2022 Year In Review

JANUARY

Photo by Tina Colella

2022 marked MCF’s 45th anniversary working to preserve open space and #KeepMonmouthGreen, and we entered the year in a strong financial position despite COVID-19, thanks to our loyal supporters!

FEBRUARY

Photo by Jeffrey C. Doepp, courtesy of US Navy

MCF received the appraisal on our first property to be preserved through our new partnership with the US Navy and Monmouth County to permanently protect land that buffers Naval Weapons Station Earle.

MARCH

Photo by Anne Delany

Monmouth County, the Borough of Sea Bright and MCF completed Phase One of Shrewsbury Riverfront Park in Sea Bright, with walking paths and open space, and tribute benches and bicycle racks thanks to generous sponsors.

 

APRIL

Photo courtesy of Sea Girt Conservancy

We received a $10,000 anonymous grant through the National Philanthropic Trust to build a 1600-sq. ft. pollinator garden at Edgemere Park in Sea Girt in partnership with the Sea Girt Conservancy.

MAY

Photo by Tina Colella

Old and new friends came out in the rain for our annual Spring for Conservation event at Bayonet Farm in Holmdel, featuring a barbecue, craft beer and wine, live music, wildlife encounters, and more!

JUNE

Photo by Jena Cosimo

We preserved a 19-acre farm in Colts Neck contiguous to an already-protected 63-acre farm, working with the State Agriculture Development Committee, Monmouth County, and Colts Neck Township.

 

JULY

Photo courtesy of Friends of Jackson Woods

The all-female Wave Peddlers team completed the Ride for Jackson Woods, cycling 655 miles from Niagara Falls, Canada to Jackson Woods Park in Long Branch to raise awareness and funds for the Park.

AUGUST

Photo by Gene Madeam

MCF committed $500,000 toward Millstone Township’s purchase of 122 acres for open space and recreation, using State Green Acres granted program funding.

SEPTEMBER

Photo by Tina Colella

We raised nearly $200,000 at our Fall for Conservation cocktail party hosted by Robin and John Klein, where we honored Gloria and Len Nilson, whose remarkable support inspired our Nilson Society for estate plan donors. 

 

OCTOBER

Photo courtesy of Howell Township

MCF assisted Howell Township in preserving nearly six acres as an addition to Deerwood Park as compensation for a water main infrastructure project through elsewhere-preserved property.

NOVEMBER

Photo by Lynn Ward

Lee Woodruff, co-founder of the Bob Woodruff Foundation, was the highlight of our Holiday Style Luncheon & Shopping Spree, speaking about the importance of nature in rehabilitating health-affected veterans. Our wonderful vendors, sponsors, and guests helped MCF raise over $50,000. 

DECEMBER

Photo by Fred Yahn, Eagle Drone Solutions, LLC

We finished out the year with key steps forward in the development of Sunset Park, transforming Red Bank’s former landfill into an eight-acre park, kickstarted by a substantial anonymous donation in 2021.

“Yellowstone” Dutton Family Employs a Surprising Tactic to Save their Ranch

Photo courtesy of Yellowstone

Land preservation is making prime time TV in arguably the most popular series on cable – Yellowstone. The Paramount Network drama centers around the Dutton family, owners of the largest contiguous ranch in the United States –  the fictional Yellowstone Dutton Ranch in Montana, commonly called “the Yellowstone.” Kevin Costner portrays John Dutton III, the fifth-generation patriarch who operates the Yellowstone, and he and his family will stop at nothing to protect their land from continual disputes with developers and neighboring Broken Rock Indian Reservation and Yellowstone National Park. The latest and seemingly sure-fire tactic is for the Duttons to place their land in a conservation easement with a land trust.


Doing so protects the land forever from development and blocks Market Equities from building an airport on the Yellowstone as part of its multi-year, collaborative venture to develop a city and ski resort. The Duttons’ move to conserve their land with The Montana Land Trust is unexpected since it’s a completely legal and ethical way to protect their land. Throughout the series, the family and its allies have engaged in everything from violence to murder and blackmail to sophisticated deals to maintain control of the ranch. In the beginning of season five, John Dutton even becomes the Governor of Montana, although an extremely unconventional one.

Photo courtesy of Yellowstone

A conservation easement is a legal agreement that permanently limits uses of the land to protect specific conservation values and to prohibit certain activities that would harm those values. Air or water quality, plant or wildlife biodiversity, sensitive ecosystems, and even landscape or watershed views are among environmental traits applicable for preservation. The easement is essentially a deed restriction where the property owner relinquishes specific rights – in most cases, the right to subdivide or develop – while retaining the remainder. Easements can be donated, and land owners are compensated via a tax deduction.

In the Duttons’ case, they protect their way of life and ranch through the easement, and keep their property whole, as John intends. The family can continue to live there, and the land can be sold or passed on to heirs. Of course, restricting land’s development potential lowers its market value, but this reduction can significantly reduce income, estate, and inheritance taxes, which can make a critical difference in an heir’s ability to inherit the land intact. All future owners of the property are bound by the terms of the easement. It’s unclear whether the sixth-generation Dutton children: Kayce (Luke Grimes) and his family will ever settle on the ranch, if Beth (Kelly Reilly) and husband Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) will remain there, or if adopted Jamie (Wes Bentley) will ever be welcomed back.

With the underlying premise of the show being the Duttons’ ongoing fight to protect their expansive acreage, fans should expect some twists and turns still! In the Yellowstone spin-off prequel, 1883, it was revealed that James Dutton (Tim McGraw), the first owner, had promised to release ownership of the ranch back to its original stewards after seven generations. Native American Spotted Eagle (Graham Greene) allows Dutton and his family to settle on their land with the caveat that, “in seven generations my people will rise up and take it from you,” to which Dutton replies, “you can have it.”

Tate (Brecken Merrill), Kayce and Monica Dutton’s (Kelsey Asbille) son, is the only member of the Duttons’ seventh generation currently in the series. We will have to stay tuned to see where the show takes us.

Photo courtesy of Yellowstone

The Yellowstone, located in Park County, Montana’s Paradise Valley, east of Bozeman and west of Livingston, is touted as the largest ranch in Montana throughout the series, and in one instance, its acreage is compared to the size of Rhode Island. By best estimates, its area is somewhere between 620,000 and 825,000 acres. Open space of that magnitude is hard to come by nowadays, making it a remarkable acquisition for any land trust.

Being adjacent to Yellowstone National Park further increases its importance. In general, the highest priority land to preserve is property that is contiguous to preserved land (such as a national park), provides a natural bridge between preserved properties (for wildlife), or farmland for obvious reasons. One large, preserved area is better than the same area of several smaller, unconnected preserves because there is more core habitat. Similarly, properties such as the Yellowstone that include or abut important natural features like streams rate high for land preservation.

In real life, the Yellowstone depicted in the show is the Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby, Montana – a 2,500-acre working cattle ranch with cabins for rent as a vacation destination. Filming for the show began in Utah and Montana and is now done exclusively in Big Sky Country. Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan is a real-life cowboy who owns two ranches in Texas and most of the horses seen in the show.

Taylor Sheridan. Photo courtesy of Yellowstone

In a 2018 Los Angeles Times article, Sheridan shared his inspiration for the series came from his experiences as a rancher and changes he has witnessed in western states like Montana and Wyoming, where he lives.

“These issues of land development, resource mismanagement, oppression and extreme poverty, and inequity in government — they exist here [in Los Angeles],” he says. “But when it happens in a small area, in a rural area ... and because there’s fewer people, the consequences seem much more acute. When you start seeing Costcos in a landscape of farms and ranches, it’s much more dramatic than if they jam one in the San Fernando Valley.”

Here in the Garden State, we can relate to the splendor of Montana’s sweeping landscapes with our greenery and beaches, but we certainly differ in population, with New Jersey being the most densely populated state in the country. New Jerseyans know all too well the pressures of development and sprawling warehouses, as do most Americans these days.

Conservation easements are a reliable tool here, in Montana, and everywhere for safeguarding land and giving property owners flexibility. Some properties with significant conservation value qualify for state or federal funding to support the purchase of the conservation easement on developable land.


Monmouth Conservation Foundation is one of nearly 1,000 land trusts in the nation working collectively to preserve another 60 million acres across the country by the end of the decade through various vehicles, including conservation easements. Our charitable work ensures a permanent legacy of open space and natural habitat throughout the county as Monmouth’s only county-wide land trust. In some cases, we help a family like the Duttons protect their homestead and vision for their property, for future generations to benefit.

Citizens Transform Long-Neglected Green Space into Community Park with MCF’s Help

Jackson Woods Park, a 13-acre natural green space owned by the City of Long Branch, was created in 1991 when a farmhouse and wetlands property that had been slated for redevelopment was protected as open space through a major Green Acres grant. Although preserved, the area was left unattended, became overgrown, and then further damaged by Superstorm Sandy. In the recent past, residents were frankly afraid to enter the park, which was littered with garbage and lacking in amenities. The site was neglected and underused until April 2018 when a group of concerned citizens – the Friends of Jackson Woods – formed to revitalize the park to benefit the community.  With support from the City of Long Branch and Mayor John Pallone, MCF and many local volunteer organizations, along with the leadership, passion, and efforts of the Friends of Jackson Woods, its transformation is now well underway.  

Friends of Jackson Woods is led by volunteers Kathy Buchan and Nan Simon. Kathy, the founder of Friends of Jackson Woods, is a graduate of Rutgers University, a former teacher, and a reading specialist for 34 years.  Nan, who joined Kathy in 2019, is an alumna of Cornell University and NYU, who previously held IT leadership positions for a global pharmaceutical company. Now retired, they are active volunteers and neighbors of Jackson Woods Park who want to make a difference in their community. They serve on the Long Branch Green Team and Long Branch Arts Council.

Kathy Buchan and Nan Simon receiving an ANJEC Environmental Achievement Award in October 2022 for their work in revitalizing Jackson Woods Park

Passive recreation, environmental education, promotion of the arts, and the preservation of Long Branch’s rich history, as well as protecting this unique ecosystem and the habitat it provides for local wildlife, are their goals for Jackson Woods Park.

Through a County partner, Kathy was introduced to MCF shortly after forming Friends of Jackson Woods. The organization, being entirely volunteer run, is not set up as a 501(c)(3) and lacks the necessary infrastructure to receive charitable grants or donations. MCF and Friends began partnering in 2018, and MCF has been helping them to reach a broader audience, leverage new partnerships and secure funding support, and to channel Friends’ volunteer and grassroots efforts like sneaker-recycling donations and t-shirt sales revenue.

“It’s remarkable what this volunteer group of concerned citizens has done to revamp Jackson Woods Park already, and MCF is honored to support their passion and hard work. Friends of Jackson Woods receives charitable donations through MCF to allow them funding to continue to make park improvements, while we, together, seek additional financial support. MCF and Friends of Jackson Woods are working toward our shared goals of revitalizing the park for ecological and public benefit,” shared Bill Kastning, MCF’s Executive Director.

Anyone interested in supporting further work at Jackson Woods Park may donate to MCF HERE. To learn more or get involved in MCF’s park development projects in Monmouth County, in particular those in underserved areas, please contact us at 732.671.7000 or info@monmouthconservation.org.

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Under Kathy and Nan’s leadership, tremendous progress has been made to beautify the park, make it safe and accessible, and integrate educational and art elements. With professional and volunteer help, Friends of Jackson Woods has done significant cleanup to remove litter and overgrown vegetation from the park. Renovations have included the addition of a gazebo at the park main entrance; a boardwalk extension to a bridge over a wetlands area; and trail/site clearing – enabled by a Monmouth County Municipal Open Space Grant.

Through the efforts of the Friends of Jackson Woods, the park is being transformed and has very much become a community park open to all. A growing list of more than 200 volunteers help at the park, with weekly community work hours on Tuesdays. Various, diverse groups within the area have taken part in volunteer efforts to renovate the park, rallied by Kathy “the Park Lady.” Small business owners, a Daisy troop, the Portuguese Club of Long Branch, Monmouth University students, and many others have been a part of the improvements. Some have informally adopted portions of the park and installed personalized features like a wheelbarrow garden, meditation area, and a variety of artistic elements such as sculptures, painted rocks, surf boards, boats, and bricks.

Kathy and Nan researched various components of the park’s ecosystem to highlight plants and animals in educational, interpretative signage added throughout Jackson Woods. They installed a message center kiosk and native garden with funding from the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC).  Friends worked with the Long Branch Free Public Library to name the park trails for historical events, people, or places in Long Branch, paying homage to the site’s roots.

Powered by a Department of Transportation (DOT) grant, Friends created the foundation for an outdoor teaching space, envisioned someday to become a full-fledged outdoor classroom. The park hosts ongoing engagements with Long Branch Public Schools, including hosting outdoor teaching space, nature walks, and butterfly releases. Nearby K-12 schools including the Lenna W. Conrow Early Childhood Learning Center and Joseph M. Ferraina Early Childhood Learning Center (both public, early elementary schools serving English, Spanish, and Portuguese-speaking families) currently use the space.

Trail signs paying homage to historical events and people from Long Branch

A Bicycle Sculpture

A focal point of the outdoor teaching space - the Jackson Woods bench, ladybug and frog sculptures

Friends has been very resourceful in their efforts – for instance, choosing donated daffodils which deer won’t eat and making use of free, leftover native trees from municipal give-away programs in their plantings. They have made daffodils a signature of the park – having planted 50,000 bulbs to date with volunteer help! The blooms are a wondrous site each spring. Revitalization and beautification have come so far that Jackson Woods Park recently hosted its first wedding!

Since their inception just four years ago, Friends of Jackson Woods has successfully hosted a variety of programs including nature hikes, educational sessions, a rain barrel workshop, and community picnics. This past summer, local teacher Isabelle Ferreira and her all-female team, the Wave Peddlers, completed the Ride for Jackson Woods, cycling 655 miles from Niagara Falls, Canada to Jackson Woods Park in Long Branch as a fundraiser for the park. Most recently, Friends held their inaugural “Halloween at Jack-O-Lantern Woods” event with trick-or-treating, a costume parade, games, and free food and drinks from the Windmill Restaurant.

The Wave Peddlers celebrating their Ride for Jackson Woods in July 2022

Kathy Buchan and Long Branch Mayor John Pallone

Kathy Buchan and Nan Simon at the “Halloween at Jack-O-Lantern Woods” event in October 2022

Given the focus on art as a major theme for Jackson Woods Park, several art-themed collaborations have taken place. National Honor Society students donated and curated benches, and local middle schoolers created book cover art on bricks for the park. Funded by donations, Friends installed an 8-foot-tall steel sculpture of a female figure surrounded by a string of stars entitled Star Reach by local artist Dorsey Lucas this summer. This will be a permanent installation at the park – envisioned to be the first of many professional artworks to adorn the site. Friends has created a park like no other with eclectic, artistic elements inclusive and representative of their community.

“Inspired by outdoor art spaces like Grounds for Sculpture, we aim to be known for our whimsical gardens, unique benches, outdoor education, and the arts,” is Kathy’s sentiment.

Star Reach sculpture

MCF, in partnership with Friends of Jackson Woods, is honored to be one of five state-wide recipients of a grant award from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to participate in a Community-Based Art Grant Program in 2022-23. The program intends to bring attention to and start conversation around climate change in our coastal areas through art installations in geographically diverse locations across the state. It’s fitting, Jackson Woods’ tagline being “Where Nature Meets the Arts.”

Through these revitalization and beautification efforts, Jackson Woods is becoming a well-maintained oasis in the urban core of an underserved community. Among the population of approximately 30,200 people in the City of Long Branch, 18.7%, or 5,660 people -- predominantly residents of color - live below the poverty line. This percentage is higher than the national average of 12.3%. The park, situated off Ocean Blvd. N. between Atlantic Avenue to the north and Avenal Blvd. to the south, is within one mile of two adjacent federally defined economically distressed areas known as Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZ). Long Branch is a beachside community, but access to its beaches comes with a steep price tag and poses a barrier to those with economic constraints.

The shutdown following the onset of the pandemic in 2020 brought an intense, and perhaps renewed, appreciation for the outdoors. It reminded us that every member of our community, regardless of race, religion, or socio-economic status, needs and deserves access to open space, optimally within easy walking or biking distance from their homes. Open space is of the utmost importance for public health and wellbeing. Jackson Woods Park is free and open to the public with five entrances serving residents and visitors to the area, thanks largely to Kathy, Nan, and Friend of Jackson Woods’ efforts. People of all ages can utilize the park for passive and active recreation including running, walking, bicycling, hiking, exercise, viewing nature, photography, quiet reflection, socializing, picnics, and more.

Given MCF’s successful preservation efforts and the unfortunate development of many of the larger parcels of land in Monmouth County (of sprawling residential subdivisions and warehouses), its acquisition team has focused recent attention on projects that are smaller in size and often located within the County’s more urban areas, but no less important to our residents – such as Jackson Woods Park. Very often these urban centers are more robust in terms of their ethnic and socio-economic diversity. These projects have included the establishment of parks in Asbury Park and Neptune; partnering with Red Bank to develop an eight-acre park in the Borough’s underserved, diverse west side; aiding Allentown Borough in building Sgt. George Ashby Memorial Park; and supporting Friends of Cedar View to preserve, protect, and increase awareness of the historic African American Cedar View Cemetery in Lincroft.

As strategic next steps in the Jackson Woods Park’s transformation, the partners (Friends and MCF) aim to tackle a major obstacle to accessibility and appearance by removing extensive, invasive vegetation and applying eco-friendly treatments to prevent regrowth. Focus will be on the park entrances, trail system, and a signature aspect of the site – its 1.5-acre pond and surrounding area – ideally adding an aerator to improve water quality. We are seeking funding to enable this work, as well as to fully develop the outdoor classroom. Friends welcomes volunteers, adopt-a-garden sponsors, and artistic contributions to the park, and eligible donations are tax-deductible through MCF.

A volunteer team from Shiseido organized by EarthShare New Jersey for its Day of Service in September 2022

Kathy shared, ”I think Jackson Woods will always be a work in progress and a community-focused endeavor. Our volunteers and supporters are the heart of Jackson Woods. And always a special thanks to Monmouth Conservation Foundation who believed in us from the very beginning.” 

The Case for Land Preservation Ten Years After Superstorm Sandy

By Karen Keene

A decade after Superstorm Sandy made landfall in New Jersey, it’s still frightening to think back on the devastation that resulted in coastal areas of the state, especially here in Monmouth County, yet striking to witness the resolve of residents who rallied support for one another and rebuilt, Jersey Strong. We are still rebuilding in many cases and adapting in myriad ways to put up our best possible defense against future storms and coastal hazard protection, yet perspectives on perceived risk from these threats have arguably lessened in the years that have passed since Sandy. Land preservation plays a critical role in the sustainability of our coastal home and sits centrally in the paradox of booming development amidst mounting environmental pressures.

Satellite image of Superstorm Sandy courtesy of NOAA

Sandy’s Shattering Impacts

Superstorm Sandy was an unprecedented event referred to often as the “perfect storm” or “storm of the century.” It originated as a tropical depression in the Caribbean and developed into a hurricane, impacting Jamaica, Cuba, and The Bahamas before traveling north to the Jersey Shore. What made it a “Superstorm” was its later involvement with cold, non-tropical weather and its development into an unusually large, catastrophic event.

Making landfall in New Jersey on Monday evening, October 29, 2012 during astronomical high tide (peak high tide during the full moon), Sandy caused record storm surge and flooding along the entire New Jersey Coast. Here in Monmouth County, visitors to Sandy Hook in Gateway National Recreation Area can still see the water line approximately 5 ½ feet high on the windows of the old Fort Hancock checkpoint booth alone the park’s Hartshorne Drive. This shattered the previous record tide at Sandy Hook, set in 1960 during Hurricane Donna, by more than three feet. Water brought onshore by Sandy inundated New York City and flooded every main subway line, shutting down the entire Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) system. In Mantoloking in Ocean County, New Jersey, the ocean overtook the barrier island, creating an inlet and ravaging homes.

Storm surge and flooding are not the only records set by Sandy, which remarkably assaulted the mid-Atlantic coast moving due west at landfall. The storm was the second largest Atlantic tropical cyclone since 1988 and set the record for the lowest pressure of an Atlantic storm north of North Carolina. Its amazing size, strength, and pressure astounded meteorologists, and the storm caused record power outages and damage costs associated with flooding. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Sandy caused an estimated $70.2 billion total in damages, making it the fourth-costliest storm in the country behind Hurricanes Katrina in 2005 and Harvey and Maria in 2017.

Among the state’s 35 hardest hit towns, the majority were in Monmouth and Ocean. Rutgers’ School of Public Affairs and Administration published a report in 2013 on The Impact of Superstorm Sandy on New Jersey Towns and Households, which tallied the total cost of damages in New Jersey alone to be more than $37 billion. Monmouth and Ocean counties, respectively, were found to have suffered the most overall from Sandy, especially in terms of power outages, residential damage, residents in shelters, and gasoline shortages. The Monmouth County Park System (MCPS) has reported damages from Sandy to its parks totaling $8 million, with the county’s low-lying Bayshore region being one of the hardest hit areas.

Several factors contributed to Superstorm Sandy’s severity – the combination of weather systems, landfall in New Jersey coinciding with the astronomical high tide, and its direction and makeup as mentioned above, but also environmental conditions caused by climate change. Notably – rising sea levels exacerbated storm surge and flooding during Sandy. As the world’s glaciers and the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets continue to melt, sea level will steadily rise and inundate our shorelines. Higher water levels decrease the buffer between the ocean and homes or buildings in coastal areas, which means we will experience more intense and more frequent flooding, especially from storms. Locally, we are all too familiar with increasing flooding events in areas like the boroughs of Union Beach, Highlands, and Rumson.

Compounding this, as residential and commercial development increase in our region, so does the prevalence of paved, impermeable surfaces which allow water to run right over and through, taking away any natural shield our environment would otherwise offer. The build-up of the Jersey Shore over the years, with boardwalks, jetties, sea walls, and bulkheads taking the place of natural features, has accelerated erosion – so much so, that New Jersey has been engaged in agreements with the Army Corp of Engineers for decades to regularly replenish beaches and dunes.

Also, as the planet continues to warm, coinciding ocean temperatures will increase, and warmer water temperatures provide fuel to strengthen tropical storms like Sandy. The notion of a 100-year storm is now sadly an oxymoron, with the probability of another extreme event becoming increasingly more likely.

Yet, for many, the desire to live on the coast remains great, and they may feel the rewards outweigh the risks. Can we position our region for sustainability in the future, facing collective threats of coastal hazards? Land preservation, including the work Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF) does, offers hope and a critical step in that direction.

Safeguarding the Future Through Land Preservation

In the wake of Sandy, coastal towns in New Jersey were obliterated. Some residents cut their losses and fled, but many rebuilt. In Monmouth municipalities like Highlands and Sea Bright, homeowners are still raising their houses in effort to sustain a future stronghold. Municipalities have leveraged federal and other relief funds to restore and adapt, in many cases employing engineered or natural solutions.

Houses Being Raised in Highlands © Erin Cadigan

At the State Level

Some New Jersey homeowners took advantage of the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Blue Acres program, which helps communities identify and avoid risks of flooding through strategic climate resistance planning and acquisition of flood-prone property. The program’s goals are to preserve flood-prone land for the benefit of the surrounding community by providing a natural buffer from encroaching water, dramatically reducing the risk of future catastrophic flood damage, and helping families move out of harm’s way. The underlying land on these properties was permanently preserved as open space, becoming publicly accessible for recreation and/or conservation and providing a natural buffer for flood protection in the region.

 Blue Acres has tremendous merit as a forward-thinking land preservation program mitigating a complicated battle with water, and The New York Times reported in 2021 that it has become a national model. Fawn McGee, Director of the Superstorm Sandy Blue Acres Program & Bureau Chief Green Acres State Land Acquisition for the DEP, shared at the time that more than 700 properties had been purchased with Blue Acres since Sandy. However, all were in low- to middle-income mainland communities, and none were on New Jersey’s barrier islands.

 Mantoloking, for instance, which suffered 100% damage of homes in Sandy, today, has building lots that remain empty but nearly a dozen new million-dollar homes erected along its beachfront in the past decade. The barrier island community is being secured with a steel wall along the beach – a temporary solution in the face of coastal hazard pressures. There, like many other waterfront communities along the Jersey Shore, homes are regularly purchased, then torn down and rebuilt into even larger residences.

In Sea Bright following Sandy, one residential complex – the Anchorage Apartments, irreparably damaged in the storm, was purchased by the DEP Green Acres program and converted into a passive, waterfront park. The land was acquired using Green Acres funds and a grant from the National Park Service Lands and Water Conservation Fund. Recently, with financial assistance from MCF and Monmouth County, Phase One of development at the site – now Shrewsbury Riverfront Park – was completed, with walking paths, open green space, and installation of benches and fencing along the waterfront. Plans are moving ahead for Phase Two completion early next year, which will include amenities like a patio, pavilion, and landscaping. The park offers beautiful views, fishing access, and a restful stop to read, relax, or socialize – perhaps even for some, the opportunity to reflect on Superstorm Sandy and the homes and people that were previously in harm’s way there.

Above: Anchorage Apartments Damage immediately following Sandy courtesy of Khristi Jacobs

Aerial flyover of Shrewsbury Riverfront Park in progress in 2016 courtesy of Fred Yahn, Eagle Drone Solutions, LLC

At the Federal Level

The Department of Defense (DOD) established the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program in 2005 to combat encroachment – pressures that adversely affect the military’s use of its training and testing lands. Those pressures include extreme weather events like Superstorm Sandy and climate change, deemed a national security threat that has tangible impacts on military readiness.

The REPI program in part aims to address military bases’ vulnerabilities to recurrent flooding (as is the case in New Jersey), droughts, and wildfires.

MCF is currently working with the US Navy through the REPI program, which funds Congress-authorized cost-sharing partnerships between the Military Services, private conservation groups (like MCF), and state and local governments to acquire real property, typically in the form of conservation easements, from willing landowners, and where relevant, conduct restoration on the land.  MCF and Monmouth County were awarded just over $2 million in funding through the REPI program to permanently protect land that buffers Naval Weapons Station Earle and help sustain critical, at-risk military mission capabilities.

MCF has identified several eligible parcels of land for protection and is actively negotiating with interested landowners to protect their land through an easement, a legal document that will restrict further development and uphold conservation values found on the property. Simultaneously, we are working to fundraise as the REPI award requires a 1:1 match from other sources of funding.

As REPI projects come to fruition, they form areas of protected or restored land and build resistance to climate change through off-[military] base natural infrastructure solutions – many of which are particularly relevant to storm and flood protection, including living shorelines, dune restoration, enhancing riparian buffers, and restoring wetlands.

Natural Climate Solutions

With building up and builder bigger regularly at play here, other solutions beyond land preservation through home buying or property acquisition are also employed. Existing preserved green spaces in New Jersey are being utilized to shore up the coast or low-lying areas.

For instance, here in Monmouth County, the $110 million Port Monmouth Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction Project, initiated in 2014, got underway shortly after Superstorm Sandy. The term “reduction” is sobering, yet the reality for the project’s goals of restoring and protecting the Bayshore region – specifically the Port Monmouth section of Middletown Township - from future storms and their impacts. The project is federally funded through the Sandy relief package and has taken place in Phases, currently in Contract 5, executed by the Army Corps of Engineers.

The first phase included beach replenishment and dune restoration at Bayshore Waterfront Park to help serve as a floodwall and installation of a rock groin to prevent sand erosion. The resulting natural barrier will protect homes and businesses in the area from future flooding. Overall, the project entails constructing a system of levees, a ½-mile floodwall, a tidal gate, road closure gates, road regrading, and pump stations as tide/water control features that collectively work to control and divert, or at least mitigate, incoming water.

Monmouth County has one of the best park systems in the state and arguably the nation, and its leadership and staff have been working to implement natural climate solutions following damage from Superstorm Sandy and ongoing erosion from other storms and rising sea levels. Projects have been successful at several MCPS parks, including at some which MCF played a role in establishing or expanding through collaborative land preservation.

At the Claypit Creek area of Hartshorne Woods Park along the Navesink River in Middletown, MCPS partnered with the American Littoral Society to restore significant damage from Sandy and install a living shoreline. The engineered bulkhead at the site was badly eroded, and accumulated sediment allowed invasive phragmites (common reed) to grow. Both were removed, and the low salt marsh area was planted with native vegetation, which has been shown to be more stable and resilient to storm damage – at a fraction of the cost of manmade solutions. The native plants also support the intended natural ecosystem, which provides a valuable nursery for shellfish, fish, wading birds, and other wildlife.

At Fisherman’s Cove Conservation Area in Manasquan, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) pumped sand from the Manasquan River Inlet to clear the channel for boat traffic following Sandy onto the park’s beach at no cost to the County. It was an economical solution with mutual benefits to the Inlet and Fisherman’s Cove, repairing erosion at both sites.

Natural climate solutions such as these offer environmental and economic benefits. They deliver a multitude of cost-effective advantages to society and biodiversity, providing critical ecosystem services like improved water and air quality, and flood protection.  

How You Can Help

It’s no surprise New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation. The Garden State has a lot to offer, and those of us who call Monmouth County home are very fortunate when it comes to green space and access to water. Our home boasts beautiful beaches, ample parks, farmland, and diverse natural habitats – which provide wide-ranging benefits.

The health of our natural environment impacts the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the wellbeing of future generations. Our green spaces and waterways give high value to our real estate and foster our quality of life. Open space is critical to our region’s sustainability, offering natural climate solutions and storm protection, and this 10-year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy is a poignant reminder of the fragility of our home.

There is less and less open space available in the face of development and environmental pressures. MCF works with Monmouth County’s 53 municipalities to preserve land through various mechanisms for the benefit of our community and future generations. Funding is an utmost obstacle to compete with deep-pocketed developers, motivated property buyers, and myriad challenges to habitat survival to acquire and preserve land.

Immediately following Superstorm Sandy, property values plummeted in many areas of New Jersey, with the demand for waterfront properties in flood-prone and damaged communities severely diminished. Today, buyers’ fears have largely subsided, and MCF faces steep assessment values for properties being considered for acquisition. Support through charitable donations, grants, estate, and planned gifts enables MCF to stay in the fight. We have an extraordinary opportunity to raise matching funds to support farmland preservation and habitat protection through the REPI program. Donations of land or easements by Monmouth County landowners can also be a tremendous help, as is participation for relevant homeowners in programs like Blue or Green Acres.

Thinking back to the onset of the pandemic and the shutdown in 2020, we experienced an intense appreciation for the outdoors. It reminded us that every member of our community, regardless of race, religion, or socio-economic status, needs and deserves access to open space, optimally within walking or biking distance from their homes. Open space is of paramount importance for public health and wellbeing and for maintaining our quality of life.

MCF is currently prioritizing acquisition and park/open space development projects that are smaller in size and often located within the County’s more urban areas, but no less important to our residents. These projects have included the establishment of new parks in underserved communities such as Asbury Park and Neptune and the enhancement of a long-neglected park in Long Branch. In Red Bank, motivated by a generous gift from an anonymous donor, we are now partnering with the Borough to transform a former landfill into an eight-acre park in the Borough’s west side.

The existence of community green and blue spaces offers numerous benefits. Not only do they improve the health and wellbeing of residents, but they work to protect people and their homes from extreme weather events by providing natural climate solutions for resiliency through the protection of land. 

Nature is a powerful force, for the bad and for the good sometimes. Through strategic applications of land preservation and natural infrastructure, we can, together, work to safeguard our future.

Art and Generational Farming Support Long-Term Land Preservation

By Karen Keene

The arts and nature are priceless gifts. They inspire us. They move us. They give us life in difficult times.

Jill Kerwick, an award-winning artist and longtime supporter of Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF) alongside her husband, Arthur Kontos, likens homes with no art to communities with no green space. She equates the wonder one feels when walking in the forest to the emotions evoked by viewing a painting. 

Arthur and Jill Kontos reside in New Jersey part-time at their preserved 40-acre farm in Middletown. Locals may know Fairway Farm and Artie and Jill - as gracious, repeat hosts of MCF’s Dinner Dance fundraiser - but may not know Jill Kerwick, the artist, and their farm’s rich history and ties to MCF.

A contemporary artist, Jill is interested in a heightened sense of awareness that involves humor and mystery. She is a painter and makes photo collages with her farm animals and the beaches of Costa Rica, where she and Artie also have a home. Jill draws inspiration from her surroundings, pulling colors she observes in real life objects or experiences for her paintings and working on landscapes from memory. Her father was an artist, and she often uses his paintings as elements in her collages. She considers herself to be a conceptual artist motivated by the process and enjoys learning and sharing the backstory of artworks. Her works may be viewed at www.jillkerwick.com or www.instagram.com/jillkerwick.

Jill has had many solo exhibitions including the Visual Arts Center, Summit, NJ; the Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, NJ; the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA; and Beauregard Fine Art, Rumson, NJ. She gave a visiting artist lecture and exhibition at the CVA Gallery, Brookdale Community College (BCC). She holds a Master of Fine Art from NYU and a bachelor’s degree from Moore College of Art.

Friends, oil, 2022, 30” X 30”

Overheard, photo collage, 2022

Over, Under, oil, 2022, 30” X 30”

As an artist, Jill values never being bored. She feels there is always something to be done, whether stretching a canvas or researching color combinations, so she is constantly working. She feels strongly that creating drives inspiration, and she doesn’t wait to be inspired to begin. Similarly, there is an endless to-do list on a farm.

The Kontos’ Fairway Farm features scenic views of the Navesink River, lush, wooded areas, and rolling pastures for horses and Highland Cattle. You will also find diverse art elements and a playful petting zoo area with peafowl, guinea hens, chickens, pheasants, rabbits, goats, and donkeys – complete with whimsical, reclaimed housing for the animals. Artie and Jill both enjoy waking up early to walk or feed the animals and tending to their beloved livestock between work hours. They each have their own favorite pastimes on their farm – operating the heavy machinery for Artie and giving the animals healthy leftovers like fruit and crackers as treats for Jill. Artie leads a successful career in the financial sector, and Jill works out of her studios at the farm and their homes in Florida and Costa Rica.

Fairway Farm was preserved through a conservation easement donated to MCF in 2007 by the late Anne Haskell Ellis in her last will and testament. Previously part of Oak Hill Farm, then the Ellis Farm known to some as the Haskell Farm, formerly called the Aulde House, Fairway Farm is a breathtaking horse farm in the Navesink area of Middletown. Artie and Jill purchased the farm in 2010, naming it Fairway, and moved their residence there from nearby Fair Haven two years ago.

According to family members, the “Oak Hill Farm” name may originate from the majestic oak trees that crown the hilltop of the property or simply from the name associated with the original Riker family farm on Long Island, NY. In the late 1800s, Anne Haskell Ellis’ paternal grandfather, J. Armory Haskell, and his wife, Margaret Riker Haskell acquired property which included Oak Hill and adjacent Woodland Farms. The land was used for farming and to house a dairy until the 1950s when Mr. Haskell’s son, Armory L. Haskell, left the dairy business. Armory was an avid horseman, Master of Foxhounds, and founder of Monmouth Park.

Aulde House, named for the Scots-Gaelic “old” (as in “Auld Lang Syne”), was relocated to New Jersey from the Jackson-Riker farm in Long Island and served as the family’s residence on the farm for a half-century until Mrs. Haskell’s death in 1943. Her granddaughter, Anne Haskell Ellis, and Anne’s husband, John Ellis, purchased the house in 1956. The tract of land was essentially split apart, with most of the land to the east of the driveway staying with the original property, and the land to the west becoming Ellis Farm, although many still called it Aulde House.

Anne Haskell Ellis used the farmland to breed Welsh ponies at first, then in the early 1960s started LOTSOC (Long on Tradition, Short on Cash) Stables, a thoroughbred racing operation with her sisters Isabelle Haskell deTomaso and Hope Haskell Jones. The ladies’ cousin, Audrey Riker, joined in the 1980s and became their head trainer. Longtime Middletown residents will remember the “racing barn” as the barn on the top of the hill at the annual Monmouth County Hunt Race Meet.

Anne Haskell Ellis passed away in February 2006. As stipulated in her will, and with enthusiastic support of her family, 40 acres of farmland and surrounding woods was placed in a conservation easement with MCF. Her daughter Bambi remarked, “Everything Mom taught us reminds me that we are only the trustees of the land…it's only ours to hold for a brief moment in time, and then to pass on to the next generation.”

Arthur and Jill Kontos continue to be excellent stewards of the land, valuing its natural attributes and now rare farmland. They are generous philanthropists as well – supporting initiatives including conservation, children’s welfare, and the arts through the Arthur Kontos Foundation.

Passionate about conservation, Jill believes in keeping an optimistic approach to solving environmental challenges. Open space is critical to our quality of life, and everyone deserves access to it – her belief that aligns well with MCF’s work to preserve green space and create parks for all, especially those in underserved areas. The couple’s favorite area parks are Hartshorne Woods and Thompson (both beloved Monmouth County Parks, parts of which MCF has helped to preserve).

The preservation of the Farm ensures that the Middletown property will continue to serve as an important reminder of the rural and farming heritage of Monmouth County. And thanks to the Kontos’ generosity, MCF patrons and our greater community can enjoy Fairway Farm when they again host our signature fundraiser, Fall for Conservation, in autumn 2023!

Photos by Jill Kerwick

Howell Township Acquires Addition to Deerwood Park

Deer Wood Park

By Karen Keene
MCF is thrilled to congratulate Howell Township and join in the celebration over nearly six acres preserved as an addition to Deerwood Park! The parcel of land is heavily wooded and contains wetlands along a portion of the eastern edge associated with a Category 1 stream: Quail Creek. It will be left in its natural state and protected from development forever, offering precious wildlife habitat and green space.

Land acquisitions come to fruition through many different pathways, and MCF plays a variety of roles in preserving the land – sometimes providing funding, other times facilitating the process by guiding a municipality through the steps, in some cases bringing together partners, or sometimes a combination of all of the above. The journey to land preservation can be complicated and slow, in some cases unique even – such as this one, but the result is always a victory to be celebrated by all involved, and all who benefit.

In this case, the preservation came to be as a mitigation measure known as a diversion. Existing land preserved through the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Green Acres program in Howell was impacted by a New Jersey American Water (NJAW) water main infrastructure project. To compensate per DEP policies, an agreement was ultimately reached to acquire and protect the nearly six acres for public benefit.

MCF assisted the municipality through proceedings, and Howell Township should be applauded for their financial investment and diligence to bring about this acquisition. Speaking about the partnership with MCF, Howell Township leadership remarked, “The entire Council agrees that our partnership with MCF has been one of the most fruitful and rewarding that the Township has. Through a great combination of teamwork and insight, we have preserved acre upon acre of open space. And with every acre preserved, we receive dividends in the form of fresh air, wooded lands, open vistas, clean water, wildlife habitat, you name it. All of these factors enhance the quality of life in our Township. We look forward to working with MCF for many more years; we’ve only just begun.”

Project Specifics

In 2020 NJAW announced it would invest $25 million to complete phase 2 of its Howell Township main installation project by installing approximately 20,000 more feet of a new watermain in the Township. The project also includes installing 25 new fire hydrants along the pipeline route. The company completed the first phase of the project in 2018 by installing 18,500 feet of new transmission main. Once both phases are completed, the transmission main will allow the company to deliver additional water supply to customers throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties from its recently expanded Oak Glen Water Treatment Plant. This improvement is part of NJAW’s multimillion-dollar initiative to accelerate the renewal of water infrastructure that has reached the end of its useful life in more than 100 communities.

The NJAW project impacted 0.61 acres of parkland within portions of the Municipal Complex and Alfred C. Sauer Park at Echo Lake within Howell, both of which are lands on the DEP’s Recreation and Open Space Inventory (ROSI) that have benefited from Green Acres funding. The DEP on behalf of the Township of Howell reviewed the project and its need for a utility easement, then working with NJAW, considered alternatives. The parties carefully weighed whether the diversion was absolutely necessary and whether six identified, alternate routes were feasible. They shared the analysis and hosted discussion in a public hearing before the DEP ultimately authorized the major diversion project and ruled compensation by NJAW was required elsewhere.

Aerial Map of Recently Acquired Property, Courtesy of Howell Township

DEP Green Acres policies require that compensation for a major diversion address both the fair market value and the area of the land being diverted through the dedication of replacement land or funds for the future purchase of replacement land within Howell, following preset ratios. They also require compensation for any trees of 6-inch diameter at breast height or greater that will be removed as part of the proposed diversion, either through planting of replacement trees or the substitution of comparable wooded replacement land.

Assessing the parkland acreage and trees that would be impacted by the NJAW project in Howell, DEP determined a total compensation value exceeding $200,000 for this diversion. Of note, the Category 1 stream on this land warrants the highest DEP protection. In the midst of these proceedings, Howell Township and MCF were presented with the opportunity to purchase the nearly six acre parcel nearby to to Deerwood Park, and the DEP elected to allow Howell to use all of diversion funds towards the acquisition. It was the DEP’s opinion that the protection of additional land that contained existing mature forest offered a greater public benefit than offering less funding for land while working to replant trees throughout ROSI lands in Howell. The Township contributed the balance of the cost for the acquisition. In the end, the public will benefit from updated drinking water main infrastructure and additional permanently protected  green space!

Gloria and Len Nilson Honored for Contributions to MCF and our Community

Photo by Tina Colella

By Karen Keene
Gloria Nilson, an icon in the real estate community known for her trademark hats, and her husband, Len Nilson, have built their life on hard work, integrity, and authenticity. Gloria started her successful company the same year Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF) was founded, in 1977, and both she and Len have helped MCF to flourish while they have grown their family and respective companies. They have solidified a powerful legacy.

MCF’s Nilson Society, commemorating donors who provide for MCF in their estate plans, is named in honor of Len and Gloria in recognition of their remarkable generosity and support of MCF through a major planned gift. “We’re so pleased to be able to memorialize our long and rewarding relationship with Monmouth Conservation Foundation in such an exciting way. MCF is an organization we’ve respected since its founding in 1977…,” Gloria and Len remarked.

Len first learned of Gloria when a friend pointed her out in a high school yearbook, and it took six months and a happenstance meeting for him to get his introduction. At the time, Len was stationed at Fort Monmouth, and Gloria was home from college for the summer. They dated on and off through Gloria’s undergraduate studies at Goucher College and were engaged during her senior year. Len wanted to get married right away, and they could not afford to be in graduate school at the same time, so Gloria gave up a graduate fellowship at Columbia University. This later turned out to be serendipity because that is what propelled her in the direction of real estate. They were married at The Stone Church in Navesink, New Jersey in 1956 and later had a son, who has brought them three grandchildren.

Len had earned a degree in physics from Upsala College and was drafted the day after graduating. He served two years at Fort Monmouth in the Army Signal Corps before entering the workforce and embarking on a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Newark College of Engineering (now NJIT). He became a microwave engineer and ultimately partnered with a colleague to launch UTE Microwave, a small business which designs and manufactures custom components for radar, communications, and medical applications.

Len shared his perspective - “Starting with a slide rule and a fax machine and progressing to computers, the internet, and more, we have to keep abreast of new technologies, but there is still no substitute for hard work and dedication to your vocation.”

This rings true for Gloria in her own pursuits to become a business owner, crediting her success to hard work and perseverance. Gloria showed a lot of grit working as a ward attendant at Marlboro State Hospital while still in high school. Through humble beginnings and ingenuity, Gloria Nilson Realtors quickly became a part of the fabric of Monmouth County signifying fine properties, a commitment to community, and an in-depth knowledge of real estate. The company’s first office in Shrewsbury faced several hiccups during renovations from being a hamburger stand - with no heat for a period in winter, so staff had to wear gloves while typing, and no water for a short time, causing employees to resort to using the nearby post office for restrooms and melting snow to make water for coffee.

Gloria also had to overcome some adversity to grow and succeed with her company. Len shared how Gloria “broke the glass ceiling for women in real estate when she was starting out,” and Gloria recalled her struggles to be taken seriously as a female in the industry. For instance, early on she had to try six times to apply for a credit card to pay for gas and other business expenses and was denied the first five times, where the creditor wanted Len as a co-signer.

Gloria, leveraging her psychology degree, required applicants to take a personality test administered by Caliper to measure traits for success in real estate sales. It was an exclusive, innovative approach that allowed her to select the best candidates for the growing company and which instilled a sense of pride in those hired. Once on board, members of Gloria’s company were treated like family. Gloria recalled attending each of the 11 company offices’ holiday parties annually and taking top sellers into New York for their choice of a Broadway production as a reward.

Today the company is owned by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach REALTORS, and the foundation of excellence continues. Gloria attributes her decision to sell her company to a hard lesson she learned from her grandmother. With just $75 in her pocket, Gloria’s grandmother came to the U.S. from Norway alone and started a coal company. She managed to put her five children through private school, then lost her company during the Great Depression when people were unable to pay their bills. Gloria saw big business moving into her market and decided to sell while she was on top but has continued on as a full-time realtor. 

Both entrepreneurs who don’t believe in retirement, Len still works at his company, while Gloria continues every day in her distinguished career in real estate.

Photo by Tina Colella

Throughout her real estate career, Gloria attests to clients highly valuing green spaces. “People want to live near parks, open spaces, and natural features. If clients are thinking of buying property adjacent to an undeveloped area, they are concerned as to what could happen there,” she shared. On more than one occasion, Gloria has recused herself from a real estate transaction because it conflicted with her beliefs in land preservation.

The Nilsons’ involvement with MCF to preserve open space, farmland, and natural habitat in our region has intersected with their professional and personal lives. Gloria and Len’s favorite area parks are Huber Woods, where they might be lucky to see an equestrian on the trails, and the soon-to-be transformed Swimming River Park, with access to the Navesink and Swimming Rivers and beautiful marsh landscapes. They feel the Monmouth County Park System is one of the best in the state, and it’s a frequent selling point Gloria uses in her work.

It’s no surprise that the couple is passionate about conservation and our natural environment, and that comes through in their work and activism. For 25 years Gloria has lent her time, expertise, and leadership as an MCF Trustee, currently serving on its Executive Committee. Both she and Len have made a significant impact as steadfast advocates and generous philanthropists to MCF and throughout our community.

When asked about a favorite memory or experience from their years involved with MCF, Gloria and Len shared stories of the annual polo matches that took place in Colts Neck, which MCF would often help to sponsor. On two occasions, horse carriages paraded through Middletown roads to end at MCF’s fall Dinner Dance fundraiser events. In terms of impact, they feel MCF’s work to create parks, save open space, preserve farmland, teach environmental sustainability, safeguard waterways, and protect wildlife benefits everyday needs like our drinking water and air quality, and ultimately helps to secure a healthy environment for their grandchildren and future generations.

Photo by Tina Colella

The Nilsons’ life together in Monmouth County began with their meeting at Fort Monmouth. They lived in Matawan after getting married and bought their first home in Lincroft, before building their dream home together in Middletown. Len grew up in Jamestown, New York and came to New Jersey for college. Gloria grew up in Staten Island, and her family used to sail and spend nights on their boat in the waters off Atlantic Highlands. Her father dreamed of owning a farm, and their first home in the area was on a farm in Colts Neck, the majority of which has since been developed.

Over the years, the couple has seen tremendous change in our region – some for the better, and some not, in their opinion. They commented, “We have witnessed overdevelopment in some instances, like sprawling townhouses in previously open space, increased congestion on our roads, loss of farmland, and closures of Bell Labs and Fort Monmouth. Yet we have seen the addition of numerous parks and some farmland preservation, some exciting redevelopment such as Bell Works and Fort Monmouth, the growth of medical facilities, and influx of wonderful restaurants. It’s a balance, and overall Monmouth County has so much to offer. We see MCF’s role as critical to partnering with local governments and our park system to keep Monmouth green and maintain the natural characteristics of our community.”

Acknowledging their success in Monmouth County, Gloria and Len feel strongly about giving back, and have chosen to support several organizations spanning conservation, healthcare, education, and arts and culture. MCF is pleased to recognize the Nilsons for their decades of involvement and support of its mission to preserve land and protect the natural habitat of Monmouth County. The couple will be honored at MCF’s Fall for Conservation cocktail party on Saturday, September 24, 2022 evening, hosted by John and Robin Klein at their riverfront home in Middletown New Jersey. For details, visit Fall for Conservation — MCF (monmouthconservation.org). 

A Couple’s Dream of Life on a Farm Leads to Preservation for Future Generations

Mike and Eileen Stivala pictured with their Farm Manager, Mason.

The wool from Moccachnio's annual hair cut is turned into yarn used to create alpaca fiber products.

By Karen Keene
It was 1983. During a trip to the now famous Delicious Orchards, Mike and Eileen Stivala stumbled across Hidden Valley, a new “farmette community” being developed in Colts Neck, New Jersey.  That same day, with their two young kids in tow, the couple signed on and were the first to buy a lot – six-and-a-half acres with plans for a white Connecticut farmhouse.

Eileen’s teenage dream of living on a farm was in motion.  In an October 1983 New York Times feature on the growing suburban farmette trend, where farmland was being subdivided into rural homesteads, Eileen was quoted – “To buy a real farm is practically impossible now. This is the closest we could come to it”.

At the time, Mike and Eileen thought they may continue to have their land farmed by a local farmer growing soybeans, or they might give it a try themselves. They opted to go it on their own and started farming the property while continuing to build their family. Mike and Eileen added two more children and additional land for a total of approximately 19 acres.

Nearly four decades later, Mike and Eileen’s love of and appreciation for farming and nature are evident in every corner of their farm. They work and maintain the land using organic practices and ingenuity. Every tree growing on the farm has a story, many rescued from the local plant nursery’s “infirmary” and nursed back to health as seedlings. Fruit trees dot the pastures around the barn. Blueberries and blackberries thrive under protective netting deterring hungry birds. Fields of Japanese eggplant, tomatoes, jalapenos peppers, and pumpkins are guarded by a whimsical, old owl statue. Colorful bluebird boxes are scattered throughout pastures home to spirited alpacas with delightful names such as Darth Vader and Mochaccino.

Eileen, who has a self-taught green thumb, grew plants in her windowsills as a child and today has two greenhouses full of flowers and herbs. She creates custom planters for a small cohort of clients, and Mike helps make rounds to deliver and maintain her colorful masterpieces.

The couple has crafted their farm with sustainable features and a genuine respect for its natural attributes, choosing to live life differently as true stewards of their land. Beyond farming, the Stivalas are resourceful and mindful of sustainable practices, choosing to install a geothermal field for heating and cooling their home and solar panels to provide energy. The farm has also remained a haven for wildlife, offering habitat for a range of birds, deer, small mammals, turtles, and other critters. 

Mike and Eileen’s lifestyle is driven by their desire to maintain the natural, rural appeal of their property – the attributes that arguably attract people to Colts Neck. They opted to make their corner of the earth better and ultimately go on to preserve it for future generations. “Our vision for life on a farm is what motivated us to live in Colts Neck. This area is very special, and we didn’t want to see development change that.”

Thanks to the efforts of Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF), the State Agriculture Development Committee, Monmouth County, and Colts Neck Township, the land that Mike and Eileen have been caring for, a quintessential example of rural farm life in Colts Neck, will now be protected forever from encroaching development.

The Stivala farm is contiguous to the roughly 63-acre DeGroot Farm, which was also preserved through the State’s Farmland Preservation Program. To read about this and other farmland preservation in Colts Neck, click HERE.

Photos: J. Cosimo

Swimming River Park Coming to Fruition

By Karen Keene

Middletown’s Swimming River Park is becoming a reality as construction takes place this summer to improve public water access and add recreational amenities. An effort years in the making, the project is a successful collaboration of the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners, the Monmouth County Park System (MCPS), and Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF) that preserves green space and restores a natural watershed for the permanent benefit of Monmouth County residents and visitors.


Fred Yahn, Eagle Drone Solutions, LLC

Located at 483 West Front Street in the River Plaza section of Middletown, Swimming River Park includes land that was once privately owned and home to Chris’ Landing and Chris’ Deli & Liquor. The County acquired the waterfront property in 2015 and former site of the deli in 2018, both with assistance from MCF, working together to make approximately eighteen acres at the confluence of the Navesink and Swimming Rivers into a new Monmouth County Park.



Christopher DeFillippo (1922 – 2014) opened Chris’ Deli in 1949 and the marina shortly after. The site was a popular stop for boaters and residents to enjoy lunch, fishing, and a launching point to the water. It became a beloved fixture of River Plaza over the years, known for its delicious subs, potato salad, and coleslaw, and of course, “Uncle Chris” and the entire DeFillippo Family. Stories abound of local children frequenting the store for penny candy, gum, and comics, and working shifts there when they became teenagers. The River Plaza Fair was hosted annually across the street, and the community gathered in winters to sled the hill by the water.

In recent years since the land was acquired, questions often arose about what was happening at the site, and understandably, concerns surfaced over perceived development or traffic disruptions.  The preservation of this scenic and ecologically significant waterfront property as a county park will prevent future development and allow for permanent public access to the water.

MCF’s charitable work ensures a permanent legacy of open space and natural habitat throughout the county, as Monmouth’s only county-wide land trust. The organization’s objective is to preserve land by determining how a property will be best protected and utilized so the public-at-large benefits. In this case, Swimming River Park was envisioned as a recreational park for residents and visitors to freely enjoy, be able to access the water, and ultimately create new memories in a place that was special to many.

Great care is being taken to pay homage to the site’s history, for instance with restoring the boat ramp and planning for a sledding hill. Construction taking place this summer on park improvements will include new bulkheading and a boat ramp, a kayak beach launch area, parking area, and walking trail. Once the planned improvements are completed, Swimming River Park will offer year-round fishing, crabbing, wildlife observation, touring the picturesque marshes and coves of the extensive watershed, and sledding during winter months.

Renovations at Swimming River Park will also involve final stages of a necessary clean-up. Chris’ Deli was demolished shortly after its purchase, and approximately nine acres of the hilly property are being capped to seal contaminants from asphalt road millings and other waste discarded at the site over the years, making the site safe and usable by the public. The asphalt millings, in particular, contain a carcinogen – PAHs (Polyciclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons). The capping process is a thoroughly safe remediation method approved by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) which will protect against exposure to the PAHs and prevent them leaching into the aquifer and river.

Another aspect of this collaboration, MCF oversaw the initial site clean-up and remediation performed by VHB on behalf of Monmouth County after they acquired the main parcel. Several areas of environmental concern were identified, investigated, and remediated to ensure no threat was posed. Clean-up and remediation toward the park’s development have since shifted to MCPS and continues to be regulated by the DEP.

MCF and our partners are grateful for funding support through the Hazardous Discharge Site Relief Fund (HDSRF) through NJDEP and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) to support site investigation (SI), remedial investigation (RI), and remedial action work plan (RAWP) undertakings for this important project).

In the coming year, additional work is planned for Swimming River Park. An overlook memorial for MCF co-founder Judith Stanley Coleman (1935 – 2010), a well-known community activist, philanthropist, and lifelong resident of Monmouth County, will be installed. The project was funded by donors to MCF to honor Judith and carry on her legacy for the benefit of the public. Final phase plans for the park include a visitors’ center, subject to county approvals.

In no time, Swimming River Park will be bustling with park goers making new memories to be passed on to future generations.

BeWarehouses!

by Jonathan D. Meer, Director of Development, Monmouth Conservation Foundation

One of the common themes that generated daily, if not hourly, frustration in the early months of the pandemic was the scarcity of critical goods needed for everyday life, including hand sanitizer, cleaning products, toilet paper, and other essential household staples. As a result of disruptions to the nation’s supply chain, exacerbated by Covid-induced shutdowns at manufacturing plants, slowdowns at America’s largest ports, and old-fashioned hoarding, New Jerseyans were unable to find some of our favorite consumer products on the shelves of our supermarkets, pharmacies, and big-box retailers.

Most of those shortages are now thankfully behind us, and explosive growth of a key link in the State’s supply chain—the omnipresent mega warehouse—is designed to help us avoid those kinds of scarcities in the future. But, as many in the environmental community have asked, at what cost? Used for storage, fulfillment, sorting and distribution, warehouses ranging in size from 25,000 to hundreds of thousands of square feet have seemingly sprouted up all over the state in the past several years, prompting the New Jersey Conservation Foundation in 2021 to wonder cynically whether New Jersey indeed is the “Garden State or Warehouse State?” It’s a question that has people on both sides of the issue arguing the pros and cons of an emerging trend that seems to have gained considerable momentum with the 2014 opening of the State’s first Amazon fulfilment center in Robbinsville (at an eye-popping 1 Million square feet) and hasn’t slowed down since. Supported by environmentalists, planners and elected officials, the debate in Monmouth County has grown louder and more contentious in recent months as the pace of proposed development of new warehouse projects in Tinton Falls, Neptune, Howell, Millstone, Upper Freehold, and Manalapan has now reached warp speed.

Proponents of the warehouse development trend cite the economic realities we face in New Jersey. According to Tim Evans in his New Jersey Future Blog “Warehouse Sprawl: Plan Now or Suffer the Consequences,” the presence of the nearby Port of New York and New Jersey, the second busiest hub in the country, necessitates a transportation and storage system capable of supporting it. To prove that point, Evans notes that a full 12% of all employed New Jerseyans work in the fields of wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing. A staggering 15.7% of the State’s payroll originates from workers in those three fields, which is by far the highest percentage in the Country. (By comparison, the national average is 10%.) It should be no surprise that Amazon became the State’s largest private employer in 2021, with 40,000 workers, up dramatically from 13,000 in 2017. Many of those employees work in the company’s 14 New Jersey fulfillment centers which average 600,000 to 1 Million square feet in size.

The downside of all the new and proposed warehouse development in Monmouth County, approximated by Colliers International commercial real estate unit in Woodbridge at 6.2 Million square feet, can be seen, heard, and felt by County residents who now find these boxy behemoths in their backyards. Traffic snarls caused by 18-wheelers coming from and going to warehouses and fulfillment centers are now commonplace in County towns that previously treasured their tranquil settings. Noise and exhaust fumes from incremental traffic fundamentally alter the look and feel of municipalities especially along the Route 195 corridor, where many of the new warehouses are being built.

Beyond the inconvenience factor, to which warehouses and giant fulfilment centers clearly add, is a real risk that Monmouth County will experience a fundamental shift in its character. One only need look at what warehouse development has done to Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley in the past two decades. According to NJ Future, “Lehigh and Northampton counties have lost about 25% of their farmland” since 1997. With 6.2 Million square feet of new warehouse projects now slated for Monmouth County, productive agricultural lands are clearly prime targets for developers. As noted in the aforementioned article by NJCF, 118 acres of ag land in Upper Freehold Township is the chosen site for a proposed 566,840 square foot warehouse. In Howell Township, according to a February 23rd Asbury Park Press article by Alex Gecan, a 368,050 square foot warehouse was just approved for 36 acres of a 102-acre parcel that has previously been used as a solar farm and, before that, a soil mining business. Why is this a concern? Because at present, agriculture and horticulture are also big businesses in the State and the County. Despite its diminutive size, New Jersey is a top 10 national producer of key agricultural products, including eggplant (#1), spinach (#2), cranberries (#3), asparagus, bell peppers, and peaches (all #4) and blueberries (#5). In the field of horticulture, according to the 2020 Annual Report by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the State is the nation’s 7th largest producer, with half a billion dollars in sales (in 2019). And Monmouth County ranks #1 in the State in nurseries, #2 in livestock (horses), and tied for 4th in the production from its orchards. The most recent “Census of Agriculture” counts 838 farms and 39,198 acres within those farms in Monmouth County. And the specter of warehouse development is a growing threat to those farms, the average size of which is 47 acres.

So what happens in Monmouth County when the seemingly unstoppable force of warehouse development meets our centuries-old agricultural tradition? At MCF, we pledge to work even harder—with our state and local partners—to protect farmland, support agricultural viability and provide access to farmland now and for generations to come. To date, Monmouth County boasts 15,630 acres of preserved farmland, which is impressive but not a big surprise given how well the State of New Jersey as a whole has done in preserving farmland in recent years. According to the American Farmland Trust’s (“AFT”) most recent multi-year study “Farms Under Threat: The State of the States,” New Jersey actually ranks first nationally for “implementing policies and programs to stem the loss of farmland.” Almost a third of all farms in the State have been preserved, the highest percentage in the nation. Key to the State’s success is “the coordination between state and local governments…in creating and implementing successful programs to permanently protect farmland, support agricultural viability, and provide access to farmland now and for future generations to come.” Clearly, land trusts like Monmouth Conservation Foundation and other not-for-profits also deserve credit for farmland preservation activities statewide. AFT praises New Jersey “for policy tools beyond its Farmland Preservation program, including the program’s requirement that counties and municipalities adopt comprehensive farmland preservation plans in order to receive state funding.”

So if the State has, according to the AFT, done such a fine job preserving farmland, why are we seeing runaway warehouse development taking thousands of acres of arable land out of production every year? Sadly, it’s all about the Benjamins. There is massive demand in New Jersey for warehouse space and rents have spiked more than 33% in the past year alone, according to Colliers. In the words of Red Bank developer Steve Denholtz, of Denholtz Properties, warehouse spaces “are filled when they are opened.”

How can the average family farmer resist the temptation of selling out to deep-pocketed developers? Some, like the authors of “Garden State or Warehouse State?” believe the key is a regional approach to land use planning. One of NJCF’s key recommendations is that New Jersey’s statewide plan “should be revived and updated to address warehouse sprawl and other current challenges like…climate change.” After 20+ years of the plan’s near dormancy, that seems like a logical first step to Monmouth Conservation Foundation.

Aside from advocating for updates to the statewide plan, what can Monmouth County residents do, especially on Earth Day, to help preserve farmland here? Each year, hundreds make MCF a philanthropic priority in their lives, supporting the only county-wide land trust in Monmouth County. “If people love the rural character of our County, and care about the viability of our agricultural tradition, we hope they will consider contributing to MCF,” says its executive director William Kastning. Tax-deductible donations help MCF partner with the State, County, and local municipalities to preserve farmland through agricultural easements. Easements that allow local farmers to resist the lure of development dollars and keep their lands in production. And keep our corner of the Garden State green.