ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Morris County) — A 123-acre wooded tract in Rockaway Township has been permanently preserved as open space following the closing of a land purchase funded in part by a $1.04 million grant from the Morris County Open Space Preservation Trust Fund.
The property, now known as the Wildcat Ridge Preserve, was secured by The Land Conservancy of New Jersey with funding approved by the Morris County Board of County Commissioners. The sale closed March 12.
County officials said the preservation marks the first completed acquisition tied to three open space grants approved in November, which authorized nearly $7 million to protect 192.3 acres of land across three municipalities.
“This continues a preservation effort that reflects Morris County’s long-standing commitment to protecting the character and natural beauty of our communities,” said Commissioner Thomas Mastrangelo, liaison to the Office of Planning and Preservation. “Open space enhances quality of life, and our trust fund provides municipalities and nonprofit partners the opportunity to secure funding for meaningful land preservation projects.”
The newly protected parcel is surrounded on three sides by state-owned land within the Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area, which spans more than 6,300 acres of forests, streams and lakes in northern Morris County.
Officials said preserving the tract strengthens a network of protected lands in the region and expands opportunities for wildlife conservation and nature-based recreation.
The property consists primarily of mature upland deciduous forest and includes a two-acre pond that drains into Burnt Meadow Brook. Conservation leaders say the tract is one of the few remaining unprotected forested areas nearby and plays an important role in protecting wildlife habitat and local water resources.
The preserved land also provides a buffer to the Morris County Park Commission’s West Morris Greenway, located just north of the property on the Egbert’s Lake tract.
Since voters created the Morris County Open Space Preservation Trust Fund in 1994, the county has helped preserve more than 18,300 acres of land through more than $300 million in grant funding, according to county officials.
Additional information about the county’s preservation programs is available through the Morris County Preservation Trust Fund.
