Land Preservation within the Lower Passaic River Watershed

Catherine Elliott-Shaw (1) and Sharon Cost (2)

(1) Project Manager, NJDEP, Green Acres Program, PO Box 412, Trenton, NJ 08625  (609) 984-0570,
(609) 984-0608, Cathy.elliott-shaw@dep.state.nj.us, www.state.nj.us/dep/greenacres

(2) GIS Specialist, NJDEP, Green Acres Program, PO Box 412, Trenton, NJ 08625 (609) 984-0570,
(609) 984-0608, Sharon.cost@dep.state.nj.us, www.state.nj.us/dep/greenacres

The Green Acres Program was created in 1961 to meet New Jersey's growing recreation and conservation needs.  At that time, the New Jersey legislature sought to ensure that the State would have sufficient open space for future generations.  The Green Acres Program serves as the real estate agent for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), acquiring land for state parks, forests, natural areas, and wildlife management areas.  In addition, funding is provided through the Green Acres’ Local and Nonprofit Assistance programs to local governments and nonprofit organizations to purchase land for recreation and conservation purposes.  Once land is purchased with Green Acres assistance, it must be preserved for outdoor recreation and/or conservation in perpetuity.  To date, approximately 120,000 acres have been protected through the Green Acres Local and Nonprofit Assistance program.

The purpose of this poster is to provide a pictorial view of preserved open space located within the lower Passaic River basin.  Communities that have received funding for land acquisition through the Green Acres Program include: East Rutherford Borough, Garfield City, Lodi Borough and North Arlington Borough, all located in Bergen County;  Montclair Township, East Orange City, Bloomfield Township, Newark City, and Nutley Borough, all located in Essex County;  East Newark Borough, Harrison Town and Kearny Township, located in Hudson County, and Clifton City and Paterson City, located in Passaic County.  Nonprofit organizations, such as the Passaic River Coalition have received Green Acres funding as well.  Based on available data, all preserved land located within the mapped area totals 4,120 acres.  This commitment to land preservation demonstrates that many communities and organizations recognize the value and benefits that land preservation affords.  These efforts result in increased public access to the Passaic River and its tributaries, expanded opportunities for recreation, and improved environmental quality of the watersheds in which the land is located.  This mapping shows the location of preserved parkland, and can be used as a planning tool to identify and prioritize future preservation efforts.