Quakertown Preserve - Pfaltz

In 2008 the Hunterdon Land Trust acquired a seven-acre Pfaltz property with open fields and farm roads to expand already preserved land in Franklin Township.  The property was owned by Hugo and Marilyn Pfaltz, who agreed to a bargain sale price of $225,000, which is less than the appraised market value. The Hunterdon Land Trust financed the transaction with $120,000 provided by a Green Acres grant, $45,000 from the Hunterdon County Open Space Trust Fund nonprofit grant program and a contribution of $60,000 from Franklin Township.

The property was of interest to the land trust because of its strategic location, and the landowner’s willingness to sell it for less than its market value. The parcel is a short stroll from the center of the village of Quakertown and is directly adjacent to a 28-acre property called the Bodine Woods, which the Hunterdon Land Trust preserved in 2006. The Bodine tract is difficult to access, its frontage has a steep slope leading down to a busy road with no shoulder, which makes public access impractical and dangerous.  “Obviously, we get our biggest conservation value from preserving large contiguous tracts of land, but the beauty of this small gem is that it opens up the Bodine Woods property for better, safer access by the public,” said Margaret Waldock, Hunterdon Land Trust executive director.

The combination of these two properties, now called the “Quakertown Preserve,” provides a great setting for educational programs and activities like hiking, bird watching or family picnics, within walking distance of the village of Quakertown. The preserve is also being used for horseback riding; trails are maintained with the help of the 70-member Pittstown Trail Association. “Enabling people to enjoy properties like this is integral to keeping them engaged in conservation. There’s nothing like a quiet walk in the woods to remind you of the importance of preserving what remains of our county’s natural beauty,” commented Ms. Waldock.