SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — A conservation group has expanded its ownership of an important piece of green space near Vineland and will soon offer trails for recreation.
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The New Jersey Conservation Foundation, with the help of several partner organizations, purchased an additional 85 acres along the Menantico Creek to go with 600 acres of adjacent land it previously preserved.
Rob Ferber, regional manager for the group, says they paid market value for the land, a little more than $300,000, as an investment in open space and healthy drinking water for the nearby communities.
“All this property and most of South Jersey sits on top of the Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer, which provides drinking water for millions of people,” Ferber said.
Ferber says it takes a lot of time to get open space deals like this done, and in this case it took a lot of work cleaning up the land, which had been a popular place for illegal dumping.
He is thrilled voters on both ends of the political spectrum have been willing to support this effort and others like it.
“They recognize the importance of open space and have continued to support this effort, and so it’s really been a very successful program. And we’re really proud to be a part of it.”
Now, they are working on a trail network to give local residents access for recreational usage.
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