By SHANNON CAULFIELD
The Shamong Sun
Two hundred acres have been preserved in Medford and Shamong townships by YMCA Camp Ockanickon.
The preservation was funded through Camp Ockanickon and the New Jersey Pinelands Commission.
According to a release, the commission transferred a total of $436,563 from the Pinelands Conservation Fund to Camp Ockanickon, which used the money toward the purchase of the property located next to the camp. The total cost of the preservation was $1.1 million.
According to the Pinelands Commission website, The Pinelands National Reserve was created by Congress under the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978. The PNR is the first National Reserve in the nation. The PNR encompasses approximately 1.1 million acres covering portions of seven counties and all or parts of 56 municipalities.
The region is 1.1 million acres in size and occupies 22 percent of New Jersey’s land area. It is the largest body of open space on the Mid-Atlantic seaboard between Richmond and Boston and is underlain by aquifers containing 17 trillion gallons of some of the purest water in the land.
“The importance of the purchase is the neighboring land had some development potential,” said Pinelands Commission spokesman Paul Leakan. “The [potential] development would have had some environmental impact. This preservation will open the opportunity for education and other programs out there. It gives Camp Ockanickon more opportunity.”
The land preserved contains two large bodies of water the camp utilizes for ecological studies, according to the statement.
Of the land purchased, 160-acres are located in Medford. The remaining 40 acres are located in Shamong.
“We’re thrilled to participate in a project that will help protect the Pinelands on two fronts,” said Nancy Wittenberg, executive director of the Pinelands Commission in a statement. “First, this acquisition protects land with extensive forests and swamps that serve as headwaters of the Rancocas Creek. Secondly, the camp will use this property to expand its education and recreational programs, which will further raise awareness and appreciation of the Pinelands.”
According to Leakan, 4,000 acres of land have been preserved using money from the Pinelands Conservation Fund. In total, the Pinelands Commission has preserved 50 percent of the Pinelands region, or half a million acres.
“We’re always happy to preserve environmentally impactful land,” said Leakan.
According to the statement, the forests, swamps and streams on the newly preserved property will enhance and expand the camp’s environmental education and recreation offerings, said Keith VanDerzee, CEO of Camp Ockanickon.
Camp Ockanickon regularly offers before- and after-school programs to approximately 100 area schools.
“We are committed to providing opportunities for our community to learn, grow and thrive,” said VanDerzee. “This purchase is a reflection of that commitment, and we’re grateful, honored and proud that these entities have chosen to support us in this project.”
To learn, visit www.state.nj.us/pinelands.
