The Greenwich Township Open Space Committee & Agricultural Board

Rich in history and bountiful in beauty, our township strives to protect its beauty. The Greenwich Township Open Space Commission& Agricultural Board is currently working to maintain open space and scenic vistas in our township through Farmland Preservation and Open Space Acquisition.

2009 Open Space Committee Activity

This year has already been an exciting a productive one, but there is still more in the works! Here's what's already been accomplished, and what's to come:

Accomplished:
1. Aligned the objectives of the Open Space Committee and Agricultural Board to form a joint working relationship
2. Renewed our consulting arrangement with Morris Land Conservancy (MLC)
3. Closed the Hamlen Farm - 87 acres - under the Farmland Planning Incentive Grant

In Process:

• Submitted a Farmland Preservation Plan which includes the priority list of targeted farms and will enable the Township access to country and state funding.
• Currently expanding the list of targeted farms to include in the Plan to be eligible for the next round of funding.
• Currently working on three farmland initiatives with the County and State under the Farmland PIG program.
• Submitted an Open Space Preservation Plan to be included in the County Plan which encompasses the priority list of target lands to preserve for open space and recreation activities in the Township
• Currently working on two active properties under the Green Acres program.
• Initiating the planning stages of creating walking trails on existing Green Acres recreation properties; collaborating with the County to establish awareness and funding to develop a County-wide Trailways Plan of which Greenwich will participate.
• Re-assessed our preservation criteria and established a projected cash flow budget to facilitate our preservation prioritizing and planning processes.
• Created an Open Space Property inventory and coordinated mapping.
• Re-assessing and proposing updates to our Right to Farm Ordinance.
• Making signage available to owners who have preserved land in order to highlight progress to the public.

Up-coming:
1. Map walking trails in our passive Green Acres recreation properties
2. Install signage to highlight preserved land to the public
3. Implement a planning tool to prioritize and budget preservation efforts
4. Create an Open Space Property database

Farmland Preservation and Open Space Plan

Click here to see a PDF of the Farmland Preservation and Open Space Plan

Click on the PDFs below to read more about this subject.

The Green Pages
Warren County Agricultural Board (link to come)
State of NJ Department of Agriculture
Jersey Fresh links
Morris Land Conservancy Organization "How I can preserve my land"
Foodshed Alliance drive to find markets for farmers and support the Buy Fresh Buy Local movement
Warren County Open Space
Land Trust Alliance
New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey
New Jersey Green Acres Program
New Jersey Farm Bureau