Summer Newsletter: Introducing Limestone Forest Preserve

Read all about The Land Conservancy's highlights from the past few months in the most recent Outdoor Issues.

Sinkhole pond at Limestone Forest Preserve

Here's an example: They say good things come to those who wait, and this most recent accomplishment takes that sentiment to the extreme. After 22 years of effort, The Land Conservancy of New Jersey finally closed on 248 acres in Sussex County’s Hampton Township in June. Dubbed Limestone Forest Preserve because of its limestone ridges, this acquisition has us celebrating for a number of reasons.

For decades, TLCNJ has been building a wildlife corridor in this area, preserving 1,000 acres in 14 different projects. It is a key part of a longtime Conservancy effort to preserve limestone forests and establish a greenway to connect the Paulinskill Wildlife Management Area to Swartswood State Park. Read more about why it took 22 years to accomplish this.

The Great Turtle

Just as exciting is the progress to make Split Rock Mountain more accessible to the Ramapo Munsee tribe. If you’ve been following TLCNJ's work for the past few years, you know about the long journey to save Split Rock Mountain from public auction and return this sacred place to the Ramapo, its original stewards for many hundreds of years.

But even after we acquired the property and donated it to the Ramapo, there was no public access for the tribal members to reach it. We are proud to announce that this has been remedied, and that permanent access to Split Rock Mountain has been secured. Known locally as Owl Woods, this new acquisition contains the ancestral path and Great Turtle entrance to Split Rock Mountain as well as mature forest and animal habitat. The summer newsletter dives into how it all came about.

That's good stuff! And there's so much more, like profiles of our 7 scholarship winners and how we've been connecting with the communities we serve. See it all for yourself!