“Camp Todd deserves to be preserved in its pristine and untouched condition,” Codey said. “This partnership will ensure this space will never be developed into houses and that New Jersey maintains the natural landscapes and unique communities that make our state so appealing.”

The heavily forested Camp Todd tract features significant water resources and habitat. The property is located in the Ramapo River watershed and contains two tributary streams to the Ramapo River, one of which is protected as a Category One waterway for its trout production. The tract contains exceptional wetlands, two vernal ponds and Todd Lake. The property supports threatened and endangered species including the barred owl, bobcat and red-shouldered hawk.

“Preserving Camp Todd will protect water resources and threatened and endangered species habitat and expand the existing Highlands open space greenway,” said DEP Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell. “Today’s announcement represents a victory for the local residents and nonprofit groups who have worked for years to protect Camp Todd, which is one of the largest remaining unprotected open space parcels in Bergen County, from development.”

The preservation of Camp Todd will protect the property from development. The Oakland Planning Board in 2003 approved the property for residential development. Although the parcel lies within the Highlands Preservation Area, its development was approved prior to the enactment of the Highlands Act and would be exempt from the legislation.

“Preserving the county's dwindling open space is a priority of my administration,” said Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney. “It is critical that the county take advantage of opportunities to purchase the few remaining large tracts of undeveloped land before they get gobbled up by a developer's wrecking ball.”

The property expands existing preserved open space in the Ramapo Mountains. This land includes the 4,200-acre Ramapo Mountain State Forest, which is contiguous to Bergen County's 2,145-acre Ramapo Reservation, 750-acre Camp Glen Gray, and 181-acre Camp Tamarack.

This $8 million agreement reflects a state, local and nonprofit partnership. The DEP Green Acres Program agreed to contribute a total of $6 million toward the purchase through a $4 million state land acquisition allocation, a $1.55 million matching grant to Bergen County and a $450,000 matching grant to Fyke Nature Association. Bergen County will contribute $2 million by providing $1.5 in open space trust funds and $500,000 in capital funds.

“The members of The Fyke Nature Association are honored to do their part to help protect the Highlands right here in Bergen County,” said Hugh Carola, Fyke Nature Association land trust director. “And I believe the visionary people who founded our association would be proud of what we've done today.”

Camp Todd complements New Jersey’s existing preservation projects in the Highlands. The purchase of the property brings the total amount of preserved open space in the region to more than 200,000 acres. In addition, seven waterbodies in the region have been designated as deserving the strictest protection.

The New Jersey Highlands is a 1,250-square-mile area in the northwest part of the State, stretching from Phillipsburg in the southwest to Ringwood in the northeast. It lies within portions of seven counties and 87 municipalities. Sixty-four percent of New Jersey residents, about 5.4 million people, receive their water from the Highlands. In addition, the forests and wetlands of the Highlands are important habitat for many species of reptiles, amphibians, mammals and resident and migrating birds.

Office of the Acting Governor - 4/13/2005