55 Acres Preserved in Hardwick Township

Warren County: 55 acres preserved in Hardwick Township
Check out this great project that was completed late in December:

The Land Conservancy of New Jersey is pleased to announce the preservation of a 55 acre property near the intersection of County Road 521 and Spring Valley Road in Hardwick Township on December 7, 2010. Previously owned by John Eric Wehrle of Hardwick Township, the site is a mixture of farm fields and forest located near the Township municipal complex. The property provides an important opportunity for recreation and its preservation is consistent with Hardwick Township’s Open Space Plan which sets a priority for protecting environmentally sensitive sites that can host rare and endangered species.

The site - which is made up of four parcels of land - was ripe for sale and development. When one of the parcels went up for sale two years ago, local officials worked with The Land Conservancy of New Jersey to purchase the property for open space. Located within an area known as “Spring Valley,” this corner of the municipality contains several large springs fed by underground streams. Its preservation protects Ridge and Valley Conservancy’s (RVC) adjoining Spring Valley Preserve. Ferlas Pond, a vernal sinkhole pond that hosts several rare species, is located on the Preserve. Vernal ponds are intermittently filled with water, going through cycles of drying out and filling up with water, particularly after rains or when snow melts. Since they almost never contain fish, they are an ideal breeding ground for frogs and other amphibians. A similar sinkhole pond is located on the Wehrle property.

The property will be owned by the Township of Hardwick. It was purchased using Warren County Open Space Funds, municipal Open Space Funds, and a grant from the New Jersey Green Acres program. The site is the first open space project Hardwick Township has preserved with The Land Conservancy of New Jersey. Combined with three farms preserved by The Land Conservancy and Township a year ago, the Conservancy has helped Hardwick preserve 402 acres of land within the municipality.

A hiking trail that begins at town hall runs through the RVC Spring Valley Preserve. This trail will be extended into the Wehrle property, following tractor lanes within the property. The expansion of the trail will give residents access to the property’s serene and beautiful plateau and allows viewing of the wildlife that is found within Spring Valley.