37 Acres In Basking Ridge Purchased By County For Preserved Parkland

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Somerset County Freeholders purchased a portion of land from Basking Ridge to expand one of its nature trails and create more preserved parkland along the Passaic River.

The Freeholders approved the purchase of the 37.69-acre property at their Oct. 11 meeting for $389,000.

“Its location makes it a perfect fit that will enable the (Park Commission’s Environmental Education Center) to expand one of its nature trails that is used for school programs and small-child exploratory hikes,” Freeholder Director Walsh said.

The property, owned by the Ord family, is adjacent to the Great Swamp and the county-owned Lord Stirling Park and directly across Lord Stirling Road from the county Park Commission’s Environmental Education Center.

The rear of the property is wooded with 1,800 linear feet of Passaic River frontage. The acquisition will link county and municipal open space parcels along the river, advancing the cooperative county/municipal preservation initiative along the Passaic River Greenway.

The acquisition protects and provides public access to river frontage for hiking and fishing, in addition to expanding the EEC’s existing environmental activities on the adjacent property.

This purchase brings the county’s total of preserved parkland and open space to just over 15,000 acres. County open space in Bernards will now total 1,350 acres, including Lord Stirling Park and the Second Watchung Greenway. Lord Stirling Park itself consists of 981 acres, including the EEC, Lord Stirling Stable and the former Ross estate property.

(Photo provided: Somerset County Freeholder Director Pat Walsh and Freeholder Mark Caliguire, center, were joined by Parks Director Ray Brown, county Principal Planner Tom Boccino, Park Commissioner Bill Crosby, Bernards Mayor Carol Bianchi, parks staff and property owner Tracey Ord at the announcement of the Ord property acquisition adjacent to the Environmental Education Center on Lord Stirling Road.)

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