Mayor’s Message: Michael Mignogna
Voorhees Township’s Open Space Preservation Program will add another 20 acres to its inventory with the purchase of Ashland Woods, located near John T. Hale, Sr. Memorial Park in the Ashland Section of our community.
On Nov. 3, the Township Committee voted unanimously to preserve the parcel, which is already being used for passive recreation and connection to existing preserved open space and recreational facilities.
As in past open space purchases, Voorhees invited the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national conservation organization to act as liaison between the Township and landowner to facilitate the purchase. Since 1972, TPL has helped protect 3 million acres nationwide, including more than 24,000 acres in New Jersey.
Funding for the $1.6 million purchase will include $800,000 from the New Jersey Green Acres Program, $650,000 from the Camden County Open Space Trust Fund and $150,000 from the Voorhees Township Open Space Fund. The Voorhees Open Space Fund was created in 1999 through a referendum approved by our residents to preserve and maintain land in the Township.
The purchase enhances open space goals for both Voorhees and Camden County since it supports a broader River to Bay Greenway plan developed with local communities that spans more than 70 miles and connects the Delaware River with Barnegat Bay.
The addition of Ashland Woods to our Open Space Preservation Program means that Voorhees has now permanently protected 223 acres of land from development since 2003.
