newjerseynewsroom.com

Pay $2.1 million to protect Cider Mill Preserve in East Amwell

An 89-acre tract of grassland in Hunterdon County with views of the Amwell Valley and bordering the forested ridges of Sourland Mountain, will be permanently protected through a $2.1 million preservation deal, New Jersey Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin announced Wednesday.

The state Department of Environmental Protection worked with D&R Greenway Land Trust and others to save the Cider Mill Preserve tract in East Amwell.

"This is a continuation of the state's longstanding effort to protect the natural spaces that make New Jersey such a special place to live and work," Martin said. "It's a great example of the importance of our Green Acres Program."

"This deal protects an ecologically sensitive tract, a unique site that offers refuge to threatened grassland bird species," DEP Assistant Commissioner for Natural and historic Resources Amy Cradic added. "In addition, it offers great wildlife watching, birding and walking opportunities in a remarkable setting."

The preservation effort was funded through a combination of Green Acres grants; the state Natural Resource Damages fund, which uses money paid to the DEP by polluters to preserve or restore lands that protect groundwater; the nonprofit Conservation Resources Inc., through a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; Hunterdon County, and East Amwell Township.

The DEP's Division of Fish and Wildlife and the D&R Greenway will be co-managers of the preserved property.

The site, which is surrounded by hundreds of acres of preserved open space and farmland, offers a unique grassland habitat for threatened grassland birds, including good cover and nesting sites for birds. Officials said the site could benefit species such as the American kestrel, bobolink, Eastern meadowlark, short-eared owls,

Northern harriers, Savannah sparrow, vesper sparrow, grasshopper sparrow, and bobwhite quail.

For more information about Cider Mill Preserve, visit: www.drgreenway.org.

—TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM