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Name of Project:
 Codario Farm
Geographic Fund:
 Pine Barrens
Location of Project:
 Buena Borough and Buena Vista Township, Atlantic County
Watershed Management Area:

 

Great Egg Harbor, WMA 15
Type of Project:
 Land Preservation, Fee Simple Purchase
Size:
 127 Acres
Nonprofit Organization:
 Unexpected Wildlife Refuge, Inc.
Status:
 Unexpected Wildlife Refuge closed on the property in June 2005 using a loan from the New Jersey Conservation Loan Program.  They are seeking funding to repay the loan and cover ancillary costs. 
Total Project Cost:
 $780,000
Funds Raised:
 $780,000 ($100,000 from CRI from the South Jersey Industries NRD Settlement)
Funds Needed:
 $0 -
Leverage:
  
PROJECT SIGNIFICANCE

Expanding the Unexpected Wildlife Refuge

The Unexpected Wildlife Refuge is a 44-year old non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of Pinelands habitat for the protection of indigenous flora and fauna.  

The Refuge supports upland forests and wetlands and includes over a mile of Main Lake Branch, a tributary of the Great Egg Harbor River. From inception, the Refuge has upheld a policy of providing the public with a living classroom to study, sketch, photograph and enjoy the beauty of the Pinelands. Visitors are welcome to use the Refuge for passive recreation, photography and study, and we have approximately 300 guests annually. However no hunting, trapping or fishing is permitted on any lands owned by the Refuge.

The Codario Farm expands the Unexpected Wildlife Refuge by 127 acres.  Approximately half of this land is farm fields and the rest oak and pine uplands and wooded wetlands. This farm shares a property line with the Refuge that extends for over 4,000 feet.

The Refuge is one piece in a large puzzle of preservation in the immediate vicinity. Together, the Refuge, Franklin Township Park, Girl Scout lands and Cedar Lake WMA create over 1330 acres of contiguous green space. The Refuge property is part of approximately 13,000 acres of preserved open space within a six mile radius, and is part of the Great Egg Harbor watershed.

By purchasing this land, the Refuge is providing additional habitat protection for endangered and threatened species in the Pinelands region and provide habitat restoration and enhancement to both the upland and wetland areas that have suffered from misuse and/or neglect.


PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Unexpected Wildlife Refuge purchased the Codario property from the USDA Farm Service Agency in June of 2005 using a loan from the Open Space Institute's New Jersey Conservation Loan Program.  They purchased the property for $760,000. 

The Codario Farm has been incorporated into the existing Refuge will be open to the public for passive recreation.  The farm provides over 4,500 feet of roadway frontage, thus allowing public access from Cedar Lake Road to the entire Refuge.  Long term stewardship would include instillation of a public pathway, upland habitat restoration, and wetland enhancement.


FUNDS NEEDED

With a significant private fundraising effort and a grant from CRI, Unexpected Wildlife Refuge has been able raise all the funding needed for this project.

 
 
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