Monmouth Conservation Foundation Awarded Environment Grant from Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation

Monmouth Conservation Foundation is pleased to announce it has secured an operational grant from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. The grant will be utilized for the continued acquisition and preservation of open space and farmland in Monmouth County.

This is the first time Monmouth Conservation Foundation has been awarded a grant from the Morristown-based Dodge Foundation, which is one of New Jersey’s largest funders of environment, arts, education, and media programs.

As part of the Dodge Foundation’s most recent grant round, Monmouth Conservation Foundation is one of only 22 organizations that were awarded environment grants throughout New Jersey. These grants support the protection and stewardship of critical watersheds, green urban centers, and local food production/distribution. The grant awarded to Monmouth Conservation Foundation will help protect ecological and natural resources and safeguard critical watersheds in Monmouth County.

Dodge Foundation President and CEO Chris Daggett explains why Monmouth Conservation Foundation was selected for a grant. “We are particularly impressed by the way your organization has managed a significant transition in leadership and an expansion of programs in the county,” Daggett notes. “Your work with partners to acquire parkland in Middletown Township and Aberdeen, as well as your work in Asbury Park, will provide the benefits of preservation to a diversity of communities in Monmouth County.”

Monmouth Conservation Foundation was founded in 1977 in order to acquire, hold, preserve, and protect farmland, open space, and natural resources throughout Monmouth County. As the only countywide land trust, Monmouth Conservation Foundation has preserved more than 6,500 acres of open space and farmland.

Since 2012, the organization has been led by Executive Director William D. Kastning, who is a certified land use planner (AICP), past project manager of New Jersey’s Green Acres Program, and former Millstone Township Committeeman. The executive staff also includes Lisa McKean, managing director, marketing and development. The Board of Trustees for Monmouth Conservation Foundation is headed by President William J. Marraccini.

As always, Monmouth Conservation Foundation is focused on acquiring and preserving open space in Monmouth County. Particular projects involve acquisitions for new parks, enlargements to existing parks, and protecting open space and farmland by acquiring easements in partnership with municipalities, Monmouth County, and the State of New Jersey.

The $15,000 Dodge Foundation grant will enable Monmouth Conservation Foundation to advance these projects and secure additional funding from foundations, corporations, and individuals that – like Dodge – value the importance of environmentally healthy and stable communities in New Jersey.

“Monmouth Conservation Foundation is thrilled about the Dodge Foundation grant,” Kastning states. “The Dodge Foundation is regarded as one of the premiere environmental funders in our state. For the Dodge Foundation to recognize the ongoing preservation and advocacy work of Monmouth Conservation Foundation is significant.”

Currently, Monmouth Conservation Foundation is leading the preservation effort at Chris’s Landing, a 12-acre waterfront property along the border of Middletown Township and Red Bank. Monmouth Conservation Foundation has rallied a coalition to preserve the land as an urban and suburban public park, with access to the Swimming and Navesink Rivers.

In partnership with the Monmouth County Park System and NY/NJ Baykeeper, Monmouth Conservation Foundation is working to establish a 200-acre regional park in a densely populated area that includes Aberdeen Township and Marlboro Township. The ecologically sensitive land includes Lake Lefferts, the Matawan Creek, and active wildlife habitats. With continued land preservation, the regional park could be connected to the Henry Hudson Trail, which crosses Monmouth County all the way to Highlands.

In Asbury Park, Monmouth Conservation Foundation is partnering with community leaders on the 16-block Springwood Avenue Redevelopment Plan. This effort would establish a 1.3-acre urban park, on Asbury Park’s West Side, that includes a playground, civic plaza, stage, lawn area, and walking/jogging trail.

As an active participant in the NJ Keep It Green, Monmouth Conservation Foundation advocates for a sustainable source of funding for open space, drinking water and floodplain protection, farmland, and historic preservation projects. Organizationally, Monmouth Conservation Foundation is committed to assisting in the acquisition of 5,000 acres of open space and farmland over the next five years.

For 37 years, the mission of Monmouth Conservation Foundation has been to acquire, hold, preserve, and protect farmland, open space, and natural resources in Monmouth County. Monmouth Conservation Foundation – a countywide land trust – has preserved more than 6,500 acres of open space and farmland to date. For additional details about Monmouth Conservation Foundation, please visit monmouthconservation.org or call 732-671-7000.