HOWELL – The US Navy, Monmouth County, and Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF) have announced the preservation of two properties bordering Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Earle, 20 acres being a part of Howell Township.
In partnership with two local townships, the preservation of the 255 acres is through the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program run by the US Department of Defense (DOD).
The two parcels consist of 20 acres of mostly mature hardwood forest in Howell and 235 acres of thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm in Colts Neck.
Since 2018, over $3 million in federal funding has been awarded through the REPI program. MCF and Monmouth County have been working with the Navy and local municipalities to permanently protect lands that border NWS Earle’s nearly 12,000 acres.
The naval base contains one of the largest wooded areas in Monmouth, cutting through Middletown to Colts Neck and Howell.
According to the MCF, the REPI Program funds congressionally authorized cost-sharing partnerships among the military services, private conservation groups, and state and local governments to protect military installations and ranges against encroachment or impacts to mission and operations by outside pressures.
“We are pleased to build upon our already stellar partnerships with Monmouth County, Monmouth Conservation Foundation, and our local municipalities through the REPI program,” said Capt. Kent D. Smith, NWS Earle Commanding Officer. “Thanks to this program we are able to promote military readiness and prevent encroachment while helping our neighbors protect and preserve more of our surrounding landscapes.”
In order to protect against encroachment, land buffering military bases are typically protected through conservation and/or agricultural easements. This permanently limits potential developments as well as restricts the lands to conservation and agricultural uses.
For the NWS Earle REPI program pilot project in Howell, the Navy provided half of the funding through its awards to MCF and the county, followed by contributions from Monmouth County, Howell Township, and MCF. The project in Colts Neck was funded by Monmouth County, which provided the greatest funding, followed by the Navy’s REPI funding awarded to MCF and the county, and Colts Neck Township funding.
“The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners is excited to partner with the U.S. Navy, MCF, as well as Colts Neck and Howell townships, to preserve this important land which will assist NWS Earle so they remain mission-ready,” Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone said. “Programs like REPI are essential, not only to military mission success but to the preservation of land that will be protected against encroachment or development. Thank you to our partners for their support.”
Currently, the MCF is actively negotiating several additional parcels of land eligible for protection through the REPI program.
“MCF is thrilled to be a recipient of REPI program funding and grateful to our public and private partners for helping to bring these projects to fruition. We are dedicated to protecting the natural habitats, farmland, and open spaces which make Monmouth County so special from being lost forever,” said Bill Kastning, MCF’s Executive Director.
