Natural Lands Trust

DIVISION: Parks and Forestry
GENERAL PHONE NUMBER: (609) 984-1339
FAX NUMBER: (609) 984-1427
WEB SITE

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

The New Jersey Natural Lands Trust preserves land in its natural state for enjoyment by the public and to protect natural diversity through the acquisition of open space. The trust manages its properties to conserve elements of natural diversity, such as habitat for rare plant and animal species and rare ecological communities. The trust invites passive use by the public for recreational or educational purposes wherever such use will not adversely affect elements of natural diversity. Currently the trust owns or manages over 22,000 acres of open space from Sussex to Cape May Counties, including more than 2,500 acres of conservation easements.

MONETARY ASSISTANCE PROVIDED:

None

PERMITTING RESPONSIBILITIES:

None

PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE:

Realizing that much of the effort to preserve land must come from the private sector, in 2002 the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust and The Nature Conservancy of New Jersey published The Handbook of Landowner’s Options – a Guide to Land Protection in New Jersey. The handbook describes the options available to landowners who wish to preserve the natural attributes of their property. It illustrates how property owners can work together with private, nonprofit conservation organizations and government agencies to preserve open space through a variety of methods tailored to their individual needs. The handbook is available here.