def #215 10/14/09
COUNTY TO PRESERVE 46 ACRES ON OSBORN ISLAND
TOMS RIVER – Known as the only unprotected maritime forest on Osborn Island and providing an important stop for migratory
birds on the North Atlantic flyway, Ocean County Freeholders are taking steps to preserve the 46 acres in Little Egg
Harbor Township as open space.
“The property is located on the southern tip of Ocean County on Great Bay,” said Freeholder Director John C. Bartlett
Jr., who serves as liaison to the county’s Natural Lands Trust Fund program. “It’s in an area surrounded by both
residential development and thousands of acres of protected tidal wetlands in the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife
Refuge and the Great Bay Wildlife Management Area.”
Bartlett noted the property has final approval for a 73-home subdivision.
“This property meets the criteria established by the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund Advisory Committee,” Bartlett
said. “By keeping it open space we will be providing a host of natural and environmental benefits to the area.”
The property, located off Radio Road at Ocean Boulevard in the Mystic Island section of Little Egg Harbor Township is
close to the only other remaining maritime forest in the area. The 128-acre Sanctuary property was protected by the
County Natural Lands Trust Program in January 2000 and later transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under a
prior agreement.
Bartlett noted that the preservation of this property has strong local support and also is supported by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve.
“Little Egg Harbor Township officials are strongly supporting the preservation of this land and are expected to
contribute at least $600,000 towards the purchase,” Bartlett said. “This cooperation from the local town emphasizes the
importance of this program.”
The asking price for the property was originally $7 million however the price negotiated by the Ocean County Natural
Lands Trust Fund is $3.5 million.
The property is also eligible for the Federal Coastline and Estuarine Land Conservation Program, which could fund up to
$1,750,000 of the purchase price.
“The Trust for Public Lands has agreed to work with the County to secure the grant and lower the net cost to Ocean
County,” Bartlett said.
He added, however, those funds would not be available to 2010.
“This purchase is a joint effort to place in public ownership property that is environmentally sensitive and that should
remain open space,” Bartlett said.
A public hearing on the purchase will be held during the Board of Freeholders regular meeting at 4 p.m., Oct. 21 in Room
119 of the Ocean County Administration Building, 101 Hooper Ave., here.
Natural lands preserved under the county’s program now total more than 12,000 acres, said Freeholder Deputy Director
Gerry P. Little.
“This program has made a significant difference here in Ocean County,” said Little, who served as chairman of the
advisory committee. “Open space adds to the quality of life here in Ocean County.”
