Open Space Institute ( OSI ) is a conservation organization that protects land for clean drinking water, public recreation, healthy communities, wildlife habitat, and climate protection. Established in 1974, OSI achieves its goals through land acquisition, fiscal sponsorship, regional loan and grant programs, park and trail improvements, and public policy and advocacy. OSI is active across the country, including the states of New York , Vermont , New Hampshire , Maine , Georgia , South Carolina , Virginia , Tennessee , New Jersey , Massachusetts , Pennsylvania , Alabama , West Virginia , North Carolina , and Florida .
31-838: The Greenway (originally the Essex–Hudson Greenway) is a planned state park and greenway in the northerneastern New Jersey counties of Essex and Hudson . It will follow an abandoned railroad right of way (ROW) across the New Jersey Meadowlands , over the Hackensack and Passaic rivers , as well pass through densely-populated neighborhoods. The nearly 9-mile (14 km) long shared-use linear park / rail trail will encompass about 135 acres (55 ha) and will average 100 feet (30 m) in width. Running between Jersey City and Montclair it will pass through Secaucus (where it will run concurrently with
62-586: A large number of people". The Forest Park Reservation Commission was consolidated with other agencies into the Department and Board of Conservation and Development on April 8, 1915. In 1923, the legislature authorized the creation of the State Park Service to administer the state parks and forests. New Jersey began to redirect its efforts from the development of these and other properties for recreational purposes instead of protecting or promoting
93-626: A new alignment, the Montclair Connection , was built and Montclair-Boonton Line services began. Service at three stations was discontinued. Service at other stations on the line had previously been curtailed. Although the ROW was not officially abandoned , proponents of early efforts to create a greenway called the plan the Ice & Iron Rail Trail because of its historical use as a freight line carrying iron and ice from western New Jersey to
124-867: A private management company and the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry. Centerton Golf Course, located in Pittsgrove Township in Salem County is located within Parvin State Park . Cream Ridge Golf Course is located in Cream Ridge in Monmouth County and was acquired by the state in 2006. Spring Meadow Golf Course in Farmingdale in Monmouth County was privately developed and operated beginning in
155-486: A public referendum , but there was increased desire to complete these plans to establish a Washington Crossing Memorial Park in time for the 150th anniversary of American independence in 1926. The park was officially dedicated and opened to the public on June 4, 1927. In the wake of World War I , state forester Alfred Gaskill proposed a new public park along Kittatinny Mountain, "as the State’s memorial to its sons who had made
186-515: A public park system which consists of over 50 protected areas designated as state parks , state forests, recreation areas, and other properties within the state of New Jersey in the United States. The agency also owns and manages 38 historical sites and buildings throughout the state (some located within the boundaries of state parkland) and also owns five public marinas and four public golf courses . These properties are administered by
217-477: A study to use a portion the rail ROW as bus "transitway". The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection , which manages state parks and forests, acquired the property on August 19, 2022. The state purchased the ROW from NS for $ 65 million. It is expected site preparation will begin in 2023, with initial opening about one year later. A project team of Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
248-652: Is Liberty State Park in Jersey City. According to the master plan prepared by Philadelphia-based planning and urban design firm Wallace Roberts & Todd, Capital State Park would incorporate areas around the state's capitol complex in Trenton and the city's Delaware River and Assunpink Creek waterfronts to provide "a long-term strategy to revitalize Trenton by reestablishing connections to the downtown and reclaiming its riverfront." Great Falls subsequently became Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park . In 2009,
279-750: Is working with the NJDEP to envision the project. At its eastern end the greenway will start in Croxton in Jersey City ( 40°44′36″N 74°04′02″W / 40.743342°N 74.067163°W / 40.743342; -74.067163 ) just west of U.S. Route 1/9 , near the Bergen Arches , a disused rail tunnel, with potential connection to the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway . At the west in Montclair it will terminate near
310-768: The 2026 FIFA World Cup . In 1878, New York and Greenwood Lake Railway , was created from a consolidation of several smaller railroads, with service provided by the Erie Railroad In 1887, the Erie created a new subsidiary, the Arlington Railroad, to create a new, more direct ROW in the Kearny Meadows between the Hackensack River and Passaic River . In 1897, it opened the DB Draw over
341-560: The Bergen Tunnels . Conrail operated commuter rail on the line from 1976 to 1982 on behalf of the New Jersey Department of Transportation to 1982, when New Jersey Transit Rail Operations took over. When Conrail was split in 1999 Norfolk Southern Railway came into possession of the line. NJ Transit provided communter service on its Boonton Line until 2002, when eastern part (Montclair to Hoboken) closed after
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#1732798395768372-630: The East Coast Greenway as well as part the 9/11 Memorial Trail, which will connect Shanksville , The Pentagon , and One World Trade Center . It will connect to the proposed Hackensack River Greenway and possibly the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway . The park may also incorporate a "transitway, a project proposed in NJ Transit 's "Innovation Challenge", which aims to add a new, creative transportation solutions to The Meadowlands The State Park Service asks its visitors to embrace
403-640: The Hackensack River Greenway ), Arlington in northern Kearny , North Newark , Belleville , Bloomfield and Glen Ridge . The initial phase in Newark and Kearny is expected to open in late 2025. In 2021 NJ Transit authorized studies for alternative options between the Meadowlands Sports Complex and Secaucus Junction including a bus " transitway " along the ROW. A partial version is planned to go into service for
434-686: The Montclair-Boonton Line near Bay Street station ( 40°48′40″N 74°12′24″W / 40.811019°N 74.206749°W / 40.811019; -74.206749 ). In Secaucus it will run concurrently with the planned route of the Hackensack River Greenway . In Essex County a portion would run concurrently with the September 11th National Memorial Trail . The East Coast Greenway in would be partially re-routed to align with new greenway. List of New Jersey state parks The New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry manages
465-597: The Port of New York and New Jersey . In 2020, Norfolk Southern (NS) officially abandoned an 8.63-mile (13.89 km) section (milepost WD 2.9 to milepost WD 11.5) of the rail line and the Open Space Institute (OSI) reached a preliminary sale agreement with NS for the property. They commissioned Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects to develop a framework plan, produced in March 2023. In 2021 NJ Transit authorized
496-520: The Rockaway River ). In 2021, Governor Phil Murphy approved the state purchase of part of an abandoned right-of way from Norfolk Southern Railway for the purpose of converting it into a new state park tentatively named the Essex - Hudson Greenway . The park will run from Montclair to Jersey City . Largely facilitated by the Open Space Institute , the park will also be a crucial section of
527-407: The "Carry In, Carry Out" philosophy in order to "keep the parks clean and beautiful by carrying out the trash you carry in". Fishing and hunting are permitted in several of the state parks and forest. The State Park System also includes four golf courses that are open to the public. Each of the four courses include associated restaurant and banquet facilities and is operated under contract between
558-763: The 1920s and acquired by the state five decades later. Several of these properties were acquired as part of open space preservation initiatives managed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection ' s Green Acres Program. These are state-owned historical sites in New Jersey. These state-owned historical sites are open to the public year-round on Wednesdays through Sundays (10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. to 4 p.m.) Download coordinates as: Open Space Institute OSI provides grants and low-cost bridge loans to land trusts, other nonprofit groups, and public agencies for more effective and resilient land protection in selected regions of
589-558: The Department of Conservation to improve access to open spaces. OSI specializes in Greenway Trails, converting abandoned rail lines to multi-purpose trails. OSI also manages lands that they own in fee or easement. OSI conducts research and produces publications in different mediums to inform policymakers, other land trusts, and the public about the benefits of land protection, including the protection of natural resources in
620-459: The Division's State Park Service, founded in 1923. New Jersey's state park system includes properties as small as the 32-acre (0.13 km ) Barnegat Lighthouse State Park and as large as the 115,000-acre (470 km ) Wharton State Forest . The state park system comprises 430,928 acres (1,743.90 km )—roughly 7.7% of New Jersey's land area—and serves over 17.8 million annual visitors. At
651-1022: The Hackensack and the WR Draw over the Passaic providing the company a modernized ROW from its Pavonia Terminal through the Long Dock Tunnel and across the Meadows. The eastern portion in Hudson County was also used by the Newark Branch . The property was acquired directly in 1943 by the Erie. In 1960 the Erie merged with the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad to create the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad and services were consolidated at Hoboken Terminal via
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#1732798395768682-591: The New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry administers and manages 430,928 acres (1,743.90 km ) in its state parks, forests, and other areas. These areas, during the state's 2006 fiscal year (from July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006) recorded 17,843,541 visitors. In 2006, the Division of Parks and Forestry began planning and preliminary work two new state parks: Great Falls State Park in Paterson , and Capital State Park in Trenton . The state's only other urban park
713-552: The acquisition of a tract that included Swartswood Lake in Stillwater Township , the commission began developing parks for the purposes of recreation by providing boating , fishing , camping , and picnicking . In the Commission's 1915 Annual Report, they stated "It is intended to make Swartswood a public playground. Boat liveries and picnic shelters to be maintained under proper control will make it available to
744-471: The beginning of the twentieth century, New Jersey did not have much of a lumber or forestry industry. The value of its trees was insignificant and undermined by destruction by uncontrolled forest fires , and after decades of clear-cutting forests to fuel iron forges , furnaces , and other industrial operations. In 1896, the state geologist recommended the acquisition of land for parks in order to protect water supplies and to provide natural recreation to
775-530: The commercial potential of forested land. The state legislature established a commission to create a historic park along the Delaware River above Trenton , at the location where George Washington and Continental Army crossed the river on December 25, 1776 before the surprise attack on Hessian troops at the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton (January 3, 1777). The initial plans were defeated by
806-546: The commissioners adopted the Salem Oak (of Salem, New Jersey ) as a symbol of New Jersey's parks. The commissioners acquired two tracts in southern New Jersey , near Mays Landing and along the Bass River , as the first state forest reserves. The Mays Landing tract was sold in 1916 after opposition from local officials and landowners made acquisition and expansion on adjacent lands impossible. The Bass River tract became
837-420: The core of Bass River State Forest . In 1907, the commissioners would also acquire 5,000 acres (20 km ) on Kittatinny Mountain near Culver's Gap , supplemented by a gift from Governor Stokes, which would become the core of Stokes State Forest . The reservations, which by 1912 comprised 13,720 acres (55.5 km ) became sites for studying forests, reforestation projects, and scientific forestry. With
868-527: The eastern United States. OSI also provides financial awards for young leaders interested in pursuing conservation careers. OSI acquires and transfers land and conservation easements for permanent land protection. They work closely with local, state, and federal agencies to protect land for communities, wildlife and water. OSI aims to connect fragmented landscapes to protect wildlife habitat, expand recreational spaces, and preserve water quality. OSI collaborates with public entities such as NY State Parks and
899-590: The state also purchased 1,174 acres (4.75 km ) in Jefferson Township the former site of the Mount Paul monastery and seminary belonging to Paulist Fathers (from 1924–2009). The tract, which will be developed into a state park, is located in the state's Highlands region on the eastern side of Sparta Mountain and featuring mountain streams that flow into the Russia Brook (a tributary of
930-492: The state's increasing urban populations. After several years of reports and advocacy of geologists and naturalists (including, notably, U.S. forester Gifford Pinchot ), New Jersey governor Edward C. Stokes established the Forest Park Reservation Commission in 1905 to protect forest land and create a system of park reserves within the state. At the commission's meeting on September 12, 1905,
961-559: The supreme sacrifice in the Great War". A few years later, Colonel Anthony R. Kuser donated his mountaintop estate at High Point (the state's highest elevation) to the state for a public park with an additional gift of $ 500,000 to erect a granite-clad obelisk to honor veterans. Construction of the monument began in 1928 and was completed in 1930. According to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation ,