Extracted from Green Spaces the newsletter of the Monmouth Conservation Foundation (Fall/Winter 2000 issue) and used with MCF permission: "MCF
Helps a Young Friend: "Sometimes things just seem to click and everyone is better for it. In 1999 Monmouth Conservation Foundation was able to give a $5,000 grant plus a $2,500 challenge grant to the Fund for Roosevelt (FFR), Roosevelt, NJ. Rod Tulloss, president of FFR, expressed sincere appreciation to the Executive Committee at its July meeting for their generosity. "FFR is not only grateful, but also deeply honored by the action," Rod said. "Roosevelt's preservation projects include components of farmland preservation, historic preservation (the whole Borough makes up the Jersey Homesteads National and State Historic District), and preservation of wetlands containing rare, threatened, and endangered plants and vertebrates. The lands to be preserved straddle the boundary of two watersheds -- the Assunpink and the Raritan. "The project to which the MCF grant was applied was the preservation of two farms constructed by the fund from a number of smaller lots owned by three farming families. The two farms consist of approx. 152 acres (all in Roosevelt) and 88 acres (80 in Roosevelt and 8 in Millstone Township). Both farms include top quality soils, sources of water for irrigation, natural wetlands, springs and seeps, and forested areas. The water in the northern farm feeds the Raritan Watershed. The water in the southern farm feeds the Assunpink Watershed. The two farms are part of the approx. 550 acres that are currently farmed in Roosevelt and which make up the remnant of the farmland originally designed into the Jersey Homesteads utopian community. "When the grant was made, FFR was beginning to struggle with critical initial stages of fundraising for the first farm preservation project. Having received nonprofit recognition in June of 1999 and having raised less than $22,000 in that year, FFR was faced with an estimated fundraising program well in excess of $100,000. This could not be raised in a town of less than 350 mostly modest homes. Other support had to be sought. Other than a private foundation that wishes not to receive publicity, the only foundation that acted to support the project was MCF. Keep in mind, FFR was a small nonprofit barely a year old. The unique character of the town and the preservation effort (farm, ecology, and history) surely had a lot to do with it. "The straight out grant component of MCF's aid to FFR helped maintain one of the three purchase option contracts held by the fund. The challenge grant was utilized later in the year when critical fundraising was required in a short time. The challenge grant required that matching funds come from people who had never previously donated to the Fund. And, as challenge grants do, the potential for 100% match of all or part of a contribution helped encourage a small number of key people to produce the matching funds. "Status today: A contract for resale of the northern farm (after restriction) has been negotiated. New Jersey's new Planning Incentive Grant (PIG) program for farm preservation has been able to commit to important funding for purchase of development rights of the two farms. Monmouth County has committed to taking on their share. The Borough of Roosevelt has voted support of the PIG funding. Two of the landowners have made donations against price that will cover the municipal share of the development right purchase. The southern farm is for sale as of this writing and consists of 150 acres with house site. The completion of both the purchase and resale (as restricted) of the two farms is expected to occur in early 2001. The Fund has a very good chance of recovering its expenses in the resale of the farms. "The Borough's taxpayers have seen none of their property tax dollars expended on the preservation -- a pledge the Fund made at its founding. "And that is how we go about our business here at MCF...helping to preserve open space!!" And, we
at the Fund for Roosevelt This page
created 5 Jaunary 2001. |