NBP and its funding partners worked diligently to purchase this environmentally significant 355 acre property which was ideal for a biodiversity park. The Plumsted Township, Ocean County, New Jersey property shares a one mile long border with the Pinelands National Reserve and is in close proximity to Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area. The Pinelands is our country's first National Reserve and a U.S. Biosphere Reserve of the Man and the Biosphere Program. This is an internationally important ecological region that occupies 22% of New Jersey's land area and is the largest open space on the Mid-Atlantic seaboard between Richmond, VA and Boston, MA. The area is underlain by aquifers containing 17 trillion gallons of some of the purest water in the U.S. The preservation of this property keeps intact the possibility of establishing a protected, contiguous greenway along the northern edge of the Pinelands National Reserve. This greenway would protect the unique, thin northern border to the NJ Pinelands, the Pine-Oak ecotone, which has high relative biodiversity when compared to most of the Pinelands. This ecotonal belt is outside the NJ Pinelands Management Area and is therefore susceptible to development pressure. Preserving this belt is imperative when considering the ecological effects of zoogeographical and genetic isolation on population dynamics. There are recent breeding records of several rare amphibian, reptile, and bird species breeding in this area. The preservation of this site will effectively increase the critical habitat needed to sustain viable populations of these species along the coastal plain. On an "acre preserved to species conserved" comparison, the subject area is ecologically more valuable than most of the 1.4 million Pine Barren acres. Therefore, this border and transitional ecotone is worthy of receiving more relative preservation attention since stakeholders are preserving high quality habitat that is known to support many common, uncommon, declining, priority, threatened, and endangered species of animals and plants. National Biodiversity Parks, in cooperation with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, shall manage this property for a broad spectrum of natural communities. New Jersey Conservation Foundation is well known for its preservation accomplishments in NJ. The main goals of the management plan shall be to maximize biodiversity with consideration given to threatened and endangered species. The provision of low impact educational and recreational activities, especially for our youth, shall be emphasized. Please feel free to e-mail NBP with any questions.

WETLANDS The property contains about 250 acres of various wetland habitats including headwater streams, wooded streams, wooded wetlands, vernal ponds, cranberry bogs, ponds and swamps. Approximately 30% of these wetlands have controllable water levels providing a substantial and exciting habitat management tool which we shall utilize to maximize biodiversity. This diversity of wetland habitats is a tremendous asset to many types of wildlife.

FORESTED UPLANDS The 70 acres of forested uplands consists of several species of oaks, Pitch Pine, Sweet Gum, and other various tree species. This is critical habitat for neotropical migrant birds whose populations are declining. The birds depend on quality habitat to refuel energy stores during spring and fall migration. Many of these birds also rely on these forests for their breeding sites. This property lies in an area that possesses the top 10% of breeding bird diversity in the southern half of New Jersey (Birds of New Jersey, Walsh et al, 1999).

UPLAND FIELDS The 30 acres of fallow fields will provide habitat for various taxons that depend upon grasslands to forage and breed. This large, contiguous mosaic of palustrine and riverine wetland habitats mixed with strips of uplands is the basic physical "ingredient" to support what conservation groups are trying to preserve for future generations... BIODIVERSITY!

This property also has rich agricultural history as it was home to one of the first cranberry companies in the world. Below is an archival postcard of the former cranberry canners plant courtesy of Monmouth Plus. Several of the historic structures still remain on site and will be restored to house our education and research programs.

NBP would like to recognize the following organizations who were instrumental in the Plumsted Township acquisition: New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF), NJDEP Green Acres Program (Green Acres), the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), and the Open Space Institute (OSI).

Special thanks is given to the following individuals who dedicated great time and effort towards this project: Emile DeVito (NJCF), Susan Currie (NJCF), Tim Morris (NJCF), Susan Seyboldt (Green Acres), Suzanne Oversvee (NFWF), and Sam Huber (OSI). The following NBP individuals deserve special recognition: Mike Meriney, Dave Magpiong, Scott Angus, Mike Casper, Scott Elowitz, Mike Dougherty, and Fred Virrazzi.

The conservation community would like to thank the Havey Family for their dedication to preserving this property for the common good.