CENTRAL JERSEY: Major land preservation deal finalized

More than half of the preserved land is in Upper Freehold

By Joanne Degnan, Managing Editor
   The preservation of the Princeton Nurseries land — most of which is located in Upper Freehold Township — was finalized officially last week, safeguarding nearly 1,900 acres of farmland and wildlife habitat for future generations.
   The state Department of Environmental Protection, the State Agricultural Development Committee and local funding partners closed the $28 million preservation deal with the Flemer family, which at one time operated the nation’s largest commercial nursery business before closing in 2009.
   D&R Greenway Land Trust, the nonprofit land preservation organization that facilitated initial discussions between the Flemer family and state officials, called the acquisition the largest farmland and open space protection transaction in New Jersey’s history.
   The agreement preserves 1,900 contiguous acres flanking Province Line Road in Upper Freehold, North Hanover and Hamilton townships. The acquisition connects thousands of acres of existing county parklands and greenways along the Crosswicks Creek where Monmouth, Mercer and Burlington counties meet.
   Under the agreement, $16.5 million in state, local and nonprofit open space funding was used to purchase slightly more than 1,000 acres. This includes 500 acres that will be added to the park systems in Monmouth and Mercer counties as well as 512 acres of grasslands, forests and wetlands that will be used to create a new state wildlife management area.
   The SADC, along with its county and local partners, provided an additional $11.4 million to purchase farmland easements for the remaining 847 privately owned acres, an action that permanently deed-restricts the land for only agricultural use.
     Although the preservation deal for the Flemer lands involves acreage in three counties, more than 1,000 acres is in Upper Freehold. The township contributed $1,769,354 toward the preservation project, according to Township Business Administrator Dianne Kelly.
   The preservation agreement means the township now has more than 10,000 acres of preserved land within its borders.
   ”This property is truly a beautiful piece of land right in the heart of the most densely populated state in the nation,” DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said in a news release last week. “I commend the Flemer family and all of our partners for having the foresight to recognize the significance and working toward its preservation.”
   The new 512-acre state wildlife management area as well as the parkland additions to the Crosswicks Creek Greenway will not be available for public use for up to one year to give the Flemer family time to remove existing nursery stock.
   The goal, however, is to open the land to the public in the spring of 2013, the DEP said. The plan is to create a trail system that can be used for hiking, bicycling and horseback riding.
   Princeton Nurseries began in 1911 as F&F Nurseries in Union County, moved to the Princeton area in 1911 and expanded to the Monmouth County area in the 1960s before closing in 2009.
   The preservation agreement was reached with three Flemer family businesses: Wm. Flemer’s Sons Inc., Crosswick Farms Inc. and Allentown Tree Farm, which are known collectively as the Flemer entities.
   ”We are grateful to the people of New Jersey and for their support of the preservation of precious open space and irreplaceable farmland in our state,” the Flemer family said in a news release issued by the DEP last week.
   ”Future generations of farmers and nature lovers will together enjoy these beautiful lands that have meant so much to the William Flemer and John Flemer families,” the statement said.