Open Space Victory- Holly Farm Preserved After 20 Year Battle

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is buying nearly 1,400 acres in South Jersey, known as Holly Farm in Cumberland County, from Atlantic City Electric. Holly Farm is located in Millville between Menantico Creek and Manumuskin Creek, both of which are federally designated Wild and Scenic Rivers.

“This is a major victory for open space and preservation. Holly farms is one of the most diverse areas in New Jersey and have been fighting for two decades to protect it.  In 2010 this property was sold off at the last minute under the Christie Administration to a politically tied developer who wanted to pave it over with 900 units of senior housing and a golf course. Now it will be preserved forever as open space. The site lies within the heart of thousands of acres of preserved land between the Manumuskin and Menantico Creeks, which are both designated as National Wild and Scenic Rivers,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “DEP’s purchase of Holly Farms is a great deal for New Jersey and open space.”

In 2010, during the Christie Administration, the state Board of Public Utilities narrowly authorized the sale of a 1,350-acre tract owned by Atlantic City Electric in Millville to a developer who wanted to put a golf course and senior housing on the parcel. The Sierra Club strongly objected to the proposed sale and has been fighting to preserve it.

“The property should have been protected years ago but because of a dirty political deal under Governor Christie, it was not preserved and slated for development. Holly Farms is one of the largest environmentally sensitive unprotected track of land in New Jersey. Now with DEP’s purchase, it will finally be protected from disastrous development projects like senior housing and golf courses. We have been fighting for twenty years to protect the biological diversity of the Manumuskin and Menantico watersheds and believe that the site should permanently remain undeveloped,” said Tittel. “The property is near the southern end of the Pinelands, surrounded by protected open space, a habitat for threatened and endangered species including the bald eagle. Protecting the biological diversity of the those two watersheds has been a focal point of conservation efforts for decades.”

Numerous wetland and endangered species, including Pine Barrens Treefrog, Southern Gray Treefrog, Northern Pine Snake, Cooper’s Hawk, Barred Owl, Bald Eagle, Dotted Skipper and Red-Headed Woodpecker, exist on the property. The Landscape Project of the New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Species Program classifies the entire site as critical endangered species habitat.

“This tract of land is of vital ecological importance.  Not only is it a biodiversity hotspot, containing numerous wetlands and endangered species, but it is part of a large, contiguous ecosystem of protected land. We thank the Murphy Administration for protecting one of the most ecological sensitive areas in New Jersey. This purchase is critical to preserve sensitive ecosystems in the Pine Barrens and in the Delaware Bayshore forest region,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.