The Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders has entered into contracts to purchase four parcels of open land that, when complete, will bring the total amount of open space preserved in the county to more than 8,000 acres.
First, the 106-acre Story Farm in Monroe was a staging ground for the Continental Army for the Battle of Monmouth, according to a Middlesex County newsletter. The American revolutionaries passed through the 26.1-acre wooded property on Gravel Hill-Spotswood Road, also in Monroe, on their way to the famous battle.
Second, the ecologically-sensitive Dismal Swamp in South Plainfield, Edison and Metuchen preserves wildlife, provides flood protection and provides public access to green space within the county, according to the newsletter.
Third, the freeholders entered into a contract for the 18.27-acre Fishbein Property that lies between South Plainfield and Edison.
Finally, 76 acres in East Brunswick that lie along the Ireland Brook, also known as the Tamarack Hollow Extension, will continue to provide a critical habitat for several amphibian species, according to the newsletter. The land will tie together more than 1,400 acres of parkland across East Brunswick and South Brunswick.