Partnership formed with Nature Conservancy and D&R Greenway
By: Jake Uitti
HILLSBOROUGH To announce the preservation of environmentally significant natural lands and open spaces in the Sourland Mountain region, representatives from 3M, The Nature Conservancy, the D&R Greenway, and municipal, county and state officials will hold a press conference and a guided tour of the Hornickel property, an old growth forest located in the Sourlands, on Tuesday.
"We’re going to be announcing a partnership between 3M, the Nature Conservancy and the D&R that will result in the protection of six different parcels of land in conjunction with New Jersey’s Green Acres program," said Linda Mead, executive director of D&R Greenway Land Trust.
"3M has given a donation to the Nature Conservancy, and the Nature Conservancy has worked with D&R to decide which properties to conserve," Ms. Mead said. "It’s a great example of private funding supplementing public funds that have been available for open-space preservation."
In June 2004, 3M, which owns and operates the quarry that lies on the Montgomery-Hillsborough border, pledged $1.5 million to The Nature Conservancy for the preservation of the Sourlands forest. To determine how best to spend the money, the Nature Conservancy, an organization that conserves and preserves natural lands, sought the expertise of D&R Greenway Land Trust, Ms. Mead said.
"D&R has been the lead in preserving these properties, in conjunction with other organizations," she added. "One of the properties being preserved is the Hornickel property in the Sourlands."
The Sourlands, a mountain range that spans parts of three counties and seven municipalities and is home to Central Jersey’s largest remaining contiguous forest, is an important natural resource, with contiguous woodlands and wetlands that protect and supply drinking water for central New Jersey.
The 90-square-mile region also supports rare species of native plants and wildlife and provides habitat essential to the survival of 65 species of neotropical migratory birds.
D&R Greenway Land Trust works in all six counties of the region Burlington, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth and Somerset. According to the land trust, since its founding in 1989 it has helped preserve 8,780 acres valued at $193.3 million.
Those interested in learning more about the partnership may attend Tuesday’s meeting at 11:30 a.m. at the Hornickel property, located at 709 Montgomery Road in Hillsborough. A picnic lunch will be served following the press conference.

