By MICHAEL NUNES
Staff Writer
KEYPORT — The Bayshore Regional Watershed Council seeks to preserve the last piece of farmland in the area, known as Stone Road Meadows.
“It’s really the last agricultural area in the bayshore, and the council would like to see it preserved as open space for recreational use,” Joseph Reynolds, co-chair of the council, said.
On March 2, the Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF) is holding a meeting to find ways to help preserve open land in the county. The council is hoping for people who support protecting the farm to attend the meeting.
The council fears that the 26 acres in Hazlet Township could one day be lost to development if not preserved. The farm, located on the border of the township and Union Beach, can be seen from Route 36.
According to Fran Donnelly, the council’s co-chair, the property is currently privately owned and being used for agriculture. The council had been seeking to protect the property since the early 2000s.
“It’s really something that should be saved. We’re hoping for a lot of support. If we had people behind us, maybe it would make a little quicker,” Donnelly said.
According to Donelley, the Monmouth County Conservation Foundation is working on appraising the value of the property.
The move to preserve the area has backing of the Monmouth County freeholders, as well as towns such as Keyport, Hazlet, and Union Beach, which have passed resolutions in support of preserving the farm, according to Donnelly.
The council expects a drawn out process to preserve the last piece of farmland in the bayshore.
“The preservation of open space usually takes awhile; it’s not something that happens overnight. It takes many hands to come together,” Reynolds said.
“It’s a test of endurance.”
The March 2 MCF meeting is slated to take place at the Fort Monmouth Recreation Center in Tinton Falls at 7 p.m.