Raritan Township Preserves 48 Acres Of Open Space On Rt. 253

Press release from the Township:

Sept. 9, 2022

On August 29, 2022, Raritan Township added a new property to the inventory of Open Space within the Township known as "Neshanic Preserve, Eden Tract". It consists of 48 acres of forest and fields and includes a Revolutionary period cemetery known as the Carman Cemetery. The remains of at least one Revolutionary War soldier lie in that cemetery.

This is the second major property Raritan Township has preserved for open space in two weeks. The Township recently preserved 52 acres on Klinesville Road.

The most recent 48-acre acquisition is located approximately one-half mile south of the Dvoor Circle on the north side of Route 523, opposite South Autumn Leaf Boulevard. Access is also provided to the north from Autumn Leaf Road. The 48-acre property contains a headwater tributary of the First Neshanic River. Preservation of this property will help reduce the impacts of flooding and improve water quality along the Neshanic River system. It also provides an important buffer and hiking opportunity for the surrounding residential areas and the region. The parcel provides wildlife habitat and is mostly wooded except for the wetland area and large field of wildflowers bordering the headwater stream, which is clearly visible from Route 523. There is a mature mixed hardwood forested area along the northern portions of the property near Autumn Leaf Drive.

The property had been approved for a 19-lot residential subdivision but will now instead be public open space.

Multiple partners worked together to realize the goal of preserving this property. Funding was provided by the Hunterdon County Open Space Assistance Fund, the NJ Green Acres Program Raritan Township Planning Incentive Grant, and the Raritan Township Open Space fund. Hunterdon Land Trust assisted by preparing the application for the Hunterdon County funding application.

According to Amy Greene, Chair of the Raritan Township Open Space Advisory Committee, “The Raritan Township Committee, staff and professionals are strong supporters of open space preservation and worked hard, along with the Raritan Township Open Space Advisory Committee and the other partners, to bring the project to fruition.” There have been many successful open space and farmland preservation projects completed with these parties working together.

Other nearby Open Space parcels include the Hunterdon Land Trust Dvoor Farm; the Township's Mine Brook Park, Morales Park, Lenape Park, and Neshanic Preserve on Harmony School Road; and the Hunterdon County Upland Preserve north of the Dvoor traffic Circle.

With this acquisition there are now 2,569 acres of parkland/open space in Raritan Township, including lands owned by the State, Hunterdon County, Raritan Township and non-profit Land Trusts. These lands are available for public enjoyment. There are also 1,532 acres of privately owned preserved farmland In Raritan Township. Parkland/open space encompasses approximately 10.4% of the Township and preserved farmland encompasses an additional 6.2% of the 38.6 square mile township.

Acquisition and conservation of this property is consistent with the Raritan Township Master Plan Open Space Plan online at https://www.raritan-township.com/government/forms/master-plan-and-elements/139-final-adopted-raritan-open-space-plan-september-25-2019/file which recommends preservation of forested lands, wetlands, stream corridors, and historic resources. A soon-to-be-updated map of Raritan Township Open Space properties and their amenities can be found online at https://www.raritan-township.com/government/forms/open-space-advisory-commission/maps-and-documents/122-raritan-twp-existing-os-inventory-jan2021-letter-size-final-1/file.

This press release was produced by the Township. The views expressed here are the author's own.