Ocean County is getting ready to preserve more than 380 acres of environmentally sensitive land in Jackson.
"The ecological value of these two properties is very high," said Ocean County Freeholder Director John C. Bartlett Jr., who serves as liaison to the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund Advisory Committee. "It’s important we secure these properties in public ownership."
According to a press release, the properties being considered for preservation by the Board of Freeholders include a 248-acre site off of Bowman and Grawtown roads and 132 acres along West Veterans Highway.
The properties were expected to have been the subject of a public hearing at the freeholders’ meeting Dec. 17.
Both of the parcels being considered are in the New Jersey Pinelands Commission designated Toms River Conservation Corridor.
"The county has been working with the Pinelands Commission," Bartlett noted, "as well as the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Jackson and Manchester in identifying conservation needs in the study area."
Bartlett noted that the county already has preserved more than 480 acres in this corridor, including the county’s Patriots Park in Jackson.
More than 1.5 miles of the Toms River are on the tract at Bowman and Grawtown roads, while the other tract is in the headwaters of the Toms River.
The county plans to purchase the Bowman and Grawtown roads property for $255,000 and the West Veterans Highway tract for $265,000.