The Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space (FoHVOS) will soon announce the preservation of a 28-acre tract of forest in the Mount Rose Ridge.
The property, located off of Cleveland Road, expands upon the already impressive 387-acre Mount Rose Preserve, creating a total of 415 acres of contiguous permanently preserved open space in Hopewell Valley.
The heart of the Mount Rose Preserve was purchased by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, FoHVOS, Hopewell Township and Mercer County in 2015. Preservation partners have continued to grow and expand upon the impressive public preserve since then, according to a press release.
The Giardino tract is 100% wooded including forested wetlands and upland forest on a diabase ridge.
The intact forest provides essential breeding habitat for songbirds, including Veery and Northern Parula, wetland forest vital to salamanders and frogs, and a safe harbor for rare plant species such as Wild Comfrey.
The preserve is also identified as Core Habitat by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP) CHANJ, Connecting Habitats Across New Jersey, program.
The CHANJ project is aimed to conserve native wildlife populations by creating a statewide landscape of connected preserved lands allowing for healthy reproduction and creating genetically strong wildlife populations.
Core Habitats represent the most important large and intact natural areas within the state, making them a priority for preservation.
“With over 40% of Hopewell Township preserved as open space, farmland, or recreation land, the Township Committee is committed to grow this number even further,” Hopewell Township Mayor Courtney Peters-Manning said.
“We are thankful to work with preservation partners like FoHVOS to make this happen. The addition of these 28 acres to the FoHVOS preserves is a huge benefit to the people and the environment of the Township. We are excited about this property and look forward to continuing to work with FoHVOS for many years to come.”
FoHVOS applied for and received funding from NJDEP Green Acres, Mercer County Open Space Trust Fund and Hopewell Township to make this acquisition possible.
Mercer County Executive Dan Benson also celebrated the newest acquisition.
“I’m very pleased that Mercer County could support FoHVOS and Hopewell Township in this expansion of the Mount Rose Preserve,” he said. “Protecting sensitive ecosystems is key to the health of our natural environment, and we’re always looking for new opportunities to add to the more-than 40,000 acres of preserved open space in Mercer County.”
Land preservation requires willing and interested landowners. The Giardino family are as much a partner in this preservation as FoHVOS staff and trustees, volunteers, and funding partners.
“I am proud to have initiated this acquisition for FoHVOS and thank the Giardino family for making it happen,” said Daniel Pace, FoHVOS trustee and chair of land preservation.
In the future, this land will be accessible for hiking, birdwatching, and passive enjoyment, by way of a foot trail that will connect to a proposed section of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail, officials said.
Jenn Rogers, FoHVOS executive director, also commented on the recent acquisition.
“In addition to being a preserve with excellent conservation quality, it too, will become a public asset for our community,” she said. “My hope is that we will be able to create a permanently protected land connection from Mount Rose Preserve to Princeton’s Emerald Necklace in the future.”
The Giardino map.
The Giardino tract.
