Telephone: (908) 852-4121
Fax: (908) 852-7621
Business Hours:
Monday - Friday 9:00-4:00
Closed for lunch 11:30-12:30
Mailing Address:
Township of Frelinghuysen
210 Main Street
Johnsonburg, NJ 07825
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Open Space Advisory Committee - "Open Spaces ~ Simply Beautiful"
Over 160 Acres Preserved in Frelinghuysen Township
Frelinghuysen Township, Warren County, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection are pleased to announce the preservation of over 160 acres of forested land in the heart of the municipality. A priority of the Township’s Open Space Committee and governing body, the purchase and preservation of the properties straddling Route 94 and Lincoln Laurel Road will permanently protect the forest and create an opportunity for trails and hiking in the municipality. Read more...
2012 Open Space Committee Meeting Dates
MissionTo strategically preserve township land for the purpose of safeguarding environmental, agricultural, historical, and recreational attributes and opportunities. This includes protecting scenic vistas, ridgelines and riparian corridors, and forestland, and preserving their wildlife habitats. |
History and FundingIn 1999, Frelinghuysen Township voters approved establishment of a Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, allocating one cent ($.01) per hundred dollars in assessed property value. In 2003, voters increased collection to two cents ($.02) per hundred dollars. Then in 2005, voters approved a referendum to amend the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund to create a combined Open Space and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund. The two cents ($.02) per hundred dollars in assessed property value that landowners currently pay amount to approximately $53,000 annually. Maintenance of the Trust Fund
entitles Frelinghuysen to apply for state, county, and federal funding in
addition to pursuing monies from private agencies which likewise support and
promote preservation. Both the Open Space Advisory Committee and the
Farmland Preservation Advisory Committee work diligently to obtain funding
in order to maximize the preservation power of our tax dollars. Collectively
they focus on protecting our local farmland, preserving ecosystems, and
enhancing recreational opportunities. To have a better endowed Trust Fund is
to be better empowered in seeking funding assistance. It also demonstrates
to our potential benefactors that the township’s voters are serious about
preservation.
Statistically speaking, each new home in Frelinghuysen adds to the cost of running our township, contributing to increased school use, road use, administration, and emergency services. For every $1.00 collected in taxes, residential development in New Jersey costs between $1.14 and $1.51 in services – and these services continue forever. Farmland, on the other hand, costs less than each dollar it generates in taxes. Preserved open space increases the value of adjacent private properties, and has the long-range benefit of avoiding future costs. Even including the initial cost of acquisition, open space is less costly to taxpayers over the long term than development of the same parcel. As Mayor Charles states in his welcome on the Township of Frelinghuysen website, “We must preserve our heritage as an agricultural community, along with our many precious resources.” |
What's New:Frelinghuysen Township to Update its Open Space and Recreation Plan The Township of Frelinghuysen has received a $5,000 matching grant from the Association of NJ Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) to help finance the updating of their 2006 Open Space and Recreation Plan. Funded by Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, this Sustainable Jersey Planning Grant will help the municipality with the process of comprehensive planning to create livable and environmentally sustainable communities. The Project Team will re-examine the township’s needs and goals, as well as establish priorities and strategies for continued future preservation. The Plan is intended to serve as a guide, providing broad-based policies and concepts for achieving open space preservation goals that use a variety of funding sources. The updated Plan will replace the 2006 version that is incorporated in the Frelinghuysen Master Plan. This Open Space and Recreation Plan will also be submitted to the State of NJ Department of Environmental Protection for approval. Having an approved plan will enable the Township to apply for maximum funding from Green Acres to assist with future open space acquisitions. The Project Team includes representatives from the Open Space Committee, Environmental Commission, Recreation Committee, Planning Board, Township Committee, and a resident historian. This team will work with The Land Conservancy of NJ and a representative from ANJEC. A public meeting will be held at 7:30 pm on November 3, 2011 at Town Hall in Johnsonburg. A draft of the Plan and Greenway Maps as well as Environmental Resource Maps will be presented. Input from residents is welcome. The Frelinghuysen Open Space Committee hosted its first Frelinghuysen Field Trip on Saturday, May 1st. Eric Olsen, of The Nature Conservancy, and Debra Natyzak, a resident historian, led the hikers through limestone valleys carpeted with wildflowers and past caves, cool and covered in spring green moss. A long view of Mud Pond from High Rocks provided the opportunity to view waterfowl, soaring raptors and several black bear cubs drinking at water’s edge.
Future Frelinghuysen Field
Trips will be posted on the Township Website. For more information contact
Robin at openspace@verizon.net. The Frelinghuysen Open Space Committee and Environmental Commission have begun a Resource Library at town hall. Residents may borrow books and DVDs for a two-week period, on topics such as: choosing native plants for your garden, how native plants attract wildlife, identifying invasive plants and trees, and some information on moving from oil to other fuel sources. We hope these materials will a helpful source of information a and ideas for you. Support Open Space fact sheet (PDF format) 2010 Frelinghuysen Open Space Accomplishments
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Open Space and Recreation Plan:
2006 Open Space and Recreation Plan (8.6MB) Complete
Ordinances:2006-12 To create the Open Space Advisory Committee (4.6MB) 2006-13 To create an Open Space and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund (2.9MB) Online References:Websites related to "open space" in our community,
more... |
The
Township of Frelinghuysen is located at the northwestern edge of Warren
County, New Jersey, comprising 23.6 square miles (or 15,104 acres). The
Township is an agricultural community, historically rich and environmentally
sound. But like New Jersey as a whole, the character of the Township of
Frelinghuysen is at risk in the face of future development.
