This story originally published at NJ.com
One of the largest remaining pieces of open land in the Upper Menantico watershed — 600 acres along the Menantico Creek — has been permanently preserved by New Jersey Conservation Foundation and its partners.
New Jersey Conservation Foundation and Cumberland County purchased the property in Vineland for $1.174 million on Aug. 8 to keep the land in its natural state.
“We’re excited to establish the new Menantico Preserve,” said Michele S. Byers, executive director of the Far Hills-based nonprofit. “This property is less than 5 miles from downtown Vineland and a short distance from downtown Millville. Together, these two cities have a population of nearly 90,000 residents and a real need for more public open space.”
Access for Recreation Planned
NJ Conservation Foundation plans to establish trails, parking and river access over the next few years to turn the preserve into a destination for hikers, dog walkers, bird watchers and nature enthusiasts.
Funding for the purchase came from a public-private partnership that includes the New Jersey Green Acres Program, Cumberland County, William Penn Foundation, Open Space Institute, The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, the federal Fish and Wildlife Service, and Natural Lands.
The Menantico Preserve’s forests provide significant groundwater recharge to the Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer.
“We are very happy that this area along the Menantico Creek will become a nature preserve for Vineland residents and visitors to our city to enjoy,” said Mayor Anthony Fanucci.
The new preserve is surrounded by farms, forests and homes, and is roughly bordered by Hance Bridge, Panther and Mays Landing roads.
The preserve features 2.2 miles of the Menantico Creek and its tributaries — part of the federally designated Maurice Wild and Scenic River system.
Home to Unique Wildlife
The property is home to at least seven endangered, threatened and special-concern animal species, including bald eagles, red-headed woodpeckers, barred owls and Cope’s gray tree frogs. Its interior forests provide breeding habitat for many migratory neotropical songbirds, including ruby-throated hummingbirds, scarlet tanagers, yellow-throated warblers and Acadian flycatchers.
The land was purchased jointly by New Jersey Conservation Foundation and Cumberland County from the Phelan and Murray families, who owned it for many years. It is one of the first open space properties purchased through Cumberland County’s land preservation fund. In turn, Cumberland County transferred its interest to New Jersey Conservation Foundation to own and manage the property.
The Menantico Preserve’s forests provide significant groundwater recharge to the Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer, which holds 17 trillion gallons of fresh water and supplies the needs of millions of South Jersey residents, farmers and businesses.
A local conservation group, Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and its Tributaries, helped out with a property cleanup and will assist with a trail plan in the future.