Black River Fields Tapped For A County Preservation Grant

CHESTER, NJ — The Black River Fields in Chester have been recommended for a 2019 Open Space grant by the county's Open Space Trust Fund Committee.

For over two decades, Chester Township has leased the Black River Fields property. The $416,000 grand would allow for the purchase of the property, to ensure it can remain recreational.

The fields are one of six projects across the county recommended for adoption. A formal decision on all the recommended projects will be made at the Nov. 25 meeting of the Board of Freeholders in Morristown. They traditionally accept all recommendations.

Funds for the project come from a voter-approved preservation fund, which is also used for farmland and historic preservation, county parkland acquisition, trail construction, and the purchase of residential properties prone to flooding.

Other proposed projects include purchasing additional parkland in Denville, preserving land near the Russia Brook head waters in Jefferson, and buying and preserving the ValleVue Farms in Morris Township.