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 Mr. doty's and mr. jone's letter yesterday was so uninformed.  This is what is really going on in RTWP but they obvioulsy has no regard for the truth nor his neighbors.   Rockaway has been working toward protect and preservation of our land for some time.  Further, mr. Jones you should really get informed prior to writing a letter now you just look 101%foolish - traffic is a part of every application, in this case the traffic study is flawed and the board knows it - honesty would have been a much better path to take but CC knew that the truth was so bad they needed to play games with the data. 

Now on to some great news about our environement!

Lisa

After 10 years of negotiation, a coalition of public and private agencies is on track to purchase a 525-acre tract of woodlands and streams in Rockaway Township this month.

"If you look at the maps in the region, it's the big property that hasn't been purchased yet," said Terrence Nolan of the Trust for Public Land, the conservation agency that coordinated the public-private partnership that is funding the purchase.

The land, currently owned by the Koehler family, is surrounded by public land, from the Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area to the Splitrock Reservoir and Farny State Park.

Once the $6.1 million deal closes, the state will own a 57 percent interest in the property, and Rockaway Township a 43 percent interest, said David Epstein of the Morris Land Conservancy. The land will be absorbed into the Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area, Epstein said.

The Trust for Public Land is putting about $320,000 toward the project. Morris County and the state of New Jersey have each contributed $2 million. The federal Forest Legacy program is giving $1 million. Rockaway Township is contributing $600,000, and the Morris Land Conservancy has pledged $200,000, Nolan and Epstein said.

The deal is locally very meaningful because the property's owner, the late Herman "Kip" Koehler, was himself a staunch conservationist. In the 1970s Koehler watched parcel after parcel of lush countryside sell off for development, said his wife, Sharon. He feared the same could happen to the landscape he and his ancestors had always called home.

So for the next 20 years or so, the Rockaway Township native spent much of the fortune accumulated from his Elizabeth armored car firm buying land in Boonton and Rockaway townships.

Rockaway Township Mayor Louis Sceusi called the Koehler deal "a real positive step in maintaining the quality of life here in Rockaway Township."

"Kip Koehler was certainly a man way ahead of his time," Sceusi added. "He recognized the importance of preserving land and open spaces, woodlands particularly."

Koehler's wife agreed.

"Instead of spending money on other things, he spent it on land," Sharon Koehler said. "He utilized it. He walked it. He cut trails. He loved to work in the woods. ... He thought it was important to keep it as pristine as possible. He saved what he was able to save."

About 1 1/2 years before his death, Koehler approached him and asked for help in preserving the land, Epstein said. Before his death in 1996, he even allowed two miles of Farny Highlands trails to be built across it, even though the details of the preservation deal had not been finalized.

Sharon Koehler, as executor of her husband's estate, said it had always been important to the family to see the property preserved as her husband wished. The family had gotten four other offers, she said, but did not consider anything that would not lead to preservation.

Koehler declined to specify how much the family was offered, but Morris County open space officials have speculated the land could go for as much as $10 million if sold for commercial interests.

The purchase is also significant because it shows a commitment, both locally and statewide, to compensating landowners in the Highlands core even though the recently passed legislation limits development there, Epstein and Nolan said.

"A lot of people are saying, the Highlands rule came, the law is passed. Aren't these properties preserved? The answer is no, they're not," Epstein said. "Permanent preservation means putting them into a public ownership."

In addition, Epstein said, "there's always the threat that the Highlands laws will go away. Nothing in this world of legislative changes is permanent."