CHESTER, NJ, Nov. 5, 2007 - Conservation Resources Inc. (CRI) announced its second annual Small Grants awards to non-profit conservation organizations, with 2007 grant awards totaling $75,000. "From helping to restore an old-growth forest in Haddon Township, Camden County, to preserving a spectacular 6-acre urban park in Jersey City, community-based non-profit conservation organizations are having an amazing impact throughout New Jersey," said Michael Catania, President of Conservation Resources Inc.   

CRI’s Small Grants program provides seed money to non-profits for the initiation of land preservation projects, to help cover certain costs which are not otherwise reimbursed by other existing grant programs, such as appraisal and survey expenses, and to provide matching funds to support non-profit land stewardship and ecological restoration projects. Funding for these small grants has been provided to CRI by the William Penn Foundation, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Victoria Foundation, The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, as well as individual donors.

Of the twenty-one different projects funded in the Second Annual Small Grants round, there are eight land preservation projects, ten land stewardship or ecological restoration projects, and four other capital conservation projects located throughout the Garden State.

"The work that is happening on-the-ground by New Jersey's non-profit conservation community is incredible.  Our Small Grants program helps to facilitate this good work by strategically giving a relatively small amount of conservation capital where it is really needed." said Catania.  

For more information and a map showing the twenty-one projects that were funded through CRI's Small Grants Program, please click here.

Conservation Resources Inc (CRI) is a statewide non-profit conservation organization. The mission of CRI is to increase the capacity, expertise and technical and financial resources available to private and public conservation organizations in order to maximize the preservation of open space and farmland in the Garden State.

• Appel Farm Arts and Music Center - $3,000 grant to help cover legal, survey and other closing expenses associated with the acquisition and preservation of a property in Upper Pittsgrove Township, Salem County.
  
  
• Bergen Save the Watershed Action Network (Bergen SWAN) - $4,000 grant to help defray costs to construct a rain garden and develop and assemble educational materials on stormwater Best Management Practices in several municipalities in Bergen County.
  
  
• Camden Greenways - $4,000 grant to help cover design and engineering costs in order to insure the inclusion of a greenway trail in the $26 million Camden Central Gateway Project in the City of Camden, Camden County.
  
  
• Congregation Ahavas Sholom - $3,000 grant to provide matching funds to defray the costs for design and construction of a playground at the Newton Street School in the City of Newark, Essex County.
  
  
• Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space - $4,000 grant to help establish the Hopewell Valley Invasive Species Strike Team, and cover the costs of early detection and eradication of invasive plant species in the Hopewell Valley area of Mercer County.
  
  
• Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance - $2,000 grant to help offset soft project costs for the acquisition of land in Kingwood Township, Hunterdon County.
  
  
• Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance and Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey (NOFA NJ) - $2,000 grant to NOFA NJ and a $2,000 grant to Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance will match funding from the NJ Historic Trust and allow these two non-profit organizations to collaborate on a comprehensive master plan for the Dvoor Farm in Flemington, Hunterdon County.
  
  
• Heart of Camden - $3,000 grant to help create a more functional entry to Heart of Camden’s greenhouse facility in the City of Camden, Camden County. 
  
  
• Isles, Inc. - $4,000 grant to help establish new community and school gardens at the Washington Elementary and Dunn Middle schools in the City of Trenton, Mercer County.
  
  
• Musconetcong Watershed Association - $2,000 grant to help cover engineering design costs for the second phase of the River Resource Center in Asbury, Warren County.
  
  
• New Jersey Audubon Society - $5,000 grant to develop materials to encourage better backyard habitat stewardship practices in the Medford and Evesham Townships, Burlington County.
  
  
• NY/NJ Baykeeper - $3,000 grant to help cover soft costs associated with acquisition and preservation of key Harbor Estuary Program Sites in the Waackaack Creek Greenway in Holmdel, Hazlet and Keansburg, Monmouth County.  
  
  
• North Jersey Resources Conservation & Development Council (North Jersey RC&D) - $4,000 grant for riparian restoration along the Wallkill River in Station Park, Sparta Township, Sussex County.
  
  
• Passaic River Coalition - $3,000 grant to help cover soft costs associated with preservation of the Dead River Property in Bernards Township, Somerset County.
  
  
• Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Stem Embankment Preservation Coalition - $3,000 grant to help cover soft costs associated with preservation of the Harsimus Branch Embankment in Jersey City, Hudson County. 
  
  
• Pinelands Preservation Alliance - $4,000 grant to help create an interpretive trail at the Bishop Farmstead in Vincentown, Burlington County.
  
  
• Ridge and Valley Conservancy - $5,000 grant to help cover soft costs associated with acquisition of the Hemlock Ridge Property in Blairstown, Warren County.
  
  
• Rahway River Association - $4,000 grant will be used to create a restoration management plan for the Brightwood Park Nature Preserve in Westfield, Union County.
  
  
• Saddler's Woods Conservation Association - $3,000 grant to help restore a portion of Saddlers Woods in Haddon Township, Camden County.
  
  
• Unexpected Wildlife Refuge - $5,000 grant to help cover soft costs associated with the acquisition of the D'Alessandro tract in Franklin Township, Gloucester County.
  
  
• Weequahic Park Association, Inc. - $3,000 grant to help cover soft costs associated with design and implementation of the next phase of restoration the Weequahic Park Lake Restoration Project in the City of Newark, Essex County.
  

Appel Farm Arts & Music Center, a nonprofit organization located in rural Upper Pittsgrove Township, Salem County, will be acquiring and preserving a 46 -acre tract of land, which is adjacent to the Center's existing 65-acre property. The property is characterized by woodlands, hedgerows and cleared fields and was farmed for generations.  It is bounded on the west by a small rivulet, the Palatine Branch of Muddy Creek, a portion of which runs through the property. The conveyance of a conservation easement to NJDEP on both the existing and new camp properties will help connect other preserved properties and serve as an important link in a much larger greenway.

$3,000 grant to help cover legal, survey and other closing expenses associated with the acquisition and preservation of a property in Upper Pittsgrove Township, Salem County.

The triple threats of non-point source pollution, flooding, and erosion are having a negative effect on water quality throughout New Jersey.  To make effective land use decisions with constructive outcomes for water quality, municipal officials need to vastly increase their technical knowledge of the available tools and strategies that can help them address the environmental impacts common to our urbanizing landscapes.  The Watershed Stewardship Initiative for the Pascack Valley Region will provide an opportunity for Bergen SWAN to partner with local communities in the region to bring a more unified approach to environmental management efforts.  As part of this watershed stewardship initiative, Bergen SWAN will initiate a series of guided discussions and presentations to municipal officials and develop and assemble educational materials on both structural and non-structural stormwater best management practices for area waterways and assist towns in distributing and communicating this information through their newsletters, websites, libraries, and schools, and to the media.  Bergen SWAN will also select a site, design, and build a demonstration rain garden.

$4,000 grant to help defray costs to construct a rain garden and develop and assemble educational materials on stormwater Best Management Practices in several municipalities in Bergen County.

$4,000 Small Grant Award
City of Camden
Project Type: Other Capital Conservation Project

The vision of an interconnected system of open spaces, parks and recreation areas in the City of Camden, dates back to the early 1900's, when the Cooper River Linear Park was first envisioned. The Camden Greenways Plan expands on that vision. Camden Greenways, Inc.'s mission is to advocate for the implementation of this Plan which includes the concept of a continuous linear system of open space along the waterfront of the Cooper and Delaware Rivers and Newton Creek located within the City. The focus of the Project is a safe, well constructed, and accessible urban trail system along Camden’s principal river shorelines, linking six existing City parks to the nearby county park system - Cooper River Park.

$4,000 grant to help cover design and engineering costs in order to insure the inclusion of a greenway trail in the $26 million Camden Central Gateway Project in the City of Camden, Camden County. This redevelopment project will be complemented by a $72 million investment which will be made by the Campbell Soup Company in connection with the retention and expansion of its world headquarters there.

The Newton Street School is the second oldest school in the Newark Public School district and is in need of massive renovations in order to serve the needs of a modern elementary education.  The school serves children of low income, who are living in crime-ridden neighborhoods, which makes it nearly impossible for them to play outside of their homes after school.  A playground, along with programs organized by the school for both students and parents, addressing the needs for exercise and good nutrition, would go a long way toward eliminating these negative effects. Congregation Ahavas Sholom has partnered with the Newark Public School System, private donors, and the NJDEP Green Acres Program to raise over $140,000.   They are seeking additional funding to complete design and construction of this playground. 

$3,000 grant to provide matching funds to defray the costs for design and construction of a playground at the Newton Street School in the City of Newark, Essex County.

The Hopewell Valley Invasive Species Strike Team is an innovative approach to detect and eradicate emerging populations of invasive non-native plants to prevent degradation of protected open space. In most cases, infestations of invasive species go unrecognized in their early stages only to be subjects of control work after they become impossible to eradicate. Nearly 10,000 acres of land is protected from development in Hopewell Township, but invasive species continue to degrade natural resources. Currently, resources to address the invasive species problem remain startlingly sparse relative to the enormity of impacts on native plants and animals. The Hopewell Valley Invasive Species Strike Team project involves the creation of a team of volunteers guided by the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space (FoHVOS). This innovative project would provide a working example for strategic management of invasive plants.

$4,000 grant to help establish the Hopewell Valley Invasive Species Strike Team, and cover the costs of early detection and eradication of invasive plant species in the Hopewell Valley area of Mercer County.

Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance is working to preserve over 300 acres overlooking the Delaware River valley in Kingwood Township, Hunterdon County.  Acquisition of this key property will involve multiple funding partners, coordinated by the land trust.  The property boasts high elevation fields, contiguous forests, and tributaries of the Copper Creek, which flows into the Delaware. The acquisition and protection of this property would complement other preservation in the area.

$2,000 grant to help offset soft project costs for the acquisition of land in Kingwood Township, Hunterdon County.

Working in partnership, the Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey are creating a public educational center and demonstration farm to promote sustainable agricultural practices, natural resource protection, historic preservation, and land conservation at the historic Dvoor Farm in Flemington.

$2,000 grant to NOFA NJ and a $2,000 grant to Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance will match funding from the NJ Historic Trust and allow these two non-profit organizations to collaborate on a comprehensive master plan for the Dvoor Farm in Flemington, Hunterdon County.

$3,000 grant to help create a more functional entry to Heart of Camden’s greenhouse facility in the City of Camden, Camden County. 

Isles, Inc. is a Trenton-based community development and environmental non-profit organization with a mission to foster more self-reliant families in healthy, sustainable communities. Isles has a 25-year record of supporting community gardens, and currently supports 35 community gardens and 5 school gardens.  The Community Gardens Program addresses the critical issues of hunger relief and nutrition (with over 50,000 pounds of produce harvested in 2006), urban beautification, and open space preservation throughout the City of Trenton. Isles provides the technical and organizing assistance necessary to transform neglected parcels of sometimes environmentally contaminated urban land into clean, food-producing, ornamental, and recreational open spaces.

$4,000 grant to help establish new community and school gardens at the Washington Elementary and Dunn Middle schools in the City of Trenton, Mercer County.

The Musconetcong Watershed Association’s (MWA) is in the second phase of creating the River Resource Center, a new headquarters as well as a teaching tool for the entire community, located on the Musconetcong River in Asbury. They plan to reuse a 2150 sq. ft. abandoned industrial building, adapting it into a meeting hall with support space for programs. The river resource center will be a beginning point for river-based recreation activities. The building is being designed and renovated to achieve the US Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. A “green” structure will allow MWA to provide a physical example of their mission to protect the watershed by demonstrating that applying environmentally sound building and landscaping principles can be practical, cost-effective, and a realistic approach that can be incorporated into any project.  MWA has already obtained a Highlands Exemption Letter and completed much of the state permitting requirements. Site implementation plans have been completed, as have the septic system plans.  They have received approval of the Site Plan from the Franklin Township Land Use Board. 

$2,000 grant to help cover engineering design costs for the second phase of the River Resource Center in Asbury, Warren County.

The Pinelands Commission’s recently completed an innovative plan that balances growth with natural resource protection called the Southern Medford/Evesham Resource Protection Plan.  The plan includes a strong public education and outreach component.  In order to effectively implement this program, New Jersey Audubon Society (NJAS) will work with the Pinelands Preservation Alliance (PPA) and the Pinelands Commission to develop and distribute educational and informational materials that encourage land stewardship practices.  NJAS and PPA will collaborate with the Pinelands Commission and the Environmental Commissions of Medford and Evesham to conduct a series of presentations and field trips to homeowner associations and other interested citizens.  

$5,000 grant to develop materials to encourage better backyard habitat stewardship practices in the Medford and Evesham Townships, Burlington County.

The Passaic River Coalition is preserving the Dead River Property, an 80-acre tract located in Bernards Township, Somerset County.   The property is almost entirely wetlands and is adjacent to a 160-acre Bernards Township-owned property.

$3,000 grant to help cover soft costs associated with preservation of the Dead River Property in Bernards Township, Somerset County.

Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Stem Embankment Preservation Coalition
Harsimus Branch Embankment Acquisition and Park/Greenway Development

The Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Stem Embankment Preservation Coalition is creating a spectacular 6-acre urban park in the heart of Jersey City out of the abandoned “Harsimus Branch Embankment”, a half-mile-long segmented stone structure that is an out-of-use rail right-of-way.  A monarch flyway, its surface has naturally rebounded with native plants and provides habitat for many bird and animal species in an otherwise built out urban area. The Coalition is working closely with Jersey City and the NJDEP Green Acres Program to preserve and provide access to this unexpected park. 

$3,000 grant to help cover soft costs associated with preservation of the Harsimus Branch Embankment in Jersey City, Hudson County.

Pinelands Preservation Alliance (PPA) has developed a healthy native grassland on approximately 8 acres of previously farmed land at its headquarters property, the historic Bishop Farmstead.  PPA will be developing an interpreted trail around the grassland so visitors can walk the edge of the grassland, learn about the role of native grasses as wildlife habitat, and view birds, butterflies, and other wildlife using the grassland. The project includes developing special areas along the trail with concentrations of native wildflowers and an observation deck that will raise the viewer above the level of grasses in the growing season.

$4,000 grant to help create an interpretive trail at the Bishop Farmstead in Vincentown, Burlington County.

Ridge and Valley Conservancy
Hemlock Ridge Acquisition

Ridge and Valley Conservancy is working to preserve the 150-acre Hemlock Ridge Property, one of the largest contiguous undeveloped tracts remaining in the Blairstown area. The Property contains unique geologic features associated with the limestone bedrock that underlies it, including bedrock pinnacles, escarpments, sinkholes, waterfalls and mature hemlock and other hardwood forests. The tract is within 1000 feet of two preserved farms and contains a Category-1 stream.

$5,000 grant to help cover soft costs associated with acquisition of the Hemlock Ridge Property in Blairstown, Warren County.

Rahway River Association is working to improve the habitat values and potential opportunities for public education at Brightwood Park Nature Preserve in Westfield.  The 41-acre municipal nature preserve is owned by the Town of Westfield and is a splendid passive park that has been negatively impacted by infestations of non-native invasive plants and poor water quality.  Rahway River Association will be working with Westfield to create a management plan to better identify and address these problems.  

$4,000 grant will be used to create a restoration management plan for the Brightwood Park Nature Preserve in Westfield, Union County.

Saddler's Woods Conservation Association
Saddler’s Woods Habitat Restoration

$3,000 Small Grant Award
Haddon Township, Camden County
Project Type: Ecological Restoration

Unexpected Wildlife Refuge
Preservation of the D'Alessandro Property

$5,000 Small Grant Award
Franklin Township, Gloucester County and Buena Vista Township, Atlantic County
Project Type: Land Acquisition

Weequahic Park Association, Inc.
Weequahic Lake Restoration Project

Weequahic Park is part of the Essex County park system and is located within the limits of the City of Newark, bounded by the cities of Elizabeth and Hillside. The park has 311 acres of active recreation fields, play areas, woodlands, golf course and a lake that is over 80 acres in size. Weequahic Lake, which is man-made and hydrologically connected to the Newark Bay Complex has been the focus of the WPA's restoration efforts to date.

$3,000 grant to help cover soft costs associated with design and implementation of the next phase of restoration the Weequahic Park Lake Restoration Project in the City of Newark, Essex County.