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More that 1,900 acres in the heart of Central Jersey will be saved as wildlife habitat, preserved farmland, and additions to county parks and greenways along historic Crosswicks Creek at a cost of $27.8 million, officials announced Monday.

More than 1,000 acres will be preserved as open space through the creation of a 512-acre state Wildlife Management Area and nearly 500 acres of additions to the adjacent Monmouth County Park System's Crosswicks Creek Greenway and the Mercer County Park Commission's Crosswicks Creek Greenway corridor.

Another 900 acres will be preserved through acquisitions of development rights on farmland. When landowners sell development rights, or a farmland easement, they continue to own the land but agree to deed restrictions that keep the land permanently available for agriculture uses.

Final closing with members of the John Flemer family, which until recently operated the land as Princeton Nurseries, is expected to take place by early next year. The $27.8 million agreement uses more than $16.4 million in state, local and nonprofit open-space funding sources for the outright purchases of land for a 512-acre state Wildlife Management Area and nearly 500 acres as additions to the Monmouth and Mercer County park systems. The SADC and its partners are providing another $11.4 million to purchase farmland easements on an additional 900 acres.

The agreements were made possible by the Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres Program and the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC). The SADC this month also celebrated the preservation of its 2,000th farm under the Farmland Preservation Program.

DEP Commissioner Bob Martin and Agriculture Secretary Douglas H. Fisher joined their partners from Monmouth County, Mercer County, Burlington County, Upper Freehold Township, and the Monmouth Conservation Foundation to announce the contracts with members of the Flemer family.

“This is the largest single preservation agreement for the state this year and is a perfect way to celebrate Earth Week and commemorate the 50th anniversary of land preservation efforts in New Jersey,” Martin said. “This is a truly beautiful landscape with scenic views and is a remarkable preservation opportunity right in the heart of the most densely populated state in the nation. I commend the Flemer family and all of the partners for having the foresight to recognize its importance and then working together toward its preservation."

"This project is in the midst of what already is the highest concentration of preserved farmland in the state, and for good reason - the farmland here has extraordinarily high-quality soil, among the best in New Jersey," Fisher said. "We are grateful to the Flemer family, who worked the land for so many years and, as responsible stewards, were committed to ensuring that it remains in farming and continues to serve as a tremendous agricultural resource for the Garden State for generations to come."

The rolling landscape, situated where Monmouth, Mercer and Burlington counties meet, will help connect thousands of acres of existing county park lands and greenways along Crosswicks Creek, an area rich in outdoors recreation opportunities as well as the history of the Revolutionary War and early 1800s.

The historic village of Walnford is nestled within Monmouth County's Crosswicks Creek Greenway.

The portion of the land being preserved as a state Wildlife Management Area and as additions to county park lands consist of grasslands, mature forests and forested wetlands that provide a great diversity of wildlife habitat and is expected to offer recreational opportunities for those who enjoy hiking, horseback riding, fishing, hunting and being in the outdoors. Some nursery roads will be developed into a trail system for hiking, bicycle riding and horseback riding.

The farmland portion will be a major addition to the permanent agricultural land base in an area where approximately 15,000 acres of farmland is preserved.

The majority of the land is in Upper Freehold in Monmouth, with additional parcels in Hamilton in Mercer and North Hanover in Burlington County. Monmouth County is providing more than $10 million for the project - $7 million toward the purchase of open space for county parkland additions, and in cooperation with Upper Freehold another $4.6 million toward the purchase of farmland easements.

In a statement, the Flemer family said: "For fifty years, Princeton Nurseries and the Flemer family have been proud members of the Allentown and Upper Freehold community. We are grateful to our staff and to our customers for all those good years and to the State of New Jersey for ensuring that this land we love will keep its rural character and natural beauty forever. For the John Flemer Family, this celebration today is a fulfillment of one of John's wishes during his lifetime."

FLEMER PROPERTY FACTS

• LOCATION: More than 1,900 acres flanking Province Line Road in Upper Freehold, North Hanover and Hamilton Townships; adjacent to Monmouth County's Crosswicks Creek Park and Mercer County's Crosswicks Creek Park.
• THE LAND: The property has grasslands that are seen as ideal habitat for grassland birds such as pheasants and contains mature forests of oak and beech, along with many large tulip poplars as well as sweet gum, black gum, and hickories. The land provides ideal habitat for birds such as eastern meadowlark, grasshopper sparrow and great blue heron. The DEP has designated the forests along Crosswicks Creek a Natural Heritage Priority Site, meaning its biological diversity makes it worthy of special protection efforts. The majority of the farmland consists of soils classified as prime farmland, the most productive soils for agricultural production.
• FUNDING SOURCES: Open Space Acquisitions: DEP Green Acres Program $7.2 million; Monmouth County $7 million; Mercer County $1.7 million; Monmouth Conservation Foundation $500,000. Farmland easements: SADC $6.6 million; Monmouth County and Upper Freehold $4.6 million; Burlington County $257,000.
• To see a map, click here.

– TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM