BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer
MILLSTONE — New Jersey’s ninth annual Land Conservation Rally will take place in Trenton on March 12.
The New Jersey Conservation Foundation and other land trusts, such as the Monmouth Conservation Foundation, which worked to preserve open space in Upper Freehold, Millstone and Roosevelt, will sponsor the rally. Other sponsors include the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, the Delaware and Raritan Greenway Land Trust, the Audubon Society, the State Agricultural Development Committee and the state Green Acres Program.
According to Adele Keller, executive director of the Monmouth Conservation Foundation, the purpose of the rally is to educate, connect and inspire land conservationists by offering a variety of workshops and presentations by the best in their field. She called it a great opportunity to learn about current efforts on the local, state and national level, and to gain a new and comprehensive understanding of new and pending legislation affecting land preservation, from IRS changes to land-use law.
“They have an amazing line-up of experts, and participants can learn new skills, share ideas and make new friends,” Keller said.
Among the workshop categories are land preservation methods, land stewardship, legal issues, fund raising, community outreach and organizational management.
The event will feature speakers such as Millstone Zoning Board Chairman William Kastning, who works for the state Green Acres Program.
Kastning will speak on local assistance programs for land acquisition, including supporting and funding municipal, county and nonprofit acquisitions for the preservation of open space for conservation and recreation. His workshop session will discuss Green Acres funding for local projects.
According to Kastning, “The process to obtain grants and loans is complex and [the] documentation intensive, purposefully so to ensure that public funds are expended appropriately and [that] a paper trail exists to support the expenditures.”
Kastning said that to ensure fair market value for landowners, appraisers must be hired. All surveys and metes and bounds descriptions must follow rigorous Green Acres guidelines, and surveyors hired by local municipalities must also ensure that surveys conform to these strict guidelines. Environmental consultants must be hired to perform reviews of the proposed acquisition to make sure there are no hazardous conditions and there is no contamination or solid-waste dumps, he said.
“Much of the work to secure these professional services is coordinated by part-time volunteers and hired professionals who are required to follow extensive specifications,” Kastning said. “Failure to do so will result in delays in receiving grants or loans, and many times the [reworking] to get it right is costly.”
Kastning said all four Monmouth County panhandle communities are active in preserving land in and around their communities.
“Whether through the Green Acres Program, for open space and outdoor recreation, or through the state and county agricultural boards, there is a big push to preserve land and protect people’s quality of life,” Kastning said. “Development pressures are intense, and the municipalities, with assistance from the state and county, are attempting to preserve land.”
Kastning urged volunteers, professionals, government officials and nonprofit personnel to attend the rally and future sessions. He echoed Keller’s comments about the learning experience and networking opportunity it offers.
Upper Freehold Township leads the state in the number of acres in farmland preservation, with nearly 7,000 as of 2004.
Administrator Barbara Bascom said that over the years, she has attended seminars at the annual event, which are designed to teach people how to use nonprofit land trusts, such as Monmouth Conservation Foundation or D&R Greenways, to assist municipalities in acquiring land; stable funding sources; financial planning information for those interested in preserving their land; and funding sources for acquisition and development.
Many township officials and members of township boards have attended the rally in the past, she said, and in doing so, made valuable contacts in their efforts to preserve land.
For more information about the rally, call (908) 234-1225, or visit www.njconservation.org.