Properties in the Pinelands are permanently preserved

Four environmentally sensitive properties in the Pinelands in Ocean County have been permanently preserved with funds administered by the New Jersey Pinelands Commission.

According to a press release from the Pinelands Commission, the commission has transferred a total of $662,633 from the Pinelands Conservation Fund to the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust, which is using the money toward its purchase of four properties totaling 215 acres in Jackson and Ocean townships.

The commission provided the funds to the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust earlier this month.

"Permanent land preservation is among the wisest and most effective steps we can take to not only safeguard the natural resources that give life to the Pinelands' sensitive ecosystem, but also to help provide clean air and water for all who live here," said John C. Stokes, executive director of the commission.

The properties are:

• A 163-acre parcel off Route 571 (Toms River Road) in Jackson. The heavily wooded property is in a Pinelands-designated Rural DevelopmentArea. The Ridgeway branch of the Toms River runs through the southern portion of the property, which is bordered by a state wildlife and game refuge to the west. The commission provided $353,333 from the Pinelands Conservation Fund toward the total $1 million purchase price;

• A 37-acre parcel off Pancoast Road in Ocean Township. The property is in a Pinelands-designated Forest Area and is 1 mile west of the Garden State Parkway between exits 69 and 67. The wooded and undeveloped parcel is bordered by residential properties to the south and undeveloped land to the north, west and east. The commission provided $101,000 from the Pinelands Conservation Fund toward the total $275,000 purchase price;

• A 10-acre parcel off Route 571 (Toms River Road) in Jackson. The property is in a Pinelands-designated Rural Development Area and is about a half-mile from the U.S. Department of Defense Naval Air Engineering Station. The undeveloped property is home to large trees, dense underbrush and several trails. The commission provided $175,000 from the Pinelands Conservation Fund toward the total $525,000 purchase price; and

• A 5-acre parcel off Route 571 (Toms River Road) in Jackson. The heavily wooded property is in a Pinelands-designated Rural Development Area and is bordered by undeveloped land. The Ridgewood branch of the Toms River runs to the south of the property. The commission provided $33,300 from the Pinelands Conservation Fund toward the total $100,000 purchase price.

The Pinelands Conservation Fund was created in 2004 as part of an agreement with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to permit the construction and upgrade of an electric transmission line through eastern portions of the Pinelands. Under the agreement, the special fund was established to further the Pinelands protection program and ensure a greater level of protection of the unique resources of the Pinelands area, according to the press release.

The utility that built the transmission lines, Atlantic City Electric (formerly Conectiv), provided $13 million to establish the fund.

Thus far, the commission has allocated $3,857,654 from the fund toward the permanent preservation of 2,982 acres of environmentally sensitive land in the Pinelands.