Green Acres Program

Local and Nonprofit Assistance Bureau

• Provides funding and technical assistance to municipal and county governments and nonprofit conservation organizations to acquire land for recreation and conservation purposes and to develop outdoor recreational facilities
• Administers the Tax Exemption Program, which provides property tax relief to qualified nonprofit organizations that open their land to the public for recreation and conservation purposes.
• Oversees the Coastal Blue Acres funding to acquire storm prone coastal land for recreation and conservation purposes

State Land Acquisition Bureau

• Purchases land directly from landowners for recreation and conservation purposes. These lands become part of the statewide system of parks, forests, wildlife management areas, and preserves.
• Handles donations of land to the State
• Conducts Acqusitions in the Pinelands National Reserve under the “Limited Practical Use” program.
• Administers the Inland Blue Acres funding for acquisition of land in the floodways of various rivers to reduce repetitive flooding

Legal Services & Stewardship Bureau

• Monitors municipal, county, and nonprofit parcels acquired or developed with Green Acres funding
• Reviews/processes diversions of Green Acres restricted parks from recreation and conservation uses
• Manages list of existing open space and recreation lands statewide, including Recreation and Open Space Inventories (ROSI) from funding recipients

Planning & Information Management Bureau

• Maintains the State Open Space Geographic Information System (GIS)
• Assists in Open Space & Recreation Planning
• Performs Preliminary Site Assessments for State and reviews Preliminary Assessments performed by partners
• Reviews Survey Information
• Oversees Fiscal Operations
• Provides Data Management Services

Program Administration

BUREAU STAFF CONTACTS

State, local, and nonprofit projects are handled by regional teams. Please see the following list to find out who to contact:

Central Team (Acquisitions in Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Monmouth counties)

Renée Jones, Team Leader
Catherine Drake
Pam Thier

Northeast Team (Acquisitions in Bergen, Morris, Passaic, Somerset counties)

Lisa Stern, Team Leader
Courtney Wald-Wittkop

Northwest Team (Acquisitions in Warren and Sussex counties)

Richard Osborn, Team Leader
Larry Fink
Elizabeth Mataset
Kimberly Testa

South Central Team (Acquisitions in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Ocean counties)

Terry Caruso, Team Leader
Kathleen Croes
Susan Seyboldt
Bob Watson
Howard Wolf

Southern Team (Acquisitions in Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem counties)

Curt Gellerman, Team Leader
Audrey Wendolowski

Urban Acquisition and Statewide Park Development Team (Park development projects statewide, and acquisitions in Essex, Hudson, and Union counties and in Asbury Park City, Atlantic City, Camden City, Clifton City, Long Branch City, New Brunswick City, Passaic City, Paterson City, Perth Amboy City, and Trenton City)

Cathy Elliott–Shaw, Team Leader
Bruce Bechtloff
Phillip Collins
Cecile Murphy
Amy Sumoski

Donations of Land to the State

Fawn Z. McGee, Chief
(609) 984–0609

Pinelands Acquisitions – Lands of Limited Practical Use

Howard Wolf
(609) 984-0572

Appraisal Review Section

Please contact your acquisition project manager from the listing above.

Tax Exemption Program

Larry Fink
(609) 984–0500

Statewide ROSI/Encumbrance Inquiries (“Is this parkland?”)
General Stewardship Questions

Nancy Lawrence
(609) 341–2054

Diversion applications are handled regionally. Please see following list to find out who to contact:
View Assignment Map — Legal Services and Stewardship (PDF)

David Smith, Team Leader
Cumberland, Essex, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Passaic counties

Kevin Appelget
Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Hunterdon, and Union counties

Kevin Koslosky
Ocean, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren counties

Caroline Armstrong
Robert Rodriguez (on lateral assignment)
Bergen, Camden, Gloucester, Hudson, Mercer, and Morris counties

Compliance Inspection

Greg Langan, Compliance Inspector

Thomas Stevens, Compliance Inspector

 

Jim Gresavage, PLS, PP (609) 984–0496   Standard Scope of Survey Services
Wendy Lathrop, PLS, CFM (609) 292–1964   Standard Scope of Survey Services
Steve Jandoli (609) 984–0499 Planning and Technical Assistance
Michael Buriani (609) 984–0529   Preliminary Assessments
John Flynn (609) 984–0500 Planning and Technical Assistance

Geographic Information Section

John Thomas, Team Leader (609) 984–0511   GIS Mapping
Sharon Cost (609) 984–6156   GISMapping
Ed Eckels (609) 984–0513   GIS Mapping
Joanne McCarthy (609) 292–7734   GIS Mapping

Rich Boornazian, Administrator, (609) 984–0508

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