Regional Support
Seven towns, six environmental commissions, numerous environmental groups, and Drew University’s CLA Student Government have voiced support for a conservation sale of the Drew Forest. Click on each name below to read their resolutions or letters of support.
Towns
Caldwell Borough Environmental Commission
Harding Township Environmental Commission
Long Hill Township Environmental Commission
Mendham Township Environmental Commission
Environmental Commissions
Environmental Groups
* = cosigners
“Great Swamp Watershed Association is proud to support this important preservation initiative. The Drew Forest is an invaluable natural resource that will be lost forever if the Borough is ordered by the court to allow construction and the land is fragmented by development.”
— Sally Rubin
Great Swamp Watershed Association Executive Director
July 2022
“Instead of changing the zoning, we are joining our allies to call for a conservation sale. There can’t be a University in the Forest without a forest and more than 13,000 people have signed a petition in support of a conservation sale.
If all of the Drew Forest is preserved, the trees can continue to filter water for the ecosystem and the local community. The natural world can fight climate change because the leaves will still hold carbon dioxide. Drew University students and visitors can use this valuable resource for their classes, research, and recreation forever. If the entire forest is protected, there will be more nature in North New Jersey for generations to come.”
Regional Significance
The Drew Forest Preserve plays a significant role in Morris County, New Jersey. The Forest provides the region with:
A wildlife corridor connecting to area parks:
A conservation sale to permanently protect the Drew Forest will provide open space for Morris County and stabilize a university whose students, professors, and approximately 500 employees support area restaurants, shops, businesses, medical services, and more. Given the shared ecosystem benefits for wildlife, water, clean air, and public enjoyment, the Friends of the Drew Forest welcome the support of our neighboring Environmental Commissions and Town Councils.
The Drew Forest biologically treats rainfall and infiltrates runoff, serving as a primary recharge zone for our all-important Buried Valley Aquifer. This aquifer is a major source of drinking water for 32 counties in four NJ counties: Morris, Essex, Union, and Somerset. Natural water filtration saves taxpayer resources, compared to intensive, engineered water treatment that requires constant, costly maintenance and investment.
Trees Purify Our Drinking Water
In response to a legal dispute between Drew University and the Borough of Madison, the Friends of the Drew Forest have taken two actions to support the preservation of the entire 53-acre Forest. On August 12, 2022, the Friends filed an amicus brief or “friend of the court” brief to document the exceptional ecosystem significance and value of the Forest to all parties involved.
The amicus brief includes a commissioned review of the Forest from the Davey Resource Group, one of the most prominent environmental consultants in New Jersey. The Davey Resource Group report concludes: “The Preserve has limited development potential but extremely high value as a preserved open space.”
Environmental Reports
Resources
In the spirit of preserving and protecting New Jersey’s critical natural systems and environmentally sensitive areas for the community and the wildlife it supports, neighboring towns in Morris County and beyond are able to join the movement by passing resolutions in support of saving the Drew Forest through a conservation sale.
How to Pass A Local Resolution
Drew University and the Drew Forest are powerful contributors to Morris County’s economy and the health and well-being of residents. By preserving the Drew Forest, we can sustain this vitality — including hundreds of high-quality University jobs and upward mobility for thousands of young people — while also protecting the environmental benefits we all enjoy.
A true win-win.
Drew University & the Forest: A Production Engine for Morris County
Useful Maps of the Drew Forest
Browse various maps visualizing the Drew Forest and its ecological features, such as the map above of the Forest in proximity to neighboring nature preserves and towns.