Fall
|
2014
New Jersey
Conservation
ON THE COVER There are many faces of farming in New Jersey, and water buffalo are among them! See more of photographer Penelope Ayers’ images on page 3.
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New Jersey’s Farms Fruits, vegetables, chickens, cows and sheep ... Preservation keeps it in the Garden State
Ecology College Dr. Emile DeVito solves one of the mysteries of New Jersey’s forest
Summer Trailblazers Read about the superstars who keep up our trails. Plan your fall hike!
Trustees L. Keith Reed PRESIDENT
HONORARY TRUSTEES
Wendy Mager
Hon. Brendan T. Byrne
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
Catherine Bacon Winslow SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
Catherine M. Cavanaugh
From Our
Hon. Thomas H. Kean
Executive Director
Robert J. Wolfe TREASURER
Kenneth H. Klipstein, II SECRETARY
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Michele S. Byers
Edward F. Babbott
Robert W. Kent ASSISTANT SECRETARY
Penelope Ayers Cecilia Birge
Nancy Becker C. Austin Buck John D. Hatch
Roger Byrom Bradley M. Campbell Theodore Chase, Jr. Jack R. Cimprich Rosina B. Dixon, M.D. Clement L. Fiori Peter J. Fontaine
Susan L. Hullin Blair MacInnes Thomas J. Maher
New Jersey has a rich agricultural history. Our earliest settlers to our present-day farmers have found New Jersey’s soils to be among the best in the world, suitable for a huge variety of crops. That’s why we’re still the Garden State!
Scott McVay David F. Moore Mary W. Moore John Parker
Chad Goerner
Of Farmland and Forests
Christopher J. Daggett
Pamela P. Hirsch
Ingrid W. Reed
Michael S. Maglio
Jamie Kyte Sapoch
Gordon A. Millspaugh, Jr.
Leslie Sauer
Maureen Ogden
Tama Matsuoka Wong
But New Jersey’s desirable location between New York City and Philadelphia is also great for growing condos and cul-de-sacs. New Jersey has more residents per square mile than any other state, and there’s constant pressure to turn family farms into housing subdivisions. In November, New Jersey voters will decide on a ballot question asking if a percentage of existing corporate business tax revenues should be used for land
Kathryn Porter Samantha Rothman Louise Currey Wilson
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Michele S. Byers
preservation. A “yes” vote will allow the state’s excellent farmland preservation program to continue … as well as programs to preserve open space, parks, historic and flood-prone properties. Passage of this referendum is critical to New Jersey’s future, as the state’s trust fund for land preservation is now empty for the first time in more than a half-century!
New Jersey Conservation Foundation is a private, non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve land and natural resources throughout New Jersey for the benefit of all.
Over the years, New Jersey Conservation Foundation has worked hard to preserve farms all over the Garden State, using funding from state, federal, county and local preservation programs - and our own expertise. Most farmers love what they’re doing and can’t imagine any other life. Our state’s farming communities don’t want to lose their agricultural heritage. And our residents rely on the Garden State’s fresh, local foods.
We protect strategic lands through acquisition and stewardship, promote strong land use policies, and forge partnerships to achieve conservation goals. Since 1960, we have worked to protect the state’s farmland, forests, parks, wetlands, water resources and special places. For membership information, please visit our website at www.njconservation.org or call us at 1-888-LANDSAVE. Our mailing address is 170 Longview Road, Far Hills, NJ 07931.
See pages 4-6 for stories on farmland preservation successes and how the process works – and please vote “yes” on the preservation ballot question in November! Thank you for reading and, as always, thank you for your generosity and support. New Jersey is a better place because of you!
New Jersey Conservation Foundation |
TO SEE A VIDEO OF THE WATER BUFFALO FARM, GO TO
www.njconservation.org.
Of all the farms New Jersey Conservation Foundation has preserved, one of the more interesting is the 62-acre farm in Washington Township, Warren County, where Courtney and Brian Foley are raising a herd of water buffalo. In addition to being sweet-tempered, these gentle creatures produce butterfat-rich milk used to make a gourmet mozzarella cheese. New Jersey Conservation bought the former Sigler family dairy farm in 2008, using state, county and municipal farmland preservation funds and a nonprofit grant. After permanently preserving the land for agricultural use by extinguishing the development rights, we sold it to the Foleys as the new home for their happy, growing water buffalo herd! Photos by Penelope Ayers
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Photo by Sandy Stuart Perry
Photo by Sarah Carden
Photo by Sarah Carden
A “GROWING PRIORITY”
Preserving
Farms
Photo by Francis Rapa
Photo by Sarah Carden
Hill & Dale Farm in Hunterdon County is a landmark that lives up to its descriptive name. Its fields, pastures and woods begin in Tewksbury Township’s peaceful Rockaway Creek valley and climb up the steep Hell Mountain hillside. For nearly 100 years, it has been a dairy and horse farm that grows its own hay, corn and grains.
NEW JERSEY HAS
10,300 farms
FYI
GENERATING MORE THAN
$1 billion in sales AND SUPPORTING
30,000 on-farm jobs
A great example of the complementary nature of farming and open space, Hill & Dale is now an “agricultural preserve.” This fall, it expanded to 192 preserved acres with the addition of 50 acres of farm fields. New Jersey Conservation Foundation bought the first 142 acres of the historic farm in 2011 and 2012 to preserve the community’s agricultural heritage and provide a recreational resource. Hikers, horseback riders, dog walkers and bird watchers can enjoy trails along the hedgerows and fields and in the surrounding woods. In the past decade alone, New Jersey Conservation and partners have preserved nearly 100 farms totaling about 8,200 acres – most of them family farms. This spring and summer was an especially busy time, with nearly 800 acres preserved … and counting! These preserved farms come in all sizes and shapes, grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and raise cows, horses, sheep and chickens and more.
Stopping Farmland Loss According the American Farmland Trust, New Jersey lost a greater share of its agricultural land to development than any other state between 1982 and 2007 – 26.8 percent. The economic downturn and burst of the real estate “bubble” temporarily slowed development pressure, but that is changing. Agriculture is still a major industry in New Jersey, with the state's 10,300 farms generating more than $1 billion in sales in 2012 and supporting 30,000 on-farm jobs. New Jersey’s productive farmland covers about 715,000 acres, and the state Department of Agriculture estimates that 500,000 to 600,000 permanently preserved acres are needed retain a viable farmland industry. So far about 210,000 have been preserved, so there is much work still to be done. New Jersey Conservation has become skilled in farmland preservation and was recognized by the State Agriculture Development Committee as New Jersey’s leading nonprofit for preserving farmland.
How Is It Done? We permanently preserve most farms by purchasing the development rights, working hand-in-hand with federal, state, county and municipal preservation programs. Farmers still own their land, but are permanently limited to agricultural use. Selling development rights allows farmers to invest in equipment, supplies (continued)
| New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Photo by Sarah Carden
What Are Prime Soils?
It’s hard to overstate the importance of soil.
(continued from page 5)
and improvements. It also helps keep farmland affordable for the next generation of farmers, who often find it prohibitively expensive to buy land with high development potential. Frank Battiato was raised in a farming family, so he knew the high cost of land and equipment can make it difficult for a young farmer like himself to get started. Carrying on the family tradition became easier for him three years ago, when he bought a farm in Mannington Township, Salem County, preserved by New Jersey Conservation. The previous owner, Ernie Tark, who retired after a lifetime of farming, had already sold the development rights on his 102-acre farm to the State Agriculture Development Committee with the assistance of New Jersey Conservation. With the farm’s market value thus reduced, Battiato was able to buy the farm from Tark. Preserving a farm can also keep it in a family when it might otherwise have to be divided or sold to settle an estate.
“Farmland preservation kept me on the farm,” said Ryck Suydam, president of the New Jersey Farm Bureau and a 12th generation farmer. Without selling the development rights on his Franklin Township, Somerset County, farm, Suydam said, he wouldn’t have had the means to buy out his siblings after the passing of their parents.
A benefit to taxpayers There’s no doubt that farms pay their own way. “Farmland preservation is a good deal for New Jersey,” added Suydam. “For every dollar in property taxes we (farmers) pay, we only use 35 cents’ worth of services from the town. That’s pretty easy math.” Preserved farmland also protects water and soils, provides fresh, locally-grown food, and maintains our agricultural heritage.
“The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself,” wrote Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1937, in the midst of the devastating Dust Bowl storms and floods. He urged governors to enact uniform soil conservation laws to save the soils that make food production possible. More than 75 years later, conserving our most productive soils is just as critical. Soil is a complex mix of minerals and organic matter. Healthy soil hosts millions of organisms, from earthworms and insects to microscopic bacteria and fungi. It can take anywhere from 100 to 1,000 years for nature to produce just one inch of soil. Not all soils are created equal. The farms prioritized for preservation often consist entirely or mostly of “prime soils” or “soils of statewide importance,” those defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as most able to grow a broad variety of crops. New Jersey Conservation Foundation is a longtime advocate of preserving the Garden State’s best soils, thus preserving the future of agriculture.
Photo by Francis Rapa
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Garden State taxpayers have made a huge financial investment in making sure farmland with top-quality soils remain available for agriculture forever. Continued preservation funding is needed to keep saving New Jersey’s best soils. Please vote yes on a Nov. 4 ballot question to provide a long-term source of preservation funding!
New Jersey Conservation Foundation |
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4:
Support Open Space Funding! Great news! The future of New Jersey’s land protection programs – including Green Acres, farmland and historic preservation – is now in the hands of the voters. A public question on the Nov. 4 ballot will ask voters to decide on a constitutional amendment to use part of the state’s existing corporate business tax to fund preservation. If passed, the measure will replenish programs that are now depleted, without adding new taxes or debt. In an overwhelming, bipartisan vote, the state Assembly placed the question on the ballot on Aug. 4 – the last possible day under the law. The vote was 58 to 9, with one abstention. The same legislation was passed by the state Senate on June 26, also with strong bipartisan support. This fiscally-responsible measure would provide a stable, long-term source of funds for parks, natural lands, farmland, drinking water resources, historic sites and flood-prone lands. Since 1961, when the first Green Acres bond measure was passed, New Jersey has never been without land preservation funding.
One hundred percent of statewide open space ballot questions – 13 out of 13 – have been passed, most by large margins. “Open space preservation is an issue that knows no party or ideology. It’s simply about ensuring that New Jersey residents have the best possible quality of life,” said Assemblyman John McKeon, the measure’s main sponsor. “This desperately needed source of long-term, stable funding will go a long way toward protecting some of this state’s best assets, and we know voters will support that ideal.” We thank Assemblyman McKeon for sponsoring the legislation, and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto for posting it for a vote. Thanks also to Senators Bob Smith and Kip Bateman, and Senate President Steve Sweeney, for their leadership in getting the funding measure passed in the Senate.
For more information, please visit our website at www.njconservation.org, or check out the NJ Keep It Green website at www.njkeepitgreen.org. To see a graphic depiction of how Garden State Preservation Trust funds have been spent, see New Jersey Spotlight’s interactive map at
http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/14/08/07/garden-state-preservation-trust. The map allows you to click on your town – or any town in the state – to see how much land was preserved from 2000-2013.
OTE YES
PLEASE VOTE “YES” ON THE BALLOT QUESTION! DON’T LET THE GARDEN STATE RUN OUT OF LAND PRESERVATION FUNDING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN 50 YEARS!
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Dr. Emile DeVito of New Jersey Conservation Foundation, left, and Dr. Michael Van Clef of Ecological Solutions, during one of their forest journeys.
Photo by Kirill Leshiner
trampled by grazing animals after the Europeans arrived. In addition to being mixed and compacted, these soils have elevated nutrients and pH. This is all bad news for native plants! As farms were abandoned by rural citizens seeking industrial jobs in cities during the early 20th century, New Jersey’s forests began to regenerate. One hundred years ago, deer were rare enough that native trees were able to re-colonize the former farm fields. Today, after more than a century of growth, the forest canopy conceals agricultural vestiges like old stone walls and compacted soils. From the sky, heritage and post-agricultural forests look the same. So how can we find the hidden heritage forests? Luckily, we have some clues!
ECOLOGY
COLLEGE
A Tale of Two Forests
By Dr. Emile DeVito, Ph.D, Manager of Science & Stewardship Beneath the thick canopies of northern New Jersey’s deciduous forests lies a mystery: Why can you stand in one patch of woods and find nothing but alien invasive vegetation, while a few steps away there’s a thriving population of native plants? Finding the answer requires a history lesson … and a lot of walking! Fellow biologist Michael Van Clef and I put many miles on our boots this summer searching for what we have dubbed “heritage forests” – those woods whose soils have remained undisturbed and whose native plants have persisted for hundreds of years, since before Henry Hudson sailed up the coast of New Jersey in 1609. Through a grant from the Open Space Institute, New Jersey Conservation Foundation took on the challenge of visiting 120 randomly-selected locations within 15 square miles of forested public lands in Warren and Sussex counties to study both native and non-native invasive plants. And that research is revealing how
our state’s colonial agricultural legacy is creating “A Tale of Two Forests.” During the colonial era, primeval forests were felled to make way for fields and pastures as farming spread over New Jersey’s landscape. Even steep hills were cleared for grazing. But some forests remained as woodlots. In these woods where soil was spared from plows and grazing animals, native shrubs like lowbush blueberry, maple leaf viburnum and alternate leaf dogwood – as well as native wildflowers like wild ginger and alum root – were never wiped away. The lumberjack’s ax and saw do not vastly alter soil structure or chemistry like plows and intense livestock grazing. Soil layers that had sat undisturbed for millennia were mixed by plowing and
CLUE
#
1
New Jersey’s forests were mapped in the 1880s. Surveyor C.C. Vermuele painstakingly depicted every road, stream, and forest in a statewide topographic survey. When we superimposed Vermuele’s map over a 2007 forest cover map of Sussex and Warren counties, we found that only 43 percent of today’s forest was wooded 130 years ago.
CLUE
#
2
Vermuele worked just after the peak of deforestation, so many existing forests at that time had likely escaped severe alteration by agriculture. Thus, the forest patches shown on Vermuele’s maps are the best places to look for heritage forests and soils with populations of native shrubs, herbs and even pollinators. As Michael Van Clef and I scoured forests this summer, we were amazed by what we discovered. On one side of a 250-year-old rock wall, we saw perhaps 30 or more species of native herbs and woody plants, but on the other only a handful of alien invasive shrubs and vines. Once we’re done with boots-onthe-ground research, we will evaluate our findings. We believe that the heritage forest patches we found are potential sources of genetic material that can help restore New Jersey’s natural legacy, and we’re happy to be able to tell this “Tale of Two Forests.”
2014
New Jersey Conservation Foundation |
GAINING GROUND New Jersey Conservation Foundation and its partners permanently preserved 790 acres throughout the state in the first nine months of 2014. We preserved productive farms and natural areas that provide safe drinking water, habitat for wildlife, and scenic places to enjoy.
THANKS TO OUR MEMBERS AND PARTNERS FOR HELPING TO PRESERVE THESE LANDS!
It’s easy to join New Jersey Conservation Foundation Become online – visit our website at www.njconservation.org/donate.htm
a Member Today!
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Photo by Sandy Stuart Perry
Summer Trailblazers
Volunteers Joel Slade of Mount Olive Township, left, and Steve Gruber of Millington set out to work on a new trail at the Drakestown Preserve.
Summer is a time to lace up hiking boots and hit the trail, enjoying our state’s natural and surprisingly diverse landscapes. I This summer, volunteers, interns and staff at New Jersey Conservation Foundation created new trails at four preserves and replaced a boardwalk trail over wetlands at a fifth.
Drakestown Preserve, Washington Township, Morris County
Wickecheoke Creek Preserve, Hill & Dale Preserve, Delaware Township, Tewksbury Township, Hunterdon County Hunterdon County
This 228-acre preserve sits atop the Schooley’s Mountain ridge and consists of mature forests traversed by meandering streams. Volunteers Joel Slade and Steve Gruber helped create three miles of new trails – a long loop and a short loop. Tim Morris, New Jersey Conservation’s director of stewardship, built a parking area, an information kiosk and trail signs. A grant from Merck Pharmaceuticals helped to support the improvements.
This preserve near the Delaware River includes about 1,020 acres of forests and farmland along the rocky Wickecheoke Creek and its tributaries. Volunteers Jackie Strigl, Kathy Klink, Mia Wong, Luke Hannah, summer intern Ali Hiple and staff project coordinator Marie Newell blazed a trail through our new Thompson/Pavlica property in the preserve.
As the name implies, this 192-acre preserve – part of a larger, historic dairy and horse farm – does indeed cover hill and dale, with panoramic views of the countryside from the top and fishing in the stream at the bottom. It stays true to its agricultural roots, with trails for hiking and horseback riding winding between farm fields. The Merck Pharmaceuticals grant also helped pay for trails and a kiosk, and summer intern Justin Dennis spent much of his time working at Hill & Dale.
Candace McKee Ashmun Preserve, Lacey Township, Ocean County
Dot and Brooks Evert Trail Preserve, Pemberton Township, Burlington County
This 4,000-acre Pine Barrens preserve is part of the larger Forked River Mountains. It is crossed by dozens of trails and narrow sand roads, most predating our ownership. Bill Scullion, land steward, used GPS to map the locations of all the trails and roads for the first time, and volunteer Jen Gardner blazed a few trails.
One of the first New Jersey Conservation preserves, this 170-acre property sits at the edge of the Pine Barrens and features a 1.5-mile loop trail through forested wetlands. Thanks to a grant from the MKM Foundation and the help of intern Evan Gunn, our summer work included raising the boardwalk and improving its traction, and adding an information kiosk.
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Photo by Tanya Nolte
New Jersey Conservation Foundation |
We hope you’ll be able to visit some of these great places in the coming months and check out the new trails! I To learn more about New Jersey Conservation’s preserves and download trail maps, visit our website at www.njconservation.org and click on “VISIT OUR PRESERVES.” To find other great places to hike, take a look at our interactive map of all trails in New Jersey by clicking on “GARDEN STATE GREENWAYS.” The map was just updated with the help of intern Kirill Leshiner and volunteer Ron Wass.
SPOTLIGHT
Meet Ali Hiple, our Babbott Fund Summer Intern Ali Hiple of Stockton is a senior at St. Lawrence University and our first-ever Babbott Fund summer intern. Ali, who is double majoring in English and Environmental Studies, worked out of New Jersey Conservation’s main office for six weeks. She tells about her experience below: “As an Environmental Studies major and a lifelong resident of New Jersey, an internship at New Jersey Conservation was a pretty clear choice for me. I live in Stockton where the Foundation has properties along the gorgeous Wickecheoke Creek. I’ve spent a lot of time in those woods and waters, so when the opportunity came along to work with a group that is protecting such places throughout my home state, it was a dream come true. I told Laura Szwak that I wanted to do a little bit of everything over the summer, and that’s exactly what I did. I updated the Conservation Directory, helped to index the State We’re In reports, researched and populated a land finances database, and collected and curated stories of municipal land conservation successes. Along with these responsibilities, I had many
wonderful opportunities to learn about exactly what New Jersey Conservation Foundation does, and to really experience how land conservation and environmental concerns are handled at nonprofit, local, and state levels. I went to the statehouse in Trenton twice with policy team members Alison Mitchell and Eileen Swan, attended one of the Land Trust Network workshops, sat in on Land Acquisition meetings, and spent time in the field helping with trails at the Wickecheoke Preserve. It’s one thing to sit in a class about environmental policy and to write essays about the organizations and the people in the field. It’s something else entirely to work alongside and learn from those very people. My summer with New Jersey Conservation Foundation allowed me to do just that.” The Babbott Fund was established in honor of Edward F. Babbott, a former trustee of New Jersey Conservation Foundation who served on the board for 44 years. The purpose of the Babbott internship program is to cultivate and train young leaders in the field of land conservation.
native Ne ac, a wJ um er s n
Photo by Patrick Law
lant yp se
Stag ho r
12 | New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Tama Matsuoka Wong, right, instructs novice foragers at an event in Hunterdon County.
“Wild Farm” Sprouts on NJ Conservation Preserve Staghorn sumac, a native New Jersey plant, has a bit of an image problem. Expert forager Tama Matsuoka Wong – a volunteer land steward for New Jersey Conservation Foundation – learned this firsthand when asking property owners for permission to pick clusters of dark red sumac berries, which can be used as a spice. She recalls one farm manager anxiously informing her that the plants are among the most poisonous in the country. “We tell him that poison sumac has white clusters and not red, and since that is the only part of the tree we are after, there is no chance of a mistake,” she relates in a post on her food blog. “He still looks at us skeptically and shrugs – ‘Don't say I didn't warn you.’ In fact, many a sumac grove has been
mistakenly knocked down in the belief that it is poisonous.” The author of the guidebook and cookbook “Foraged Flavor,” Tama is working on restoring sumac’s image, using a piece of Hunterdon County farmland preserved and owned by New Jersey Conservation. This spring, she planted more than 500 wild sumac bushes and seedlings on about an acre of the Delaware Township property, which she is leasing. They’re part of Tama’s experiments with creating a “wild farm” – one that uses native New Jersey plants and requires little cultivation or maintenance. “I’m planting a sustainable farm with no
irrigation, fertilizer, tilling or pesticides because the sumac ‘crops’ are native to the land,” she explained. Dried sumac berries have a citrusy-tart flavor and are a main ingredient in za’atar, a spice blend found in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. Sumac berries were also used in Native American cooking.
Here’s to a successful first crop on the wild farm! To see a video of Tama’s foraging forays, go to our website at www.njconservation.org.
New Jersey Conservation Foundation |
FOR LAND’S SAKE
Horses and riders were the fashion models on Saturday, May 17, at the equestrian-themed “Field & Fashion” fundraiser to benefit New Jersey Conservation Foundation. I More than 400 guests gathered at Cedar Lane Farm in Oldwick for an evening of horse fashions, fun, food, music and dancing. The highlight of the evening was a horse parade through the party, with riders and mounts displaying a variety of equestrian disciplines, including fox hunting, dressage, carriage driving, hunter-jumper, draft horses, miniature horses and Pony Club.
ABOVE: Enjoying the festivities at Field & Fashion were, from left,
P.A. Weiner-Trapness of Mendham, James and Patti Bellis of Bedminster, and Wallis Weiner-Trapness.
Photos by Sandy Stuart Perry
LEFT: Event co-chairs Penelope Ayers of Bernardsville, left, and Jazz Johnson Merton of Oldwick, center, pose with Jazz’s daughter Willa, who rode in the horse parade.
One of the highlights of the horse parade was the four-in-hand carriage team owned by Louis Piancone of Bedminster, whose farm was preserved with New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s help.
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| New Jersey Conservation Foundation
thank you! New Members Lauren Anselowitz Bing Cao Stephen and Dawn Cozzolino Bart Erbach Michael D. Francis Stephanie Glickman Michael and Janine Humphreys Matthew Kappa Mark Kneece Ajay Manissery Konchery Chris Martin James Oser Charles Paraboschi Fred and Roe Patterson Martina Petrigliano Richard Rauth John Richter George Rosa Abdullah Sherzad Thomas and Elizabeth Uhlman
$500 and Above Donors The 1772 Foundation, Inc. Katherine L. Adams and Duke Wiser Amy S. Greene Environmental Consultants, Inc. Mrs. Millicent Anisfield Penelope Ayers B.W. Furlong & Associates Pearl Biedron Peter and Sofia Blanchard Mary Owen Borden Memorial Foundation Brady Foundation Barbara and Thomas Brummer Gordon and Janice Cameron Mr. and Mrs. George E. Carter Dr. Theodore Chase and Mrs. Victory Chase Chris Chickering Rebecca Condit The Edward T. Cone Foundation Coughlin Duffy LLP Thomas and Brenda Curnin Emma Joy Dana William D. deCamp, Jr.
New Jersey Conservation Foundation welcomes new members and gratefully acknowledges benefactors who made contributions between January 1, 2014 and June 30, 2014. With your support, we will preserve and protect New Jersey’s land.
Barbara Delafield Maggie & Michael Delia Foundation Alvin and Linda Dietz Doggett Corporation Joanne Elliott Randolph Floyd Robert L. Foester Peter and Jennifer Fontaine Austin and Gwen Fragomen Michael D. Francis Frederick and Gael W. Gardner Stephanie Glickman Mr. Chad Goerner Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation Thomas H. Hamilton Foundation, Inc. Dr. Daniel A. Harris and Ms. Jane Buttars The Merrill G. & Emita Hastings Foundation Hatch Mott MacDonald Gates and Mary Ellen Hawn Michael E. Heenehan Environmental Consultant Holly R. Hegener and Jon Cummings Robert and Barbara Hillier Honeywell International, Inc. Peter W. Jewell Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Z. Duke The Kirk Kellogg Foundation Sybil Kramer Mr. and Mrs. Samuel W. Lambert, III Donald and Ann Bowers Matthews Scott and Hella McVay Joan and Sandy Millspaugh Nelson Obus and Eve Coulson Mrs. Millicent L. Palmer Scot D. Pannepacker and Heidi S. Wilenius Margaret H. Parker Mr. and Mrs. Louis G. Piancone Kathryn A. and James M. Porter Joan and Robert Rechnitz Fred and Laura Rhodes Roxiticus Foundation Chris and Michelle Sala Anne and Doug Scher J. William Scher Nancy Z. Schreyer Short Hills Garden Club Jacqueline Strigl Paul W. Taylor Ted and Penny Thomas The Thomas & Agnes Carvel Foundation Toyota Margaret Warters
Catherine Weinstock James and Virginia Welch Foundation Clarissa and Alan Willemsen Harry and Joannah Wilmerding Louise and Cliff Wilson Aili Liu and Bo Xing
Memorials Dr. Benjamin Burton Dr. Cedric Haddad Dr. Ogden B. Carter, Jr. Anne Benedict Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Carter Mrs. Emilie W. Corbin Mr. and Mrs. Dickinson R. Debevoise William D. deCamp, Jr. Dr. Richard Ganley Sara Jane Gordon Thomas B. Lyons Helene Curley Katherine K. Smith Patience Hull and William Williamson Cary Williamson Beverley Jones Thelma Achenbach John Keone Jack Kahrs Lenny Senkarik Tim C. Riegert James Taylor Kenneth Cooper Brandi Kerekes
Tributes Peter and Cynthia Kellogg Chris Chickering Mr. and Mrs. B. Michael Pisani Fred and Laura Rhodes Maureen Ogden Mr. and Mrs. B. Michael Pisani Mother Nature John Teehan
New Jersey Conservation Foundation |
Welcome New Trustee and Staff New Jersey Conservation Foundation recently welcomed Pamela Hirsch of Basking Ridge to the Board of Trustees, and Sarah Carden of Bedminster, Olivia Glenn of Pennsauken and Bill Lynch of South Brunswick to the staff. Pamela received her B.A. degree from Purdue University, and her master’s degree from Drew University. Now retired, she worked in marketing Pamela Hirsch research before owning and managing a store in New York City for many years. She is active with the Garden Club of Morristown, serving as Conservation Chair for the past seven years. She also served on the boards of the Pingry School and the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Sarah joined the staff as Membership Coordinator. Previously, she worked in various fields related to sustainable food systems. When not at New Jersey Sarah Carden Conservation, Sarah and her husband run an organic vegetable farm in Bedminster called Uncle Bill’s Farm. Sarah holds a B.A. degree in Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University. Olivia joined the staff as South Jersey Metro Regional Manager. She is responsible for land preservation and development work in the region, with a
special emphasis on Camden. She has a strong background in the non profit and government sectors and wrote her master’s thesis on Olivia Glenn park revitalization in Camden. Olivia received her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College and her master’s degree in Environmental Management from Yale University. Prior to coming to NJ Conservation, she worked at a charter school in Camden and for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
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Staff Michele S. Byers, Executive Director Erica Arlés, Administrative Assistant, Land Acquistion & Stewardship Mark Barrick, Information Technology/Office Manager Alix Bacon, Regional Manager, Western Piedmont Scott Breeman, Easement Steward Sarah Carden, Membership Coordinator Beth Davisson, Project Manager, Black River Greenway Emile DeVito, Ph.D, Manager of Science & Stewardship Wilma Frey, Senior Policy Manager Olivia Glenn, Regional Manager, South Jersey Metro Amy Hansen, Policy Analyst Maria Hauser, Personnel Manager/Executive Assistant Steven Jack, Land Steward Chris Jage, Assistant Director, South Jersey Russell Juelg, Land Steward William Lynch, Events Coordinator Lisa MacCollum, Assistant Director of Land Acquisition Alison Mitchell, Director of Policy Stephanie Monahan, Development Assistant
Bill joined the staff as Events Coordinator, planning and managing all fundraising and member cultivation events. He also manages outreach programs, including the Bill Lynch Step into Nature series. Bill received his Master of Science degree in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers University, and served as an associate naturalist for the Raritan Headwaters Association prior to joining NJ Conservation. He is a passionate environmental educator, birder, and photographer.
Tim Morris, Director of Stewardship Marie Newell, Project Coordinator, Acquisition Tanya Nolte, GIS Manager Sandy Stuart Perry, Communications Manager Lauren Ramos, Development & Outreach Coordinator Francis Rapa, Regional Manager, Delaware Bay Watershed Karen Richards, CPA, Director of Finance & Administration Greg Romano, Assistant Director & Director of Statewide Land Acquisition Gerard Sauchelli, Land Steward Susan Schmidt, Administrative Assistant/Receptionist Bill Scullion, Land Steward Eileen Swan, Policy Manager Laura Szwak, Director of Outreach & Education Kathleen Ward, Director of Development & Communications Ingrid Vandegaer, Regional Manager, Highlands Region
MICHELE BYERS NAMED “Woman of Achievement” Michele S. Byers, New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s Executive Director, was honored this spring by the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs at its annual convention in Atlantic City.
Michele was chosen for a Women of Achievement Award, given each year to women who have gained visibility in New Jersey for distinguished service and outstanding accomplishments. For more than 30 years, she has been a powerful voice and driver for the protection of lands and natural resources in New Jersey. Michele is the fifth woman affiliated with New Jersey Conservation to receive this prestigious award. Previous recipients included Congress-
woman Millicent Fenwick, a New Jersey Conservation trustee; Helen Fenske, one of the founders of New Jersey Conservation and its first executive director; Laura Szwak, Director of Outreach and Education; and Eileen Swan, Policy Manager and a former New Jersey Highlands Council director. A Bedminster resident, Michele joined New Jersey Conservation in 1982 as coordinator of advocacy efforts in the Pine Barrens. She became Assistant Director in 1988 and Executive Director in 1999.
N E W J E R S E Y C O N S E R VAT I O N F O U N D AT I O N
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2014
OTE YES VOTE
Clean Water, Open Space, Farmland and Historic Preservation Amendment
FOR THE
YES
VOTE
YES
VOTE
VOTE
VOTE
for clean drinking water
for no new tax and no new debt
for preserving farms, natural areas and wildlife habitat
for flood protection
for scenic beauty, trails and outdoor enjoyment
YES
YES
YES
READ MORE ABOUT IT INSIDE ON PAGE 7 VOTE YES ON QUESTION 2 to preserve the quality of life in New Jersey, and keep the “garden” in our Garden State