Ridge and Valley Conservancy in the News
Shuster Pond Preserve in Warren County grows with purchase of 'final puzzle piece'
August 19, 2021 - Bruce A. Scruton for the NJ Herald
Calling the parcel "a final puzzle piece," the conservancy said the land was sold by the same person who owns a much larger piece of land that has been promised to the conservation effort in the future. The Shuster Pond area is a habitat for threatened and endangered species such as the Eastern bobcat, wood duck, great blue heron, red-shouldered hawk and wood turtle.
Watershed Moments: Paulins Kill Valley
Spring 2022 - Skylands Visitor
The conservancy protects and preserves natural areas that constitute the rural character of the Kittatinny Valley and Ridge region of New Jersey and the Paulins Kill Valley. Among these are several components of a growing trail system within Warren County that add to the already impressive inventory of publicly accessible territory.
Although [Blair Creek Preserve’s] almost-pristine woodland is home to rare, threatened, and endangered animals like the timber rattlesnake and red-shouldered hawk and plants such as Pink Lady-slipper, its location was the impetus for preservation. Blair Creek Preserve is part of a 12,000-acre uninterrupted block of forest with no roads, a pure stretch of trees unmatched in the state.
Comeback Trails: Centered on Rediscovery
Spring 2021 - Erin Burnett for Skylands Visitor
Limestone Ridge Preserve gave a sense of walking through a prehistoric world with large ferns and lush undergrowth. I told myself not to be surprised if a Brontosaurus came walking out onto the path. Susi Tilley and her pup, Roxie, introduced me to Dark Moon Preserve in Frelinghuysen. Despite an ominous name, this beginner level loop is beautiful with tall meadow grass and vibrant colors.
A nearby place called Bobcat Alley and how it's become safer for its namesake
March 10, 2018 - Steve Novak for Lehigh Valley Live
New Jersey’s endangered bobcats have another 84 acres to safely roam.
The recently announced acquisition adds more preserved land to what conservation groups have dubbed "Bobcat Alley," a 32,000-acre corridor in Warren and Sussex counties identified as prime territory for the elusive animal.
The property in Hardwick and Blairstown townships sold for $458,000, according to the Ridge and Valley Conservancy, which, with The Nature Conservancy, acquired the money through donations and grants. The seller, Maureen Raisch, was protecting the land based on her late husband's wishes, the group said in a news release Thursday.
Blair Creek Preserve: New Jersey's deep and almost-pristine woods […]
Summer 2005 - Mary Jasch for Skylands Visitor
Far from crowds and suburbs, the sounds of silence and birds are all that accompany the walker. Hemlock and white pine seedlings are everywhere. Onward, a meadow opens before you. Wild flowers bloom among tall grasses. This infrequently-visited treasure of a forest path is sometimes hard to see, but walk across the meadow to the lower right-hand corner where the unmistakable grassy path slips under the trees. If it has recently rained, a small stream may cross the path or just leave puddles to jump like the froggy inhabitants do or skirt.