant financial contribution for us to make, on the high end of what we can typically provide. This site has been on our preservation wish list for decades, and we are so pleased to help permanently protect this land for Monmouth County residents and visitors.” said William Kastning, MCF’s Executive Director.

“The County Commissioners are pleased to provide funding to assist the Township in acquiring this important addition to Millstone Park. This project is part of an ongoing effort on the part of the County to provide local assistance through the Monmouth County Municipal Land Preservation Incentive Program," stated County Commissioner Ross Licitra.

Photo by Jena Cosimo

The property, located on Trenton-Lakewood and Spring Roads, has deep agricultural and historical ties to the local community.  It includes two non-contiguous parcels located along and separated by Spring Road. On the west side, 86-acres of mostly farm fields containing prime agriculture soils, a valuable resource, comprise one parcel.

The parcel on the east side of Spring Road contains 36 acres of forested land, much of which is identified as century forest, with freshwater wetlands and Ivanhoe Brook.

The preservation of the property will help to safeguard, maintain, and improve the quality and/or quantity of drinking water sources. Millstone is an area serviced by private drinking wells, the sole source of drinking water. Millstone is the home of numerous headwaters for important rivers, brooks, and streams including the Millstone River, a major tributary of the Raritan River. The Township is also one of only two municipalities in Monmouth County that are part of the Toms River watershed, as it rises from the Millstone area, flowing southward through the Pine Barrens to the Barnegat Bay. 

The property is also habitat for a variety of wildlife species, including threatened, endangered, and critical mammals, reptiles, insects, and flowering plants. The Connecting Habitat Across New Jersey (CHANJ) project identifies the property as core wildlife habitat contiguous to Millstone Park, Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, and preserved farmland.

Currently, Millstone Park offers walking and jogging trails, an equine trail, five multi-purpose fields, baseball fields, pickleball, tennis, basketball, sand volleyball, fishing, boat launch, a tot lot, and bathroom facilities. The Township’s Open Space Preservation Council, which works to acquire and maintain open space in Millstone, is excited to expand the Doctors Creek Trail, which circles Millstone Park, to include the newly preserved, contiguous acreage. In December 2018, MCF assisted Millstone Township in preserving 11.5 acres on Burnt Tavern Road, which helped bridge the Barnegat Bay watershed to Millstone Park.

"Millstone is an environmentally sensitive township, and any and all land we can preserve we will until there is no more available. Keeping open space in an ever populating world is of paramount importance, and all governing bodies must band together to ensure this preservation of land happens fully. Lastly, New Jersey should keep up to its mantra of being the Garden State," shared Al Ferro, Mayor of Millstone Township.

Millstone is a rural, agricultural community which places high priority on maintaining its peaceful character. To date, the Township has approximately 7,280 acres of preserved land through state, county, and municipal acquisitions.

Millstone’s Open Space Preservation Council has cited recent development of warehouses and housing as strains on the Township’s infrastructure and quality of life, making the preservation of these 122 acres an important achievement.

“Monmouth County is facing increasing pressure from overdevelopment, and land preservation is critical for environmental health and our quality of life. We are grateful to our partners in this endeavor and for funding support from the state’s Green Acres Program and our donors to enable this type of investment for our community,” said William Kastning, MCF’s Executive Director.

MCF has helped to preserve more than 9,000 acres of land across Monmouth County in its 46 years. Less than 20,000 acres remain in Monmouth that are yet to be developed or preserved.

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 Contact:
Karen Keene
Director of Development and Communications
Monmouth Conservation Foundation
kkeene@monmouthconservation.org
732.671.7000 w; 305.519.6494 c

 Founded in 1977, Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF) works to acquire and preserve open space and farmland and conserve natural habitats throughout Monmouth County in support of outdoor recreation, agriculture, clean water, and wildlife for long-term sustainability. An independent nonprofit organization that works with Monmouth County and its 53 municipalities, MCF’s vision is to lead conservation and education efforts to preserve and protect our natural environment, so all individuals and communities have access to and can benefit from open space and nature for generations to come.

MCF received accreditation by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission in 2014 and has continued to maintain this status since. Accreditation is awarded to land trusts meeting the highest national standards for excellence and conservation permanence. MCF is one of 463 accredited land trusts out of 1,100 nationwide. www.monmouthconservation.org