Staff and Board Members of The Land Conservancy of New Jersey joined Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., West Orange Mayor John McKeon, Dennis Percher from South Mountain Conservancy, and Cathy Elliott-Shaw from the New Jersey Green Acres program to announce the preservation of 11 acres of open space in West Orange on Friday, October 23rd. The parcel will become part of Essex County’s South Mountain Reservation and be open to the public for recreation. In addition, the County Executive announced his endorsement of Public Question #1 on the November 3rd ballot to provide $400 million of funding for the NJ Green Acres program.


South Mountain Conservancy Chairman Dennis Percher, Essex County Open Space Trust Fund Chairwoman Lori Tanner, The Land Conservancy of New Jersey President David Epstein, Landowner David Mandelbaum, Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo, and West Orange Mayor John McKeon

“Open space is a precious and limited resource in Essex County. I am pleased that we were able to partner with West Orange, The Land Conservancy of New Jersey, South Mountain Conservancy and New Jersey Green Acres to keep 11 acres from being developed and expand the size of Essex County South Mountain Reservation,” DiVincenzo said. “Preserving this site is good for our environment and will enhance our residents’ quality of life,” he added.

The announcement culminates a two-year process in which The Land Conservancy, Essex County, West Orange, and South Mountain Conservancy worked together to purchase 11 acres of undeveloped land for $1.7 million. Essex County contributed $1 million from its Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund, and West Orange, South Mountain Conservancy and The Land Conservancy of New Jersey received a total of $700,000 in grant funding through the New Jersey Green Acres program for this project. This property could have been developed with eight residential units on the site.

“The Land Conservancy of New Jersey is pleased to have partnered with Essex County, West Orange, South Mountain Conservancy, New Jersey Green Acres and the Mandelbaum family to protect this very important addition to South Mountain Reservation,” explains David Epstein, President of the Land Conservancy. “This project highlights the importance of continued open space funding for land preservation in Essex County and throughout the state.”

Located next to the Mayapple Hill Extension of South Mountain Reservation, this 11 acre parcel will now be part of South Mountain Reservation, the largest park within the Essex County Parks system. Now a total of 2,100 acres in size, the Reservation extends through West Orange, Maplewood, and Millburn Townships and is located between the first and second ridges of the Watchung Mountains. The design of the Reservation was finalized by the Olmsted Brothers and the park was built from purchases begun in 1895, the first year of the Essex County Park Commission.

The property will be retained in its natural state and protected, in perpetuity, for open space. This property adds a critical connection to the Lenape Trail, which will extend from Mt. Pleasant Avenue and Kelly Drive into the 52-acre Mayapple Hill Extension. A mature forest, the property slopes downward towards Bear Brook, the headwaters for Canoe Brook (a tributary of the Passaic River).



Essex County Executive DiVincenzo announced his endorsement of the public question during the press conference. “Over the last seven years, Essex County has benefited immensely from funds allocated from the Garden State Preservation Trust,” the County Executive noted. “Upgrades at all of our parks – including modern athletic fields, renovated facilities, enhanced landscaping, renewed historic elements and preserved open spaces – were made possible by leveraging our financial resources from the Essex County Open Space Trust Fund with the Green Acres program. Our quality of life in Essex County has improved greatly. I encourage voters to support the Public Question #1 on November 3rd,” he said.