Green Acres Success Stories – Featured Story
NJDEP Green Acres Program Preserves
265 Acres in Hamilton Township, Atlantic County
Major Addition to New Jersey Natural Lands Trust’s Pomona Woods Preserve
On December 31, 2024, after four and a half years of effort by the NJDEP Green Acres Program, the state has finalized the preservation of two spectacular forest properties totaling 265 acres in Hamilton Township, Atlantic County. The properties were formerly owned by Aniland, LLC (93 acres) and CABA Hamilton, LLC (172 acres) and will greatly expand the Pomona Woods Preserve, managed by the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust, more than doubling its size.
The preserved lands provide important habitat for numerous species including federally and state threatened species. The property is also a showcase of blossoming shrubs and wildflowers throughout the year, which visitors can enjoy using numerous unmarked woods roads and trails. In addition to helping further NJDEP’s Connecting Habitat Across New Jersey (CHANJ) initiative, this large forest acquisition helps advance NJDEP’s Carbon Sequestration strategy to help mitigate climate change.
Unfortunately, these properties had been used for decades as a dumping ground. The good news is that as part of this acquisition project, the properties have now been cleaned up, returning the forest to a natural state. Thanks to the cooperation of the former owners and with guidance from the Green Acres Program, an unbelievable 70 tons of debris was removed!
NJDEP was awarded matching grants from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund to assist with this acquisition project.
More information about the Pomona Woods Preserve can be found at https://njdepwptest.net/njnlt/list-of-preserves/pomona-woods-preserve/
Photo credits: Larry Fink, Green Acres Team Leader and Project Manager
