More Land Added To Preserved Space In Little Egg Harbor

LITTLE EGG HARBOR, NJ — Ocean County commissioners have approved the preservation of a 1.61-acre parcel in Little Egg Harbor Township, adding a vacant Giffordtown Lane lot to a larger stretch of protected land in the area.

The action was approved in October through the county's Natural Lands Trust Fund after recommendations from the Natural Lands Advisory Committee.

According to Ocean County, the property will be preserved by way of donation. The parcel adds to about 95 acres of previously preserved county land known as the Tuckerton Lake Tract. Both properties sit within the Giffords Mill Branch Target Area in Little Egg Harbor.

The Natural Lands Trust Fund is a county program created to protect critical open space and farmland. Ocean County said the fund has helped protect forests, wetlands, farmland, water resources and open space throughout the county.

"The landowner has agreed to donate this property to the County," Ocean County Commissioner Robert S. Arace, liaison to the Natural Lands Trust Fund, said. "Both the Tuckerton Lake Tract and the newly donated parcel, sit within the Giffords Mill Branch Target Area, a region long recognized for its ecological sensitivity."

Ocean County said the area's ecological importance comes from tributary waterways that flow into Pohatcong Lake and the Barnegat Bay watershed. The county-owned Tuckerton Lake preserve contains some of the most pristine and undisturbed natural habitats within the Giffords Mill Branch region, according to the county.

"Protecting another 1.61 acres in this area means safeguarding one of the County's most unhindered natural corridors. Despite the legacy of past agricultural use, the Giffords Mill Branch region has maintained its natural integrity and beauty, and preserving additional acreage in the area helps ensure those qualities endure," Arace said.

The approval comes as county voters are set to weigh a proposed increase in trust fund support. On Nov. 3, Ocean County voters will consider raising the funding rate from 1.2 cents to 2.2 cents per $100 of total county equalized real property valuation.

According to the county, the additional funding would support continued preservation efforts, including future acquisitions, maintenance and cleanup, and habitat protection. More information about the Natural Lands Trust Fund and the proposed funding increase is available through Ocean County.