MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Open Space Trust Fund Committee has recommended that the Board of County Commissioners approve $6.95 million in grants to preserve more than 192 acres across Denville, Mendham Township, and Rockaway Township.

The recommendations were presented during the Commissioners’ public meeting this afternoon in Morristown. The proposed grants range from 11.7 acres to more than 123 acres, and the Commissioners are expected to make a formal decision on whether to approve the recommendations before the end of the year.

“Nearly every municipality in Morris County has benefited from this program since its inception,” said Deputy Director Stephen Shaw, the board’s liaison to the Morris County Office of Planning and Preservation. “By carefully reviewing each application and prioritizing local needs, we’ve preserved more than 14,750 acres through the Municipal and Non-Profit grant program, and more than 18,300 total acres to date through the county’s entire open space program.  This is a remarkable shared achievement that adds to the quality of life for our residents while protecting the county’s environmental heritage.”

“These recommendations represent months of careful evaluation and collaboration with our local partners,” said Jay Thomson, chair of the Morris County Open Space Trust Fund Committee. “Each project reflects our shared commitment to protecting natural resources and expanding public access to open space for generations to come.”

Funding for the program comes from the voter-approved Morris County Open Space and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, which is supported by a special county tax. The fund also supports farmland preservation, county parkland acquisition, historic preservation, trail construction, and the purchase of residential properties prone to flooding.

The 2025 Open Space Recommendations

3 Tingley Road, Mendham Township
Mendham Township has been recommended to receive a $214,000 grant to preserve 11.72 acres along Tingley Road within the Washington Valley Historic District, just north of County Route 510. The scenic property provides a natural buffer between two nearby historic sites and lies adjacent to the Whippany River, a designated trout production waterway. The tract borders Lewis Morris County Park and offers direct access to Patriot’s Path via a spur trail. Preservation would protect a mix of woodlands, wetlands and meadows while enhancing trail connectivity.

Wildcat Ridge Preserve, Rockaway Township
The Land Conservancy of New Jersey has been recommended to receive a $1.04 million grant to preserve 123.30 acres known as the Wildcat Ridge Preserve. The property is surrounded on three sides by state-owned open space within the Wildcat Ridge Management Area. The acquisition would expand the existing network of protected lands, providing additional wildlife habitat and reinforcing long-term conservation efforts in the region’s mountainous terrain. The property consists of deciduous forest and a two-acre pond located in the eastern portion of the site.  The property is immediately south of the Egbert’s Lake tract, which was preserved in part through a $400,000 county open space grant, and contains a portion of the Park Commission’s West Morris Greenway.

St. Francis and Pocono Field Preservation Project
The Township of Denville has been recommended to receive a $5.7 million grant for the preservation of 57.29 acres spanning the historic St. Francis and Pocono Field properties. The land was purchased in 1895 by the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, a Catholic congregation of Franciscan sisters. The St. Francis residential community was later built on the northern parcel and served as a senior living facility for more than 120 years. The property south of Pocono Road operated as a farm and eventually became home to the recreational fields that remain in use today. The original barn now serves as a thrift store.

Both properties were sold in 2022 with plans to construct a modern senior living complex on the northern parcel. Those plans were later abandoned.