Mercer Co. To Preserve Forest Explored By 'Father of Conservation' In Rider U. Deal

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ — Mercer County is moving to permanently preserve 56 acres of ecologically and historically significant land after acquiring it from Rider University as part of a roughly $10 million. The agreement also aims to stabilize the financially struggling school.

The centerpiece of the preservation effort is the final surviving portion of what is known as "The Big Woods" — a beech forest explored by conservationist Aldo Leopold during his student years at The Lawrenceville School in the early 1900s.

Leopold's observations of the forest are widely credited with helping shape the ecological philosophy he later articulated in his landmark work, A Sand County Almanac, considered a foundational text of the American conservation movement.

The 56 acres also include environmentally sensitive wetlands. County officials plan to improve existing trails on the property to expand access for passive recreation such as hiking.

Mercer County Executive Dan Benson said the agreement allowed the county to intervene before the land could be sold to private residential developers.

"Proposing this purchase allowed us to provide Rider with an alternative to selling off this important land to private residential developers," Benson said.

The county's Board of Commissioners approved the land purchase — valued at approximately $7.5 million — using the county's Open Space Preservation Trust Fund. The county is eligible for up to 50 percent reimbursement through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Green Acres program, which could reduce the county's net cost to roughly $3.75 million. Lawrence Township also contributed open space funds toward the purchase.

As part of the broader agreement, county officials are in discussions with Rider about acquiring an easement along the planned route of the Johnson Trolley Trail, a proposed pedestrian and bicycle path that would connect Trenton to Princeton.

The land deal is one of four resolutions the county approved, as previously reported, that together total approximately $10 million and include the purchase of the university president's residence, a facility use agreement granting the county access to campus buildings and athletic facilities, and a seven-year leaseback arrangement allowing Rider's president to remain in the residence for $10 annually.

Lawrence Township Mayor Christopher Bobbitt praised the preservation effort, noting Leopold's connection to the land.

"The father of wildlife ecology, Aldo Leopold, spent his high school years studying the 'Big Woods' in Lawrence and I am delighted that they will now be preserved for future generations to enjoy," Bobbitt said.

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