By John Saccenti, Staff Writer
The Township Committee is seeking some help from Mercer County.
On Monday, it agreed to apply for a $150,000 grant to acquire 35 acres of permanent public open space along the base of Princeton Ridge.
Owned by All Saints Church, the property connects to county parkland and Herrontown Woods.
The acquisition is part of a larger open space plan to preserve land along the ridge as part of Princeton Ridge Preserve, which is characterized by environmentally sensitive lands including mature forests, wetlands, steep slopes and boulder fields.
The preserve will link existing open space in the township along the ridge to create a continuous greenbelt across the ridge.
”Environmentally, it’s important for wildlife to have a piece of property that is contiguous, rather than being spread all over town, so it’s a more viable habitat,” said Committeewoman Liz Lempert. “It also would allow a trail system that you could, theoretically, walk for miles from one side of town to another and still be in the forest.”
In 2009, the township voted to include a 14-acre tract, owned by the Ricciardi Family Trust, in the plan. That action supported by Friends of Princeton Open Space, the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association and the New Jersey Conservation Foundation enables the township to seek loans and grants from the Green Acres program of the state Department of Environmental Protection to acquire and preserve the tract.
”This is an important link because it borders Herrontown Woods and Smoyer (Park), and on the west side is the Ricciardi property another consortium is working on purchasing that, Friends of Princeton Open Space, the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association, Mercer County also helped and Princeton Township is involved,” said Ms. Lempert.
Jim Waltman, executive director of the stony Brook Milstone Watershed Association said a third property owned by Robert Hillier also is being eyed as part of the project.
”Mr. Hillier, to his credit, agreed to cluster his proposed development on a smaller area and donate 17 acres to preservation,” he said. “These three pieces are all coming together at the same time and it’s a nice way to expand the wonderful Herrontown Woods.”’”

