Forest Preservation Amicus Brief Filed in Drew Lawsuit
In response to Drew University’s motion to overturn Madison’s 2020 affordable housing settlement, Friends of the Drew Forest has filed an amicus or "friend of the court” brief to support the preservation of the entire 53-acre tract of this rare, intact preserve. The case will be heard on August 19 at 11:30AM at Morris County Court House, Courtroom 200, 56 Washington Ave, Morristown. The hearing is open to the public.
“We filed a brief because we wanted to document the exceptional ecosystem value of the forest and to make it clear to all parties that this is an area of regional environmental significance,” says Lydia Chambers, co-chair of Friends of the Drew Forest, a nonprofit based in Madison, NJ.
Filing as an amicus does not make Friends of the Drew Forest a party to the lawsuit. Rather, it provides the court with relevant expertise to assist it in its deliberations.
The brief draws on many resources, including a new report from the Davey Resource Group, one of the most prominent environmental consultants in New Jersey. “We were able to contract with Davey Resource Group for this critical report thanks to hundreds of small donors who have supported us over the past year-and-a half,” says Judy Kroll, co-chair of Friends of the Drew Forest.
The Davey Resource Group report states that the Forest “has limited development potential but extremely high value as a preserved open space.” It details the Forest’s importance as a recharge zone for the Buried Valley Aquifer, a sole-source aquifer for Madison residents and additional towns. It documents its irreplaceable large trees, explains the Forest’s role as “identified habitat” for the federally endangered Indiana bat and goes into depth on specific wetlands, open space waters and steep slopes where development would face significant legal and permitting hurdles.
Drew University has been a significant partner in the Forest’s fourteen-year restoration. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which contracted with the University in this restoration effort, is quoted in the Davey Resource Group report as saying, “Although our 10-year contract with the University had ended, it was the understanding that the funds were only being provided to restore the forest for the long-term.”
