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Conservancy Awarded a $400,000 Grant to Purchase Key Musconetcong River Property
Warren County Freeholders awarded grant to Heritage Conservancy for purchase of Cliffside Park Inn property in Mansfield Township
Beattystown along Route 57
The Warren County Freeholders awarded $400,000 in grant money on Wednesday, January 9, 2008 to Heritage Conservancy to purchase the Cliffdale Park Inn (the "Cliffdale") property located at 1280 Route 57 along the Musconetcong River in Port Murray, NJ, for recreational and environmental educational purposes.
The 5.6 acre Cliffdale property has over 1,000 feet of frontage along the Musconetcong River and approximately 920 feet of frontage along Route 57 in Mansfield Township.
In turn for County grant funds to purchase the property, Heritage Conservancy will enter into a Grant Agreement with the County, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding with the Musconetcong Watershed Association (MWA), to allow for coordinated public access to the river and develop river-based recreational and environmental education opportunities for area residents. Heritage will also use the existing facility as our New Jersey/Musconetcong Office.
Per the agreement, the grounds will be open to the general public and will allow canoes and kayakers to enter the river at the Cliffdale in Port Murray and exit approximately 5 miles downstream at MWA's River Resource Center in Asbury.
Heritage Conservancy's heightened presence in the county will provide for accelerated land protection efforts in support of the county's Land Preservation Department and private conservation efforts.
The Conservancy also plans to host green-related educational forums about best management practices including abatement of non-point source pollution, land and river stewardship, gardening with native plants, and conservation tools and techniques in partnership with MWA, the Warren County Department of Land Preservation, and other preservation organizations.
The 157.6 square-mile Musconetcong River Watershed lies within the Highlands region of New Jersey. The Highlands provides the water supply source for the state's major urban areas and the river's recreational and historic resources are important to the local economy. The Musconetcong River Valley features an outstanding diversity of farms, hamlets and villages and secluded natural areas. State, county and local parklands within the river corridor provide significant opportunities for hiking, fishing, canoeing, camping, nature study and other outdoor activities. This river corridor has been a priority for the Green Acres program of New Jersey for the last decade, with a specific goal of creating a greenway along the river.
View of Musconetcong from Cliffdale Park Inn
Heritage Conservancy is also working with the communities along Route 57 to pursue a New Jersey Scenic Byway designation to highlight the unique qualities of the corridor for residents and visitors. The scenic byway planning process will help municipalities along Route 57 preserve and enhance the beauty of the corridor's natural, cultivated and built landscapes and increase tourism and recreational opportunities by balancing growth with preservation of the region's natural and historic heritage.
The wealth of natural and historic resources within the Musconetcong River Valley led Heritage Conservancy to designate the entire watershed as a Lasting Landscape. Maps and additional information about the Lasting Landscapes Initiative and the Musconetcong River Valley can be viewed here.
