County Buys 76 Acres on East Brunswick-South Brunswick Border

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ - On February 16, Middlesex County completed the purchase of a 76-acre tract of land along Ireland Brook on the East Brunswick-South Brunswick border.

Middlesex County purchased the land, known as the Ireland Brook-Tamarack Hollow Extension, from Freedom Run, LLC. The Board of Chosen Freeholders authorized the use of $1.3 million from the Middlesex County Open Space and Recreation and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund to purchase the property.

The purchase connects 1,400 acres of county, state and local parkland, including the Ireland Brook Conservation Area, Tamarack Hollow Preserve and the Tamarack Golf Course.

The purchase of the Ireland Brook property was part of Middlesex County's longstanding effort to preserve critical amphibian habitats and vernal pools. Vernal pools are either man-made or natural bodies of water -- usually in swampy or boggy areas. Because they do not contain fish, they are essential habitats for frogs, salamanders and other plant life that can grow safe from fish predators.

“The property not only increases Middlesex County’s total open space acquired through the Trust Fund to over 8,000 acres, but also protects the habitats of several amphibian species, including the spotted salamander, whose populations are decreasing statewide according to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife," said Freeholder Director Ronald G. Rios.

The life cycle of the spotted salamander depends on the presence of vernal pools in their habitats.

“The County safeguarded several of the vernal pools with the 232-acre Tamarack Hollow Preserve acquisition in 2007,” said Freeholder Deputy Director Charles E. Tomaro, liaison to the County’s Open Space and Recreation Public Advisory Committee. “Until this purchase, the amphibians’ year-round habitat remained unprotected. This acquisition ensures that these amphibians will continue to be a part of Middlesex County’s environment.”

The property will be managed through the Middlesex County Office of Parks and Recreation. Working with the non-profit Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission, the County will develop a management plan that provides for appropriate public access and passive recreational opportunities on the land, while protecting the year-round habitat for these important animals.