By: David Campbell
HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association recently added nearly 8.5 acres to the land it manages, bringing the total acreage under its care to approximately 830 acres, the Watershed said Monday.
The Watershed in partnership with Mercer County bought the property, which is located on Moores Mill-Mount Rose Road in Hopewell Township, using funds from the state Green Acres program. The total cost of the purchase was $440,000, according to the Watershed.
The land borders the Watershed reserve on two sides, and features a barn and open fields with evergreens. It is the final parcel of the original Charles Dobkowski family farm, which at one time comprised over 200 acres on both sides of Moores Mill-Mount Rose Road. Ed Dobkowski and his cousin, Sean Mannix, have been the most recent family owners and have made the open-space conservation possible. The farm had been in the family since the 1930s, the Watershed said.
"This acquisition makes sense for both the community and for the Association," Watershed Property Manager Bay Weber said. "It provides opportunities for expanding our well-regarded environmental education programs, further buffers our trails from development and gives us additional storage space for field and trail maintenance equipment.
"We hope our members and guests will visit the reserve and enjoy natural lands that we maintain for hiking and recreation," Ms. Weber said.
