Preserve and Care for Land and Inspire a Conservation Ethic, Now and Forever.
Our Mission
D&R Greenway Land Trust works throughout central New Jersey to keep the “Garden” in the Garden State.
Our Story
The Johnson Education Center
It was the 1980s and development was moving at a rapid pace across central New Jersey. Developers were busy staking their claims, literally, as signs announcing the demise of local farms and open space were driven into the ground daily. With time running short, four concerned citizens came together with a vision to save these lands for a different kind of stakeholder. Starting with just $10,000 of seed money, founders Jim Amon, Rosemary Blair, Bob Johnston, and Sam Hamill began to fight back on the public’s behalf. In 1989, D&R Greenway Land Trust came into being.
Our Numbers Show the Big Picture
From 1989 – 2007, a span of 18 years, D&R Greenway Land Trust preserved 10,000 acres of land.
In the next ten years, from 2007 – 2017, D&R Greenway Land Trust preserved a second 10,000 acres, reaching a milestone of 20,000 acres of preserved land in 2017.
St. Michael’s Farm Preserve, Hopewell
The land area we have protected is:
3x larger than all of the City of Trenton, New Jersey’s State Capital!
20x larger than New York City’s Central Park!
33x larger than the combined size of the World’s two smallest countries – Monaco and the Vatican City!
Fun facts that show positive benefits of the lands preserved by D&R Greenway:
Problem:
New Jersey has the highest population density of any of the United States, 13xs the national average.
New Jersey is predicted to become the first State in the country to be completely built-out in the next 30 years.
Solution:
Land preserved by D&R Greenway has prevented 10,000 new houses from being built in our local communities.
These preserved lands have prevented 100,000 car trips per day from clogging already crowded roads.
Problem:
Polluted air causes health issues such as asthma and lung diseases.
Climate change is impacting weather patterns and threatening biodiversity.
Solution:
A single tree absorbs one ton of carbon dioxide in its lifetime, providing a breath of fresh air!
The forests protected by D&R Greenway remove 8 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to alleviate climate change.
Problem:
Diminishing water supply is becoming our next resource crisis.
Solution:
Lands protected by D&R Greenway save about 3.5 million gallons of water daily, ensuring clean and abundant water.