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Barnegat Township, Ocean County
88 Acres
The Barnegat Preserve is surrounded by Stafford Forage Wildlife
Management Area. The property was donated to the Trust by Naomi
and Fred Gerken and the General Board of Proprietors of the Eastern
Division of New Jersey, believed to be the oldest corporation
in America. The history of the corporation dates back to the 1664
grant of New Jersey by King Charles II of England to his brother
the Duke of York, who proceeded to divide the land in half, giving
the western portion to Lord John Berkeley and the eastern portion
to Sir George Carteret. In 1682, Carteret's widow sold the land
to a dozen land speculators, including William Penn. The 12 men
incorporated themselves as the General Board of Proprietors of
the Eastern Division of New Jersey and had their first official
meeting two years later when 12 more investors joined them. More
than half of the site is upland forest while the remaining portions
are pitch pine lowlands associated with the headwaters of the
East Branch of the Oswego River.
Public Access and Uses:
Since the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife has a strong
enforcement presence at the neighboring Greenwood Forest Wildlife
Management Area, the Trust allows deer hunting at this preserve
without the need for registration. Access to this site is best
available from the wildlife management area.
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