FREEHOLDERS PRESERVE 246 ACRES OF FARMLAND IN WINSLOW TOWNSHIP
For Immediate Release: October 15, 2008
Contacts: KEN SHUTTLERWORTH

WINSLOW – Camden County has finalized the largest single preservation project in its history with acquisition of development easements on four parcels totaling 246 acres owned by farmer Gaetano Matro.

“This is a big step towards achieving our goal of preserving 2,000 acres throughout the county by 2010,” said Freeholder Jeffrey L. Nash, liaison to the Camden County Division of Open Space and Farmland Preservation.

The division oversees the Open Space Trust Fund authorized by the voters in 1998. Nash said a total of 1,760 acres have been preserved as a result of the revenues generated by the trust fund, including 517 acres of farm land.

Acquisition of the development easement for $1,085,539 was funded from the trust fund. Under terms of the agreement, Matro will continue to own the property as a private, operating farm, not open to the public. It cannot be developed now or in the future. Under the agreement the county now owns, and will retire, the Pinelands development credits that were allocated to the land by the Pinelands Commission.

“Through our Farmland Preservation Program, Camden County has committed to both preserving the rural heritage of Camden County and ensuring the continued viability of the agriculture industry in the county, particularly in Winslow and Waterford Townships,” said Nash.

He praised the oversight from the all-volunteer Open Space Advisory Committee and County Agriculture Development Board, which work closely with professional staff in the Division of Open Space and Farmland Preservation, to acquire land for preservation of open space. “We call ourselves the Green County and much of our credibility on this point comes from the tremendous effort on the part of volunteers who serve on the Open Space Advisory Committee and the Camden County Agriculture Development Board,” Nash said.

Since the first acquisition in 2000, Nash said a total of 49 parcels have been preserved. They include Stafford Farm in Voorhees (140 acres), Slim Ranch and the Hill property in Gloucester Township (127 acres), Lake Worth in Lindenwold (54 acres), Springhouse Farm in Cherry Hill (44 acres), Atco Lake in Winslow and Waterford Townships (77 acres) and Saddler’s Woods in Haddon Township (15 acres).

“Preservation of open space is a collaborative process,” Nash said. He suggested property owners who wish to have farm land or other vacant properties considered for preservation should contact the Division of Open Space and Farmland Preservation at 856 858 5241 for an application or more information.

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