HOWELL – With several new residential and warehouse construction projects developing in Howell Township, the Township has partnered with Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF) and the New Jersey Green Acres Program to purchase property on Fort Plains Road.
Purchased on March 18, the 35-acre wooded property will now be permanently protected. Instead of possibly becoming another large-scale residential development, the property will be a passive park area.
“Development pressure in Howell has been intense for decades, the pandemic only intensified the trend,” Councilwomen Evelyn O’Donnell and Pamela Richmond explained. “As our community grows, we recognized the need for a plan to ensure we have adequate parks, trails, and farms in Howell. After all, it’s the reason so many people decided to live here in the first place and we want to ensure it remains a sought-after place to live.”
Howell Township has partnered with the MCF for over 20 years. MCF, a nonprofit land trust founded in 1977, is committed to strategically create and expand parks, preserve farms and protect natural resources throughout the area.
Howell Township contributed $525,000, MCF $50,000 and Green Acres $575,000 to permanently protect the wooded Fort Plains Road tract of land.
“It takes a winning team of players dedicated to open space success to make these projects happen. We are happy to be a part of the winning partnership with Howell Township to preserve yet another property for the community to enjoy,” William D. Kastning, Executive Director of Monmouth Conservation Foundation said.
A total of three different properties have been preserved in Howell over the past year. In December 2020, Deerwood Park was expanded by preserving a 9.5-acre property on Lakewood Allenwood Road. Another project was the 4-acre addition to Bear Swamp Natural Area, located on Maxim Road, which was preserved in October 2020.
MCF and Howell Township plan to continue to create more parkland and preserve additional farms through projects currently in the pipeline. Currently, they plan on working with the Department of Defense to protect land around Naval Weapons Station Earle.
“We are dedicated to ensuring Howell remains a wonderful community for its residents and we must continue to find opportunities to protect our remaining natural areas and ensure residents continue to have access to safe outdoor places to enjoy,” Richmond said.
For more information about Monmouth Conservation Foundation, visit monmouthconservation.org.
