The Fund’s focus on acquisition and effective land-use in New Jersey highlights the importance of protecting land—from coastal marshes to cultural areas—as a way of preserving the region's unique way of life. The Fund and its partners have protected more than 4,500 acres in New Jersey since 1985.

Past Projects

Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

With funding from multiple federal, state, and private sources, the Fund protected a 90-acre tract of land to prevent incompatible development within the boundaries of the refuge.

Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge

Located 10 miles north of Atlantic City, Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge spans nearly 47,000 acres and three counties: Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean. The refuge was established to provide important wintering habitat for waterfowl, especially Atlantic brant and the American black duck—a species which has suffered dramatic population decline in recent years.

Renowned for its winged migrations, the Forsythe refuge is almost 80 percent tidal salt meadow and marsh, interspersed with shallow coves and bays. Each spring and fall, thousands of ducks and geese, wading birds and shorebirds converge on the refuge to rest and feed, making the site a haven for birdwatchers. More than 5,000 acres at the refuge are covered with woodlands which provide vital habitat for a variety of upland species such as songbirds, woodcock, white-tailed deer and box turtles.

The Fund helped with the restoration of trees on nine acres of forestland and sensitive wildlife habitat across public recreation areas at the refuge. Planted in spring 2008, the trees were provided by Virginia-based Conservation Services Inc. and will be managed by the USFWS for habitat and public recreation.

Duke Farms

Since 1998,we have worked with the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Duke Farms Foundation on all aspects of an adaptive reuse plan for Duke Farms, a 2,700-acre estate in central New Jersey. The project will culminate in a Master Use Plan and supporting implementation strategy that capitalizes on the property’s natural, cultural, and historic resources and ensures open-space protection and ecological restoration.