Drew Forest supporters pack meeting, urge county to support $10M preservation plan

By: William Westhoven, Morristown Daily Record

The long-debated fate of a small forest preserve in Madison may soon be decided after the Morris County Open Space Trust Fund Committee heard public pleas urging them to fund a massive conservation effort.

An application to approve a $10 million Open Space Grant to help purchase the 53-acre Drew Forest Preserve, and head off development of the property, was the only agenda item for the committee's meeting Thursday in Morristown.

If approved, the Madison grant would equal the previous-high $10 million grant awarded to Chatham Township for the purchase of land at Giralda Farms. Since then, total grants approved have rarely exceeded $2 million per year. Through its first 25 years since launching in 1994, the grants have funded the preservation of more than 17,000 acres in Morris County.

Standing-room only for Drew University Forest preservation

The Madison application drew more than 55 supporters, including environmental experts, an elected official and students from Drew University, which owns the property that buffers its southern border from a nearby residential neighborhood.

Also in attendance were several members of the nonprofit Friends of the Drew Forest, which has advocated for preservation and circulated a petition that has drawn nearly 15,000 signatures.

Only a handful of them were able to speak during a 15-minute public session before the committee went into private executive session, accompanied by the Madison officials who submitted the application. Barbara Heskins Davis, a vice president with the nonprofit Land Conservancy of New Jersey, also joined the closed session.

Decision expected on Nov. 8

The committee's decision will be announced Nov. 8, and is expected to be put to vote by the Morris County Board of Commissioners that same night. The board can reject the application or approve any amount up to the requested $10 million.

Madison Mayor Robert Conley said afterward that he could not reveal details of the private discussion, but added, "I feel our presentation was well-received."

The borough's presentation included a video it produced about the environmentally sensitive forest, supported by public comment at Thursday's meeting and the previous committee meeting last month.

In between those two meetings, the open space committee reviewed the application and also participated in a virtual site visit of the property, according to Friends of the Drew Forest Executive Director Claire Whitcomb.

"We're just really knocked out by the amount of support that people have expressed, and how many people came out," Whitcomb said. "It was amazing. I hope it goes through."

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The hope is that with an unprecedented $10 million Open Space grant, combined with state Green Acres funding, more dollars from the Madison Open Space Fund and federal fund requests endorsed by U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, they can make a competitive offer for the property.

Officials haven't publicly estimated what the total price might come to. In May, Madison Borough Administrator Ray Codey said it would likely be "in the multi-millions of dollars."

Drew makes its case for a sale

A page on the Drew University website explains the school's motivation to sell the land.

"A global pandemic, a national decline in college-aged students, a precipitous drop in state aid, and other factors have taken their financial toll on the university and its endowment over the past decade, which directly impacts our ability to provide financial aid and academic opportunities to deserving students into the future." Drew officials said. "Over the past several years, Drew has made tremendous progress to address the budgetary impact of these challenges, and in fact has achieved a near-balanced budget. But to truly thrive and plan into the future, we must address the university’s endowment."

The statement outlines a plan to sell an undefined "parcel" of the 53 acres to a buyer that would preserve that land. Two more "small" parcels "close to Madison Avenue" would be sold at market rate to a developer looking to build apartments.

As the grant process continues, Madison and Drew remain embroiled in a lawsuit. The university has accused the borough of improperly excluding the Drew Forest land in a settlement negotiated with the state to build more affordable housing in town. That action, Drew claims, has lowered the market rate of the land Madison is now trying to acquire.

Why advocates say Drew Forest is essential

Speakers at Thursday's meeting included Parsippany resident Ken Dolsky, a well-known environmental advocate and vice president of the New Jersey Forest Watch. Drew Forest, he said, was a habitat for many species "under the threat of extinction."

"Drew Forest is a recharge area for the Buried Valley Aquifer, from which Parsippany and 25 others draw their well water," he added.

Parsippany is one of several nearby towns to have passed resolutions in support of the Madison application. So is neighboring Morris Township.

"Our governing body unanimously and, I might add, enthusiastically, passed a resolution of support for this action," said Morris Township Committee Member Cathy Wilson. "Drew Forest is a unique, vital and natural resource that has many impacts on us, our town, our residents."

Former Mountain Lakes Council Member Janet Horst offered a cautionary tale about her borough's failure to preserve a nine-acre forested area.

"It has 38 townhouses now," said Horst, still a member of her borough's Green Team. "It was a beautiful piece of land and now it's completely developed."

After the meeting, Conley offered thanks to the "standing-room-only" audience that came to support the Madison application.

"While only a handful were able to speak, the support was clear and possibly unprecedented for a Morris County Open Space Fund application," he said. "This reinforced that the Drew Forest is recognized well beyond the Madison borders for its importance for aquifer recharge, carbon sequestration, cleaning the air we breathe and of course, as a restored, deer-free area forest in densely populated southeast Morris providing a wooded oasis for all to escape the stresses of our everyday life."

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com Twitter: @wwesthoven