Morris panel recommends $5M for Drew Forest, but activists tell commissioners that’s not enough

By: Kevin Coughlin, MorristownGreen.com

Drew University students at Morris County Commissioners meeting, to lobby for money to preserve the Drew Forest, Nov. 8, 2023.

Half a loaf is not better than none. Not when a 53-acre forest is at stake.

That was the message Wednesday from supporters of the Drew Forest. They urged the Morris County Commissioners to double a $5 million grant recommendation from the county’s open space committee.

“If we lose this forest, it’s going against something this county holds so dear,” said Drew University senior and botanical intern Jackie Malone.

She was among a parade of Drew students, elected officials, and environmental activists who packed the commission chambers in Morristown to politely ask for the full $10 million grant requested by the borough of Madison.

Strapped for cash, Drew University has indicated its intention to sell a portion of the wooded area behind its Madison campus–the Drew Forest–to developers. Madison has asked for help from the county’s Open Space Trust Fund to buy and preserve the land.

The borough’s allies on Wednesday reiterated their arguments that these woods are vital for aquifer recharge, fresh air, wildlife habitat, education, and respite for students and the public.

Madison Mayor Robert Conley addresses Morris Commissioners, Nov. 8, 2023.

“Once it’s developed, we can’t get it back,” said Lisa Leone, Drew ’16, crediting her studies in the Drew Forest with helping launch her career as a conservationist.

Earlier in the day, the county’s 15-member Open Space Trust Fund Committee recommended halving Madison’s request, to $5 million.

“The committee carefully considered all aspects of Madison’s application, including the written and in-person public comments, the information obtained during the site inspections, the answers Madison provided to questions from the committee members, the current status of negotiations between the parties, the potential for alternative funding sources, and reached a consensus regarding the recommendation,” committee Chairman Jay Thomson said in a statement.

Supporters of the Drew Forest await their turn to address Morris Commissioners, Nov. 8, 2023. Photo by Marissa Guajardo

Commissioner Director John Krickus thanked the committee for recommending this “considerable amount,” but gave no date for a final decision by his seven-member board.

Claire Whitcomb of the Friends of the Drew Forest, a nonprofit that has garnered more than 14,000 signatures from supporters, expressed disappointment at the proposed funding amoount, which she fears won’t be enough to save woods she described as unique and an exceptional public value.

“It is a rare space for families to walk and for children to see great blue herons and turtles sunning on logs. If preserved it will be a county jewel,” Whitcomb said.

Since Morris County voters overwhelmingly approved a preservation tax in 1992, some $295 million has been raised to preserve 17,800 acres–more space than the township of Parsippany-Troy Hills, according to the county.

But a $10 million grant only has been approved once before, to acquire land at Giralda Farms in Madison.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11th Dist.) also has applied for $5 million from the federal Community Grants program.

FROM WOODED TRAILS TO COURTROOMS

Commenters at Wednesday’s livestreamed meeting ranged from little girls and Girl Scout leaders to physicians and politicians.

“We need the full $10 million,” said newly re-elected Madison Mayor Robert Conley.  He labeled recent talks with Drew as productive, and said full funding from the county, along with federal and possibly state Green Acres money, “will put us over the top.”

Drew President Hilary Link at the Drew Forum, at MPAC, Oct. 23, 2023. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Drew’s new president, Hilary Link, lives on campus and has met twice with The Friends of the Drew Forest, giving them glimmers of hope.

One of the Friends, state Assemblywoman Aura Dunn (R-25th Dist.), said Chatham’s water source flows beneath the Drew Forest. The woods also are an important legacy for future generations, she said.

“Fundamentally, we know exposure to nature…is the foundation for learning,” Dunn said.

State Assemblywoman Aura Dunn (R-25th Dist.) asks the Morris Commissioners to fund preservation of the Drew Forest, Nov. 8, 2023.

Meanwhile, a court case involving the Drew Forest continues to unfold. Angling to get the tract rezoned for development, the university sued Madison last year.

The lawsuit attempted, unsuccessfully, to nullify the borough’s 2020 affordable housing settlement with the Fair Share Housing Center, arguing that the borough failed to include the forest when calculating available land for affordable units.

However, Superior Court Judge Stephan Hansbury allowed Drew to intervene in that settlement. He also ordered the school to identify portions of its campus it considers suitable for development.

A special master was appointed, and the case remains before Hansbury.

Superior Court Judge Stephan Hansbury questions Rachel Lokken, attorney for the Fair Share Housing Center, Aug, 19, 2022. Photo by Kevin Coughlin