Morris County Master Plan: Open Space Element

8/3/2019 Morris County Master Plan: Open Space Element

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/morris-county-master-plan-open-space-element 1/129



Morris County Master Plan

OPEN SPACE ELEMENT

Prepared by:

Morris County Planning Board

Adopted: .

October 6, 1988

Cover Photo Courtesy of:

JamesDel Giudice

SpecializedPhotodesign

Convent Station, NewJersey



Morris County Board ofChosen Freeholders

Michael Dedio, Director

John C. O'Keeffe

AnthonyR. Bucco

PatricJ. Hyland

CarolJ. Murphy

Peter J. O'Hagan, Jr .

JohnR. Sette


.. William J. Mathews, Chairman

Me1veme E. Cooke,

Vice-Chairman

James Nelson,

Secretary

John Kuhnast,

Acting CountyEngineer

Michael Dedio .

John C. O'Keeffe

Vincent Fox

BarryMarell

DonaldF. Roos

Morris County Department ofPlanning and Development

Walter P. Krich, Jr.

Director of Planning and Development

DudleyWoodbridge,PlanningDirector

* RaymondZabihach,

Assistant PlanningDirector

James Woodruff,Assistant Planning Director

Heywood Sommers

Christine Fuertges

Renee Raffetto

Linda Levinson

Carol Simmons

Marta Milos

Gene Cass

*Project Director



Table ofContents

Table of Contents Private Open Space 32

List of Figures, Charts, Tables 11 Commercial Recreational Facilities 32

Preface il l Not-for-Profit Recreational Lands 32

CHAPTER ONENon-Profit Conservation Organizations 32

Non-Profit Camps 34Historical Perspective, Principles, Goals

Property Owners and Homeownersand Objectives Associations 34

HistoI}cal Perspective 1 Outdoor Clubs 34

Principles, Goals and Objectives 4

Principals 4 CHAPTER FOUR

Goals 4 Open Space Needs Determination

Objectives 5 Recreational Carrying Capacity 93Open Space Standards 95

CHAPTER TWO Acres Pe r Population Standards 96Environmentally SensitiveAreas Balanced Land Use Standards 98

INTRODUCTION 7

Aquifers and Recharge Zones 7 CHAPTER FIVE

FreshwaterWetlands 8 Methods of Open Space Acquisition

StreamCorridors 9 DirectAcquisition 101

SteepSlopes 11 OtherMeans of Obtaining Open Space 102

Agricultural Lands 11CHAPTER SIX

Habitat for Endangered andMethods of FinancingOpen Space

Threatened Species 12 Federal Funding 107

CHAPTER THREE State Programs 108

Open Space Inventory CountyPrograms 109

FederalOpen Space 15 Municipal Financing 109

State Open Space 18 Private Sources 109

CountyOpen Space 22 Open Space:What It'sWorth 110

Municipal Open Space 29

CHAPTER SEVENQuasi-Public Open Space 31

SchoolRecreational Lands 31Summary and Recommendations

Watershed Lands 31Summary 111

Recommendations 114



Figures

Figure

1-12-1

2-2

2-3

2-4

7-1

ChartsChart

3-1

4-1

4-2

TablesTable

3-1

3-2

3-3

3-4

4-1

4-2

4-3

1972 Open SpaceWetlands

Flood Plains

Slope 15% or More

Rare Species and Natural Communities

1987 Open Space

Morris County Park Commission Acreage Totals

Acres Pe r Population Open Space Standards

Adequacy of Open Space in Morris County

Federal Open Space in Morris County

State Open Space in Morris County

County Open Space Trends

MunicipallyOwned Open Space

Balanced Land Use Standards

Adequacy of Open Space in Morris County

Municipal Open Space Deficits

11

Following Page

69

10

11

14

116

Page

23

95

98

Page

16

18

22

30

96

97

97



Preface

OpenSpace is undeveloped land that serves a

varietyof functions and that provides essential

character to a particular region. Open spacecanprotect the quality and quantityof surfaceand groundwater resources, preserve distinctive natural, cultural and historic resources,

and provide space for developing facilities tosatisfy the recreation needs of citizens. Openspace can also provide visual relief in densely

populated areas and preserve natural beauty.Because,open space nearly a l w a ~ performsmore than one function, it is:difficult to calculate exact figures for future need.

The 1988 Morris County "Open Space Ele

ment" is intended to provide a framework forcounty and municipal planning efforts so thatopen spacecanbe preserved for an increasingpopulation. This element containsbasicinfor-

ii i

mation that should be used to facilitate coordination of recreation and open space plan

ningwith other planning programs to achievemutual goals. County and local governments

should ensure, through open space planning,a proper balance between natural resourceprotections, adequate recreation space, and

other competing land uses.

Planning for future open space is urgent be

cause the county remains one of the dynamicgrowth counties in New Jersey, and development inMorris County is taking place rapidly.

Lands assumed to be forever open have beensold and developed. Examples includewater

shed lands, golf courses andprivate recreationclubs. Opportunities to preserve open spaceare rapidly being lost.



CHAPfERONE

Historical Perspective, Principles,

Goals and ObjectivesThe open space planning process in Morris

County began in 1956 when the Board of

Chosen Freeholders created the Morris

County Park Commission. Within one year,the commission prepared a report entitled,

"Master Plan and Program for a County Park

System." The acquisition program initiated bythat plan accounted for approximately 4,200

acres of countyowned parkland by 1966,when

the first "Open Space Element" of the Morris

County Master Plan was adopted. The 1966"Open Space Element" was the result of acooperative effort of theMorris CountyPlan-ning Board and theMorris CountyParkCom-

mission. In the sixyear span following the 1966

element, an additional 1,250 acres of open

space were acquired by the Morris County

Park Commission. Furthermore, during that

period, other levels of government, from

municipal to federal, effected increases in

their open space. These acquisition activities

will be discussed further in Chapter Three.The cooperation between the two agencies

was so successful that both county agenciescombined their efforts and resources in

preparing the 1972 "Open Space Element".

Three additional master plan elementsrelevant to open space planning, the "Future

Land Use Element," "Historic Preservation"and "Bikeways", were adopted in 1975, 1976

and 1977 respectively.



Open spaceefforts in th e county are guided

by those principles established in 1957 by th e

Morris County Park Commission. Four dis

tinct categories ofpublic parkland continue to

be recommended.

I. GENERAL PURPOSE PARK

This is th e basic unit which forms th e back

bone of th e park system. General purpose

parks will usually contain places of scenic

beautysuited to familyrecreation.While there

may be limited space for active sports within

such a park, i t is primarily an area for simpler

forms o f o.utdoor recreatio.n as opposed to

those found in Special Purpose Parks.

II. SPECIAL PURPOSE PARK

Some park sites must be acquired to serve a

special purpose or meet a specific need, such

as awater area, a golfcourseor a zoo.Without

such facilities, th e system is no t complete and

they must be provided for. These parks are

usually expensive to develop, bu t in returncan

provide a source of revenue. Some may be

come self-supporting. Due to cost, however,

their development should be deferred until

th e acquisition program is substantially com

pleted.

III. CONSERVATIONAREA

Certain portions of th e county ar e particular

1y suitable to th e preservation and conserva

tion of animal and plant life in its natural state

as a living museum for th e study of nature

first-hand. Such areas are to be found in th e

large swamps in th e easternthird of th e county

or th e wooded mountain sides of Jefferson

Township and would require a minimum of

development.

IV. LINEAR PARKThese parks consist of elongated lands fol

lowing a stream, ridge line or similar natural

feature and, wherever possible, planned to

link together other park sites. Such a facility,

by controlling th e use of river frontage, could

Morris CountyOpen Space Element 2

serve to reduce pollution, p ro te ct f ut ur e

watersheds an d provide flood protection.

Linear parks along existing or proposed high

ways (parkways) should be used wherever

suitable. Th e acquisition of properties alongc e rt a in c ou nt y r oa ds c ou ld re sul t i n th e

development o f scenic drives, preserving

smaller areas of natural beauty or scenic views

otherwise lost forever.

The following ar e descriptions o f an d

abstracts from six earlier open space plans:

1957Park Plan

Th e 1957 "Master Plan and Program for a

County Park System" remains th e guiding

force behind the open space activities under;.

takenbyMorris County an d its various depart

ments, especially th e countypark commission.

Th e plan advocated an aggressive program of

land acquisition by th e newly created county

park commission to compensate for its late

start in th e creation of a county parks system.

I t shouldbe noted that counties to th e east and

south ha d created extensive park systemsmany years earlier. Within 10 years of im

plementing this plan, th e Morris County park

system was becoming th e largest an d best

managed in th e state. By th e mid 1970's, it was

th e largest in New Jersey.

Th e report behind this extraordinary ac

complishment expressly stated that "Land for

county park sites should be acquired' or

reserved for future acquisition by every avail

able method, in all sections of the county, bu t

primarily in those areaswhere open land is fast

vanishing before th e developer."l

1966 Open Space Plan

Th e1966"Open SpaceElement"was th e first

adopted element ofthe Morris CountyMaster



Plan. I t represented a comprehensive revision

of the 1957 park plan in recognition of the

needtomakenewopenspaceproposals predi-

cated by changing conditions.Themain thrustof the 1966 elementwas the

expansion of existing county facilities by ac-quiring land adjacent to those facilities. The

plan also encouraged the coordination of the

dedicated open space around the proposed

Morris County Municipal Utility Authorityreservoir sites.

In the interim between the 1957 and the

1966 Open Space Elements, open space

standardS were developed independently, in

separate studies, by the State of New Jersey

and jointly by the Metropolitan Regional

Council and the Regional Plan Association.Both studies recommended a standard of 12acres of county park land per 1,000 countypopulation. Each was described in the ele-

ment. The 1957 plan had used a 15 acre per

1,000 population standard for computing fu-

ture park land needs of the Morris County

ParkCommission. The 1966"OpenSpaceEle-ment" recommended utilizing the 12 acre

standard which reduced the 1957 plan's goal

of 10,000 acres to 7,500 acres of county

parkland. Since the county park system now

contained 13 facilities, totaling 4,200 acres,most of the open space recommendations ad-

vocated expanding existing facilities. Nine

county parks were designated to be enlargedatotal of 2,528 acres. In addition, countyparks

were proposed fo r the Pulask i and

WashingtonValley Reservoir sites.

Another important change included in the1966Planwas the conceptof "OtherProspec-

tive Public Lands". This categorywas included

to emphasize the importance of future reser-

vationofland along selected rivers and stream

valleys.These linear parkswould serve as linksbetween various open space facilities in addi-tion to preserving the integrity of the rivers atthese locations.

Morris County Open Space Element 3

1972Open Space Element

In 1972, the Morris County Planning Board

adopted an updated"OpenSpaceElement" of

the Morris County Master Plan. It basicallyreinforced the principles and policies of the

two previous openspaceplans.As in 1966, the

elementwas ajoint cooperativeeffortwith the

Morris County Park Commission.A major feature of the 1972 elementwas the

recommendation to expand the linear park

system. In the 1966 plan, linear parks were

delineated for sections of the Passaic River

and Whippany Rivers. In the 1972 "Open

Space Element", all major rivers and streams

were given a proposed linear designation as

"landwith recreational potential". Additional-ly, linear strips of land, identified from aerialphotographs as undeveloped,were designated

as connectors between various open space

facilities without regard to the governmental

level of ownership, whether federal, state or

county.

1975Future Land Use Element

The Morris County master plan elements

prior to 1975 culminated in the "Future Land

Use Element". Open space recommendationsfrom the 1972 "OpenSpaceElement"were animportant component of this plan. Additional

environmental constraints (such as wetlands

and steep slopes) not included in the 1972"Open Space Element", were also utilized in

development of the "Future Land Use Ele-

ment". In addition, many goals and objectives

from the "Future Land Use Element" rein-

forced the specific open space goals and ob-jectives in the 1972 "Open Space Element".

1976Historic Preservation Element

This element complements the open spaceplanningprocess. The goals of historic preser-vation as defined in the 1976"Historic Preser-vationElement"were to develop a recognition



of the county's historic and architecturalheritage and to establish a system to protectand preserve it. Historic preservation is intended to not only save buildings but also to

adapt significant buildings and their groundsand incorporate them into the environment.

The results range from individual buildings tohistoric districts with tree lined streets as wellas individual sites primarily identified by thepublic as parks which link history with openspace.Therefore, when actions are taken towardshistoric preservation, open space may veryoften besaved as a result. The Moms County

park system has five park facilities which in

volve historic or architectural preservation.

1977Bikeway Element

TheMorris CountyPlanningBoard adoptedthe "Bikeway Element" with the intention ofpromoting bikeways for recreation and

transportation purposes. The plan recognizedthat in order for bicycles to be a viable modeof transportation, an extensive recreationalbikeway networkwould first have to be estab

lished. While a number ofmunicipalities haveimplemented local recreational bikepaths, the

Morris County Park Commission has doneextensive work in developing a recreationalbike path system. The park commission is the

lead coordinating agency with participatingmunicipalities in developing Patriots Path, alinear park which unites major park facilitiesthroughout the county. This recreational trailand bikeway will eventually cross MorrisCounty from East Hanover to WashingtonTownship, and tie in with areas within theWhippany and Rockaway watersheds

throughout the county.

PRINCIPLES, GOALS AND

OBJECTIVES

TheMorris CountyPlanning Board and theMorrisCountyPark Commissionshare a com-


mon goal, the conservation of open space forfuture generationswhileproviding recreational opportunities for present generations.This element encompasses all levels of

government. While each has its own openspace jurisdiction, there is a need for greater

regional coordination among governmentalentities. This need underscores the importance of a coordinated open space preservation process. It is hoped that the 1988 "OpenSpace Element"will assist in fulfilling this objective. The purpose of the 1988 "OpenSpaceElement" can be identified with the followingthree principles:

Principles:

1) Enhancement of the quality of life inMorris County

2) Protection of the environment

3) Expansion of recreational opportunity

These principles are supported by the follow

ing goals and objectives:

Goals:

1) To preserve unique natural features andto protect natural resources, especiallywater supply sources.

2) To provide adequate recreational

facilities to all Morris COunty residentsthrough both public and private sectors.

3) To provide open space in balance;with.other land uses throughout the county.

4) To maintain and protect dedicated open

space in perpetuity so that its value as aresource is not diminished for the use offuture generations

5) To encourage a balance of open spacefacilities as provided by the various levelsof government and the private sector.



6) To establishattractive communitydesign,consistingofavisually pleasant landscapewith environmental amenity.

7) To continue maintaining a comrehensive and responsive county park system.

Objectives:

A. Broad-based objectives

1) Governmental regulation and activityshould incorporate concerns for open

space as an important decision makingconsideration.

2) All newdevelopmentand redevelopment

efforts shouldbe designed to enhance th e

existing environmental amenities which

abound in th e county.

3) All unique and important natural resour

c e ~ t a n d features should be identifieda n ~ e l i n e a t e d for protection and preservation.

4) Futurewatersupply, in th e formofwater

sheds, prime a qu if er r ec ha rg e areas,reservoir or well field areas, headwaters

of major streams, steep slopes, wetlandsand major wild life habitats should be

preserved an d protected from disturbance and pollution.

5) Recreational facilities an d programs

shouldbe accessible to allMorris County

residents within a reasonable travel distance.

6) Recreational facilities of both th e public

a nd p ri va te sectors should have th e

flexibility to respond to changing recreational needs.

7) Open space facilities shouldbewell diversified to provide an optimum variety of


recreational opportunity throughout thecounty.

8) It is imperative that a balance o f o pe n

space facilities be achieved and main

tained among all levels of government.

9) Existing conditions around parks and

dedi cat ed o p e n space s hou ld be

monitored so that any adverse impacts

can be mitigated.

10)Direct and indirect acquisition techni

ques should be used to maximize:. th e

amount of open space preserved in per

petuity.

11 :Open space facilities should have a complementary relationship with surrounding land uses.

12)Open space facilities should be available

throughout th e county based on uniformcriteria of population and land use.

B. Specific Objectives for theCounty Park System

13)The park system must serve all county

residents. Parks must be located so all

sections of th e county have equal opportunities to share in their recreational

facilities.

14)The goal in park acreage should be

reviewed periodically in terms of chang

ing population trends. Adjustments t o t he

long range program should attempt tomeet greatest needs first, being flexible·

enough to cope with sudden changes in

conditions.

15)Th e total complexofparks and recreation

areas within th e county should reflect abalance among municipal, county, state

and federal systems. Th e facilities within

countyparks shouldsupplement, not sup-



plant, those developed inmunicipal, stateor federal parks.

16)County parklands should be located inrelation to other land uses appropriate to

the area andshouldbe integratedwith the

CountyMasterPlan, as well as the master

plans of individual municipalities.

17)Land for county park sites should be ac

quired or reserved for acquisition in allsections of the county, but primarily in

those areas where open land is fast beingconverted to other uses.

The Morris County Park Commission hasactively implemented and pursued actions

which reinforce the above principles, goalsand objectives. Morris County's park facilities

offer a wide range of recreational oppor

tunities, protect substantial areas of environ

mental concern and are conveniently located

throughout the county. The park commission,

as will be discussed in greater detail in sub

sequent chapters, has pursued acommendableacquisition program.

TheMorris County Planning Board has vir-tually no implementation power with respect

to preservingopen space. However, the county planning board, through its staff, has incor

porated the recommendations of its 1972

"Open Space Element" into the site plan and

1. Master Plan and Program for a County ParkSystem. 1957. p. 157

subdivision review process wherever ap

plicable. Between 1972 and 1986, 108 open

space recommendations were made as part of

the county site plan and subdivision review

process. Recommendations were made onlywhen the application interfaced with areas

designated as having "recreational potential"

in the 1972 plan (See Figure 1-1).To date, the response to these comments and

recommendations has not been overwhelming

and only 21 applications have been imple

mented. Nonetheless, these have resulted inthe dedication of 198 acres of open space.andthe creation of conservation easements rang

ing in width from 30 to 300 feet. Currently, 16

of the 108 applications are active and may yet

result in additional open space dedicationand/or easement. These efforts represent asmall portion of the overall open space ac

quisition and protection process described in

this element.Additionally the Morris County Park Com

mission will continue to pursue an active ac

quisition program for open space thatw.ill ~ o only complement and protect eXIstmgparkland and facilities, but also protect environmentally sensitive areas and preserveremarkable natural and historical sites. The

commission will also continue to cooperatewith municipalities to achieve mutual goals.






CHAPTERlWO

Environmentally Sensitive Areas

Environmentally sensitive areas are thoseareas of land and water, which due to their

particular physical characteristics (i.e. hydrol-·.;.;·

ogy, geology, soils, vegetation) are greatly im-

paired by the modifications of development

activities. The loss or disturbance of environ-

menta lly sensi tive areas may result in

detrimental impacts not only to the environ-

ment, but economically and socially as well.

The destruction of these areas may immedi-

ately impact surrounding communities in a

number of ways: flood hazards, surface and

groundwater supply contamination, or the lossof productive lands and renewable resources.

In Morris County, environmentally sensitive

areas include steep slopes, stream corridors,

wetlands, sole source aquifers and their

recharge zones, agricultural lands, threatened


and endangered flora and fauna. Some ofthese, such as stream corridors, wetlands and

steep slopes, demonstrate significant develop-

ment constraints because of their physical and

hydrological factors. Environmentally sensi-

tive areas are important natural resources be-

causeof the ecological, historical, recreational

and aesthetic values they provide to com-

munities.

Aquifers and Recharge Zones

An aquifer may be defined as a geological

formation that contains sufficient saturatedpermeable material to yield significant quan-

tities ofwater towells and springs.The storage

and movement of water in aquifers are con-

trolled largelyby the porosity and permeability

of the consolidated and unconsolidated rock



and soil formations through which the water

flows. An aquifer recharge area can be

described as porous soil or rock formations

where water can percolate from the earth's

surfaceinto the aquifer. I t is inthese areas thatprecipitation replenishes our groundwater

supply. Each aquifer type has unique charac

teristics, based onthe surficial topography and

bedrock conditions, that determines its

productivity and susceptibility to contamination.

While Morris County's water supplies are

derived from both surface and groundwater

sources," groundwater accounts for a far

greater percentage ofwater' consumed within

the county. In Morris County nearly all the

groundwater originates from local precipitation. When rainfall is low, groundwater helps

to maintain streamflow. And, conversely,

during periods of high precipitation, surface

waters recharge depleted aquifers.

While encroachment on aquifer recharge

areas or the improper management of land

could contaminate both ground and surface

water resources, the longterm implications for

groundwater are far more serious. Once con

taminated, an aquifer cannotflush itselfclean.

Sources of contamination include leakage

from underground storageor septic tanks, surface runoff, pesticides and other sources. The

contamination of an aquifer can resul t in

higher water treatment costs or even the ir

retrievable loss of a water supply.

In recognition of the sensitivity of Morris

County's groundwater aquifers and their im

portance as drinking water sources, the U.S.

Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) has

declared three aquifer systems underlying

Morris County to be "Sole Source Aquifers."

These are the Buried Valley System of the

Central Passaic Basin of Eastern Morris

County and Western Essex County, the Un

consolidatedQuaternaryAquifer in theRock

away River Area; and the Highlands Aquifer

inNorthwesternMorris and Passaic Counties.


As detailed in the "WATERSUPPLY ELE-

MENT', the implications of growth require

that both county and municipal officials take

steps to preserve and protect ground water

resources. Open space and low density zoningare among the primary measures that should

be used to protect aquifer recharge areas.

FreshwaterWetlands

A freshwater wetland is defined by the newly

enacted state law as "... an area that is inun

dated or saturated by surface or groundwater

at a frequency and duration sufficient to sup

port, and that under normal circumstances

does support, a prevalence ofvegetation typi

cally adapted for life in saturated soil condi

tions..."1

Common types of freshwater wetlands include swamps, bogs, and marshes,

usually located in upland depressions or in

periodically flooded areas next to lakes and

rivers.

Freshwater wetlands have always been an

integral, hydrological part of the natural

landscape in Morris County. However, their

ecological significance and functions have

only recently been recognized. Wetlands left

as open space resources are nowrecognized as

valuable, irreplaceable water resources that

benefit both the natural environment andman.Theyhave great value to manin that they

protect and preserve drinking water supplies,

provide a natural means of flood and storm

damage protection, serve to bufferwaterways

from sedimentation, provide essential habitat

for a major portion of the state 's fish and

wildlife, and maintain critical base flow to sur

face waters.

Wetlands are also considered significant in

their role as a productive environment for fish

and wildlife resources. They provide per

manent and temporary habitat such as breeding, feeding and nursery areas for bird and

other animal species. These populations are

supported by the tremendous capacity ofwet

lands to produce basic plant materials and

nutrients. Wetlands also serve to control or-



ganic and inorganic polluting substances

through oxidation, respiration and metabolic

processes, which are their self-cleaning func

tions.

As wetlands perform these functions, theyalsoserve as open space resourceswhichoffer

recreational opportunities as well as scenic

views and vistas. Wetland-related recreation

and education opportunities available inMor

ris County include hunting, fishing, naturestudy, photography and scientific research.

Wetlands also provide attractive settings for

hiking, picnicking, camping and horseback

riding fromthe adjacent u p l ~ n d areas. Duringthe winter seasons, wetlands also provide ice

skating and cross countryskiingopportunities.

In Morris County, freshwater wetlands account for approximately 40,264 acres or 13

percent of the county.2 Figure 2-1 shows the

wetlands of Morris County. The largest wetlands complex in Morris County is associated

with the PassaicRiver. Thesewetlands include

BlackMeadows, Troy Meadows, Bog andVly

Meadows, Hatfield Swamp, Lee Meadows,Washington Valley Meadows and the Great

Swamp which lie in the Central Passaic Basin

in the eastern part ofMorris County. Othersubstantialwetlands in the county include the

Budd Lake Bog in the Raritan watershed,MountHope Swamp in the Upper RockawayRiver watershed, a rare, black spruce-

tamarack bog, and two large wetland areas

adjacent to Burnt Brook in Rockaway

Township. Morris County contains numerousother, smaller wetlands areas integral to the

hydrology of each watershed.

The recently enactedNewJerseyFreshwater

Wetlands Protection Act will now assurestatewide protection of freshwater wetlands.The Act, effective on July 1, 1988, is intended

to preserve the integrity of freshwater wetlands through the use of a regulatory permit

program. Preservation of freshwaterwetlandsas open space at the local and county levelwill

enhance substantially the effectiveness of the

new state regulatory program. Wetlands in


Morris County provide important ecologicalfunctions to both the environment and man.

As many competing uses continue to threaten

wetlands, the preservation of them as open

space areas ensures the perpetuation of theirspecial ecological functions and recreational

opportunities.

Stream Corridors

A stream corridor is awatercourse (i.e. river,

stream, or tributary) and the adjoining natural

border area that is ecologically and hydrologi

cally related. This adjacent border area is the

flood plain, which can be a meadow, marsh,swamp, steep slope or a strip of grass, bushesor trees that serve to protect the waterway.

Stream corridors serve many valuable functions. In their natural state, they protectwater

supply quality and quantity, contribute to the

stability of the ecological community, helpcontrol erosion, and provide potential recrea

tional areas. Stream corridors are regional

natural resources, not confined by political

boundaries. Vegetated buffers help maintainhigh water quality by filtering pollutants, in

much the same way that wetlands filter out

pollutants. Vegetation also controls soil

erosion by preventing siltation which helps to

maintain the integrity of a streams banks.These buffers also provide habitats for fish,

plants and other wildlife.

Undeveloped lands adjacent to trout produc

tion waters are especially important bufferareas. Trout require high quality water and

habitat for spawning, nursery purposes, or for

survival throughout the year. The New Jersey

DepartmentofEnvironmental Protection(NJ

DEP) identifies trout waters and recognizesthem in the State Surface Water QualityStandards.3 Because th e quality of trout

productionwater is sohigh and the availabilityof thesewaters is limited, adequate protection

should be provided to help maintain the in

tegrity of these waters.Stream corridors also provide open space

and recreational areas. They provide visually





attractive and healthy waterways for recreational activities, such as fishing and hiking andother passive recreational activities. The loss

of stream corridors in developing areas has

contributed to the inability of watercourses,th e rivers and streams, to carry ou t their

natural functions as mentioned above. Th e

result is poorwater quality, increased erosion,

the destruction of habitats for vegetation, fish

and other wildlife and the potential loss of

recreational areas.

Developed areas adjacent to streams andrivers which are subject to periodic flooding

pose a serious threat to t h public's health,safety and general welfare. Development

within a flood plain often results in a decrease

in the natural flood storage capacity and increased flood heights. Degradation to the

qualityof the stream alsooccurs iffloodwatersmixwith sanitarysewage. Increased local, state

and federal costs result when it becomes

necessary to remedy th e above problems.

In M or ri s C ou nt y, flood problems are

caused, in part, by development in the floodplain, which is particularly evident in the Pas

saic River Basin where development has

encroached upon th e floodway, (the channel

of a stream and portions of the adjacent flood

plain), and in th e flood hazard areas (thefloodway and additional portions of the flood

plain for a designated frequency of flood).Figure 2-2 shows th e 100-year flood plains in

Morris County. Flood hazard areas have beendelineated by NJ DE P and regulations have

been adopted which regulate construction

within th e 100 year flood plain of non

delineated streams and rivers and also within

the flood hazard area of delineated streams.4

However, strategies to reduce flood damage

must be considered over much broader areasthan justwithin flood hazard limits.

Some county parks have suffered severe

damage caused by the lack of stream corridorprotection in areas upstream. Fo r example,

development on Jackson Brook has caused

thousands of dollars of damage to Hedden


Park; heavy sedimentation of Lake George inSchooley's Mtn. Park has required costly restoration.

Other efforts to control flooding are th e

utilization of wetland and flood plains as openspaceareas, land acquisition andhomebuyout

programs, and th e dredging and cleaning of

streams to improve their flow. In the low lying

areas of Lincoln Park andPequannock, severe

periodic flooding has occurred along th e

Pompton River. In Lincoln Park, efforts arebeing made to convert a stretch of th e MorrisCanal into a detention basin that could helpcontrol flooding. At the same time, an ad

jacent land area would be managed as a park,

preserving the area for both public recreation

and water conservation.A keymanagement strategy for flood control

involves th e purchase and removal of fre

quently flooded housing within th e flood

plain. In Morris County, federal and state

buyout programs focus on the communities

whose homes are on or near th e floodwayandsuffering from repeated flooding. These

programs are the National Flood Insurance

Program (NFIP) under the Federal Emergen

cy Management Agency (FEMA) and the NJ

DEP's Flood PlainManagement Program. The

objectives of these programs are to provide 1)natural open space areas for floodwaters, 2) aninsurance breakand lower costs for the govern

ments involved and 3) a new beginning for the

floodprone home owners.

Under these programs the homes would be

demolished and the area restored to its natural

conditions and used as a flood storage area

The preservation of streams and rivers along

with their adjacent, undeveloped flood plains

wouldhelp reduce increases inflooding, aswellas enhance and perpetuate the environmental

integrity of the flood plains. Stream corridors

would then retain their usefulness as naturalwater storage areas with the added potential

of serving as recreational open space.





Steep Slopes

Natural slope represents the result of mil

lions ofyearsof geologicevents and the effects

ofweatheringand erosion caused by ice,water

and wind. Slope is defined as the verticalchange in elevation per horizontal distance,

usually expressed in percent.In this report, slopes are categorized based

on percent of slope: 0-7 percent, 8-15 percentand 16 percent or greater. Figure 2-3 is ageneralized representation of the slopes in

~ o . r r i s County. Lands with 0-7 percent slopem ~ l c a t e level to gently sloping land, generallySUItable for all land use categories, assuming

acceptable soil conditions. The eastern part of

the county is characterized by areas with

slopes of 7 percent or less and are often wetlands and/or flood plains.

Lands w ith 8-15 percent slope show

moderately sloping topography, acceptablefor residential development at the lower end

of this category, and becoming more difficult

at the upper end. However, slopes ofless than16 percent may still pose significant constraints to development, especiallywhen soils

have a high erosion potential or the soil,

bedrock and vegetation complex is unstable.

Development on these slopes presents the

potential for negative environmental andeconomic impacts. A 16 percent or greater

slope is considered steep. Approximately

~ , O O O acres, or 15 percent of the county, fallmto the 16 percent and greater category. Thepotential disruption of steep slopes fromdevelopment justifies categorizing steep

slopes as sensitive areas.

According to the Soil Conservation Service,U.S. Department of Agriculture, soils with aslopeof 15 percent or greater invariablyentail

s e ~ e r ~ limitations to development, includingbuIldmg and road construction and septic effluent disposal. In addition, the removal of

vegetation and disturbance of soils on steep

slopes by excavation and fill will increase

runoff, resulting in soil erosion, siltation,


stream pollution and the resultant danger offlooding. .

Steep slopes playa vital role in the function

of local natural systems. Slopes of 12 percent

or greater normally are covered with

vegetated growth which hold the soils on the

steep slopes. The roots and thick humic layer

provide important runoff and erosion protection. Vegetated steep slopes also provide cool

and usually clean water to a watershed river

system. Areas along the top of slopes oftenoffer scenic vistas and opportunities for pas

sive recreation. In addition, vegetated steepslopes provide many indigenous wildlifespecies a natural habitat with a food supply

and nesting and resting areas.

InMorris County, development is encroaching on sensitive steep slopes and, due to the

various constraintsof these lands, steep slopes

merit consideration for open space preservation.

Agricultural Lands

Agricultural lands constitute a threatenedcritical resource throughout New Jersey. In

Morris County, agriculture, threatened bydevelopment pressure, is characterized by full

time and part-time farms and country estates.

Large, contiguous agricultural operationsare distributed in the southwestern portion of

the county in the Chesters, Mendhams and

Washington Township, with small pockets of

agricultural lands in Randolph, Harding, Pas

saic, Boonton and Montville Townships andother farms located throughout the county. In1987, Morris County had 356 farms where

agricultural products are raised for profit. Thisaccounts for about 38,000 acres of land. Since1982, county farmland has decreased by fivepercent, according to the Morris County

. Agricultural Extension Service.The Soil Conservation Service of the U.S.Department of Agriculture maintains an in

ventoryof environmentallysignificant agricul

tural lands based on those factors which

produce the best conditions for crop produc-





tivity. Environmentally significant lands in

clude th e following types: prime farmland,

unique farmland, additional farmland ofstate

-wide and local importance, farmlands in or

contiguous with environmentally sensitiveareas, farmlands of waste utilization impor

tance and farmlands with significant capitalinvestments in best management practices.

The first four agricultural land types are based

on their capacityfor production aswell astheir

value as an environmental resource. The

remaining agricultural land types are those

identified for their specific environmental

value. Under these definitions, prime farm

lands are considered to have the greatest en

vironmental significance.

At the state and county level, efforts topreserve farmland are channeled through

county agricultural development boards. The

Morris County Agricultural Development

Board's Farmland Preservat ion Program

enables qualifying farmers to obtain a variety

of zoning protections and farm improvement

aid in return for a pledge to continue using theland for agricultural purposes for eight years.

In addition, farmers have the option of selling

a development easement on their property to

the state, which preserves the land from being

developed.The landcan still be farmed or soldfor farm use. As of August, 1987, eight farms

were in the municipally approved eight year

program accounting for almost 604 acres. Anadditional five applications, totaling 140acres,

were pending at that time. Most of the farms

are in the Long Valley area of Washington

Township, and in Chester, Boonton, Hardingand Passaic Townships.5 Preservation of the

remaining agricultural lands inMorris County

would help retain the active production of

farmland for food and crop production and

protect the historic, open space and scenicvalues of farmland.


Habitat for Endangered andThreatened Species

Endangered and threatened plants and

animals are species whose continued survival

is in jeopardy. These species are generallythreatened by loss or change of habitat, over

exploitation, predation, competition or dis

ease. Federal and state governments and

quasi-public organizations have programs

which recognize and manage individual plant

and animal species.

The p rotection of end ang ered and

threatened plants and animals is a crucial issue

today because of the importanceof preserving

the diversity of our natural species, th e ecosys

tems inwhich theysurvive, and the values they

serve to both man and the environment. Rareplan t and animal species provide certain

ecological, educational, cultural, economic

and scientificvalues, such as the uses of plants

in medicine, industry and agriculture. The

presence and variety ofwildlife and plants are

excellent indicators ofthe overall health of the

environment. Endangered plants and animals

serve as indicators of habitat loss and the in

stability of the environment.

An increasing awareness about our environ

ment has been accompanied by a great con

cern for the protection of plant and wildlifespecies whose outlook for survival is uncer

tain. At the federal level, this interest has

manifested itself in legislation and manage

ment programs.6 The NJ DEP's Endangered

and Nongame Species Program is responsible

for protecting and managin¥ endangered and

threatened wildlife species. In Morris Coun

ty, state endangered and threatened species

include the Brook Trout, Blue-spotted Sal

amander and Great Blue Heron. The NJ

Natural Heritage Program, a joint effort of

theNJ DEPOffice ofNatural LandsManage

ment and The Nature Conservancy, a non-

profit conservation organization, has been

developing an extensive database on rare



plants, animals an d natural communitiesthroughout New Jersey.The Natural Heritage Program has estab

lished a more comprehensive and extensive

listing and definition of rare species and areas

of important natural diversity throughout the

state. Figure 2-4 indicates th e general areas

where these species may occur in Morris

County. Because of the nature and impor

tance of these areas, th e map only gives a

general indication ofwhere these species may

be found. The map's informationwas generalized to maintain confidentiality and is only to

be used .as a guide. Open space preservationand planning can offer these rare plant and

animal species and natural communities of

Morris County the protection they need.In summary, an evaluation of the sensitive

land and water features of Morris County

clearlyshows a rationalframework for anopenspace protection plan. Th e physical features

and sensitive areas of the county are a fun

damental structure ar ound which

municipalities in Morris County can plan for

open space protection and wise land usedevelopment.

Generally, these areas include the county'snatural stream corridors, wetlands, floodplains, aquifer recharge areas, farmlands,

steep slopes and undeveloped forest lands,

which also add to the scenic and rural charm

of the county. As such, these natural resource

elements have contributed greatly to th e

desirability ofMorris County.

Most of th e sensitive natural resources

described are connected to th e hydrologic

cycle and ar e critical to both surface andgroundwater supply. The management andpreservation of our water resources is o ne o f

a series of actions that can be taken to achieve

environmentally sound land use. A more ra

tional, environmentally oriented use of sensi

tive a re as h el ps to p ro te ct t he natural

hydrologicprocesses and the overall quality of

the environment itself.Therefore, th e preservation of sensitiveareas necessitates both open space protectionan d environmentally sound development

standards and land use decisions to secure a

high quality environment for thosewho reside

andwork inMorris County.

lNJSA 13:9B

2Tiner,R , Wetlands of NewJersey,u.s. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wetlands Inventory, 1985, p.26.3 NJ DE P SurfaceWater QualityStandards, NJAC 7:9-4, 1985

4Th e 100-yearflood plain is the area inundated by a 100-yearfloodwhich is estimated to have a one percent chance, or one chance in100of being equalled or exceeded in anyone year. (NJAC 7:13:-1.1 et seq., 1985)

5 Jennifer Johnson, Morris CountyAgricultural Development Board Farmland Preservation Coordinator

6 Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. secs. 1531-1543, 1973

7 Endangered and Nongame Species ConservationAct, NJSA23:2A-1 et seq., 1973




Rare Species and Natural CommunitiesMorris County .

(Shaded areas Indicate at Least OneOccurrence)

For an Occurrence, the Location is...

• Known Precisely

~ r 1 ~ ; { ~ i t ~ I ~ ~ l Known Generally

_.--'---'..... -..... .""..

. -'.............

./.

io

t i l I2 3 4 5 Miles Adapted by MCPB from NJDEP Natural Heritage Program I

Geographical Information System .. June 1987

Morris CountyOpen Space Element 14Figure 2-4



CHAPTER THREE

Open Space Inventory

In orderto assess th e current andfuture openspace needsof th e county, an extensive inven

tory of both public and privateopen space and

recreational lands was undertaken. As with

th e 1972"Open SpaceElement", each level of

governmentwas contacted for its most recent

open space figures. However, more detailed

information was collected on private and

quasi-public open space for this update d u e t o

th e expanding role of the private sector in

providingopen space, and th e important func

tion of th e county in supplying potable water.

Th e data for this update is divided into threemain categories (public, quasi-public and

private,) and eight sub-categories (federal,

state, county, municipal, school parks, water

sheds, commercial recreation and not-for

profit). This data wa s compiled at th e

municipal level so th e total open space foreach municipality could be calculated as well

as for th e county. I t should be noted that

several sources were used to calculate and

verify th e total acreage of th e existing open

spacewithin th e county, and discrepancies be

tween th e various sources appeared in a few

cases. Since th e t i me c o nst ra i nt s in th e

preparation of this element did no t permit th e

full resolution of these inconsistencies, a com

bination of data sources were used to estimate

th e most representative acreage figure.

FEDERAL OPEN SPACE

National parks serve a regional population

and protect and maintain areas of national




significance. The federal government,

through the National Park Service and the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, owns and

manages two major open space parcels in

Morris County, the Great Swamp NationalWildlife Refuge and theMorristown National

Historical Park.

GreatSwampNationalWJldlifeRefuge (NWR)

Location: Chatham,Harding and PassaicTownships

Area: 6,833, acres

DateEstablished: 1960

Division Jurisdiction: U.S. Fish and

Wildlife ServiceThe Great Swamp NWR encompasses a

large portion of Passaic, Harding and

Chatham Townships.An international jetportwas proposed for the site in 1959; however,

following a successful public campaign to

protect this significant wildlife habitat, the

Great Swamp NWRwas established. In 1966,

the Great Swamp NWR was registered as a

national natural landmark as an "exceptional

example of the natural history of the UnitedStates."l

The purpose of the Great Swamp NWR is

"to maintain a natural habitat for all types of

flora and fauna, especiallymigratorybirds, and

to provide nature-oriented recreation, en

vironmental education, and an outdoor lab

oratory for the serious nature student andbiologist."z

Facilities at the Great Swamp NWR include

a wildlife observation center, 10 miles of

unimproved trails, two photo observation

blinds, one information booth and two self

guided interpreted boardwalk trails.Within the Great Swamp, 3,660 acres have

been designated as a Wilderness Area. Underthe Wilderness Act of 1964 the Fish and

Wildlife Service is mandated to protect the

wilderness character of this area. Current


managementpracticeswhich prohibit the construction of facilities such as improved trails

limit public access to the Wilderness Area.

The popularity of the Great Swamp as a

recreational facility is reflected in the increasein the numberofvisitors from 187,515 in 1972

to 304,000 in 1984, an average annual increase

of 5.2%.3

Commonpublic use activities includewildlife

viewing, birding, horseback riding and fruit

picking in the summer and snow shoeing andcross country skiing in thewinter. Deer hunting is allowed by permit only, during a desig-:

nated period in the late fall.

TABLE 3-1Federal Open Space in Morris County

(Acres)

ACl'UALAdditionalProposed

1966 1972 1986 1986

Grea tSwamp (NWR) 3,470 4,800 6,833 2,157*

Morristown (NHP) 1,175 1,339 1,373 0**'

TOTAL 4,645 6,139 8,206 2,157

* Based on "'The Proposed Action A l t e m a t i v e " ~ FinalEnvironmental Impact Statement Master Plan, Great

Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Morris Newton Comer,Mass. 1987,pg.53** The National Park Service has completed its land

acquisition for theMorristownNHP. However, two parcelswillbe accepted i fdonated; the MorrisAreaCouncilofGirlScout camp (213Ac) and the Town of Morristown parcel(0.37 Ac)

The size of the Great Swamp has increased

from4,800 acres in 1972 to 6,833 acres in 1986

(SeeTable 3-1). Under current Service policy,

the Great Swamp can only be expanded byobtaining landfromwilling sellers and throughdonations from adjacent land owners.

Presently, only 397 acres are planned to be

acquired; most ofwhich are private landhold

ings within the boundaries of the refuge.





tact station, soldiers huts and trails. TheMorristown National Historical Park is a well

known historica11andmark in the country. I t

continues to attract an increasingly large num

ber of visitors, as evidenced by a 2.9 percentannual increase since 1972.8 Recreational ac

tivities include picnicking, hiking, 1imited

camping, sledding, sight-seeing, cross countryskiingand photography.The Park Service also

offers films on theRevolutionaryWar period,guided tours and special events such as mock

military encampments. The Morristown National Historical Park has acquired an addi

tional33'4 acres since 1972, raising its total to1,673 acres. There are no' plans for future

acquisitions since the parkhas reached its land

acquisition limit.

STATE OPEN SPACE

The state's open space role is to preservelarge tracts of environmentally sensitive andculturally significant lands and to provideregional recreational areas. This involvement

in open spacepreservation ensures that parks

are available for the public's enjoyment and

that New Jersey's wildlife habitats are pre

served for the protection of the state's in

digenous species. The state's parks, forests,recreational areas and historic sites are ad

ministered by several divisions of NJDEP. In

Morris County, the Division of Fish, Game

and Wildlife and the Division of Parks andForestryown andmanage the state's parkland

and open space. The Office of Green Acres

assists these divisions in obtaining additional

land.

Eachdivisiondiffers in its purposeanduseofthe lands it administers. TheDivision of Parks

and Forestry provides active recreational

facilities such as beaches, ballfie1ds and camp

sites, and preserves state forests and naturalareas. The Division of Fish, Game and

Wildlife maintains wildlife habitats, designated asWildlifeManagementAreas (WMA),


for fish and wildlife production. In certainWMA's passive recreational activities are per

mitted as secondary uses. Located in Morris

County are the Black River and Berkshire

ValleyWMA's.In addition to state parks, forests, recreational areas, historic sites and wildlife management areas, state land can also be designated

as a Natural Area. A natural area is "an area

of land or water which has retained its

primeval character (although not necessarilypristine and undisturbed) and an area having

rare or vanishing species of plant and animal.

life or similar features of interestwhichqualifyfor special preservation.,,9The Natural Areas

in Morris County include portions of Farney

State Park, Hacklebarney State Park, BlackRiverWMA, and all of TroyMeadows.

TABLE 3-2State Open Space in Morris County

(Acres)

AC11JAL 1 1966 1972 1986 1986

Allamuchy StatePark 175 1,D05 1,083 412

BerkshireValleyWMA 1,140 1,140 1,781

BlackRiverWMA 0 2,217, 3,002

Farney State Park 803 803 803

Great PieceMeadows 0 79 230 761

Hacldebarney 433 550 873

Hopatcong StatePark 108 98 98

Jefferson/Sparta Preserve 0 0 155

McEvoy 0 0 95

Musconetcong 135 97 83

TroyMeadows 0 243 334 2,048

TOTAL 2,794 6,232 8,537 3,221

Since1972, the state has added approximate

ly 2,305 acres ofopen space inMorris County,raising its Total to 8,537 acres in 1986 (See

Table 3-2).



State open space represents th e largest

amount ofland owned by a single government.

entity inMorris County. Approximately 8,537

acres of state parklands are in 13 munici

palities in the county. However, only three of

the 11 sites are improved with active recrea

tional facilities.

AllamuchyMountain Park

(Including Stephen's Section)

Location: Mt. Olive

Area In Morris County: 1,083 non-contiguous acres

Total Area: 7,268 acres

Date Established: 1966Division Jurisdiction: Parks and Forestry

Allamuchy Mountain Park is undeveloped

except for the Stephen's Section. A portion of

the Stephen's Section is located along the

MusconetongRiver. Facilities at this area con

sist of picnic shelters, playgrounds, hiking

trails and campsites. Recreational activities

permitted in the undeveloped portion of Al

lamuchy include hunting and fishing. The un

developed portion of Allamuchy Mountain

Park inMt.Olive is partiallycomprisedof land

obtained for the Hackettstown Reservoir. Al

though the reservoir project has been aban

doned, someof the property remaining under

the jurisdiction of the Division of Water Re-

sources could be added to the state's open

space inventory.

AllamuchyMountain Park and the lands that

had been set aside for the Hackettstown Re-

servoir inMorris County help preserve a large

section of the Musconetcong River and the

Morris Canal.


Berkshire ValleyWildlifeManagement

Area

Location: Roxbury, Jefferson andMt.Arlington

Area: 1,781 acres

Date Established: 1940

Division Jurisdiction: Fish, Game and

Wildlife

The Berkshire ValleyWMA is located just

west of a densely populated area ofWharton,

Dover andMine Hill, and abuts the north side

of 1-80. I t is in a major growth corridor and

protects a portion of the Rockaway River and

its tributary, Stephen's Brook, and associatedwetlands.

No active recreational facilities are available

at Berkshire Valley, but hunting, trapping,

fishing hiking, cross country skiing and horse

back riding are permitted.

Black RiverWildlifeManagementArea

Location: ChesterTownship

Area: 3,002 acres


Division Jurisdiction: Fish, Game

andWildlife

The Black River WMA is the largest state

owned open space parcel in Morris County.

This WMA forms the beginning of an open

space corridor of state and county parkland

that almost completelyencompasses theBlack

River as it flows through Chester Township.

Active recreation facilities have not been

developed at theBlackRiverWMA; however,

trails for hiking and horseback riding are available. An abandoned railroad bed serves as the

major trail. Other activities are bird watching,

fishing and hunting.



Farney State Park

Location: RockawayTownship

Area: 803 acres in two non-contiguous par-

cels


Division jurisdiction: Parks and Forestry

Farney State Park is adjacent to Split Rock

ReselVoir in northern Rockaway Township.

The area is undeveloped and the land sur

rounding the park consists of 3,701 acres of

watershed property and 1,900 acres of non

profit conSelVation lands which include a Boy

Scout Camp and theNewJerseyCamp for the

Blind.The park consists of two parcels of 200 and

600 acres in size, situated approximately 1/3

mile apart. They are relatively isolated com

pared to otherstateparks and access is severe

ly limited since the roads are unimproved. Far

ney State Park remains undeveloped as an

active recreation area and there are no plans

to build facilities.

Because this area has remained undisturbed

by development and has retained significant

natural features, the 600 acre parcelof Farney

is designated a Natural Area. The topography

is mountainous with steep slopes and rock

outcroppings. The valleys are usually bisected

by a stream and in some low lying flat areas

contain wetlands.

Great Piece Meadows

Location: Lincoln Park and Montville

Area In Morris County: 230 acres in non

contiguous parcels

Total Area: 370 acres



The state has obtained only a few scattered

parcels in theMorris County portion ofGreat


PieceMeadows, one of the largestwetlands in

the Passaic Basin. Of the 4,275 acres compris

ing Great Piece Meadows, the state owns only

8.6% of this wetland.

The land has not been developed as a park.Someof the parcels are adjacent to the Passaic

River and are prone to flooding. Access is

limited and parcels are landlocked by private

ly-owned property.

Hacklebarney State Park

Location: Chester andWashington

Townships

Area In Morris County: 873 acres

Total Area: 892 acresDate Established: 1924


Hacklebarney State Park was the first state

park established in Morris County. This park

forms the southern portion of the open space

corridor along the Black River at the border

. of Chester and Washington Townships.

Located in a predominantlyagriculturalarea,

Hacklebarney complements the rural setting

by preserving the scenicBlack River corridor.

A 275 acre portion ofHacklebarney hasbeendesignated as a Natural Area. The Lamington

River Natural Area includes a section of the

Black River which flows through a hemlock

forested ravine. Two tributary streams of the

Black River, Rinehart and Trout Brooks, also

flow through the park.

The northernmost portionofHacklebarney

has been developed for active recreational

use. Picnic tables, a playground and a refresh

ment stand are available. Other activities such

as fishing, hiking, cross-country skiing and

sledding are permitted.







CHART 3-1

Morris CountyPark CommissionAcreage

and Land Donations

Morris County Parks_ Total Acreage

8,391

_ Total Donated

3,1.17

Bamboo Brook OEC

Black River Park

Flanders Valley GC

Fosterf ields

Frel inghuysen Arbor.

Great Swamp OEC 1

Hedden Par k j @ ~ ~ j_._

_ _.

_~ · _ · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · _ · · · · · T - - · · _ · · · · · · _ .. _._ _ ] __--I

James Andrews MP

Lewis Morr is Park

Loantaka Brook Res

Mahlon Dickerson Res 2

Mount Paul Memorial

Old Troy Pa rk

Passa ic River Park

Patriot's Path

Pinch Brook GC

Schooley's Mtn. Park

Silas Condict Park

Sunset Valley GC

Tourne Park

Traction Line 3

Will iam G. Mennen SA

Wi I lowwood Arboretum

o 500 1000 1500 2000 2500

1 Agreement with u.s. Fish and WildlifeSeIVice Acres2 572 Acres· Leased from NJ DEP

3 Not Available




The sizeof the county's parks range from the

35 acres of Mennen Sports Arena to 2,156acres of the Mahlon Dickerson Reservation.

More than half of the parks are greater than

250 acres in size.Sixteen of the county's parks are locatedsouth of Route 10. Those in the southeastern

section of the county include Loantaka BrookReservation, Frelinghuysen Arboretum,

Fosterfields, Great Swamp Outdoor Educa

tion Center, Passaic River Park, Mennen

Sports Arena, Pinch Brook Golf Course,Lewis Morris Park and Patriots Path. In thecentral southern section is. James Andrews

Park, as yetundeveloped, and another portion

of Patriot's Path.

Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center,Willowwood Arboretum, Schooley's Moun

tain Park and Flanders Valley Golf Course

serve the recreational needs of the south

western portion of the county. Black RiverPark and Mt. PaulMemorial Park, also in this

area, are undeveloped.

To the north ofRoute 10, MorrisCountyhassix county parks. Hedden Park, Tourne Park

and Old Troy Park serve the municipalitiesalong the 1-80 and Route 46 corridor, whileSilas Condict Park and Sunset Valley Golf

Course are more accessible to thosemunicipalities along Route 23. Mahlon-

DickersonReservation, situatedon thenorthwesternboundaryof JeffersonTownship, ser

ves a countywide population.Nine of the county's parks can be classified

as natural area-general purpose parks and

contain active recreational facilities such as

ballfields,playgrounds, picnic areas, swimming

areas, pedestrian paths and bikeways. LewisMorris Park, Silas Condict Park and

Schooley's Mountain Park are examples of

Morris County's general purpose parks.The remaining parks, excluding the threewhich are undeveloped, can be classified as

special purpose parks. Facilities at these parks

are oriented toward specific recreational, cul

tural, and/or educational activities. Examples


of specific recreational parks include three

golf courses (Flanders Valley, Pinch Brookand Sunset Valley), an ice skating and hockey

arena (Mennen Sports Arena), and a riding

stable (SeatonHackney). Specificcultural andeducational facilities include a historical farm

(Fosterfields), two outdoor educational centers (Great Swamp and Bamboo Brook), and

two arboretums (Frelinghuysen and Willow

wood). Also, at the northern end of Black

River Park, is Cooper Mill, a renovated and

operating grist mill. The unique facilities at

these special purpose parks attract visitorsfrom outside of the county as well.Additionally, the Morris County Park Com

mission has constructed the Traction Line

Bikeway extending along the New JerseyTransit rail line fromMorris Avenue in Mor

ristown to Convent Road at Convent Station.The park commission is also continuing the

acquisition of land for Patriots Path, a major

trail which will link parks across the southern

portion of the county.In addition, the Morris County Park Com

mission is considering the acquisition of anadditional 1,162 acres, as indicated in Table3-3. Areas under consideration for the expansion of Patriots Path have not been included

in the 1,162 acre figure. Several commissionproposals represent land acquisition necessary

for buffer protection in order to mitigate ad

verse impacts from development beyond park

boundaries.The county parks are described below in al

phabetical order.

BambooBrookOutdoor Education Center

Location: Chester Township

Area: 101 AcresA formal garden and education area, Bam

boo Brook was designed by Martha BrooksHutcheson, one of the first female landscape

architects in the nation.Dedicated in 1974, the

center has exotic and native plants, and trails



that wind through the grounds, including aself-guiding trail with 24 stations. Programs

held here include Summer Music Festival

Concert performances, school programs forchildren, and horticultural workshops and

demonstrations for adults.

BlackRiver Park


Area: 488 acres

This park includes Cooper Mill and an un

developed area adjacent to the ~ l a c k River.The area .protects the river from encroach

ment and is available only for day hiking andfishing. At Cooper Mill, which was built in

1826 and dedicated in 1978, visitors can ob

serve an operating grist mill. Programs held

here include folklore, school programs and

related historic and cultural demonstrations.

Future plans include making the facility moreaccessible to the mobility-impaired.

Flanders Valley GolfCourse

Location: Mt. Olive and Roxbury

Area: 409 acres

One of three park commission golf course

sites, Flanders Valley with 36 holes is fre

quently acclaimed by GolfDigest to be one ofthe top 50 public courses in the nation. Sup

port facilities include a clubhouse, pro shop,

snack bar, locker rooms and a golf cart build

ing. Ice skating, conditions permitting, is per

mitted in winter. A non-recreational asset of

this site is that it is a very productivesource of

water for the Morris County Municipal

Utilities Authority, having a well that delivers

over 2,000 gallons perminute.


Fosterfields

Location: Morris Township

Area: 225 acresDesignateda LivingHistorical Farm, Foster

fields is going through a continuous process of

redevelopment. The park commission is re

creating the turn of the century, 1890-1910, by

rebuilding the barns, reconstructing the main

house "The Willows", and preserving a work

ing farm for the enjoyment of visitors.

Weekend programs and activities of farm-related and historic topics are scheduled from

May through October. A Harvest Festival is

heldin the fall, and children's schoolprograms

are popular during the schoolyear.A Visitors'

Center provides information, exhibits, a meet

ing room and slide and film presentations.

FrelinghuysenArboretum

Location: Hanover andMorris Townships

.Area: 128 acres

Fre1inghuysen Arboretum is the administrative headquarters of the park commission. Ac

quired in 1%9, the FrelinghuysenArboretum

is maintained as an ecological haven of native

and exotic plants. The terrain varies from

woodland to swamp to open fields. In themainbuilding, classes and workshops for school

children and adul ts are p resen ted . The

grounds are a principal site for concertsduring

the Summer Music Festival, and are also

popular for weddings. Two self-guiding trails

and a Braille Trail provide insights into the

beauty of nature, for all, throughout the year.

Future plans are to build an educational com

plex with home demonstration gardens,providing an enhanced opportunity for public

education and enjoyment. Continued use of

the community gardens area may also require

the expansion of this activity.



Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center

Location: Chatham Township

Area: 41 acres

The Outdoor Education Center, located at

the eastern end of the Great Swamp,operates

in agreementwith theU.S. Department of the

Interior, and provides extensive programs for

school children as well as for the public on

weekends. It containsa comprehensivenature

resource library, exhibits and hands-on learn

ing resources. A recently c o m p l e t e ~ birdblind,adjacent to a boardwalk and handicapped

parking spaces, makes it accessible to the

mobility-disabled. Future changes for greateraccessibility ar e p lanned and funded. A

boardwalk trail extends approximately one

mile into the Great Swamp through areas rich

with flora and fauna. School classes and family

programs range from maple sugaring and In-

dian Lore to ecology and owl walks.

Hedden Park

Location: Dover, Randolph and Mine Hill

Area: 285 acresA multi-purpose park, Hedden offers both

active and leisure opportunities. The original

40acres ofHeddenParkwere donated in 1963

by Mr. and Mrs. Willard Hedden of Dover.

The park provides green space in a heavily

populated area. Located along Jackson

Brook, the park's six acre lake provides boat

ing and fishing and a place to ice skate in

winter. Trails wind through the park for hik

ing, biking and cross country skiing. A picnic

shelter, family picnic sites and two ballfields

are also available. In 1986, itwas the sitewherethe first concert was interpreted for the deaf.

I t also hosts two concerts during the Summer

Music Festival.


James AndrewMemorial Park

Location: Randolph

Area: 581 acres

An undeveloped area, James Andrews con

tains undisturbed forests and wetlands, mak

ing it a valuable habitat for wildlife. Currently

it is set aside for preservation. .

LewisMorris Park

Location: Mendham, Harding and

Morris Townships

Area: 1,154acres

One of the more heavily used parks, Lewis

Morris was the first county park. A lake re-

creat ion area provides swimming, fishing,

boating and ice skating. These activities are

supportedbya bath and boathousewithsnack

bar, locker rooms and first aid room. Four

ballfields, numerous family picnic sites and

severalgroup areas are connectedbyfivemiles

of trails within the park. There is also a Par-

course Exercise Circuit, and at the Tempe

Wick Road Entrance there is an overnight

camping area for organized groups and a daycamp area.

Loantaka BrookReservation

Location: Chatham, Harding and Morris

Townships

Area: 574 acres

Thislinearparkhelps provide additional pro

tection to Loantaka Brook and th e Great

Swamp. Three ballfields, two picnic areas, a

recreational trail and bridle trail at th e SeatonHackney Stable Complex, and a pond area

offer opportunities for ballgames, picnicking,

jogging, biking, horseback r id ing, c ross

country skiing and ice-skating. Future plans



call for the construction of a group shelter at

the South Street Recreation Area.

Mahlon Dickerson Reservation

Location: Jefferson

Area: 2,155 acres

MaWonDickersonwith its mountainous ter

rain and extensivewetlandsoffers awilderness

experience unmatched anywhere else in Mor

ris County.Approximatelyeightmiles of trails

lead through thick stands of rhododendrons

and mountain laurels. One of the ~ a n y e x c e l -lentfeatures is theHeadleyOverlook, at 1,300

feet elevation, one of the highest points in

Morris County. The northern section of Lake

Hopatcong may be viewed from this vantage

point. The recent addition of Saffin-RockRill

Reservation and the former "SnowBowl"pro

pertyhave opened up a myriadof recreational

considerations for both programs and

facilities. Existing facilities, in addition to the

trails, include adirondack shelters, a tent and

trailercamping area, picnic area, ballfields and

fishing at Saffin Pond. Educational activities

for both school groups and families are held in

the main Saffin Complex.

Mount PaulMemorial Park


Area: 283 acres

This is an undeveloped park being preserved

for future use.

Old TroyPark

Location: Parsippany-Troy Hills

Area: 96 acres

Old Troy Park, formerly an undeveloped

municipal park, has family picnic sites,

children's playforms, horseshoe pits, a ball

field, a hiking trails, and a pond for fishing.

Morris CountyOpen Space Element27

Two streams join at the pond and then flow

through the park into nearby TroyMeadows,

a state Green Acres project. The park's na

tural features of woods, water and wetlands

make it a favorite spot for birdwatching. The

park is being considered for further develop

ment of picnic areas and ballfield facilities.

Passaic River Park ..

Location: Passaic and ChathamTownships

Area: 264 acres

Passaic River Park protects portions of the

Passaic River in Passaic and Chatham Town

ships, and provides for fishing and ice skating

along the river as well as a ballfield and picnic

area. A hiking trail winds along the shoreline

for about one mile. A major addition of land

along the river is being donated by a local

developer.

Patriots Path

Location:Morris Township

Area: 37 acres

Patriots Path is designed as a linear recrea

tionalpark andto protect theWhippanyRiver

from further encroachment. The establish

ment and development of this park is also an

outstandingexampleof county, municipal and

private sector cooperation. Paved sections of

the path are heavily used as biking, jogging and

walkingtrails.The unpaved sections, including

several that run through parkland, are used by

hikers. Administration and maintenance of

the path is the responsibility of the abutting

land owners. When completed, the primary

path is expected to run through the county

from East Hanover to Washington Township,with secondary trails along the Upper Raritan

and Rockaway rivers to link existing local,

county and national parks and historic sites.



Pinch BrookGolfCourse

Location: Florham Park and East Hanover

Area: 102 acres

Pinch Brook is the newest golf course in the

county system. It is an 18 hole, par 65 course

popularwith senior citizens. A new clubhouse

was completed in 1987. Formerly a privategolf

club, a portion was sold for residential con

struction and most of the rest was transferred

to theBoroughofFlorhamPark,which in tum

transferred-it to the county park ~ m m i s s i o n .The area -includes a feeder stream of Black

Meadows, a largewetland in thePassaicBasin.

Schooley's Mountain Park

Location:Washington

Area: 394 acres

Amulti-servicepark, Schooley's has areas for

picnicking, swimming, boating, fishing and ice

skating. Concerts of the Annual Summer

Music Festival are held at the open air naturalamphitheater. Two ballfields, horseshoe pits

and two miles of hiking trails complete the

recreational opportunities available. A hikedeeper into the park reveals waterfalls, fast

moving streams and lush woodland. An infor

mation center is staffed during the summer

monthswhen nature programs, films and trailwalks are scheduled. The park was originally

contributed to theMorristown YMCA by the

Morristown Rotary Club in 1923, andwas ac

quired by the park commission in 1968. It protects environmentally sensitive areas in the

South Branch Raritan Riverwatershed.


Silas Condict Park

Location: Kinnelon

Area: 266 acres

Named for a Revolutionary War patriot,

Silas Condict Park has winding hiking trailsconnecting several scenic overlooks. A pic

turesque seven acre lake offers boating, fish

ing and ice skating. opportunities. Sheer rock

outcroppings challenge -novice rock climbers.

Because of its proximity to Route 23, the park

is extremely busy on Sundays during the sum

mermonths. Families and groups from out-of

county frequently fill the park to capacity.

Sunset Valley Golf Course

Location: Pequannock and Kinnelon

Area: 144 acres

Dedicated in 1974, Sunset Valley Park is an

18 hole golf course of outstanding scenic

beautywith the mountains ofKinnelon form

ing a dramatic backdrop. The serenity of this

popular golf course may be severely impactedbyconstruction ofI-287. Construction is plan

ned for the hillside above the course, part of iton park property. These activitieswill need to

be closely supervised to limit avoidable en-

vironmental degradation.

TournePark

Location: Boonton Township, Denville and

Mountain Lakes

Area: 496 acres

Toume Park is a natural areas park with a

mature forest of giant beech and hemlock.From the top of the Toume, at 895 feet eleva

tion, visitors can see breathtaking views of the

surrounding area. The Emilie K -Hammond

Wildflower Trail is a treasure trove of wood

land wildflowers.Other trails, frequently used



by joggers and cross country skiers, wind

through a bird sanctuary and link with the

Mountain Lakes trails to Birchwood Lake.

Future acquisition plans include land to con

nect the park to the Rockaway River as well

as forprotectionagainst encroachingdevelop

ment.

Traction Line Bikeway

Location: Morris Township and Morristown

Length: Twomiles

The Tract ion Line Bikeway i th e most

recent addition to thethree bikeways that cur

rently run through portions of the county.

Dedicated on June 5, 1986, the Traction Line

was a cooperative effort between the Morris

County Park Commission, Jersey Central

PowerandLight Companyand th e NewJersey

Department of Transportation. The bikeway,

adjacent to New Jersey Transit rail line, is the

only path separated from the county's parks.

I t is a fine example of adaptive re-useofquasi

public land.

William G. Mennen Sports Arena

Location: Morris Township and Morristown

Area: 35 acres

Donated byThe Mennen Company, the cor

porate headquarters ofwhich are adjacent to

the Arena. Supported bybonds issuedin 1975,

the MennenArena hasgrown from a single ice

skating surface to a duplex of two multi-pur

pose rinks. Skatingcontinues here throughout

th e year. It is also used for other events such

as tennis tournaments, concerts and circuses.

Morris County Open Space Element29

WillowwoodArboretum


Area: 131 acres

Located in a shallow valley, Willowwood is a

remarkable mosaic of formal gardens, brook

sidetrails, rolling fields and undisturbedwood

lands. Almost 3,500 kinds of native and cul

tivated plants are available for study. The

estate, dating from 1792, was established as a

private arboretum in 1950, and from 1967until

1980 it was under th e proprietorship of Rut

gers University. In 1980it became a unit of th e

Morris CountyPark system. Geologically, Wil

lowwood and its neighboring park, Bamboo

Brook, are ofparticular interest sinceWillow

wood is in th e Piedmont Province of New

Jersey, while much of Bamboo Brook lies in

the Highlands Province.

MUNICIPAL OPEN SPACE

One of th e roles of municipal government in

providing park land is to supply active recrea

t ion areas easily accessible from residential

neighborhoods. These parks are usually

smaller in size than county parks. Facilities atmunicipal parks include playground equip

ment, picnic areas, ballfields, tennis courts,

basketball courts and swimming pools.

In order to update themunicipal open space

acreages and to determine the type of recrea

tional facilities available at the local level, an

open space questionnaire was sent ou t to

every municipality in the county. Municipal

officials were asked to identify their existing

parks and open space areas by tax block and

lot and street address, and to list the area and

facilities available at each park.According to the responses, a majorityof the

municipalities provide the traditional town

park, playground and/or ballfield. A few mun

icipalities, in addition to providing active

recreational facilities, have obtained parkland



that because of its use and size is not usuallyassociated with this level of government.

Chester Township, for example, obtained the

former Peapack-Gladstone Reservoir and

turned the 315 acre parcel into a primitivecamping area now called Tiger Brook Park.

Also, some municipalities inMorris County

haveenacted clusterdevelopment regulations

which require that environmentally sensitiveareas be dedicated to the municipality as open

space.At "Sherbrooke at Gillette", a develop

ment in Passaic Township, approximately 71

acres of environmentally sensitive land were.dedicated to the township. .

Presently there are 325municipaJ recreation

and open spaceareas inMorris County. These

parks account for 7,605 acres or 23% of thetotal government-owned open space. (See

Table 3-4). The amount and proportion of

land dedicated to municipally-owned open

spacevariesgreatlyfrommunicipality to muni

cipality.RoxburyTownshipwith 704acres, has

themost municipal open space, while Victory

Gardens. has none. Mountain Lakes, one ofthe county's smallest municipalities at 3.2

squaremiles,has the largest proportion (20%)of its total area inmunicipal open space.

Due to the different methodologies used in

the 1972 "Open Space Element" in determining the amount of municipally-owned openspace, a comparison of the 1972 and 1986

figures would be misleading. The 1972 figuresare comprised ofdeveloped and undeveloped

recreational areas and school recreational

areas. The 1986 f igures include both

developed and undeveloped recreational

areas and conservationor criticalenvironmen

tal areas, but not school recreational areas.

A detailed description of open space and

recreation for each municipality can be found

beginning on page 35.

TABLE 3-4Municipally-Owned Open Space

(Acres)

1986

BoontonTown 160

BoontonTownship 78

Butler ·10

ChathamBorough 181

ChathamTownship 156

Chester Borough 57

Chester Township 461

Denville 130

Dover 49

East Hanover 106

Florham Park 117

Hanover 242

Harding 38

Jefferson 69

Kinnelon 18

Lincoln Park 92

Madison 178

MendhamBorough 173

Mendham Township 384

Mine Hill 73

Montville 327

Morris Township 203

Morris plains 77

Morristown 163

Mountain Lakes 358

Mt. Arlington 96

Mt. Olive 412

Netcong 22

Parsippany-TroyHills 449

Passaic 256

Pequannock 429

Randolph 300

Riverdale 8RockawayBorough 23

RockawayTownship 610

Roxbury 704

Victory Gardens 0Washington 342

Wharton 54


TOTAL 7,605



QUASI-PUBLIC OPEN SPACE

School Recreational Lands

School facilities in Morris County providehalf the amount of total recreation area that

municipal parks provide. School recreational

areas account for almost 6% (3,557 acres) of

the tota l open space in the county. The

acreage of land dedicated to school parks in

each municipality ranges from 519 acres in

Morris Township to none in Victory Gardens.

Both publicand private school parks comple

mentmunicipal parks in providing'recreatlOn

al facilities such as ballfields, tennis courts,

track and playground equipment . These

facilities are usually available to residentsduring off-school hours. As mentioned pre

viously, one school-owned property is a nature

preserve and is owned by a school si tuated

outside of the county. The property, known as

"TheGlen", is a 30 acrenature preserveowned

by Montclair State College and located in

Montville. As in the case of other school re

creationallands, township residents are per

mitted to use the tract for passive recreation.

Watershed Lands

Of the eight open space categories, the13,776 acres ofwatershed lands constitute the

largest amount of open space inMorris County

(see Figure 7-1). These lands no t only protect

ground and surface water supplies, but also

maintainwildlife habitats and provide oppor

tunit ies for passive recreation. Although

numerous municipal utility authorities, water

departments, and water companies are si

tuated in the county, only six own significant

parcels of open space to provide and protecttheir water supplies. Three out-of-county

municipalities, Newark, Jersey City, and EastOrange own large tracts of land in Morris

County. Newark's Pequannock Watershed

lands located in Rockaway Township, Jeffer

son Township and Kinnelon Borough, to-


gether total 6,484 acres and contain the Oak

Ridge and Charlotteburg Reservoirs. Jersey

City Watershed lands located in R o c k a ~ a y ,Jefferson, and Parsippany TownshIps

comprise 4,100 acres and contain the Split

Rock and Jersey City Reservoirs. Together,Newark's Pequannock Watershed and th e

portionof the Jersey CityWatershed property

located along the northern edge of the county

form a contiguous open space area of 8,106

acres, an areawhich is over 1,000 acres larger

than the Great Swamp NWR. Actually, onlya

portion, 19%, of Newark's Pequannock's

Watershed is situated within Morris County.

The total area of the Watershed, which ex

tends into Passaic and Sussex Counties, is

25,000 acres. The MCMUA and the

SMCMUA are the two major regional water

purveyors in Morris County. The MCMUA

owns theAlamatongWellField, a majorwater

supply facility located on the border of Ran

dolph and Roxbury townships. In protecting

the water supply, Alamatong provides ap

proximately 460 acres of open space. The

MCMUA also owns two areas that are pro

posed reservoir sites. The 327 acre site of the

Pulaski Reservoir is located in northern Mt.

Olive Township . No plans are currently

proposed for the reservoirs construction.

However, feasibility studies are underway on

the proposedWashingtonValleyReservoir in

Morris Township.Of the total 735 acresof the

Washington Valley Reservoir, presently 564

acres are in open space, the remaining lands

are still occupied by residences. In the mean

time, public ownership is protecting the ap

proximately 400 acres ofwetlands in the pro

posed reservoir area. The SMCMUA's major

landholding is the 900 acre Clyde PottsReser

voir site in Randolph and Mendham Town

ships.The SMCMUA

has also smaller openspaceparcels totalling84acres inHanover and

Morris Townships. The only inter-county

private water purveyor owning a substantial

amount ofopen space inMorris County is the

Commonwealth Water Company, which sup-





is a 1,722 acre tract of Troy Meadows, a large

wetland area in Parsippany-Troy Hills and

East Hanover.

The Trust For Public Land(SchiffNatura! Land Trust)

LANDHOLDINGS:Mendham Borough

andMendham Township

AREA: 401 acres

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) acquires

land throughdonationor at lower thanmarket

value and then conveys the lan<;i to public

agencies or non-profit conmlUnity' groups for

recreational and environmental purposes.

TPL itself does not hold or maintain open

space for a long time period. TPL's only acquisition in Morris County is a former Boy

Scoutcenter, theMortimer L. SchiffReserva

tion, in the Mendhams. The Schiff Reserva

tion was firs t purchased by AT&T to be

developed as a conference center. However,

because of strong local opposition to the

project, AT&T sold it to the TPL for below

market value. In order to finance the main

tenance of the property, approximately 140

acres are slated for a residential development

of 76 single family houses. Also, as part of

Mendham Township's Mt. Laurel obligation,

an existing building will be renovated for 12

condominium units for low and moderate in

come families. Not only was Mendham

Township able to preserve a substantial

amount of open space, bu t i t was also able to

provide lower income housing on the same

property. Some of the profi ts f rom the

. residential development will be used to help

area residents set up the SchiffNatural Lands

Trust for the upkeep ofthe Reservation.TPL

has also applied to the state's Open Lands

Management Program which provides funds

to private property owners to improve their

land for public access.


Nature Conservancy/Conservation Fund

LANDHOLDINGS: Jefferson

AREA: 380 acresThe purpose of the Nature Conservancy is

to preserve and maintain critical wildlife

habitats throughout the nation for rare and

endangered plants and animals. Recently, ap

proximately 300 acres of open space contain

ing steep slopes and rock outcroppings were

donated to Nature Conservancy by a private

landholder. However, an ecological surveydid

not indicate the existence of any rare and/or

endangered wildlife and the tract was trans

ferred to the Conservation Fund. TheMorris

CountyParkCommission is nowin theprocessof acquiring this land.

TheNew JerseyConservation Foundation

LANDHOLDINGS: Hanover, Mendham

Township, Morristown, Passaic and

Washington

AREA: 308 acres

Similar to TPL's intermediary role in acquir

ing open space, the NewJersey Conservation

Foundation also obtains recreational land tobe passed on at costto a governmentor quasi

public agency. The Conservation Foundation

acquires all types of open space and recrea

tionalland in urban, suburban and rural areas.

The NJ. Conservation Foundation's holding

in Morris County will be eventually turned

over to the county park commission or the

respective municipality if the government

agencies are able and willing to accept them.

Most of the landholdings are unimproved and

consist of environmentally sensitive areas ad

jacent to streams. The exception is a lifeestatewith a residencewhichwasdonated to theN.J.

Jersey Conservation Foundation. No plans

have been made at this time regarding the

future management of the estate. The New



JerseyConservation Foundation also acquiresland in less than fee simple in the form of .conservation easements. In Morris County,

the Foundation has acquired conservationeasements primarily along streams.

New JerseyAudubon Society

LANDHOLDINGS: Harding

AREA: 76 acres

TheNewJerseyAudubon Society has established five Audubon Centers throughout thestate. In Morris County, a 76 acre:portion ofthe 260 acre Scherman-Hoffman Sanctuary is

located in Hard ing , with the remaindersituated in Bernardsville, Somerset County.The tract is wooded and contains streams andwetland areas. The Scherman-Hoffman

Sanctuary and the four other Audubon

Centers stressenvironmentaleducation andindoing so, maintain and manage wildlifehabitats at the centers. Only activities such as

birding, photography and nature walks arepermitted on their properties. Fishing, camping, picnics and hunting are excluded.

Non-Profit Camps

Presently, 13 non-profit camps, with landtotalling 1,771 acres, are in Morris County.

Sevencamps affiliatedwith the Girl Scouts orBoy Scouts, presently provide approximately

1,362 acres of open space. The remainingcamps are owned and run by either religiousorganizations or non-profit handicapped organizations.

Property Owners and Homeowners Associations

Both property owners associations and

homeowners associations own and maintainopen space and recreational facilities for theexclusive use of their members. In Morris

County, 36 property owners and homeowners

associations provide approximately 2,285

acres of open space. This acreage includes


waterarea aswell as landarea. Presently, theseassociations are situated in 17 municipalitiesthroughout the county. The associations however differ in their creation and orientation.

A property owners association is an organization consistingof property owners in a specificgeographical area of a municipality. The association mayor may not require mandatorymembership for which a fee is assessed from

property owners. Most of the 21 propertyowners associations in Morris County aresituated around lakes. The lakes and the related recreational facilities, including beachesand playgrounds, are maintained by the associations for the sole use of their members.The property owners associations lands are

distinct and separate from individual propertyowners lands. A homeowners association is anorganization consisting of homeowner's in acluster subdivision, a planned unit develop

ment, or a planned residential development.The developer is responsible for creating the

homeowner's association in accordance withthe municipality's land use regulations. Thepurpose of the association is to maintain openspace and recreational facilities as well as anyother commonly owned areas related to thedevelopment. Membership in the home

owners association is usually automatic withthe purchase of a home in the development.As in the case of a property owners associa

tion, a membership fee is assessed for each

home for the maintenance of the property.

Outdoor Clubs

A not-for-profit outdoor club consists of agroup of individualswho ownandmanagelandfor the enjoyment of open space and associated recreational activities. Presently,eight outdoor clubs provide approximately .

433 acres ofopen space inMorrisCounty.Themost common not-for-profit outdoor clubs in

the countyare ownedor leased by sportsmen's

clubs, such as The Shongum Sportsmen's As-sociation, which use the open space for hunting and fishing. The remaining clubs are



owned by ethnic or other types of social as-

sociations and are geared toward more active

recreational activities such as picnicking and

sporting events. Approximately 948 acres of

open space are owned by not-for-profit com-

munity clubs, service organizations and

religious organizations. The largest parcel of

open space, 871 acres, is ownedby theMission

Society of St. Paul the Apostle in Jefferson

Township.

-




BOONfON

Approximately7% or 113 acres of the Townof Boonton is town-owned open space. Thetown owns 12 parks. Two of the larger parks,Sheep Hill Park and Veteran's MemorialPark, are partially within adjacent

municipalities, so the total of town-ownedopen space is 159 acres. Of SheepHill Park's43 acres, 38 acres are inneighboring Boonton

Township. Located in the northeast comer ofthe town, it is developed for passive recreationsuch as picnicking and hiking. The park alsohas an unique feature, an astronomical observatory. About e ight of the 50 acres ofVeteran's Memorial Park extend into Montville. This park accounts for almosthalfof the

town's park acreage and is presently undeveloped.Nine of the open space parcels are lessthan five acres in size and four of these aredeveloped as tot lots. The main recreationarea is along both sides of the Rockaway

River, with Canalside Park on the east bankand Grace Lord Park on the west bank. Dueto the deterioration inwater quality, however,Parkview Beach, adjacent to Canalside Park

has been closed for health and safety reasons.


Recently renovated, Canalside Park includescourts, children's play areas and picnic tables.A scenic walking path in the Boonton gorge,offers spectacular view ofwaterfalls and rockformations. Grace Lord Park also has playareas andpicnic tables aswell as a gazebo. Theclosing of the municipal beach is only one ofthe problems affecting Boonton Town's park

system. Pepe Fieldwas closed because ofcontaminatedsoils, andVeteran'sMemorial Parkwhile a natural areawithwooded trails, is unsuitable for active recreation because of steepslopes. This problem was addressed in the1982 "Reexamination Report of the BoontonPlan" which recommends expansion of the

park by acquiring an adjacent six acre lotsuitable for active recreation. The largestopen space parcel in the Town of Boonton is

the 134 acre portion of the JerseyCityReservoir situated at the southern border of the

municipality. Public access is prohibited inorder to protect the potablewatersupply.Thetotal open space for the town is 326 acres or

20% of its area.



BOONTONTOWNSIllP

BoontonTownship presentlyowns six parks

whose combined areas total approximately78

acres or 1.4% of its area. The township also

owns a 30 foot easement along the Morris

Canal. Four of the parks are under five acresin size. Leonard Park, approximately fouracres, is the only park in Boonton Township

developed for active recreation. The park, lo

cated offValleyRoad, has playground equip

ment, courts, picnic areas and fishing areas

along a tributaryof theRockawayRiver.Grif-

fith Park, three-quarters of an acre, has only

park benches; however, fishing in the Rock

away River is permitted here. Two parks areunnamed and undeveloped. The two largest

parks, Tumble-In Park (24 Ac) and ForestPark (46 Ac) were created and dedicated to

the township for passive recreation as a result

of clusterdevelopments. Tumble-InPark con

sists of environmentally sensitive areas alongthe southern portion ofBeaver Brook. Trails

and access to the brookfor fishing and boating


are available at the park. Only trails exist at

ForestPark situated at the northern borderof

the township off Hillcrest Road. It too has

open space areas which are environmentally

sensitive.An easement along theMorris Canalwas also dedicated to Boonton Township as aresult of a development. The easement is lo

cated along the rear property lines of residen

ces along Pond HillDrive and provides access

to theRockawayRiver. The township also has

one county park, the Tourne (250 Ac), which

has active recreational facilities available to

Boonton Township residents. In addition to

publiclyowned open space, four not-for-profitassociations, two property owners associa

tions, a sportsmen's club, and a Boy Scout

Camp provide approximately 514 acres of

privately-owned open space. Public, quasipublic and private open space constitute 899

acres or 16% of the township's area.



BUlLER

Butler has four parks with a combined

acreage of under 10 acres, which is less than

1% of the borough's area. This places Butler

third behind Riverdale and Victory Gardens

as having th e least amount of municipally

owned open space. Stony Brook Swim Club,

located in th e south-central portion of Butler,is th e borough's largest park (6 Ac). Recrea

tional facilities at th e swim club includeballfields,playground equipment, picnicareas,and an outdoor swimmingarea.Th eonlyother

parkwith recreational facilities is th e Western

Avenue Park (1 Ac) which contains tennis

courts and picnic areas. Th e remaining two

parks,ArchStreetPark (3 Ac)which abuts th e

Pequannock River and Terrace Avenue Park

ar e presently undeveloped. Three school


parks provide recreational facilities which are

availableto borough residents. Facilities at th e

two elementary schools include ballfields,

playground equipment, courts and track. Th e

high school also provides ballfields and courts.

In addition to public facilities, two privately

owned r ecr eat i onal areas provide ap -

proximately 31 acres of open space. Terrace

Lake, owned by a religious organization, hasminiaturegolf, and swimmingand picnic areas.

Lake Edenwold Association, a property

owners association, owns and maintains Lake

Edenwold and a few adjacent land parcels.

T he total open space fo r Butler is ap

proximately 76 acres, or almost 6% of th e

borough's area.



CHATHAM

ChathamBorough currentlyowns nineopenspace areas which total approximately 178

acres. The municipal open space constitutes

almost 12% of the total land area of the

borough, placing it second behind MountainLakes in having the largest percentageof land

devoted to municipal open space. Only fourparks have been developed for active recrea

tion. Facilities at Memorial Park (7 Ac), Gar

den Park (4 Ac), Sheppard-Kollack Park (14Ac), and StanleyPark (2 Ac) include ballfield,

playground equipment, tennis and basketball

courts, picnic areas, trails, and swimming and

boatingareas.WahulaWoods (36Ac), Brookside Grove (7 Ac), as well as two parcels (11

Ac, 13 Ac,& 84Ac), situatedalong the PassaicRiver have been designated as conservation

areas. At the northwestern border of the

borough, Brookside Grove and the 84 acre

Conservation parcel were acquired primarily


to protect the watershed area. Only passiverecreational activities such as hiking and fish

ing are permitted in this area. WahulaWoods,

situated in the northern section of the

borough, has only nature trails. The two otherconservation areas serve to protect the floodplain of the Passaic River and form two un

linkedsections of a proposed linearpark along

the river. Five school facilities including a

private school are available for use by thegeneral public. These facilities include

ballfields, playgrounds, and track. Two private

outdoor tennis andswimmingfacilities are also

located in Chatham Borough. The total open

space provided by these private recreationalareas is approximately 16acres.The totalopen

space in Chatham Borough provided bypublic, quasi-public, and private entities is

about300 acresor almost20%of the total area

of the borough.



CHATHAMTOWNSHIP

Ten municipal parks comprising approximately 156 acres, nearly 3% of the

township's area, are distributed throughoutChatham Township. The parks range in sizefrom the 0.2 acre Green Village Park, aplayground, to the 76 acre Tanglewood Lane

Park, a summer recreation and conservationarea. All of the parks except for Tanglewood

Laneand asmall conservationarea haveactiverecreational facilities. Facilities at the various

parks include ballfields, playground equipment, courts, picnic areas and trails. Commercial recreation facilities and non-profit organizations within Chatham Township

provide209acres of open space.A private golfcourse and a private swimming club are the

two major commercial recreational facilities.Thenon-profit organizations' open spacecon-


sists of ballfields and an ice rink associatedwith two fire departments, and an outdoorswimming facility. Chatham Township rankssecond in the percentage of governmentowned open space with 32% of its total landarea dedicated to federal, county and

municipal open space.The largest landholderis the federal government with 22% of the

totallandarea (1,333Ac. comprisinga portionof the Great Swamp NWR). The township

also has a substantial amount of countyparkland (475Ac) withthe GreatSwampOutdoor Education Center and portions of theLoantaka Brook Reservation and the PassaicRiver Park located within its borders. Thetotal open space for Chatham is 2,240 acres or37% of the township's a r e a ~



CHESTER

Public open space in Chester Borough is

comprised of three municipal parks: Chubb

Park, GroveStreetPark, andMunicipal Field.

In total, the borough's open space is 57 acres,or 6% of its land area. Chubb Park is locatednear the western border of Chester Boroughand extends into Chester Township. It is the

only municipal park in the county which is

co-owned by two municipalities. Approx

imately42 acresof the 188acreparkarewithinthe borough, making Chubb Park the largestopen space area within the municipality.

Facilit ies at the park include ballfields,


playground equipment, courts, picnic areasand trails. Grove Street Park and Municipal

Field are smaller parks but are more centrally

located to serve the entiremunicipality. Grove

Street Park (9Ac) has playground equipment,courtsand picnic areas;MunicipalField (5Ac)

has a ballfield and a tire playground. The onlyquasi-publicopen space inChester Borough is

a school park associated with a church. The

recreational facilities available at this site include a ballfield and picnic grove. Public and

quasi-public open space comprises 76 acres or

8% of the borough's area.



CHESTERTOWNSHIP

Chester Township, basically a rural

municipality, contains a significant amount ofpublic open space. Municipal, county andstate park lands comprise 27%, or 5,099 acres,of the township's total land area. Township

park land totals 462 acres, and consists of twopark sites: Chubb Park (146 Ac) and TigerBrook (316 Ac). Chubb Park, situated on

Route 24, extends into the borough, and is theonly park in the county co-owned by twomunicipalities. The recreational facilitiesavailable in the Chester Township portion areballfields, riding rings, an ice skating pond anda par course.Tiger Brook Parkwas the formerPeapack-Gladstone Reservoir. I t is now used

as a primitive camping area. No other

municipal recreational areas exist within thetownship. Four county parks and two stateparks are also situated in the township and


make up the bulkof its open space. Two contiguous countyparks,BambooBrookOutdoorEducation Center (101 Ac) and Willowwood

Arboretum (131 Ac), located in the southernpart of township, preserve former private estate landholdings. Mt. Paul Memorial Park(283 Ac), on the eastern boundary and BlackRiver Park (488 Ac), in the south western

sectionof the township, are undeveloped.TheBlackRiver CountyPark and two state parks,

Hacklebarney State Park (640 Ac) and BlackRiver Fish and Game Preserve (3,002 Ac),form an extensive 4,130 acre open space corridor along the Black River from the southwest comer to the northern border of the

township.The total open space for th e

township comprises 5,360 acres or 28% of

Chester Township's area.



DENVllLE

Eight municipal parks totalling 130 acres, or

almost 2% of the township's area, are dispersed throughout Denville. The largest park,

Muriel Hepner Park (32 Ac), is a nature parkpreserving a wetlands area. Gardner Field (14

Ac) and Zeek Road Park (24 Ac) are

developed for active recreation. Gardner

Field is the most intensely developed with

ballfields, basketbal l and tennis courts,

playground equipmentand a pavilion. A swim-ming areaalong theRockawayRiver has beenclosed for health reasons. The land for Zeek

Road Park was recently obtained from the

state. Presently only a soccer field has beenconstructed. Birch Run (24 Ac), Den Brook

(23 Ac) and Toft Hill (8 Ac) parks in thesouthern portion have all been dedicated to

Denville Township from the development of

residential subdivisions. These parks are un

developed. BeaconHill Park (5 Ac) is a smallneighborhood park in a residential area in thesoutheastern section of the township. A

playground has been developed at this park.Partofonecountypark is situatedwithinDenville, approximately 216 acres of the Tourne

County Park is located at the boundary of


Denville, Boonton Township and MountainLakes. The Tourne protects a wooded hilltopand provides a scenic overlook of th e

farmlands and rolling hills of northern and

centralMorris County. In addition to government-owned open space, Denville contains asubstantial number of private recreational

areas. Five private community clubs or

property owners associations are situated

around lakes. These lakecommunities includeCook's Pond, Rock Ridge Community Club,Cedar Lake Property Owners Association,LakeArrowhead Club and Indian Lake Com

munity Club. The use of the lakes and theassociated recreational facilities are restricted

to the resident members of the lake com

munity.

Approximately 300 acres of open space, in

cluding water area, are provided by property

owners associations. Two private golf coursestotalling 199 acres border on the "Valley", aprimarily agricultural lowland area bisected bythe Rockaway River and bordered by two

parallel ridges, in the northeastern section of

the township. Besides providing recreation,

the golf courses act as buffers between





DOVER

TheTown ofDover contains nine parkswith

a total of approximately 49 acres or 3% of the

area of the town. Dover's largest open spaceparcel, comprising almost half of its park

acreage, is an unnamed andundevelopedtract

which covers just over 21 acres on the west

bank of the Rockaway River near theWharton border. The largest improvedpark isHurd

Park, nine acresinsize. Jackson Brook and apond are the predominant features of this pas

sive park which is improved with only

walkways, benches, a foot bridge and agazebo.

Each of the remaining parks is under five acresin size. Across the Rockaway River from the

large open space parcel is Water Works Park

(4.5 Ac). Water Works Park has a ballfield,basketball courts, playground, picnic areasand

a covered pavilion. Fishing is also permitted inthe Rockaway River. Situated in the south

centralportionof town is CrescentFieldwhich

is equal in size to Water Works Park but withfewer facilities. Crescent Field has a ballfield,basketball courts, a playground and a running

track. TheSecondStreet Playground (2Ac) is

directly across the street from Crescent Field.


Two smaller parks, Salem Village and Over

look, are also located in the southern portion

ofDover. Although each park is less than twoacres in size, each has developed recreational

facilities such as ballfields and playground

equipment. In the center of Dover is J.F.K

CommonsPark, less than two acres insizewithplayground equipment and a bandstand. The

remaining municipal park is the King FieldComplex (2.5 Ac) on the northern Dover

Rockaway Township border. The field has

been developedforbaseball andsoftball. Four

school parks contributing 30 acres of recreationallandare also available to town residents.

Permits are required to use the recreational

facilities at the high school and HamiltonField. Facilities available at the schools in

clude ballfields, tennis and basketball courts,playground equipment and track. Additionally, an 18 acre portion of the county's Hedden

Park is situated on the southwest comer ofDover. Public and quasi-public open space

constitutes 97 acres or 6% of the area of

Dover.



EASTHANOVER

The Township of East Hanover presently

owns and maintains five open space parcelswith a combined area of approximately 106

acres, or 2% of the township's area. Only

Lurker Park and Sommer's Park have been

developed for active recreation. These parks

makeup overhalfof the township's totalopenspace acreage.

LurkerPark, situated in the northern sectionof the township and abutting thePassaicRiveris the major recreational area. The 59 acrepark has been developed with ballfields, basketball courts, picnic areas and playground

equipment. Also bordering the Passaic River,

south of Lurker Park is Sommer's Park. Facil

ities at this eight-acre park include a ballfield

and a playground.

The three undeveloped parks for a contig

uous open space areaofalmost39 acres at the

southern EastHanover-FlorhamParkborder.

These parcels, Fairview1, Fairview2, and Gifford Heights, resulted from the development


of residential subdivisions and are set aside forfloodwater storage.In addition to municipally owned park, five

school parks provide recreational facilities..

The use of these parks by the public, however,is restricted to the playground facilities.The county and a commercial recreational

facility provide areas for specific recreational

activities. Adjacent to the three municipalopen space areas is a portion of the county'snew golf course, Pinch Brook. The commercial recreation area is a pitch and putt andbatting cage facility which provides almost 14

acres of private open space.

Two non-profit organizations protect a sig

nificantportion of the flood plain andwetland

areas inEast Hanover. Wildlife PreserVes and

theNewJerseyConservationFoundationpro

tect approximately362acresofopen spacefor

wildlife. The total open space in the township

is 667 acres, or almost 13% of East Hanover'sarea.



FLORHAM PARKOf the 594 acres of open space in Florham

Park, over 19%or 116 acres is municipal park

land. Presently, there are 10 municipal parks

ranging from less than a quarter of an acre

(Campfield Gardens) to 71 acres (EmmettPark). All of-the parks are developed and

provide facilities such as ballfields, playgroundequipment, tennis courts, basketball courts,

picnic areas, swimming, fishing areas, trailsand ice rinks. Except for Emmett Park and

CampfieldGardens, all of the municipal parks

are in residential areas east ofRidgedaleAve

nue. Emmett Park, the largest and most

developed park, is located on thewestern side

of Ridgedale Avenue behind the municipal

complex. Campfield Gardens is located at the

intersection ofRidgedaleAvenue andColumbia Turnpike, and diagonally across fromColumbia Gardens is Prudden Park (0.3 Ac),a picnic area. Mini-Park, Patriot Park, Public

Plaza, and Baldwin Parkare less than one-halfacre in size and centrally located within the

borough. East of these parks is a ballfield,

Stobeaus Field (3 Ac). The remaining two

municipal parks are in the southern areaof the


borough.SpringGardenLakePark is a26acre

linear park along the banks of Spring Garden

Brookbetween a residential development and

the proposed Route 24 right-of-way. The

Beech-crest Recreational Area (14 Ac), theonly park south of proposed Route 24, is dev

elopedwith ballfields, playground equipment,tennis and basketball courts and picnic areas.

In addition to municipally-owned open space,twoschool parks contribute almost 46 acres of

recreational area to Florham Park. The

schoolsofferballfields for usebyborough resi

dents. A portion of the Pinch Brook Golf

Course, a county facility, is also in Florham

Park. Approximately 50 acres of the 101 acre

golf course are in the northern section of the

borough. Private commercial recreationalfacilities account for the largest amount ofopen space in the borough a private golfcourse and a private swim club comprise al

most 279 acres of recreational land. Additionally the City of East Orange Water Depart

ment owns approximately 104 acres of

watershed land adjacent to the Passaic River

to protect its water supply.



HANOVER

Of the total open space and recreationalareas in Hanover Township, 53%, or 260acres, consistofmunicipally-owned park land.

Five of thirteen municipal parks are developed for recreational use. Bee Meadow Park is

the largest developed park. The 93 acre park,situated in the northeastern section of thetownship, surrounds Bee Meadow Pond.

Facilities include tennis andbasketball courts,playgroundequipment, trails anda picnicarea.Fishing andswimmingare also permitted. Thesecond largest park is Central Park (40 Ac),located along the Whippany River on SouthJefferson Road. Only trails and a portion ofPatriots Path run through this park. The two

other developed parks, Malapardis Park (20Ac) and Black Brook Park (18 Ac) each havethe same recreational facilities which includebasketball and tennis courts, ballfields andplayground equipment. Malapardis Park is

near thewestern borderof the townshipwhileBlackBrook Park is near the eastern border.The smallest improved park is Momoe Park,

located on Whippany Road adjacent to theHanover-Morris Township border. This two

acre park primarily serves senior citizens. The


recreational facilities at the park consist ofbocci, horseshoepits and tennis courts.The sixopen space parcels were dedicated to the

township as a result of residential subdivision.Knollwood Estates (5 Ac), Trailwood (9 Ac),Forest Way (19 Ac), and Hanover Green (8Ac) open space parcels are situated in thewestern residential area. Runnymede open

space (27Ac) is adjacent to BeeMeadowParkand Hansch open space (12 Ac) is situatednorthwest of the Morristown Airport. Twoother undeveloped parks are SummitAvenuePark (4 Ac) which is next to Hanover Green

and Reynolds Avenue Park (3 Ac) which is

adjacent to Runnymede. Four school parks

complement theHanover's parks in providingactive recreational facilities such as ballfieIdsand playground equipment. These schools arelocated in each of the residential areas of thetownship. A 49 acre portion of the Frelin

ghuysen Arboretum, a county park, is locatedon the southwest border of the township onEast Hanover Avenue. In addition to government-owned open space, private organiza

tions andbusinesses provide approximately38

acres of open space and recreational area.



Two commercial recreational facilities in the

township are a swim club and a miniature golf

course and driving range.The non-profit New

Jersey Conservation Foundation is currently

holding a seven acre parcel along the banks of

Whippany River. The total open space is 495

acres, or 7% ofHanover's area.




HARDlNG

Harding Township maintains five parks

whose combined areas total approximately 38

acres, less than 1% of the township's area.

Four parks, Bayne Park (14 Ac), Kirby Hall

Park (7 Ac), Equestrian Park (8 Ac) and

Memorial Park (1 Ac) are all within a short

distance of each other in the center of the

township. Facilities at these parks, except

Memorial Park, include picnic areas, a fishingand ice skating pond, ballfields, tennis courts

and an equestrian riding ring. Memorial Park

contains only a monument and is primarily

used for ceremonies. The remaining park,

Barrett Park, is a ballfield and is situated offof

Bailey'sMillRoad adjacent to 1-287.Although

Harding has a small amount of municipally

owned parkland, it has both the greatest per

centage of area and the largest number of

acres dedicated to government-owned parks

and open space in the county. Two federal

parks and two county parks account for 40%or 5,240acresof the total area of the township.

The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge

covers the ent ire southern quarter of the


township while the Jockey Hollow section of

th e Morristown National Historical Park

covers most of the north-western corner. Inaddition, portions of two county parks, 1.oan

taka Brook Reservation in the northeast

corner, and Lewis Morris Park adjacent to

Jockey Hollow, contribute 283 acres of open

space. Not only does Harding have a tremen

dous amount of public open space, but it alsohas 225 acres of privately- owned open space.

Three conservation organizations, Wildlife

Preserves, New Jersey ConservationFounda

t ion and the New Jersey Audubon Society,

preserve approximately 163 acres of open

space for wildlife habitats. A 47 acre portion

of the Morris Area Council of Girl Scouts

camp also extends into Harding Township.

The remainder of the private open space is

maintained by three property owners associa

tions, Lakeshore Properties, Harding Green

Associates and ShadowbrookAssociation.Altogether, 5,541 acres or 42% of Harding is

presently dedicated to recreation land and

open space.



JEFFERSON

Although Jefferson Township is the secondlargest municipality inMorris County, encom

passing 42.9 square miles, relative to its size it

has a small number of acres in municipally

owned open space. Presently, eight parks tot

aling 69 acres are available to the township'sresidents. Three of the parks, Prospect PointPark, Longwood Lake Park and East Shore

Park, are under an acre in size. Prospect PointPark in the Lake Hopatcong area and Long

woodLakePark just northofLongwoodLakearepocket playground parks.EastShorePark,

also in the Lake Hopatcong area, is presently

under development as a pocketpark. Threeof

the remaining five parks are developed for

active recreation. The seven acre Janel Tract

Park, in the northeast section of the township,

has tennis courts, while three acre BradyPark,

in the Lake Hopatcong area, has both tennis

and basketball courts. White Rock Park,

which is two acres in size and is in the WhiteRock Lake area, has only ballfields. The two

largest municipal parks, 713 County Park (30Ac) and Ridge Road Park (26 Ac), are pre

sently undeveloped. The 713 County Park is

located in the Shawnee Lake area in the


southern sectionwhile the Ridge Road Parkis located west of White Rock Lake in the

northernsectionof the township.What Jeffer

son lacks in municipal open space is partially

compensated for by the vast landholdings of

the county, state, quasi-public andprivate sec

tors. The township contains the largest countypark, the 2,156 acreMahlonDickersonReser

vation situated along Weldon Road on thewestern border. In the southeastern comer of

the township is a 563acre sectionoftheState'sBerkshireValleyWildlifeManagementArea.

The quasi-public and privatesectors comprise

approximately 6,695 acres ofopen space and

recreational area, which is twice the amount

of the total government open space containedwithin Jefferson. Of the 6,695 acres, 4,809

acres are owned and managed by Jersey City

and Newark for their water supply. The 704

acre Jersey City Watershed property extends

from the eastern boundary of the MahlonDickerson Reservation to the eastern borderof the township. A 4,105 acre portion of

Newark's Pequannock Watershed, including

the Oak Ridge Reservoir, covers the entire

northern sectionof the township. Commercial



recreational facilities andnon-profit organiza

tions constitute 1,310 acres and 1,406 acres,

respectively, of open space and recreational

land. Commercial recreational facilities in

clude a golfcourse, asportsmen's club and twocamps. Non-profit open space consists of acamp, a conservation fund property, two out-

door clubs and a religious retreat. Although

the township owns a relatively small amount

of open space it has the largest number of

acres currently designated as open space and

recreational land. Public, quasi-public, andprivate open space presently encompass 9,482

acres, or 34% of the totalland areaof Jefferson.




KINNELON

Kinnelon Borough has five municipally

owned parks whose combined acreages total

only 18 acres, which is less than 1% of the

borough's area. Only two parks have beendeveloped for active recreation. The BoontonAvenueField (8Ac) just north of theBoonton

Reservoir and theMunicipal Field (2Ac) behind 'the municipal building off Kinnelon

Road have been developed as ballfields.Pleasant Run Park (3 Ac) south of the

municipal field and two unnamed parks (3 Ac,

2.5 Ac) in the eastern portion of the borough

are undeveloped. Two county parks con

tribute approximately 297 acresofopen space.

Silas Condict Park is located on the northern

border of the borough and a portion of Sunset

ValleyGolfCourse is situated at the southeastborder. Quasi-public and private organiza

tions own and maintain the largest amount of

open space in the borough. Both Butler and

the TownofBoontonhave their surfacewatersupplies situated in Kinnelon. The 670 acre

Butler Reservoir property is situated in the


middleof the borough andfishing is permitted

from the water's edge. Fishing in the same

manner is also permitted at the249 acreBoon

ton Reservoir located at the southern border.

Jersey City has 157 acres and Newark has 143

acres of their watershed properties extending

along the western border of Kinnelon. Al

together, 1,230 acres of open space in the

borough protect surface water supplies. Notfor-profit organizations contribute 690 acresof open space and recreational land. Four

property owners associations, Smoke

RiseClub, FaysonLakesAssoc., Lake Reality

Assoc. and Stonybrook Highland Assoc., ownandmaintain390 acres for theirmembers. The

Lenni Lenape Girl Scouts also operate a 300

acre camp in the southwest portion of theborough.Four schoolparksare situatedwithin

Kinnelon; however, the recreational facilitiesare not available for use by the public. The

total open space is 2,310 acres, almost 19% ofthe borough's area.



LINCOLN PARK

Lincoln Park presently owns and maintains

12 parks whose combined acreages total approximately 92 acres, or 2% of the area of the

borough. The sizes of the municipal parks

range from less than a tenth of an acre (Public

Park), to over 37 acres (Wildan Park). Activerecreational facilities such as ballfields,

playground equipment, and swimming facil

ities are available at 10 parks. The two undeveloped parks are EvergreenPark (4Ac) in

the northern residential area, and Aqueduct

Park (9 Ac) adjacent to the Passaic River in

the southeastern portion of the borough. Pas

sive recreation such as fishing and picnicking

is permitted at Aqueduct Park. Most of the

parks are situated in or near the residentially

developed areas of the borough. Five parks;

Wildan Park, Evergreen Park, John Street

Park (2 Ac), Ryerson Road Park (4 Ac) and

Lyn Park Playground (8 Ac), are all located

northof theErie-LackawannaRailroadwhichdivides the borough in half. South of the rail

road is the Municipal Complex Park (12 Ac),

Beavertown Park (14 Ac), Hilltop Park (0.7

Ac),PublicPark (.04Ac), AqueductPark,ElmStreetPark (0.2Ac), and WillowAvenuePark


(0.5 Ac). In addition to municipal parks, four

school parks also provide recreational areas.Facilities available at the schools include ball

fields, playground equipment and tennis andbasketball courts. Lincoln Park's Recreation

Department leases and maintains the ballfields at the high school on Ryerson Road.

Private organizations provide approximately

354acres of recreational area and open space.The only commercial recreation facilities in

the borough consist of a 108 acre golf course

and a 27 acre outdoor swim club. Non-profit

organizations providing open space consist of

a fire department, the Scottish Rite Associa

tion, a conservation organization and a home

owners association. The conservation organ

izat ion, Wildlife Preserves, Inc. owns

scattered parcels in the flood plain and wet

lands associated with the Passaic River. This

area, known as the Great Piece Meadows, is

also partly protected by the State Division ofParks andForestrywhichowns38acres ofland

in this area. The total open space acreage inLincoln Park is approximately528 acres which

constitutes almost 14% of its area.



MADISON

Even thoughit is one of the smallestmunici

palities in the county, Madison owns 15 parks

whose combined acreage is 178 acres,which is

almost 7% of the borough's area. The parksrange from less than half an acre, Fen Court,to over 64 acres, Memorial Park. Nine parksare under five acres in size.

Presently, onlyfour parks,whichcomprise 87

acres or 49% of the total municipal open

space, have recreational facilities. MemorialPark has ballfields, playground equipment,

picnic areas and trails. RosedaleAvenue Field

(11 Ac) is a ballfield. Dodge Field (5 Ac),

situated on Central Avenue, has ballfields,

courts, playground equipment, picnic areas

and a swimmingfacility. LucyD. AnthonyPark

(7 Ac) on Myrtle Avenue, has ballfields,


courts, playground equipment and picnic

areas.Each undeveloped park is less then seven

acres in size, except for the area known as

Wetlands and Delbarton. This 39 acre parcel

adjacent to Memorial Park is composedprimarily ofwetlands and canonlybe used for

limited recreation.1o

Complementing public facilities are two

private recreational facilities. The MadisonGolf Club, a commercial recreational facility,

.consists of a 20 acre golfcourse. TheYMCA,

a six acre non-profit recreational facility, has

ballfields. The total open space is 301 acres,which constitutes nearly 12% of Madison's

area.



MENDHAM BOROUGH

Municipally-owned open space inMendhamBorough consists of nine parks whose combined acreage totals 171 acres. Seven parks

comprising 157 acres or 91% of the totalmunicipal open space are situated north of

Route 24 where the more densely populatedneighborhoods exist.Three parks, Borough Park (14 Ac), Moun

tain Valley Park (34 Ac) and West Field (10Ac), are developed with active recreationalfacilities. BoroughPark is centrallylocated offof Route 24 and Mountain Road and hasballfields, playground equipment, courts andpicnic areas. North ofBoroughPark isMountainValleyPark which offers fishing, ballfields

and picnic areas. Playground equipment andballfields are also available at West Fieldsituated off ofRoute 24.Almost 93 acres, over 50% of the municipally-owned open space, are used for passive

recreation. Hiking and/or picnics are theprimary recreational activities at Dean Road

Park (47 Ac) and PatriotsWay (19Ac). DeanRoad Park, adjacent to the Mendham Commons development, is the borough's largestpark and includes an arboretum. India Brook


Park in the northwest corner permits fishing.Adjacent to India Brook Park to the south is

Patriots Way, part of a major trail networkextending across the county. The remainingthree parks, Barnside (7 Ac), Franklin RoadTract (9Ac), andHeatherWay Tract (4.5Ac),are undeveloped.The ballfields, track and playground equip

ment of one private and three public schoolsare available for the recreational use of

borough residents.Private outdoor recreational organizations

provide approximately 167 acres of open

space. The Roxiticus Golf Club, on 118 acres,is a commercial recreational facility. Two

property owners associations, Mendham

Commons and the Cosma Lake Association,maintain22acres andone acre respectivelyfortheenjoymentof their members.TheTrustfor

Public land, a non-profit organization,

protects approximately26 acres ofopen spaceinthe boroughwith themajorityof its 500 acre

landholding in Mendham Township.

The total open space comprises 526acres, oralmost 14% of the borough's area.



l\1ENDHAM TOWNSHIP

MendhamTownship has 384 acres, over 3%

of its land, dedicated to open spaceand recrea

tion. In comparison to other municipal parks

in Morris County, the sizes of the township's

parks are large - five of the seven parks are

over 45 acres. Only theMunicipal Pool (4Ac)

and Patriots Path Park (6Ac) are the size of a

neighborhood park. Patriots Path, off West

Main Street,ispart of a major trail systemthrough the southern portion of the county.

The larger municipal parks have no t been

developed for active recreation. The largest,

Dismal Harmony Park (146 Ac), abuts the

northernsection ofLewisMorris Park, a coun

ty facility. As a nature preserve, activities per

mitted at Dismal Harmony include hiking,

bicycling and fishing. Similaractivities and fea

tures exist at most of the other parks. The

Buck Hill Tract (74 Ac) in the southeastern

section, India Brook (58 Ac) and Meadow

wood Parks (49 Ac) in the western section ofthe township are, for the most part, nature

preserves where trails have been developed

and activitiessuch as fishing, picnics and hiking

are permitted. In addition to these features,

theRalstonOpenArea (48Ac) offWestMain


Street is the only large park with ballfields.

Most of these parks also protect stream cor

ridors andwetland areas.

Facilities at the Middle School and the

Elementary School which include ballfields,

playground equipment and basketball courts

are available to township residents.

As mentioned previously, part of a county

parkissituated in Mendham Township. Twosections ofLewis Morris Park, one adjacent to

DismalHarmonyPark and the other adjacent

to the eastern Mendham Township-Morris

Townshipborder, total almost 800 acres. Also

on the eastern border of the township, south

of Lewis Morris Park, is a 13 acre section of

theMorristown National Historical Park.

The Southeast Morris Municipal Utilities

Authority's Clyde Potts Reservoir property

preserves approximately 570 acres of open

space north ofMendhamBorough, bordering

Randolph Township.Thewatershed propertynot only protects the reservoir but also the

streams that feed directly into the surface

water supply.The private sector provides a large amount,

approximately725 acres, of open spacewithin



the township. The most significant parcel ofopen space, the Schiff Reservation, was ob

tained from the BoyScouts ofAmericabyThe

Trust for Public Land (TPL), a non-profit land

trust organization. A portion of the 568 acrepropertywill be developed and sold to finance

the Schiff Natural Lands Trust, an organiza

tion made up of local residents who will

manage the375 acres oflandwhichwill remainas open space.

Two other non-profit organizations

preserve open spacewithin the township: theNew Jersey Conservation Foundation cur

rently owns 85 acres of land in the eastern

section of the township and the Morris AreaCouncil of Girl Scouts has 136 acres of their

campsituated betweenLewis Morris Park and

Morristown National Historical Park.

Only one not-for-profit community club,Brookside Community Club, exists within the

township and provides multi-purpose athletic

fields, trails and a nature preserve on 33 acres

of land. The Mendham Golf and Tennis Club

is the onlyprivateoutdoor commercial facility,consisting of 182 acres of recreational land.

Altogether, 2,645 acres or 23% of the land

area of Mendham Township is currently inopen space or recreational land.




MINEHILL

Mine Hill Township presently owns fourmunicipal parks whose combined areas total73 acres which is almost 4% of its area. The

largest park is known as the Rutgers Tract and

is located in the southwest section of the

township adjacent to the RandolphTownshipborder. This 33 acre park is awildlife preserve

and a bird-watching area. Abutting the north

ern boundary of the park is the Municipal

Beach (26 Ac), a lake recreational areawhich

was converted from a sand and gravel pit. In

addition to the swimming facilities, th e

Municipal Beach has picnic areas.

More accessible to the majorityof townshipresidents are the ballfield at Firemen's Field

and the undeveloped Recreational CenterArea which are situated in the center of the

municipality next to the Municipal Complex.


The recreational areas are adjacent to eachother and each is approximately seven acres in

size.

Township residents are permitted to use the

recreational facilities at the Cranfield School.

Adjacent to the Municipal Complex, this

school park has ballfields, playground equipment and basketball courts.

The only other open space parcel in Mine

Hill is a 132 acre portion of Hedden Park, a

countyparklocated on theeasternborderwith

Dover and Randolph. Hedden Park protectsthe east bank of Jackson Brook as it flows

through the township.

Public and quasi-public open space com

prises 222 acres, or nearly 12% ofMine Hill's

area.



MON1VIILE

Montville Township owns and maintains 16

parks and open space parcels. The combined

parks and open space parcels areas total 332

acres, almost 3% of the township's area. The

size of th e parksvary greatly, ranging from two

andahalfacres (EttaKonnerPark) to 86 acres

(The Community Center). Only six parks are

developed for active recreation.

Most of the parks are situated south ofRoute 202. The Morris Canal/Dorsey Pond

linear park (18 Ac) almost extends the width

of the township parallel to Route 202. The

pond is only used for ice skating. Just below

DorseyPond and east ofPineBrookRoad are

Reilly Field (7 Ac) and the Howard Tract (14

Ac). Reilly Field has tennis and basketball

courts, playground equipment and a ballfield.

The Howard Tract is presently undeveloped.

TheCommunityCenter offofChangebridge

Road is almost at the geographical center of

the township. The Community Center is themost intensely developed parkwith ballfields,

playground equipment, picnic areas, fitness

trails, bocci courts, a skatingpond andsledding

hilland communitygardens. Westof theCom

munity Center adjacent to the Parsippany-


TroyHills Township border isMunicipal Field

which also has recreational facilities such as

ballfields, playground equipment, picnic areas

and trails. East of the Community Center on

Passaic Valley Road is a recently acquired

seven acre open space parcelwhich was dedi

cated to th e township as a result of a cluster

subdivision.

Sixparksare

situatedinthesouthern portion

of Montville below Horseneck Road. E tta

Konner Park (2.5Ac) andManchesterPark (8

Ac) are the only two developed parks in this

area. Facilities available at the two parks are

ballfields, playground equipment and courts.

The four remaining parks are open space

areas. Tristam Place (8Ac)was recently dedi

cated t o the township as part of a cluster sub

division. The township also recently acquired

two parcels of flood hazard land in this area.

The Sharett Tract, (36 Ac) off of Chan-

gebridge Road adjacent to the RockawayRiver, and the John Street Tract (15 Ac), ad

jacent to the Passaic River are to be kept in

their naturalstate as flood plains. The remain

ing parcel, Hilldale Park, (20 Ac) is un-

developed.



There are four municipally-owned parksnorth of Route 202 . Masar Park, adjacent tothe border of Boonton is the only park in this

area developedfor activerecreation. Facilities

at this park include playground equipment,

ballfields, picnic areas, trails, a sledding hilland a pond for fishing and ice skating. Two

other open space areas have been acquired in

this vicinity, one ofwhich, theMars Tract (11

Ac), was dedicated to the township as a result

of an industrial park subdivision.Approximately 51 acres ofopen space in theCritical Water Resources district on Indian

Lane East were also dedicated by:a development. The remaining park In thiS section is

StoneyBrookPark, directlynortheast ofLakeValhalla, which at this time is undeveloped.

Seven school parks also provide active

recreational facilities such as ballfields, tennis

and basketball courts, playground equipment

and trackfor use by the township residents.Six

of these schools are located south of Route

202, and five of them abut municipal parks.An unusual school park utilized by townshipresidents, known as "The Glen", is owned by

Montclair State College. "The Glen" is a 30

acre nature preserve directly north of LakeValhalla adjacent to the StoneyBrook Park.

Other public and quasi-public open spacelandholdings in Montville consist of scattered

parcels in the Great Piece Meadows, owned

Morris

County Open Space Element 61

by the State Division of Parks and Forestry,

and a portion of the Taylortown Reservoir

owned by the Town ofBoonton. The state has

obtained approximately 191 acres ofwetlandsandflood-plains adjacent to the PassaicRiver.

A33 acresection ofBoonton Town's reservoiris located on thewest sideofBoontonAvenue

at the Montville andKinnelon border.

Not-for-profit organizations also provide a

large amount, 251 acres, of open space andrecreational land. Wildlife Preserves, a non

profit organization, owns approximately 50acres of land in the Great Piece Meadows.These parcels are undeveloped and are main

tained forwildlife. One camp, Camp Dawson,

in the northern section of the townshipprovides 77 acres ofopen space. CampAheka,

formerly owned by the Boy Scouts, has been

sold and the land is proposed fordevelopment.

Croation Club, a private club situated below

theBoontonReservoir, maintains 41 acres for

picnicking and recreational activities. Lake

Valhalla Club, a property owners association,owns the largest amount of private openspace, approximately 119 acres, which includes Lake Valhalla and portions of the adjoining land which are maintained for the useby the associationmembers.

The total open space forthe

township is1,022 acres, or 8% of its area.



MORRISPlAINS

Morris Plains maintains five borough parkswhich total 77 acres, almost 5% of its area, tomeet the recreational needs of its population.

Community Park on Jim Fear Drive is about50 acres in size, and has ballfields, tenniscourts, a playgrounda picnicarea, a swimmingpool and a fishing pond. Other parks withactive recreational facilities are Memorial

Park, (4 Ac) and"Cornfield", (9Ac).MemorialPark, on Tabor Road south of Warner Lam-bert, has a ballfield, a running track and a parcourse; and "Cornfield" has ballfields, courtsand a playground. "Cornfield" is actuallyowned by the state but is maintained by the

borough for recreation. Two passive parkscomplete the Morris Plains system. North of


"Cornfield" Park is Roberts Garden Park, ad-jacentto the borough's library. Essentiallyjusta "greenspace", Roberts Garden, which was

originally a private residence, has walkways,gardens, parkbenches anda small pondwherefishing is permitted. Three school parks alsohaverecreational facilities available for use by

borough residents. Mountain Way School,

west ofWatnong Park, has playground equip-ment. Borough School on Speedwell Avenuehas ballfields and playground equipment.CommunityParkSchool, surroundedon threesides by Community Park, shares its recrea-tional facilities. The total public and quasi-public open space comprises 100 acres, or 6%

of the area ofMorris Plains.



MORRIS TOWNSHIP

Morris Township maintains an extensivepark system totalling 203 acres, which con

stitutes 2% of its area. The township encircles

the Town of Morristown, thus making anycentrally-located parks impossible. Instead, 27parks and open space areas are scattered

throughout the township, 16 of which are

developed for active recreation. Six of the

developed parks are in the area bordered bySpeedwell Avenue to the east and Mendham

Road to the south. The largest park in the

township, andmost intenselydeveloped in this

sector, is Streeter Recreation Area, (15 Ac)

with swimming and wading pools, tennis andbasketball courts. Four other parks, Kiwanis

Field (8 Ac), Veterans Field (3 Ac), La Rue

Field (7 Ac) and Butterworth Field (13 Ac)

have only softball fields. The remaining

developed park in this sector is Children'sParkwhere playground equipmenthas recent

ly been installed.In

addition to the parks inthis area, seven open space areas, totalling 52

acres, have been dedicated to the township as

a result of newly constructed subdivisions.

Five of the open space areas buffer streamcorridors. The area south ofMendham Road


and west ofMt.Kemble Avenue contains two

developed parks and two open space areas.

Saunders Field (6 Ac) has a softball field and

basketball courts. Hayward Playground, (1

Ac) has a playground and basketball courts.There is a six acre open space parcel in the

area known as Burnham Park, and another six

acre areawas dedicated as apartof the Rolling

Hilldevelopment. Three parks andthree open

space areas are in the sector bordered by Mt.Kemble Avenue to the west and Madison

Avenue to the northeast. Delpho Field (14

Ac) on Harter Road has a softball field andbasketball courts. South of Harter Road, twoopen space parcels totalling 16 acres were

dedicated to the township as partof theAspen

development, and approximately 19 acres

were dedicated as part of the Blackberry

development. The two remaining parks,

Woodland Pool (8Ac) and GintyField (9Ac),

are adjacent to each other on Dwyer Road.Facilities at these parks include tennis courts,

a softball field, swimming and wading pools

and a tot lot. In the final area, north of

Madison Avenue and east of Speedwell

Avenue, there are four developed parks.







Morristown. The most prominent of these is

the Green, a three acre passive park situatedin the heart of the central business district,owned by the First Presbyterian Church. The

Green, designed with a figure eight path-way,is landscapedwith avarietyof trees, shrubsandflowers. Lawn areas and park benches are

provided for relaxing and people watching.The New Jersey Conservation Foundationowns a nine acre tract on Wetmore Avenue,and adjacent to this is an eight acre portion ofthe

Spring Brook Community Club, a privategolf course. The total open space for Morristown totals 293 acres, over 15% of its area.




MOUNTAINIAKES

Of all the municipalities in Morris County,

Mountain Lakes has the largest percentage of

its land area inmunicipally-ownedopen space.

20%, or 401 acres, of Mountain Lakes has

been set aside by the borough for recreationalandconservation purposes. This acreage con

sists of58parcels ranging in sizefromless than

an acre to 185 acres. There are also two non

municipally-owned tracts, totalling26 acres. Inaddition to its 2.9 square miles of land, the

borough has a large number of lakes, nine in

all, totalling 162 acres, providing recreational

activities which include swimming, boating

and fishing. BirchwoodLake is situated in the

Richard M. Wilcox Park, a 185-acre open

space area in the northern corner of the

borough. In addition to water-oriented activ

ities, picnic areas and hiking trails are pro

vided. The borough has five other parks for

active and passive recreation. The Halsey A

FrederickMemorialPark is the

largest (61 Ac)and is situated in the northeast corner of the

borough. Facilities include tennis courts and

ballfields. Romaine Court, which is less than

an acre, is adjacent to the railroad and can be

used for either basketball or volleyball. Mid-


vale Field (20 Ac) , north of Midvale Road

adjacent to the Parsippany-TroyHills border,

and William N. Taft Memorial Field (6 Ac),

locatedon North PoconoRoad near theDen-

ville Township border, both have playfields.

The remainingpark is theTowerHillSledRun

(22 Ac) adjacent to the Richard M. Wilcox

Park.Of theother50borough-ownedparcels,

25 are dedicated to conservation and passive

recreation, and 23 carry conservation ease

ments. Theyvary in size from less than an acre

to about 39 acres. These parcels, totalling 107

acres (62 dedicated and 43 with easements),

are scattered throughout the borough and

protect areas which are environmentally sen

sitivebecause ofwetlands and/or steep slopes.

One of the dedicated parcels is a 2.5 acre park

adjacent to Mountain Lake and has been des

ignated the Thorleif Fliflet Bird Sanctuary.

Four public schools totalling 70 acres provide

recreational facilities available foruse

byborough residents. The recreational facilities

include ballfields, playground equipment and

basketball and tennis courts. Other public

open space consists of an isolated parcel of

land belonging to the Tourne, a county park.



The 19 acre parcel, near th e Boonton

Township border, is surrounded on three

sidedbythe RichardM.WilcoxPark. Onlyoneprivate recreation facility existing within the

borough, an outdoor tennis clubwith almost 7

acres of land. The total open space comprises

401 acres, or over 20% of the area ofMoun-

tain Lakes.




MOUNfARLINGTON

A Green Acres acquisition in 1986 tripled

Mt. Arlington's open space to almost 100acres, over 5% of its area. The yet unnamed

and undeveloped 73 acre park is located near

the northern border of the borough. The fourolder parks are much smaller. Municipal

Beach andSummitAvenueField are two acres

in size, Memorial Field is four acres and Ar-lington Glen is 16 acres. Facilities at these

parks include a ballfield at Summit Avenue

field, a playground atMemorial Park and ten-

nis courts at ArlingtonGlen. Municipal Beach

is the only public municipal beach on LakeHopatcong available to Mt. Arlington resi-dents. Four of the parks are situated in the

northern half of the borough with Arlington

Glen in the southernhalf. Complementing the


municipal parks are two elementary school

parks,where onlyequipment is available. Theremaining public land in Mt. Arlington con-

sists of approximately six acres of the state-owned Berkshire Valley Wildlife Mana-

gementArea situatedon the easternborderof

the borough. According to the "Revised

Master Plan, 1977", private recreation

facilities in Mt. Arlington consist of private

beaches and boat docking facilities on Lake

Hopatcong. However, specific information

regarding the number and sizeof these recrea-

tional areas relating to open space is presentlyunavailable. The total open space for Mt. Ar-lington is approximately 131 acreswhich com-

prises 7% of its area.



MOUNT OIlVE

Mt. Olive Township offers a variety of .

recreational areas and open space at the

municipal level; six municipal parks, totalling

412 acres, comprise 2% of the township's area.

The largest open space area is the BuddLake

Bog. This area consists of approximately 315acres and includes most of Budd Lake itself.Recreational activities such as swimming,boa

ting and fishing are permittedon the lake, andthe bog is undeveloped since it is an environ

mentally sensitive area.

Other parks developed for active recreation

are Dan Jordan Park (20 Ac), Lion's Park (13

Ac) and Lou Nelson Park (20 Ac). Thefacilities available at these parks include ball

fields, playground equipment and courts. Mt.

Olive also maintains a beach (12 Ac) adjacent

to the municipal complex on BuddLake. Only

Camelot Park (31 Ac) is undeveloped.

Four municipal parks , Budd Lake Bog,

Camelot Park, theMunicipal Beach and LouNelson Park, are located in the western sec

tion of BuddLakewhere most of the residen

tial development is concentrated. The tworemaining parks, Dan Jordan Park and Lion's

Park, are situatedin a residential development


in the Bartley area of the township at the

southern border.Board of Education lands also provide re

creational facilities within Mt. Olive. Seven

schools allow public access to ballfields, play

ground equipment, courts and track. Theschool parks are morewidely distributed thanthemunicipal parks andare moreaccessible to

the less densely populated areas of th etownship.

County and state parks are also situated in

Mt. Olive. Approximately three-quarters of

Flanders's Valley Golf Course, a county

facility, is located in the southeast corner of

the township. The largest open space acreage

inMt. Olive consists of a 1,083 acre portionofAllamuchy State Park. The state park is com

prised of several parcels situated next to the.

MusconetcongRiver onthewestern border of

the township. Except forwhat is known as the

Stephen's Section, the portion of AllamuchyState Park in the township has not been dev

eloped for recreational purposes.Most of thisparkwas acquired by the state in the 1960's for

construction of the Hackettstown Reservoir;



however, subsurface conditions have

precluded construction of this facility.

In addition, the county had proposed con

structingPulaskiReservoir,whichwouldhavepurchasedwater from the state-owned reser

voir. The Morris County Municipal Utility

Authority (MCMUA) owns approximately

327 acres of land at the Pulaski site, however,

no further planning or development has oc

curred.

Additionally, two private facilities provideoutdoor recreational opportunities for Mt.

Olive residents. The Solar Sun Club, a com

mercial recreational facility, is an outdoorswim club with a pool, basketball and tennis

courts and a playground. The only non-profit

outdoor facility is a YMHA camp owned by

the Jewish CommunitySynagogue. These two

facilities comprise 34 acres of open space.

The combined private and public open spacein Mt. Olive amounts "to 2,233 acres, or 12%

of its area.




NEfCONG

Netcong Borough presently owns and main

tains two municipal parks whose combined

area total 22 acres. However, only one park is

situated within the borough. Arbolino

Memorial Park (7Ac) is located on LakeMus

conetcong in the northeastern section of the

borough. Facilities at this park include a

ballfield, tennis and basketball courts, picnic

area anda playground. Fishing andboating arealso permitted on the lake. Playground equip

ment is also available for residents' useat Net

cong Elementary School. The only other

public open space in the borough is a 56 acre


portion of Musconetcong State Park located

in the northeast coiner. Most of this acreage

consists of Lake'Musconetcong. No recrea

tional facilities are developed at this park.

Netcong's largest park is the oldNetcongHigh

SchoolAtWeticField (15 Ac) which is actually

situated in Roxbury Township about one-half

mile south of the Netcong Borough border.

Primary access to th e park for NetcongBorough residents is from Route 206 south.

Facilities at the field consist of a football field

and a baseball diamond. Open space within

Netcong totals 63 acres, over 13% of its area.



PARSIPPANY -TROY IDLLS

Parsippany-Troy Hills present ly has 10municipal parks whose combined areas totalapproximately 449 acres, which constitutes al-

most 3% of the township's area. The mostdevelopedpark is SmithFieldwhich is centrally located between 1-80 and Route 46.Facilities at the 21 acre park includebaseball,football and soccer fields, basketball, tennis

and handball courts, and a playground. Thelargest park is Knoll Park (338 Ac) which ac-

counts for three-quarters of the township'spark acreage. A public golf course, picnicareas, playgrounds, ballfield and skating rinkare available to township residents. In addition, a semi-public golf course and country

club exist on the site.Parsippany-Troy Hills also has seven smallneighborhood parks located to serve its manyresidents. Manor Park (6.5 Ac), Hills of Troy(6.5 Ac), Rockaway Neck (9 Ac), Rainbow

Lakes (6Ac), Lake Parsippany (15 Ac), Powder Mill (9 Ac), and the most recent addition,

Volunteers Park (25 Ac), have been

developedwith ballfields, courts, playgroundsandpicnic areas. In addition to these parks, 13school parks are distributed throughout the


township which provide similar recreationalfacilities.County andstateopen ~ p a c e also exists in thetownship. A former municipal park, Old TroyPark, is now owned and maintained by the

county. Old Troy Park, one of the. smallercounty parks at 96 acres, is situated offReynolds Road at the southern border of the

township.The state owns approximately 309 acres ofTroyMeadows.The state land consists of undeveloped scattered parcels throughout themajorwetland area. Adding to the state's landholdings in Troy Meadows is a 1,404 area nature preserve, the largest single open space

area in the township. Wildlife Preserves, anon-profit conservation organization, ownsand maintains this tract. Other private openspace and recreational areas in the townshipconsist of a golfcourse, a swim and tennis club

and trap range. These facilities comprise approximately 115 acres of open space.

Another major open space area is the parcelwhich constitutes the Jersey City Reservoirproperty.The 1,175 acre reservoir is located inthenorthern portion of the township adjacent



to the Boonton Town border. Public access is

not permitted since the open space serves toprotect the water supply for Jersey City.

The total public, quasi-public and private

recreational and open space in ParsippanyTroy Hills totals approximately 3,774 acres,

over 23% of its area.




PASSAIC

Passaic Township is the only municipality in

Morris County where all four levels of gov

ernment, federal, state, countyandmunicipal,

own open space. Presently, 2,583 acres, orabout 33% ofthe total areaof the township, is

publicly owned open space.

Approximately 256 acres, 3% of PassaicTownship, is in municipal open space. Of the12 municipally owned areas, only three parks

are developed for active recreation. Meyersville Field (2Ac), in the easternportion of thetownship, and Little League Field (14 Ac),

adjacent to the Passaic River, have ballfields,

courts and playgrounds. Stirling Lake (9 Ac),

situated in the central residential area, is a

swimming facility owned by the township.

Nine municipal open space areas are undeveloped. With the exception of Hicks Park(59 Ac), the open space parcels have beendedicated as a result of the cluster provisions

in the townships subdivisionordinance. Theseopen space areas currently total approximate

ly 133 acres.

In addition to municipal open space, theBoard of Education offers its recreationalfacilities to township residents during non-


school hours. Facilities available at the Gil

lette School, Millington School and Central

School include ballfields and playground

equipment. There is also a playground at the

St.. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. The

school parks are distributed throughout most

of the residential neighborhoods of PassaicTownship.Private facilities also provide 196 acres of

open space. The Copper Spring Beach and

Tennis Club offers outdoor swimming andother active recreational facilities such as ten

nis courts.The only non-profit open space in Passaic is

ownedbythe NewJerseyConservation Foun

dation. This 128 acre natural area is located in

the southwest corner of the township in the

flood plain of the Passaic River.Most of the federal, state and county openspace is situated in low-lying wetland areas of

the township. By far the largest landholder inthe township is the federal governmentwhich

owns 2,085 acres of open space. The Great

Swamp NWR covers the entire northern sec

tion of Passaic and protects most of the wet

lands in that area.



Partially implementing the stream corridor

linkage system proposed in the 1972 "OpenSpace Element" is the Passaic River Park, a

147 acre portion ofwhich is located in Passaic

Township. Only trails have been developed inthe park.

Also situated in a low flood-prone area, but

at the southwestern border of the township, isMcEvoy State Park, adjacent to the New Jer

sey Conservation Foundation lands. This 95

acre tract is currently undeveloped.The total open space comprises 2,830 acres,

or 36% of Passaic Township.




PEQUANNOCK

Pequannock Township has 14 municipal

parks which account for 444 acres, or 10% of

the total area. The parks range from the 190

acres ofMountainside Park to less than twoacres for Lyman Avenue Park. Only three

parks, Twin Brooks Park, Hidden Cove and

Rockledge Park, are undeveloped. Lyman

Avenue Park is currently being developed.

Six parks, Woodland Lake (40 Ac), Pequan

nockValley (27 Ac), Town Hall (7 Ac), Twin

Brooks (17 Ac), Hillview Field (9 Ac), andWashington (14 Ac), are grouped together

justeast of thecenterof the townshipbetweenthe Newark-Pompton Turnpike and Route23. A full range of recreation facilities from

ballfields to swimming areas are available at

the parks in this area.

In the southern portion of the township four

parks are more dispersed. The three parks,

Lyman Avenue Park (14 Ac), Cherry Street

Park (3 Ac), and Riverside Park (2 Ac), arenear the eastern border, while Hidden Cove

(21 Ac), is on the southern border and Greenview Park (31 Ac), is on the western border.

Presently, Greenview Park is the only park in

the areawhich is fully developedwith avariety


of recreational facilities. Riverside Park has

only a playground.Outside of the residential section of the

township are Rockledge Park (19 Ac), in thewestern portion, MountainsidePark (190Ac)

in the northwest corner and Aquatic Park (50

Ac) in the northeast corner. As mentioned

previously, Rockledge Park is undeveloped.

Mountainside Park, the township's largest

open space area, covers a rugged hillside and

is used primarily for passive recreational ac-tivities such as picnics, horseback riding and

camping. Also used for passive recreation is

Aquatic Park situated in the flood plain of thePequannock River. This park is also a wildlife

preserve.

In addition, to municipal open space, four

school parks also offer recreational facilities

such as ballfields, playground equipment,courts and track to township residents. These

school facilities are situated off the Boulevardand the Newark-Pompton Turnpike in th e

northern, central and southern sections of the

township.Three private commercial recreational

facilities contribute approximately66 acres of



open space to Pequannock. Two swimming

areas associated with lakes and a horsebackridingstable are available for recreational use.

The only regional public open space area in

the townshipis

the SunsetValleyGolfCourse.

A 112 acre portion of this county owned

facility is situated on the western border of

Pequannock.

The total open space acreage for Pequan-

nockis

703 acres, or 15% of its area.




RANDOLPH

RandolphTownship has fivemunicipal parks

whose combined areas total 299 acres, less

than 3% of themunicipality's area.The largest

park, BrundagePark, accounts for 71% or 212acres of the total municipal parkland. Geo-

graphically, the park is centrally located and is

surrounded by residential neighborhoods. A

variety of recreational facilities such as ball-fields, picnic areas and an indoor theater have

been developed at Brundage.

Two other relatively large parks have also

been developed with a variety of recreational

facilities. Heisteins Park (44Ac) southwest of

Brundage Park, and Randolph Park (41 Ac),

at the northwest border of the township offer

swimming facilities as well as ballfields and

playground equipment. In addition, activitiessuch as picnics, boating and fishing are per-

mitted at each of the parks. Neither parkhow-ever,is situated in an existing residential dev-

elopment. Randolph Park is surrounded bylandwhich is currently zoned for industry and

commerciallbusiness uses and Heisteins Park

is in an undeveloped residential zone.

The two remaining parks are small in com-parison to the three parks described above.


Kiwanis Park, situated in a residential dev-

elopment adjacent to theMineHill Townshipborder, is less than two acres in size. The only

facilities available at this park are playgroundequipment and a picnic area. Farmstead Court

Park, located between Brundage Park andHeisteins Park, is less than one acre in sizeand

has the same facilities as Kiwanis Park.Six school parks provide recreational facil-

ities. Ballfields, playground equipment, tennis

and basketball courts are available for use by

township residents.

Although the eastern portion of Randolph

Township lacks municipal open space, this

section has approximately 581 acres of county

parkland. James Andrews Memorial Park, an

undeveloped park, borders the western andnorthern edge of the Shongum Lake residen-

tial development. Another county park, Hed-den Park, is partially in the township. Appro-

ximately 135 acres of the 285 acre park issituated on the township's border with Dover

andMineHill. In total, the county is the largestcontributor of openspace in Randolph,

providing approximately 716 acres.



The second largest open space landholdingin the township is watershed land whichprovides 664 acres of open space. TheMorrisCounty Municipal Utili ty Authority's

AlamatongWellfield on thewesternborderofRandolph is protected by 333 acres of openspace. Over330 acresofpropertybelongingtothe Southeast Morris County MunicipalUtilities Authority (SMCMUA), along the

Mendham Township border, protect the

streamswhich feed into theClydePottsReservoir located inMendham Township.

Additionally, 173 acres of recreational land.and open space is provided by the private

sector. Four commercial recreational facilitiesprovideapproximately92 acres ofopen space.These facilities include a golf course, a golf

driving range and two camps. Shongum LakeProperty Owners Association is the only notfor-profit organization providing open spacein Randolph. This organization owns andmaintains Shongum Lake which is about 81

acres in size.

In total, 1,984 acres of open space, almost15% of the township's area, currently exist inRandolph.




RIVERDAIE

Riverdale Borough's area is two squaremiles, and it has only eight acres ofmunicipalopen space. The boroughrankssecondbehind

VictoryGardens as having the least amountofmunicipal open space. The park acreage is

divided between Independence Park (7 Ac)

and Freedom Park (1 Ac). The two parks are

contiguous and are located in the eastern res-

identially developed portion of the borough.

Facilities at the two parks include ballfields,

playground equipment, basketball courts andpicnic areas.

In the same area, directly west of Freedom

and Independence parks, is the Board of Ed-ucations' recreation area. The school park (7

Ac) has baseball fields and tennis and basket-

ball courts which are available for public use.


Two outdoor commercial recreation

facilities, both swim clubs, constitute the larg-est amount of recreational land and open

space to the borough, over 120 acres. Each

club is oriented on a lake, Valley Spring Lake

and Sun Tan Lake. These areas, however,

havebeen rezoned for townhouses.According

to its 1985 Master Plan Revision, continued

commercial recreationaluseof theselandswill

cease due to the residential development

potential. The plan recommends however,

that the viability of preserving Sun Tan Lakeshould be assessed.

The current total open space acreage for

Riverdale is 136 acres, comprising over 10%

of the borough's area.



ROCKAWAY

Rockaway Borough's area is two square

miles, and it has almost 23 acres of municipal

open space, comprising less than 2% of its

area. The borough's four municipal parks con-stitute the municipality's only public open

space.ParkLakes (12Ac) is thenorthernmostpark, adjacent to the border of Rockaway

Township. The borough's largest park, it has a

pond where swimming and fishing are theprimary recreational activities. Playground

equipment is also available at the park.

Twoparks near the center ofRockawayBor-

0ugh are Memorial Park (4 Ac), which has

ballfields, playground equipment, basketballcourts and picnic areas; and Jackson Avenue

RiverPark,which has a picnicarea.Near these

two parks is the Lincoln Ballfield (3 Ac).Four schools in theboroughhave recreation-

al facilities such as ballfields, basketball and

Morris CountyOpen SpaceElement 82

tennis courts, playground equipment and

track; however, the use ofthe facilities at three

of the schools is by permit only. Only play-

ground and basketball equipment at the Fair-view Playground is open to the borough resi-

dents.This playground,situated in thewesternportion of the borough, is on a 14 acre un-

developed school park site.In

addition to municipal and school parks,the fire department has a 4 acre recreational

field abutting the eastern boundaryof the bor-

0ugh. Jersey City also owns two parcels of

open space totalling 24 acres along the Rock-

away River as part of its watershed. One par-cel, adjacent to the Jackson Avenue River

Park, is a proposed park, according to the

borough master plan.There are 91 acres of open space in Rock-

awayBorough, comprising 7% of its area.



ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP

Rockaway Township has the second largest

area of land dedicated to municipal openspace in the county. The township owns nine

parks whose areas total approximately 610

acres. Municipal open space, however, con-stitutes less than three percent the total area

of the township.

Almost 90% of the open space is contained

within two parks, Lake Ames and the Cop-

peras Tract. Lake Ames, the township's larg-est park (286 Ac), is adjacent to the Lake

Telemark residential area, located in the

geographic c en ter o f the municipality.

Facilities such as playground equipment, bas-ketball courts, picnic areas and trails are avail-

able. Activities permitted on the lake areswimming, boating and fishing.

The Copperas Tract (256 Ac) in the

northwest section of the township is undev-

eloped. The townships' 1983 "Master Plan

Reexamination and Revision" recommendsthat this park be developed for passive recrea-

tion because of the steep slopes that exist onthe site.

The seven remaining parks range from fouracres to 23 acres. Peterson Field (23 Ac),


Route 80 Park (8 Ac), Fleetwood Park (16

Ac), Sherbrook (8Ac) and Willow Neighbor-hoodPark (0.7Ac) are located in the southern

moredensely populated area ofthe township.

All of the parks except for Willow Parkwere

dedicated to Rockaway Township as part of

residential developments. Only PetersonField has been fully developed with ballfields,

basketball courts, playground equipment and

picnic areas. Willow Neighborhood Park has

only a playground.

Adjacent to Lake Telemark isValhalla WayPark, an eight acre undeveloped parcel. The1983 "Master Plan Reexamination and Revi-sion" proposes to develop Valhalla WayPark

as a neighborhood park. The only developedpark in the northern section of township is

Marcella Park, a four acre ballfield.In addition to municipal parks, seven school

parks provide facilities such as ballfields, ten-

nis and basketball courts and playgroundequipment. Five of the school parks are lo-

cated in the southern section of the township.

The two remaining schools, Hibernia and

Katherine D. Malone, are located near the



center of the municipality in the area of LakeTelemark.Privateorganizations provide approximately

2,142 acres of open space. Non-profit or

ganizations account for 2,018 acres or 94% ofthe total private open space. The non-profitfacilities include four camps and four propertyowners associations. Three camps are ad

jacent to the northern boundary of th e

township. The other camp abuts the northernend of the Lake Telemark residential area.The four property owners associations areoriented around three water bodies. The associations include White Meadow Lake

property owners association, Lake Telemark

CountryClub, the LakeEnd Corporation, and

the Green Pond Corporation. Recreation activities permitted at the lakes includes tennis,swimming and boating.


Private commercial recreation facilities include a ski resort area, a golfclub and a lake.The open space provided by these facilities

totals approximately 124 acres.

The two largest open space landholdings inRockaway Township are th e watershed

properties of Jersey City (1,465 Ac), andNewark (2,236Ac). Together these areas constitute 13% or 3,701 acres of the township.Thewatersheds extend along almost the entirenorthern municipal boundary. Jersey City'sSplitrock Reservoir and Newark's Charlotteburg Reservoir are within these watershed

areas.Open space in Rockaway Township totals

7,335 acres or 25% of the township. Ap

proximately 73% of the total open space iscontained in a contiguous area of 5,359 acresconsisting ofFarneyStatePark, thewatershedlands and three of the four camps.



ROXBURY

Although Roxbury Township has a large

amount of state and countyopen space (1,680

Ac), its municipal parkland constitutes 5% of

the municipality's area, and provides most ofthe active and passive recreational needs of its

residents. Roxbury ranks first, with 704 acres,

in the amount of land dedicated to municipalopen space.

Presently, there are 20 municipal parks in

Roxbury. Most of the parks are located in the

southern residential portion of the township.

The sizes of the individual parks range from

the 243 acres of theMorris Canal Park to the1.7 acres of the Kings Store and Home Park.

Onlyninemunicipal parks are developed for

active recreation. Facilities at these parks in

clude ballfields, tennis and basketball courts,

playground equipment, swimming facilities,fishing and picnic areas.

The residential area south of the central

railroad andRoute

10 has 12municipal openspace areas which total about 272 acres. Only

four of these parks, Meeker (19 Ac),Midland

(16Ac),Horseshoe Lake (74Ac) andKiwanisPark (71 Ac) have recreational facilities.

Morris CountyOpen SpaceElement 8S

Six parks are located northwest of the

southern residential area and south of 1-80.

The largest municipal park in this area is the

Morris Canal Parkwith 243 acres. This passivearea offerswalking trails for recreation. Other

parks in this section of Roxbury include EmmansRoadPark (71 Ac),LedgewoodPark (35

Ac), and Conkling Park (44 Ac). EmmansRoad Park offers a large open area and walk

ing trails. Ledgewood Park and Conkling

Road Park have playground equipment, ten

nis and basketball courts, picnic areas, swim

ming and ice skating facilities. A 14 acre undeveloped and unnamed park and the King

House Store and Home Park are also in this

area.

The remaining two parks are the only parks

located north ofI-80. PortMorris Park (5 Ac)adjacent to LakeMusconetcong on the northwest border of the township has picnic and

play areas. Near the eastern boundaryis the

Berkshire Valley Recreational Area (4 Ac).

This park offers tennis and basketball courts,ballfields, playground equipment and picnicareas.



In addition to municipal open space, fiveschool parks exist within the township.

Together· the schools provide 130 acres of

recreational area.

One private recreational facility, a countryclub, and a portion of the Alamatong

Wellfield, lie within Roxbury Township. The

Shore Hills Country Club near Lake Hopat

congcontributes less than five acres of recrea

tional land. A 12 acre portion of the MorrisCounty Municipal Utilities Authority's

Alamatong Wellfield is situated on the

southeast boundaryof Roxbury Township.

Two regional open space and recreational

facilities are situated within Roxbury. A 188

acre portion of the county's Flanders ValleyGolf Course is situated in the southwest

comer ofthe township abuttingMt. Olive andChester Townships. Approximately 1,492

acres of the state's Berkshire Valley Wildlife

Management Area are located in the north

east comer of Roxbury.

Together, public, quasi-public and privateopen space and recreational land comprise2646 acres or 19% of the total area of Rox

bury.




VICfORY GARDENS

The Borough of Victory Gardens, the

county's smallest municipality (0.2 sq. mi.) hasno lands devoted to open space or recreation.


TheBoroughhas no significantvacant parcels

remaining.



WASHINGTON

Municipal open space in Washington

Township consists of nine parks whose com-bined areas total 342 acres, comprising less

than 2% of the municipality. Eight parks aregreater than 24 acres in size; onlyPeter CarolField is less than 10 acres.The township's largest park is Rock Spring

Park (74Ac), located in the geographic center

of the township. Rock Spring Parkisalso oneof the only two parks developed for active

recreation. Facilities at the park includeballfields, playground equipment and picnic

areas. The only other active recreational parkis Peter Carol Field. This seven acre ballfieldis located on Fairmount Avenue in the

southern part of the township.The remaining parks are open space areas

which protect areas with steep slopes. ScottPark (39 Ac) and Parker Acres (33 Ac) aresituated in the southern halfof the township.

ScottPark, bisectedby the southbranchof theRaritan River, is one of the few parks not

contiguous to a residential development. It issurrounded by agricultural and vacant land.ParkerAcres is situated in a small residentialarea in the southeast corner of the township.

Morris County Open SpaceElement 88

The remaining five municipal parks areclustered together in a residential area

northwest of Rock SpringPark. WoodedVal-

ley East (47 Ac), Spring Acres (42 Ac) andQuailRun (24Ac) areall interconnectedopenspace parcels dedicated to the township as aresult of residential subdivisions. KoehlerPond (25 Ac) and Cataract Park (51 Ac) are

both natural open space areas. While all ofthese parks are undeveloped, fishing is per-mitted at Koehler Pond.Most of the active recreation facilities are

providedbyfour of the five schools within thetownship. The school parks provideballfieldsand playground equipment.In addition to local publicparks, eight private

outdoor recreation areas provide ap-

proximately372acres ofopen space. Fivenon-profit organizations, consisting of two camps,two sportsman's clubs and a conservation or-

ganization, protect 101 acres of open space.Commercial recreation facilities consisting of

two day camps and a golf course provide 271acres of recreational land and open space.Two regional public parks are situated in

Washington Township. Schooley's Mountain





WHARTON·

Wharton Borough (2.2 sq.mi.) relies com-pletely on municipal parkland to meet the

recreational and open space needs of itS resi-

dents. Six parks, totaling approximately 54acres of open space, comprise almost 4% of

the borough's area.

The largest andmost developed park is Rob-

ert Street Park (31 Ac) located in the south

central portion of the borough. Robert StreetPark has three ballfields, tennis Courts and a

playground. In the large residential area in the

southeastern section is Columbia Street Park

(3 Ac). This park has playground equipmentand basketball courts.

TheHugh Force Park (6 Ac) is located near

thewesternborderof the borough. The Rock-

away River and Morris Canal both run


through this park. A swimmingfacility on thecanal is no longer in use. Alsooriented around

water eastofHugh ForcePark is theWashing-

ton Pond Park (13 Ac). Presently no recrea-

tion facilities exist at the park except for a 10

acre pond which is part of the Rockaway

River.The remaining two parks, Huff Street and

Langoon Avenue, are located in the northernhalf of the borough. Both parks are play-

grounds, each less than an acre in size.The only other recreational facility in Whar-

ton is a ballfieldwhich is part ofDuffy School.

Together the schoolpark andmunicipal parklands total 67 acres which constitute almost

5% of the borough's total area.



1U.S. Fish an d Wildlife Service, Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Master Plan, Great SwampNWR, 1985, p. 6

2Morris CountyPlanningBoard, Open Space Element, 1972, p. 6

3U.S. Fish an d Wildlife Service, PreliminarySunrey of Contaminant Issues of Concern on NationalWildlife Refuges, 1986, p. 6

4 .

5 ibid p. A.104, A.105

6 U.S. Department of th e Interior, Morristown National Historical Park, Land Protection Plan, 1984, p. 1

7Morristown National Historical Park, Final Master Plan, 1975, p. 13

8 U.S. Fish an d Wildlife Service, Final EIS, Great Swamp NW R 1987, p. 14

9 N J D E P, Environmental Information Inventory, 1984

10 Madison Comprehensive Master Plan Revision, 1975, p.35

11 Town of ¥orristown, Master Plan, 1978,p. 7:8 to 7·10











degradation, and loss of solitude for users.Proper care and management of recreational

areas is necessary so that the recreational car

rying capacity is maintained for present and

future generations.

Open Space Standards

In order to set aside an adequate amount of

land for open space, all levels of government

have specific responsibilities in the acquisi

tion process. The federal and state governments' roles are to acquire the largest landholdings encompassing natural, historical and

wilderness 'areas. Federal ~ e c r e a , t i o n a l areas

and state wilderness and natural areas should

be located where suitable natural characteristics are present. State recreational areas

should be within 30 to 45 minutes of concentrated urban areas.2

A county's role is to acquire large tracts

which accommodate facilities not normallyprovided by municipalities due to the nature

of the facility, such as arboretums, sports

arenas, golf courses and hiking trails, or areno t provided by the state within close

proximity. The local government's primaryresponsibility is to provide more intensive

uses, such as ballfields and playground equip

ment, which are usually situated on smallerparcels of landwithin walking distance of the

neighborhoods they serve.3 In the 1984 "Out

door Recreation Plan for NewJersey" (ORP),two sets of standards were utilized to quantify

the openspaceneeds for each levelofgovernmentfor recreational land. The first, the acres

per population open space standards, are used

to determine the amount of existing open

space needed to meet recreational demandbased on current and future population es

timates. Chart 4-1 shows these standards for

each level ofgovernment.The second, the balanced land use stand

ards, are used to determine ultimate public

open space goals as percentages of usableland. These standards set minimum amounts

oflandthatshould be preserved as openspace,


CHART 4_14

AcresPerPopulationOpenSpace Standards

(per Thousand)

30- , - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ,

Federal State County MuniCipal

Government Level

and identify the proportions of the total landarea of the state that should be reserved for

public open space (See Table 4-1). These

standards assume that munidpal and county

governments are responsible for providing ac

tive recreational facilities on land suitable forsuch development, and every effort should be

made by each level of government to attain at

least these standards. Since the demand for

recreation is derived from developed areas,

undevelopable areas which consist of federal

and state open space, wetlands, and areas ofslopes over 12 percent are deducted from the

total land areafor the determinationof county

and municipal open space. The standards assume the majority of wetlands and areas with

slopes of over 12 percent are ei ther safeguarded from development by state and

municipal regulations or will be acquired by

the federal and state governments as openspace.



TABLE 4_15

BalancedLandUse Open Space Standards

FEDERAL 4% of the area of the state

STATE 10% of the area of the state

COUNTY 7% of the developed and

developable area of the state

MUNICIPAL 3% of the developed and

developable area of the state

The 1984 ORP divides the state into northern and southern regions and calculates a

federal and state open space goal for each

region. Morris County is in the northernregion.6Most of the state and federal parks in .

the northern region are situated in the central

and western portions where large un-

developed tracts still exist. Fewstate or federal

parks are situated in the eastern, more ur

banized counties.

While these standards establish a minimum

amount of open space to be acquired, they do

not determine the amount of open space thatshould be acquired in order to protect critical

areas such as watersheds, flood plains or

aquifer recharge areas. Ideally, the County

and each municipality should prepare a nat

ural resource inventory (NRI) to identify

those areas that should be acquired and pro

tected because of their vital natural resource

value.7

BecauseMorrisCountyandmanyof its mun

icipalities have not prepared NRI's at this

time, it is not possible to determine an ac

curateopen spacefigure for eachgovernmental level wi thin the county based on the

amount of critical areas that should be pro

tected. Therefore, the acres per population

and the balanced land use standards must suf

fice to indicate the minimum guidelines with


which to evaluate the existing open space inMorris County.

Acres Per Population Standards

In analyzingthe

present and proposed needfor recreational open space inMorris County,

the population estimate for 1985 and popula

tion projections for 1990 and 2000were used.

For each governmental level, the population

estimate and projections were multiplied by

the acres per population standard to deter

mine the minimum acreage needed to meet

the recreational demand of the estimated and

proposed populations. The surplus or deficit

ofeach level was calculated by subtracting the

minimum acreage from the current open

space acreage. The results shownin

Table 4-2include all developed and undeveloped parks

and lands dedicated to municipalities as a re

sultof clustersubdivisionand site plan activity.

According to the acres per populationstand

ards, the federal government and the countyhaveacquiredsufficientamount of open space

to meet the recreational needs of Morris

County residents through the year 2000.

Using this method, the county's current landholdings appear to be 2,427 acres more than

the minimum acreage required for the year

2000, and the federal government's landholdingsappear to exceed theminimumacreage by

241 acres.

Both the state and some municipal govern

ments fall short of the minimum acreages required to meet the current and proposed re

creational demands of the county's

population. Current state open space figures



TABLE 4_28

Adequacy ofOpen Space in Morris County

Using theAcres Per Population

Methodology(Acres)

1985 Existing Open Space

I8,206 I 8,535 I 8,389 I 4,377 I

1985 Federal State County Munic.

NEED ·6,716 10,075 . 5 , 0 3 ~ : 3,358

Surplus 1,489 3,352 1,019*

Deficit -1,540


NEED 7,038 10,556 5,278 3,519

Surplus 1,168 3,111 858*

Deficit -2,021

was evaluated using the acres per population

standard. Table 4-3 shows those municipalities

found to have deficits. While th e combined

1985 total municipal open space acreage ex

ceeded the minimum acres pe r population

standard by 4,377 acres, this figure is mislead-'ingsince it assumes that surplus open space in

one municipality will compensate for the

deficit in an other. Based on the 1985 popUla

tion estimates, eight municipalities have

deficits in municipal open space. I t should be

notedthat sixof these municipalities also have

small total areas and high populat ion den

sities. This indicates that a greater need for

recreational lands exists in municipalitieswith

higher population concentrations.

Using the 1990 and the 2000 population

projections, three additional municipalities,Lincoln Park, Parsippany-Troy Hills, and

Wharton, will have deficits in open space by

th eyear 2000, ifnone acquires additionalland.

Denville, Florham Park, Harding and Morris

Townshipwill have less than 10 acres over the

*However eleven municipalities showedindividual deficits, see Table 4-3.

NEED 7,949 11,923 5,962 3,974

Surplus 257 2,427 403*

Deficit -3,388

indicate a 1985 deficiency of 1,540 acres,

which, assuming the state fails to acquire addi

tional open space, is projected to increase to

3,388 acres in th e year 2000. In determining

municipal open space need, eachmunicipality


TABLE 4_39

Municipal Open Space Deficits Using

the Acres Per Population Methodology

(Acres)

Municipality 1985 1990 2000

Butler 49 48 55

Dover 70 76 82

Jefferson 64 71 86

Kinnelon 45 47 55.

Lincoln Park 0 0 8

Netcong 5 4 9

Parsippany Troy-Hills 0 0 3

Riverdale 11 11 12

Rockaway Borough 31 31 37Victory Gardens 8 9 10

Wharton 0 0 5


TOTAL 283 297 362



50

_ Goal Exi8ting

CHART 4_210

Adequacy ofOpenSpace in Morris County

( using the Balanced Land Use Goals

Methodology )

(Acres)

bined their balanced land use goals into one

figure.As explained previously, the DEP divided

the stateinto a northernregion and a southern

region and calculated a combined balancedland usegoal for each. The goal for the north

ern region, ofwhich Morris County is a part,

is 299,983 acres of state and federal open

spaces, or 14 percent of the total area of the

region.According to the 1984ORP, the north

em region nowcontains only 193,179 acres of

state and federal open space, resulting in a

deficit of 106,804 acres.

I f the goal of 299,983 acres were distributed

proportionally to each county's total area,

then nearly 42,800 acres would be in Morris

County. Presently, Morris County has approximately16,725acres instate and federal open

space. Therefore a deficit of 26,075 acres of

state and federal open space can be said to

existwithin th e county.This analysis, however, is not entirely ac

curate since th e purpose of state and federal

open space is to serve an entire region, not just

one county. A state or federal park outside of

Morris Countybutwithin the northern region

will meet some of the recreational needs of

county residents. An example of such a re

gional park is the Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area. Based on the same

reasoning, state and federal open space lo

cated in Morris County attracts visitors from

outside the county. For example, Morristown

National Historical Park attracts visitors

primarilt from the counties east of Morris

County. 1

Therefore, any open space acquired by the

federal or state government in the northern

region will reduce th e deficit of Morris

County's share of state and federal open

space. Based on present holdings, 27,935acres ofMorris County's share of federal and

stateopen space has been provided elsewhere

in the northern region. Morris County's cal

culatedportionof the northern region's short

age of 106,804 acres, is 14,865 acres. But since

Municipal

42.800

State & Federal County(Morr .. County ~ r t l o n )

minimum amount of municipal open space,

calculated by the acres per population standard by the year 2000.

Balanced Land Use Standards

While the acres per population standardsindicate th e intensity of open space and

recreational needs at a given time, the ba

lanced land use standards establish general

open space goals with no se t time frame.

Openspacegoals foreach level ofgovernment

were originally established in the 1977

SCORP and again in the 1984 ORP. To up

date the'-19.84 ORP analysis of open space in

Morris County, the current open space figureswerecompared to the balancedland usegoals,

and the deficits at each governmental levelwere determined (See Chart 4-2). Since the

federal and state governments are responsible

for acquiring significantnatural areas,we com-




the county cannot control state or federal acquisitions, the 14,865 acres that needs to be

acquired to fulfill the county's calculated por

tion mayormay not be within Morris County.

The goal for county-owned open space is

13,715 acres according to the balanced landuse methodologyY Subtracting the county's

8,389 acres of existing parkland from the

balanced land use goal of 13,715 acres indi

cates a deficit of 5,326 acres. It should be

noted that this is a very different result fromthat reachedby using the acres per population

method. The balanced land use goal for

municipcH 0Een space in ¥orris· ; County is

5,878 acres. Based on the totai municipal

open space, 7,675 acres, in the county, a

surplus of 1,797 acres exists.

As in the case of the acres per populationstandard, however, each municipality should

be evaluated separately in order to determine

the individual open space deficits; otherwise,

open space surpluses in one municipality will

offset deficiencies in another. However, anaccurate determination of the balanced land

use goal for each municipality is no t possible

at this time since information onwetlands and

steep slopes for eachmunicipality is not readi

ly available.

The above standards at best serve as mini

mumguides formeasuring the effectiveness of

the open space programs being implementedby the public sector.

1Department of Interior, Bureau of OutdoorRecreation, OutdoorRecreation - A Legacy for America, 1973

2 19n StatewideComprehensiveOutdoor Recreation Plan, (SCORP), p. 172

3 Parks and Recreational Land Use in NewJersey, Dept. of Conservation and Recreational Development, June 1965

41m NJ. SCORP, p. 172

5 1984 ORP, p. 30

61m NJ . SCORP, p. 175

71m NJ . SCORP, p. 173

8 19n NJ . SCORP, p. 172

9 Calculated using 1986MCPB Questionnaire

10 1984 ORP, Table 10, p. 3211 FinalMasterPlan, Morristown National Historical Park, Nov, 1975, p. 1312 1984 ORP, Table 10,p. 32

13 1984 ORP, Table 10, p. 32







CHAPfERFIVE

Methods ofOpen Space Acquisition

The importanceof open space has been presented in previous chapters. The purpose of

this chapter is to discuss themethodsof acquir

ing and/or preserving open space. Some met

hods of acquiring open space are direct ac

quisition, donation, low density zoning and

easements. These, among others, will be ex

plored in this chapter to permit evaluation of

themethodologies available.

DIRECTACQUISITION

Direct acquisition allows for the transfer of

property without restrictions or special conditions being placeupon the land.Direct acquisi

tion can take the form of purchase, donation,

bequest, and eminentdomain. Several typesof

purchase fee simple, fee simple instalhnent,

Morris CountyOpen Space Element101

less than-fair marke t value and lease backagreements are described below.

Fee Simple: In this type of purchase, the

buyerand selleragreeon thevalueof a tract of

land and a transfer of title is made when the

price (fee) is paid.The simplicity of this typeof

purchase is its major advantage, while its

greatest disadvantage is that it is very difficult

for agencies and environmental groups to fund

the full purchase price at a given time.

Fee Simple Installment Buying: This is a

variation of the above except that full title is

no t taken immediately. Rather, the land is obtained in blocks of pre-determined acreage

over a fixed number of years.

Less-Than-Fair-Market Value: Some land

owners arewilling to sell their landat less than

fair market value. The difference between an



agreed-uponsales price and the higher market

value canbe deducted as a charitable contribu

tion on the seller's federal income tax. For the

purchaser, the advantage is the reducedcostof

acquiring land for open space. A variation ofthis technique would be the transfer of title

from one governmental agency to another.

Lease-Back Agreement: The lease-back

agreement can be an effective tool for land

acquisition when the land is not needed for

immediate use. An agency purchases a parcel

of land and then leases it to either the original

owner or someone else. Two benefits to the

public are the partial reimbursentent of the

purchase price through rental fees and the

reduction or elimination of maintenance costs,

since the renter takescareof the property.Thismethod has been used successfully with farm

lands acquisitionand alsoby theMorris County

Municipal Utilities Authority (MCMUA) at

the site of the proposed Washington Valley

Reservoir.

LeaselRental of Private Land: Government

agencies and private conservation groups maychoose to lease or rent private land. While this

maybe less desirable than ownership, depend

ing upon the circumstances, it may be benefi

cial. If an owner has agreed to sell, or donate,

land to an agency, a lease agreement can bearranged until the sale or donation is made.

Donation and Bequest: The donationofland

is another way that agencies or nonprofit

groups acquire open space. The most direct

type of donation occurs when the landowner

gives the land to an organization or agency.

The advantage to the recipient is the acquisi

tion of land without cost, while the benefit to

the donor is a charitable contribution deduc

tion from federal income taxes. Some land

owners may bequest property through their

wills.Eminent Domain: Eminent domain is the

power of government to acquire private pro

perty from a landowner who is unwilling to sell

his property. The property must be used in the

interest of the publichealth andwelfare.When


it is determined that propertyshould be taken,

the purchaser obtains appraisals of the fair

market valueof the propertyand anybuildings

involved in the taking. The costs involved in

eminent domain processare not

unlike thoseof outright purchase; however, substantial ad

ditional costs arise from the legal fees involved

in the process of condemnation. Care and

forethought should be used prior to invoking

eminent domain. It is ironic that while the

acquisition of the property through eminent

domain is for the benefitof the community, the

publicperceptionof the process remains nega

tive.

OTHER MEANS OF OBTAINING OPEN

SPACE

Landowners enjoy a wide range of rights

connected with their property; however, a

number of restrictions to ensure limited open

spacegoals maybe placed on the use of land by

either private individuals or public agencies.

Private limitations that have been utilized in

connection with open space purposes include

deed restrictions and easements, while public

restrictions on land include protective zoning,

permit regulatory systems, and other land use

strategies.

Deed Restrictions: A deed restriction is alimitationplaced in a deed concerning the per

mitted uses of property. Within the limits of

what is deemed constitutional, landownersmay

imposepracticallyany restriction theyconsider

necessary or significant to them. Such restric

tions when incorporated in the deed can be

made binding upon subsequent owners.

Restrictions which benefit the public can be

usedaspreservation techniques foropen space

or conservation purposes.

Easements: An easement is the right to use

another's property for a specific purpose.Generally, there are two categories of ease

ments, affirmative or negative.An affirmative

easement is an agreementbetween two parties

which gives the holder of the easement a

limited right to use landownedby the other. A



public agency might obtain an easement for

access to a portion of land for a specific use

such as a bikeway or hiking trail. The affirm

ative easement may also allow the landowner

to maintaincontrol over access to the property

by limiting the time and degree of use by thepublic. A negative easement precludes the

landowner from doing what he would be en

titled to do i f the easement did not exist For

example, restrictions might prohibit the owner

of a property adjacent to a park from building

a type of structure that would reduce the aes

thetic quality of that park.

Easements are also distinguished as either

appurtenant or in gross.An appurtenantease

ment runs with the land and involves two or

more parcels. It benefits the owner of one

piece of property by permitting the use of the

other parcel. For example, the holder of an

appurtenant easement is granted a right-of

way across another's property. The right-of

way is permanent even should the owners of

the property change. An in gross easement is

not fixed to property; the privileges given by

this easement belong solely to an individual.

Should the property be sold, it would require

the renegotiation of the in gross easement to

obtain the rights that had been afforded to the

previous owner.There are several types of easements which

are useful in the preservation of open space.

One is a called a scenic easement, the purpose

of which is to limit development in order to

preserve a view or scenic area. Similarly, a

conservation easement precludes future or ad

ditional development of a tract in order to

preserve existing conditions. Other easements

are geared toward preserving specific land

uses. A farmland easement is used to protect

land for agricultural production, while a tim

berlandeasement protects land for timberproduction.

Onemajor advantage to an easement is pure

ly economic, it costs less than outright pur

chase. Additionally it is advantageous to land

owners, since the land is still owned and maybe


used by them, and for the easement holder,

because the maintenance of the parcel is most

likely the responsibility of the propertyowner.

Adjacent landowners mayalsobenefitbecause

their propertyvalues might increase due to the

protectionofscenicor otherqualities.Another

advantage of an easement is that it can be

written to conform to virtually any situation.

Stream Encroachment: The NJ DEP has

developed a stream encroachment permitting

processwhich helps to control adverse impacts

to a stream from development. A consistent

effort to enforce compliance with this permit

ting process enhances a municipality's ability

to preserve open space along streams when

incorporated in a municipal ordinance requir

ing s tream cor ridor buf fe r zones along

municipal waterways. Municipalities can re

quire a minimum of at least a 50 foot buffer

from either side of the edge of a stream chan

nel. Where steep slopes are involved or the

stream is in a ravine, the corridorshould extend

to the top of the steep slope plus 20 feet of

moderate or lesser slope. In 1989,NJ DEPwillrequire buffer zones from wetlands occurring

adjacent to streams. Thesebuffers help reduce

the amount ofsediment, septic tankoverflows,

road drainage, fertilizers and pesticides enter

ing the stream.!Cluster Zoning: Ouster zoning allows the

same gross densityon a tractof land as conven

tionalzoning, but reduces the individual lot

area and bulk requirements so that remaining

land can be dedicated to open space. For ex

ample, if under conventional zoning 100 hous

ing units are permitted on a 1OO-acre tract,

using a cluster lot reduction of 30 percent, a

developer would still be able to construct 100

housing units but on 70 acres, and 30 acres

could then be set aside as open space.

This technique for preserving open spaceprovides an incentive to developers since it

reduces thecostofconstruction and infrastruc

ture; but more important, open space can be

provided at no cost to the municipality.



Cluster zoning can' be used to protect the

environmentallysensitiveareasof a tract.Wet

lands and steep slopes, for example, could be

delineated and set aside for conservation and

the remaining developable land used for construction. Municipalities could also identifypotential recreation areas and have those set

aside when the tract encompassing the potential recreational area is developed. With

proper planning, these potential recreation

areas could be linked to create a recreation

field or a continuous linear park.

In Morris County, 33 municipalities have incorporat'ed' various forms of cluster zoningprovisioIl5 into their land uSe regulations. InWashington Township, for example, 146 acres

of open space has been dedicated to themunicipality as a resultof four cluster developments., Planned Unit Development (PUD): A PUD

is a flexible,mixed use development technique

whichcan be used ina similarmanner to cluster

zoning to preserve open space.Protective Zoning: By usingprotective zones

to control development in sensitive environ

mental areas, municipalities may reap a side

benefitofpreservingopen space. Environmen

tally sensitive features subject to protective

zoning include aquifer recharge zones, steepslopes, wetlands, stream corridors and natural

and historic areas.

Transfer OfDevelopmentRights: This relatively new concept (circa 1970) in land use

management is a viablemethod of open space

preservation. A municipality would select an

area of open space and prohibit developmenton that tract with the permission of the landowner. While the landowner loses the right to

develop, ownership of the land is retained.The

development rights of the landowner are then

treated as a commodity, permitting the ownerthe opportunity to profit from the saleofwhat

can be called the development potential of hisland.

This development potential is transferred toanother district in the municipalitywhere con-


struction at a higher density than would nor

mally be permitted can occur.

However, only the buyer ofthe development

rights can build at this higher density. The

buyer of development rights benefits from theincreased savings attnbutable to higher densitydevelopment. In this way, the total density of

the municipality is kept the same as planned,and environmentallysensitive areas, especially

agricultural lands, can be retained. However,

to date, the NJ Legislature has failed to enact

enabling legislation permitting municipalities

to adopt ordinances allowing transfer of

development rights.

Trusts And Non-Profit Groups: Non-profit

groups and trusts, such as theNewJerseyCon

servation Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land, the AudubonSociety, and the SchiffNaturalLands Trustarealso interested in the preservation of open

space.A trust acquires landinmanyofthesame

ways that public agencies do; for example,

through donations and bequests, purchase,

deed restrictions, or easements. Since it is a

private group acquiring the land, no

governmentalagencyneeds tobe involvedwith

anyprocedures or expensesassociatedwith theacquisition. The citizens of the community

benefit from the preserved land with little orno cost to them.

Sometimes such organizations can act to

benefit public agencies by their ability to ac-quire a critical parceloflandmore quickly thana governmental agency. The non-profit or

ganization can then hold the land until the

public agency has had time to go through the

necessary procedures and obtain the fundingto acquire the parcel. Non-profitorganizations

can thus playa vital intermediary role in

preserving open space, as well as performing

their more usual role of being permanentowners and protectors of open space.

WILDAND SCENIC RIVER PROGRAMS

Two public programs currently exist which

recognize and protect the natural ecosystems,



scenic beauty and historic and recreationalvalues ofour nation's river corridors.

Federal Programs

At the federal level, The Wild and Scenic

Rivers System was established in 1968 toprotect rivers or segments of rivers and theirproximate environswhichposses outstanding

ly remarkable scenic, recreational, geological,

historical, cultural or other similar value for

the benefit and enjoyment of present and fu

ture generations.

To qualify, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act

requires 'that rivers must be: in a free flowing

natural condition. They must be long enoughto provide a meaningful wilderness, scenic or

recreational experience. There should be suf

ficientvolume ofwaterduringnormal years to

permit, during the recreation season, full en

joyment of water-related outdoor recreationactivities. The river should be of high qualityor capable of restoration to that condition.

In Morris County, two segments of the Pas

saic River have been nominated for inclusionon the final listof the FederalWild and Scenic

Rivers System. The first segment, nominated

for its botanical values, includes Great Piece

Meadows and the Passaic River segment fromthe

1-80bridge between Fairf ie ld and

Montville downstream to Two Bridges.

Montville and Lincoln Park are along thewestern and northern bank of this reach.

The second segment , nominated for its

recreationalvalues, extends from Route 24 inChatham Borough to Cook's Bridge in EastHanover.

The Lamington/Black River System, whose

headwaters originate in the area of Roxbury

and Randolph, has been declared eligIble for

study for inclusion in theWild and ScenicPro

gram by the National Rivers Inventory of theUnited States Department of Interior.

State Programs

In 1977, the New Jersey Legislature passedan act establishing the New Jersey Wild and

ScenicRivers System to preserve, protect and

enhance the natural and recreationalvalues ofNew Jersey rivers or segments of rivers and

their surrounding environments so that

present and future generations have the op

portunity to enjoy the ecological and recrea

tional values of such rivers.

River corridors designatedwithin the systemare protected by land and water use regula

tions. Preferably enacted at the local level,

these regulationsmay bemore restrictive than

other river-related programs such as stream

encroachment and soil erosion and sediment

control regulations.A request to designate a river, which in this

act is defined as the river channel and flood

hazard area corresponding to the 1oo-year

flood plain, may be initiated at the state or

local level. Local government and concerned

citizens or environmental organizations areencouraged to undertake studies with the

state providing guidance on meeting the

regulations of the state act.

In Morris County, the Lamington River is

being considered for designation into the

State WIld and Scenic River Program. TheUpper Raritan Watershed Association, a

private non-profit conservation organization

has prepared a series of maps detailing the

physical conditions along the river and has

agreed to act as a local coordinating a g e n ~for a designation study. Chester Township

has passed a resolution supporting the under

taking of such a study.I t can be seen that there is a wide variety of

procedures by which open space acquisitionand preservationcan be achieved andmanyof

these methods have been presented in thischapter. The list provided is not exhaustive;rather, it is intended that at least the mostviable options be listed and discussed.

1 Stream Corridor Protection Ordinance Provisions, Raritan RiverBasin Pilot Project, 1986







CHAPTER SIX

Methods ofFinancing Open Space

In Chapter Five, different methods of openspace acquisition were described, but manyare very costly, making it difficult for munici-palities and other agencies to obtain addi-tional land for open space preservation or

parkland development.This chapter provides information about

ways to obtain the money necessary for openspace and parkland acquisition.

FEDERALFUNDING

In the past the federal government was the

primary source that local agencies and privategroups relied upon for the funding necessaryto obtain open space. The majority of federalprograms now have been eliminated or are oflimited value.


TheDepartmentofAgriculture

Assistance availablefrom this agency for cer-tain specialized situations may come from theFarmers Home Administration or the SoilConservation Service. The Farmers Home

Administrationhasthree major loanprogramswhich aid in the acquisition of land for recrea-tion. These are the Consolidated Farm and

Rural DevelopmentAct, Resource Conserva-tion and Development Loans, and Com-munity Facility Loans.The first program provides loans to farmers

to convert all or part of their farms to recrea-tion areas. The second program providesloans of up to $250,000 to local agencies andnon-profit corporations in authorized

Resource Conservation and Development



areaswhich maybe used for the developmentof facilities for rural community public-out- .door water-oriented recreation. The third

program provides loans to public or quasi

public and non-profit organizations to construct, enlarge, or improve community fac

ilities offering social, cultural, health, orrecreation benefits in rural areasor townswithpopulations of less than 10,000.

The Soil Conservation Service has threeprograms that providesmoney for recreation.The first is the Food and Agriculture Act,which authorizes theUSDAto aid farmers and

other land owners in developing,:recreation

areas. The second program assiSts projectsconcernedwith publicwater-oriented fish and

wildlife resources and public water-basedrecreation, for which grants up to 50% of the

cost of construction are available. The Soil

Conservation Service also has Resource Conservation and Development projects to assistinobtainingoutdoor recreation facilities. Pro

visions for technical and financial assistance isavailable for the development of reservoirs,recreationareas, and fish andwildlifedevelopmentwith grants to 50%.

Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment (RUD)

HUD provides money for recreation pur

poses through Community Planning and

Development Block Grant Assistance

programswhich can cover up to 100% of pro

ject costs. These funds can be used for the

acquisition of land for uses including the con

servation of open space, development of

recreation areas, and the construction of

recreationcenters andfacilities. Thisprogramis discussed further under "County Programs.nThe Department of the Interior governs the

NationalPark Service which provides recreation planning and funds. The National Park

Service manages the federalWild and Scenic

Rivers Program and was inst rumental indeveloping the 1977 "Statewide Comprehen

siveOutdoorRecreation Plannwhich is partof

the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

New Jersey has received approximately $90million from this fund and has used it for the

development of recreation facilities, parks,

and open space acquisition for the preservation ofcertain free-flowing rivers or river seg

ments.

U.S. Fish andWildlife Service

This agency offers two grant programs for

land acquisition by states. One of these is forland in Wildlife Management Areas. Fundsare derived from an excise tax on hunting

equipment sold throughout the nation. The

distributionofthe funds to the states is contingent upon how many hunting licenses were

purchased in each state. The second programis used for the acquisition of habitats impor

tant to fishing resources and the federal funds

are obtained from an excise tax on fishinglicense sales.

STATEPROGRAMS

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Green Acres Bureau, has

had a tremendous impact on the acquisitionand developmentof parklands and open space

throughout NewJersey.

The Green Acres program began in 1961 inresponse to the state's citizens' awareness of

dwindling open space. Since that time several

bondissues have been approved by thevoters.In 1983, it became apparent that new bond

issueswouldbe necessaryevery fiveyears, and

the Green Trust was developed as part of the1983 bond issue in response to the increasing

number of applications. The Green Trust of

fers 20 year, 2% loans to municipalities andcounties for open space acquisition and thedevelopment of recreational facilities. I t also

provides incentive grants up to 25% for certain projects. TheTrust Fund offers five fund

ing categories for acquisition and develop

ment assistance. They are: Environmental

IncentivelPrivate Donation, Standard Ac

quisition, Urban Aid, StandardDevelopment,






tion, while other organizations acquire land

which supports ecologically-fragile wildlifehabitats.

Suchorganizations usuallyconsistofa board

of directors, paid and/or volunteer staff, andmembers. The size and operation of the or

ganizations range from local to national in

scale. Land, as well as conservation ease

ments, is acquired throughpurchaseorby donation or bequest. Money to f inance an

organization's operating expense and land ac

quisition are obtained through grants, mem

bership dues, tax-deductible contributions, or

even the sale of land that has little or nop r e s e r v ~ t i t m value. Someo;ganizations act as

temporary owners of open space until a

government agency or a single-site trust, alocally-basedland holdingorganization, is ableto purchase and/or maintain the land. In this

case, th e land is usually purchased at belowmarketvalue and then sold to the public agen

cy at a slightly higher price to compensate the

organization for expenses incurred in the

transfer.Other conservation organizations, partic-

ularly those interested in preserving wildlife

habitats and unique natural features, retain

ownership andmaintenanceof the openspace

lands. In addition to open space acquisition,


some conservation organizations offer publicagencies and local interest groups technical

assistance and educational program.

OPEN SPACE: What It'sWorth

An assumptionthat manypeopleshare is that

developing land for any type of use will be

fmanciallymore beneficial thanpreserving thesameland for open space.This is an erroneoussuppositionbecauseseveral factors contribute

to the cost benefits of open space preserva

tion.The long range outlook for purchasing openspace should consider more then just initial

cost. In most cases, the municipality will lose

revenues that would be contributing to thetax

base i f the owner of the property were stillpaying taxes. However, in some cases it may

be beneficial for a municipality to preserveland rather than to allow it to be developed.

One formula proposes that a municipalitywillprofit from acquiring vacant lots rather than

having them developed when the provision of

public services is greater than th e tax lost by

municipal acquisition.Ifland is preserved, itmay provide an area or

neighborhood with pleasant open spaces,

which enhances an area, and property values

and their assessments may increase.



CHAPIER SEVEN

Summary and Recommendations

SUMMARY

I t is clear from the content of this report thatthe process of obtaining and preserving openspace has been actively implemented within

Morris County and that efforts to acquire and

preserve additional open space havebeen ac-

tively pursued by all levels of government as

well as by the privatesector. A detailed inven

tory is presented concerning publicly-owned

openspace in the county, and the acreages of

publicopen space havebeen measuredagainsttwo sets of standards utilized by the state formeasuring the purelyquantitativeadequacyofopen space owned by each level of government.


Based on the population standards, which

compare open space to population, i t wasfound that the federal government presently

owns sufficient open space inMorris County,but that there is a significant deficit in open

space ownedby the state. This deficit, in state

lands,was estimated at 1,540 acres"in 1985 and

is projected to be 3,388 acres in the year 2000.

County-ownedopen space, as determined by

this method, appears to be more than adequate through the year 2000; but it must beemphasized that theopenspace to populationstandards do not take into account lands that

may be "needed for environmental reasons.The balanced land use method, on the other



hand, indicates thatMorrisCountyhas ashortfall of over 5,300 acres in county-owned openspace.Eighty percent of Morris County's mun

icipalities currently meet or exceed the population-based standard for open space, theoverall total ofmunicipal open space exceeding the standard by more than 4,300 acres.However, as of 1985, eight municipalities had

open space deficits which totaled 283 acres,and this number will increase to 11 municipalitiesby the year 2000,with a total deficit of362 acres, unless those municipalities acquireadditional ()pen space in the .meantime. Manyof the municipalities with deficits ·may not be

able to meet even the current needs of their

residents. For example, Dover had a 1985open space deficit of 70 acres which is morethan one-third of its estimated 217 acres ofvacant land. For Victory Gardens, with onlyabout three acres ofvacant land, theeight acre

open space deficit probably cannot be metwithin its borders. The other municipalitieshavingcalculateddeficits are listed in ChapterFour, Table 4-4, page 146.

The second measure of sufficient openspace, the balanced land use standards, wasinconclusivewith respect to federal, state and

municipal holdings inMorris County. This isdue to its inappropriateness for reaching conclusions concerning acreages of federal andstate landswithin individual counties, and dueto the lack of measurements of environmentally sensitive land that are needed to determine the needs for municipal open space. I t

does, however, appear tobe avalidmethod forexamining the adequacy of county-ownedopen space, and indicates that the county hasa deficit of 5,326 acres.Throughout this element, open space has

been viewed from two perspectives: first, asland to be used for recreational purposes, andsecond as land that serves environmental purposes in the county. It should be made clear

that while this report concerns both perspectives it is not intended to be a recreational


facilities plan. Each level of government hasagencies that are responsible for determiningandproviding for the recreational needs of thepeople they serve, and no attempt has been

.made in this report to relate the number ofbaseball, football or soccer fields, i.e. activerecreationalfacilities, to citizen needs, present

or future.Morris County is under constant and sub

stantial growth pressure. Until recently, amajorportion of itsdevelopment has occurredon land which had few environmental constraints; however, the remaining developablevacant land, especially in the eastern andcentral parts of the county, contains an ever

increasingproportionofenvironmentallycon

straining characteristics. Future developments will further encroach upon the

remainingsensitive, critical and scenicareas ofthe county. When added to negative environmental impacts from existing development, itmay be expected that the potential damage tothe protective characteristics of the remainingsensitiveareaswillexacerbatethe problems offlooding, erosion and sedimentation, waterquality andwater supply that exist today.Only 18of 39 Morris Countymunicipalities

have prepareda Natural Resources Inventory

(NRI), arid the county itselfhas not prepareda county-wide NRI. EssentiallyanNRIwouldcategorize, locate, and tabulate the environmental characteristics·and constraints of anarea which include, but are not limited to,scenic vistas or areas, tree cover, stream corridors, wetlands, flood hazard areas, steep

slopes, rock outcroppings, and areas of poorsoils. These environmental constraints arevital components in the planning process andneed to be considered when making projections and future land use policy recommenda

tions, including those for open space. Openspace has too frequently been relegated tobeing an afterthought in land use planning,rather than as one of the basic land uses of acommunityon a parwith residential, commercial and industrial uses.



The locations and purposes of open space,existing and proposed, should be included inall re-evaluations of municipal master plansand land uses ordinances. Also, the zoning of

publicly and privately owned land which is

currentlyservingas open space (such aswatershed lands or private recreation areas) shouldreceive adequate attention so that the open

spacecharacter andprotectionbeing afforded

by the current use will continue, if such character and protection is deemed important,should the land change ownership an d

development be proposed.A major feature of the 1972 "Qpen SpaceElement" of the Morris County Master Plan

was the recommendation to expand the linear

park system. All major rivers and streamswere given a designation as "landwith recreational potential". Patriots Path is an exampleof utilizing open space to serve two purposes,as it protects the natural environmental characteristics of an area and provides a recreational facility. Since 1957,when it establishedthe goal ofhaving linear parks, the county hasencouragedmunicipalities to plan the landuse

of an inter-municipal corridor that needed attention. Patriots Path is also a positive ex

ample of county-municipal-private coopera

tion, and higWights th e fact that a strategyshould be planned to enable an expedient response to development proposals wherevertheymay affect an existing or proposed openspace tract.Inherent in the planning process is the evaluation of existing plans to determine theircontinuing viability based on changing conditions. In that light, th e previous "OPENSPACE ELEMENT' recommendations were

reviewed. Areas that were categorized in the1972Element as having "Recreational Poten

tial"were re-evaluated by asking the followingquestions regarding each proposal:*Has development negated th e viability of

the site?

Morris County Open SpaceElement 113

*Has the site been supported by themunicipal master plan and land use ordinance?

*Has the site already been incorporatedinto a municipal, county, state, or federal

open space system?*Does the site continue to enhance th e existing pattern of open space?

Figure 7-1 reflects the conclusions of this

review,with those proposedsiteswhIch passedthe above test being labeled as "Lands with

Open Space Potential". Several new siteswhichwere suggested bymunicipal officials intheir response to the Open Space Questionnaire, and met the above criteria are:

LOANTAKAMORAINE: This 50 acre

tract, offWoodland Road in ChathamTownship and extending intoMadison, is adjacent to the Loantaka Brook Reservation.

PIO COSTA lRACT: This 152 acre tract islocated in the southeast comerof Pequannock Township.

PYRAMID MOUNTAIN: This 450 acretract is located along th e northwest borderof Montville, th e southwest border of Kin-nelon and is also adjacent to the western

side of the Boonton Reservoir.

JERSEYCITYWA1ERSHEDPROPERlY:

Based on th e testimony received onthe

draft 1988 Open Space Element and th e

criteria outlined above, th e 415 acre formerJersey CityWatershed property, in northernDenville has also been included as "Landswith Open Space Potential." The site, however, is not delineated on Figure 7-1 since

the mapswere printed prior to the public

hearing date.

There may also be other sites just as desirablefor being included in the "Lands with OpenSpace Potential" category as those shown on

Figure 7-1, and th e recommended completionof natural resources inventories across the



countycouldwell result in the identificationofsuch added locations. In any event, the completion of a county-wide set of NRI's shouldconstitute a major step toward the objectiveof

managing our growth so that preservation ofvalued environmental features can be maximized. As described in chapter four, the Morris CountyPark Commissionhas beguna buffer area acquisition program. Such action was

necessitated by the adverse impacts of nearbydevelopment on some of its facilities. As thecountycontinuesto develop andurbanize, thismay be the onlyviable alternative in responseto these' impacts. . The determination of

methods for protectingopen space facilities is

a step that should be implemented by all levels

of government, once the needs of its facilitieshave been determined. Federal and statefacilities, which are regional in nature,must beevaluatedfrom an area-wideperspective. Thestate "Outdoor Recreation Plan" indicates

that both the federal and state levels have asignificantdeficit ofopen spacefacilities in theurban areas of the state. In recognition of theneed for open space, expansion of existing

facilities and/or creation of new open spacefacilities is encouraged. However, since theanalysis of this need goes beyond the county'sboundaries, it is beyond the scope of thismaster plan element to make specific recom

mendations for these facilities. In light of thefindings of this element, the Morris CountyPlanning Board makes the following recommendations. While some are directed.to aspecific level ofgovernment, all are sufficiently generic to be incorporated by those con

cerned with the acquisition and protection of

one of our most important natural resources,open space.

R E C O ~ E N D A T I O N S1. As a vital part of the information needed

for a municipalityand for the county to determine whether additional open space is

needed, each of these entities should have anatural resources inventory (NRI). I f amuni

cipality already has an NRI, it should ensurethat its information is accurate, complete, in

tegrated, and reflects conditions as they nowexist. In those places where additional open

space is found to be needed, the NRI, by supplying detailed environmental information

about each individual area, would help inprioritizing future acquisitions. Regardless ofwhether additional open space is found to bedesirable or not, the findings and conclusions


derived from the NRI shouldbe incorporated

into the master plan and land use ordinancesof the municipality, the county "Future Land

Use Plan" and the planning process of thecounty park commission.

2. The acquisition of open space to provideprotection for essential municipal and countyneeds such as water supply, flood control, and

stormwater management should be activelypursued. The locations of local aquifers,

recharge areas, well fields, flood areas andexcessive slopes should be major considerations in formulating open space acquisitionplans and revisions to land use plans, zoning



ordinances and other development regulations. As a matter of policy, municipalitiesshould adopt stream protection measures anddevelop programs for protecting steep slopes,flood plains, wetlands and ground water

recharge areas.

3. Every municipality should have an environmental commission or committee. The

governing body should require that the commission or committee be actively involved inthe review of subdivisions, site plans and largepublic works projects.

4. In addition to considering its environmen

tal needs, each municipality should also re-examine its recreational needs for open space

each time a master plan review is made. Is

theresufficient open space to providefor eachkind of active outdoor re creationits residents

need? Ar e there sufficient passive recreationareas? In th e larger municipalities, are recrea

tion areas sufficiently distributed geographically to effectively serve the needs of all theresidents? In those municipalities with potential for substantial residential growth, are future needs being planned for into the nextcentury? Ar e changing demographics, andtherefore recreational interests, of the

municipality considered? These considerations should be incorporated into the masterplan and also into the land useordinances and

capi t al expenditure programs o f the

municipality. Th e opening of school playgrounds for public useoutsideof school hours

is another strategy, already used by a numberofMorris Countycommunities, to increase theavailability of active recreation areas to resi

dents of th e municipality. Th e county alsoshould periodically re-examine its functions in

providing for th e needs of its residents in termsof recreational facilities.

5. Municipalities should recognize that in

manycases open spaceobjectives can be realized through regulations designed to protect


environmentally sensitive ares or through innovative designs of proposed subdivisions or

site plans. Acquisition of development rights,

obtaining open space through the subdivisionand site plan review process, and obtainingpedestrian a nd c on se rv at io n e a se m en ts

should all be considered as possiblemeans forobtaining th e benefits of additional open

space.

6. Privately-owned open space and evenpublicly-owned open space not controlled by

th e municipality (watershed lands for ex

ample) ca n suddenly disappear from amunicipality's open space inventory if the

owner decides to sell the land or putit to someother use. When such open space is considered to be an i mpor t ant part o f acommunity's open space plan, the community

should take whatever steps ar e available

toward assuring continuation of the open

space use.

7. I t is recommended that th e present effortstoward developing linear parks, open to pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles, be continued and expanded. Patriot's Path, acrossth e south-central part of th e county, is becom

ing a model of how municipal-county-privatesector cooperation, acquisition, easementsand state funding can be utilized over time toproduce a viable trail system, even in veryurbanizedareas. ThePassaicRiver flood plainand embankments, "TowpathTrail" along theRockaway and th e rivers in southwestern

Morris County offer prime opportunities foradditional trails. Other locationsalso exist (see"Landswith Open Space Potential" on Figure7-1).

8. Since both th e sta te a nd f ed er al

governments' responsibilities for providingopen space encompass considerations andareas much larger than Morris County, no

specific recommendations are made in thismaster plan for themother than th e following:



I f Farny State Park is considered to have·a

potential as part of the state parksystem, evenif only as a wildlife preserve, steps should betaken to ensure that the state has a first right

of refusal to acquire the parcels between thetwo existing Farney tracts i f they come up forsale or change of ownership. This might apply

to other adjacent properties as well, and toundeveloped properties between or adjacent

to the BerkshireValleyWildlifeManagementarea tracts. However, in order to make such a

procedure effective, the state department

responsible would need to have funds that itcould drawupon fairly quickly i f andwhen theneed arises.

9. Municipalities and the county should examine their existing and potential sites to see

if they are vulnerable to damage from

upstream or adjacent landuses, and determinewhat measures (development standards,

mitigation measures or acquisition) are need

ed to prevent or minimize such damage. Thisprocedure should include examination forpossible damage from future development ofnow-vacant land upstream or adjacent to each

open space site. Proposed changes in zoningof such vacant tributary lands must also be

considered in light of possible damaging im-

pacts on existingor future open space parcels.

10. The county and those municipalities

having need to purchase additional open

space should take advantage of all existing

feral and state funding programs and monitorany changes in them.






RESOLUTION

WHEREAS the Morris County Planning Board is charged with the responsibility

ofadopting a master

planfor the physical development

ofthe County; and

WHEREAS an updated draft "Open Space Element" of the Morris County Master

Planwas approved by the Planning Board for printing and distribution for reviewbymunicipalities on March 15, 1988; and .

WHEREAS a public hearing was held on the above draft on June 16, 1988, at

which several ad<li,tiono/ potential sites were recommended for inclusion; and

WHEREAS onOctober 6, 1988 the Morris County Planning Board approved the

draft "Open Space Element" as corrected and with the following changes:

1) Addition of the 415 acre former Jersey CityWatershedlands in Denville; and

2) Deletion of the proposed access parcel to a portion of

Lewis Morris Park in Mendham Township;

NOW THEREFORE BE ITRESOLVED that the Morris County Planning

Board hereby formally adopts the 1988 "Open Space Element" as corrected and

amended on October 6, 1988 as a part of the Morris CountyMaster Plan, with thestipulation that in any case in which the "1988 Open Space" map is inconsistent

with the text of the "Open Space Element," the text shall govern.

I hereby certify that this is a true copy ofa

Resolution unanimously approvedby the Morris

CountyPlanningBoard at its regular meeting

held on January 3, 1991.

(j};,. .,/L JJ. hi IJ ~ ..

DudleyH. w o o t r i d ~ , PlanningDirector7 -



The County of Morris would like to express its appreciation to the following officials who were in office

when this Element was duly adopted:

Morris County Board ofChosen Freeholders

George J. Szatkowski, Jr., Director

FrederickW. Knox, Jr.

PatricJ. Hyland

CarolJ. Murphy

Alex DeCroce

CarolJ. Rufener

WalterJ. Luger


WilliamJ. Mathews, Chairman

Joyce Brown,

Vice-Chairman

Melveme E. Cooke,

Secretary

George E. Burke,County Engineer

George J. Szatkowski, Jr.

Patrie J. Hyland

James Nelson

Barry Marell

Donald F. Roos

Documents

Morris County Master Plan: Open Space Element