Drew students, Drew Forest advocates push for land sale grant as county vote approaches

By Alex Parker-Magyar Managing Editor

MADISON - Drew University students, Madison officials and residents from across Morris County made their final pitch for a $10 million grant to help save the Drew Forest Thursday, Oct. 12 in Morristown.

A crowd of about 40 people spilled into the hallway outside a Morris County Open Space Trust Fund Committee meeting Thursday, as speakers urged support for Madison's funding request to help purchase the threatened 53-acre forest preserve from the university.

The open space committee has now made a recommendation regarding Madison's application to the Morris County Board of County Commissioners. The commissioners will make a final decision based on the recommendation at a meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 8.

Committee member Jay Thomson of Randolph noted a favorable recommendation may not cover the full $10 million amount, which would match the largest open space grant awarded in the history of Morris County. That grant secured the 2014 purchase of Giralda Farms Park, located a few hundred yards away from the Drew Forest across the Chatham Township border.

Madison is seeking to protect the 53-acre forest from development by acquiring it through a conservation sale.

Drew University, which has not agreed to a sale and says Madison has not offered fair value, has sought to have much of the forest rezoned for multi-family housing and sold to a developer to offset financial troubles.

Any county funding for the land acquisition would supplement money put up by the borough and potentially several other sources. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11, have both submitted federal funding proposals that would net an additional $7.5 million toward the purchase.

'Legendary Acquisition'

Only six of the supporters at the meeting were able to speak during a public hearing that was capped at 15 minutes.

The committee then recessed into executive session, where borough officials and a representative of the Land Conservancy of New Jersey presented their application to the committee in private. The group included Madison Mayor Robert Conley, Borough Administrator Ray Codey, Borough Engineer Robert Vogel and Barbara Heskins Davis, vice president of the Land Conservancy chapter.

Thomson said the presentation had to be conducted in private as the application concerns a potential land acquisition. The public comment period was limited to 15 minutes to allow Madison the maximum amount of time to present its case, he said. Those who spoke at the meeting came from towns across Morris County, including Parsippany, Mountain Lakes, Morristown and Morris Township, while other supporters came from Denville, Chatham, Morris Plains and elsewhere.

Most spoke of the regional significance of the Drew Forest, which helps to recharge the Buried Valley Aquifer that provides drinking water to 13 towns across the area. Several cited the importance of trees in mitigating the effects of climate change, and the often irreversible outcomes of cutting down forests.

"Paving over Drew Forest is not what New Jersey needs," said Parsippany resident Ken Dolsky, vice president of New Jersey Forest Watch. "The world has only two major sources of carbon sequestration: forests and oceans. Every patch of forest counts in the long-term fight against the harms of climate change. Please provide the funds to keep this forest part of our community.”

Kristin Ace of the Morristown Shade Tree Commission echoed Dolsky's comments. She said the county is rapidly becoming more and more developed as people move here, and trees, one of the most important tools to fight climate change, are being cut down in swathes.

"Drew Forest doesn't just serve Madison, it serves Morris County and beyond," she said. "We need this forest to help mitigate the pollution that's coming into our area. We need this forest to clean our drinking water. We need this forest for our wildlife, for our birds and for its ecodiversity. We need this forest so we can wander through and find peace. We need this forest for hope. So we're asking: Please help us save our forest, save our hope, because we need this forest.”

Janet Horst, a former member of the Mountain Lakes Borough Council, said the purchase would be a "legendary acquisition" for the good of the county.

Morris Township Committeewoman Cathy Wilson agreed. She said saving the forest would be a "win-win solution" for all towns in the area, as environmental concerns and protecting the water supply are issues that cross town borders.

'A Responsibility, Not A Burden'

A group of about a dozen Drew University students stood in the back of the small meeting room throughout the public session. Luiza Vaskys Lima, a Drew student and Summit resident, spoke on behalf of the group.

She said the presence of the forest was one of the main reasons she decided to attend Drew. She said she was hurt and has felt "powerless" seeing the university attempting to have the land developed.

"I'm here to represent the voice of the College of Liberal Arts at Drew. There are lots of Drew students here, from freshmen to seniors, saying that we're here in support of the grant for preserving the forest that we way it is," she said. "We, the student body, we want to have our voices heard."

She spoke of the forest's significance in supporting students' mental health as well as their studies, as many students conduct environmental research in the preserved space. The forest is not a burden, she said, but a responsibility the Drew community has to protect it.

Another Drew student, G.J. Nazziola of Parsippany, echoed Lima's thoughts in an interview outside the meeting chamber after the session concluded. He agreed the forest was a central reason why he committed to Drew.