28-Acre Tract Of Forest In Mercer’s Mount Rose Ridge To Be Preserved

MERCER COUNTY, NJ - Around 28-acre tract of forest in Hopewell’s Mount Rose Ridge will be preserved, the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space (FoHVOS) announced.

The property, located off of Cleveland Road, expands upon the 387-acre Mount Rose Preserve, creating a total of 415 acres of contiguous permanently preserved open space in Hopewell Valley.

"With over 40% of Hopewell Township preserved as open space, farmland, or recreation land, the Township Committee is committed to grow this number even further,” said Hopewell Township Mayor, Courtney Peters Manning.

“We are thankful to work with preservation partners like FoHVOS to make this happen. The addition of these 28 acres to the FoHVOS preserves is a huge benefit to the people and the environment of the Township. We are excited about this property and look forward to continuing to work with FoHVOS for many years to come."

The heart of the Mount Rose Preserve was purchased by New Jersey Conservation Foundation, FoHVOS, Hopewell Township and Mercer County in 2015.

The Giardino tract is 100 percent wooded including forested wetlands and upland forest on a diabase ridge.

This intact forest is a breeding habitat for songbirds, including Veery and Northern Parula, wetland forest vital to salamanders and frogs, and a safe harbor for rare plant species such as Wild Comfrey.

This preserve is also identified as Core Habitat by NJDEP’s CHANJ program. The CHANJ project, Connecting Habitats Across New Jersey, is aimed to conserve native wildlife populations by creating a statewide landscape of connected preserved lands; allowing for healthy reproduction and creating genetically strong wildlife populations.

FoHVOS received funding from NJDEP Green Acres, Mercer County Open Space Trust Fund and Hopewell Township to make this acquisition possible.

“I’m very pleased that Mercer County could support FoHVOS and Hopewell Township in this expansion of the Mount Rose Preserve,” County Executive Dan Benson said.

“Protecting sensitive ecosystems is key to the health of our natural environment, and we’re always looking for new opportunities to add to the more-than 40,000 acres of preserved open space in Mercer County.”

The Giardino family are as much a partner in this preservation as FoHVOS staff and trustees, volunteers, and funding partners. “I am proud to have initiated this acquisition for FoHVOS and thank the Giardino family for making it happen,” said Daniel Pace, FoHVOS Trustee and Chair of Land Preservation.

In the future, this land will be accessible for hiking, birdwatching, and passive enjoyment, by way of a foot trail that will connect to a proposed section of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail.

“In addition to being a preserve with excellent conservation quality, it too, will become a public asset for our community,” said Jenn Rogers, FoHVOS Executive Director.

“My hope is that we will be able to create a permanently protected land connection from Mount Rose Preserve to Princeton’s Emerald Necklace in the future.”

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