Oct. 10 Barn Dance focuses on preservation

Hear music, see masterpieces and have food and fun under the hayloft at New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s annual Barn Dance, to be held from 6-10 p.m. on Oct. 10, at Wren Hill Farm, 169 Route 519, Rosemont.
This year’s theme is "The Barn Collection," featuring décor celebrating the works of famous artists. The event will include appetizers, drinks, a barbecue dinner and dancing.
Tickets are $100 each and sponsorships are available. Proceeds will benefit New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s land protection efforts in the Wickecheoke Creek Greenway of Hunterdon County.
"The Barn Dance is always a fun time, and it supports a great cause — land preservation," said Alix Bacon, project manager for New Jersey Conservation Foundation. "The barn at Wren Hill Farm is a wonderful place for a party, and we’re looking forward to showing our artistic flair on the decorations."
To order tickets or sponsorships online, visit: www.njconservation.org/barn
dance.htm.
For more information or assistance, contact Bill Lynch at [email protected] or 908-997-0725.
Mr. Bacon said 2014 is the 30th anniversary of a partnership between New Jersey Conservation Foundation and Delaware Township to protect natural areas and farmland along an 8-mile stretch of the Wickecheoke Creek, a water supply source. The project later grew to include open space in surrounding towns.
This year also has seen a new threat to land in the Wickecheoke Creek region. The PennEast Pipeline Co. has proposed to build a 105-mile-long natural gas pipeline from Pennsylvania to Trenton, crossing preserved farms, forests and public drinking water supply streams.
Holland, Alexandria, Kingwood, Delaware and West Amwell townships in Hunterdon County will be directly impacted, as will Hopewell Township in Mercer County.
New Jersey Conservation is working with partners at the local, state and federal level to defend preserved lands from this new pipeline proposal and find better solutions, said a spokesman.
Over the past three decades, New Jersey Conservation has preserved nearly 4,000 acres in the Wickecheoke Creek area with the help of partners and supporters. These preservation efforts have helped maintain water quality, protect wildlife habitat, and preserve natural and historic areas and farmland.
The Wickecheoke Creek Greenway follows the course of the Delaware River tributary from its headwaters on the Croton Plateau to its dramatic descent to the Delaware River at Stockton. The area is home to beaver, mink, herons, hawks, turtles, long-tailed salamander and nearly 400 species of native plants.
The Wickecheoke Creek’s waters flow directly into the D&R Canal, which serves as a source of clean drinking water for a million people in central New Jersey.
For more information New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s preservation work in the Wickecheoke Creek Greenway and beyond, visit: www.njconservation.org or call 1-888-LANDSAVE (1-888-526-3728).