2017 NJ Land Conservation Rally

Environmental due diligence is an important part of understanding potential environmental risks on a property, securing funding and ensuring that your organization has appropriate liability protections. We will walk through the due diligence process, including Phase 1 and Preliminary Assessments, and discuss areas of concern that are commonly identified on rural and urban land conservation projects. A discussion of case studies will show how environmental problems, such as underground storage tanks, historic pesticide application, farm dumps, and historic fill material can be addressed and when a Licensed Site Remediation Professional needs to be involved.  We will also discuss obtaining funding for remediation on land conservation projects through the NJDEP Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund and other sources.  This workshop will help you make the right decisions during the due diligence process to protect your organization, public health and the environment.

This session will explore the implications of using public funds to preserve open space containing historic sites, highlighting the challenges and opportunities but most importantly what you need to know BEFORE you purchase. Find out what makes something ‘historic’ and what it means to be listed in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. Learn what’s new in the coordination between the Green Acres program and the Historic Preservation Office to ensure that historic property is not lost. The panel will also explore a few tools, financial incentives and resources available to help land managers preserve, restore and enhance their historic site. Lastly, examples will be presented where creative re-use has helped to sustain preservation – for both land and buildings.


Approved for APA CM 1.25. 

This workshop will  provide a basic overview of the New Jersey Trails Program and the New Jersey Trails Plan, the role of the New Jersey Trails Council, grant opportunities available through the federally-funded Recreational Trails Program and examples of successful Recreational Trails Program projects.   A description of how a regional trails program, the Circuit in Camden, has benefited from these programs will also be discussed.
 

Join us for a conversation with economic development managers from across New Jersey to learn more about what drives these managers to make decisions, how they think about nature in the planning process, and where the opportunities are for collaboration and shared resources. Land, rivers and coastlines provide many benefits to wildlife and people, such as clean water, tourism opportunities, soil for growing crops, commercial and recreation fisheries, and flood reduction. Conservation groups strive towards goals of healthy, resilient habitats for nature and people in both coastal and freshwater systems but may struggle to meet these goals due to inadequate resources. To truly scale up our conservation work, collaborating with new partners can help us attain shared goals for people and nature. Today we’ll get the conversation started with three panelists from diverse counties and projects from across the state and we welcome you to join the presentations and discussion.

Approved for APA CM 1.25. 

Pipelines pose one of the greatest risks to preserved land in New Jersey, and to other natural resources we need to protect. Starting with a look at state and federal policy around pipeline approvals, this workshop will address policy changes needed to move NJ more swiftly from unneeded pipelines to renewable sources of energy.