Old golf course land transitions to a state preserve
This spring, Gloucester County marks a milestone with the official opening of Tall Pines State Preserve, which straddles Deptford and Mantua townships.
"It's the first unit of the state park service in Gloucester County," says Larry Hajna, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Acquiring the land took more than seven years and involved the efforts of local residents, plus local, county and state officials. The state finalized the $3.2 million purchase of the 110-acre preserve in November, with 61 acres in Deptford and 49 in Mantua.
"We wanted open space in an area that was rapidly developing," says Rich Dilks, chairman of Friends of Tall Pines, a group formed in 2010 to raise funds to keep the site in its natural state.
"You know places are special the first time you see them," says Dilks, a Wenonah resident. "With its rolling meadows, quiet walkways, forested ravines, three small ponds, wetlands and the clear waters of Mantua Creek flowing through its heart, (Tall Pines) is a place of natural beauty and ecological diversity."
He says he likes the new name: "It pays tribute to the heritage (of the site). It was Tall Pines longer than anything else."
The preserve initially was a nine-hole golf course, known as Tall Pines, in the 1950s. The course gained national attention in 1963, with the addition of lights to allow golfers to play at night, and was later expanded to 18 holes.
Rich Dilks, of Wenonah, stands on a bridge over Mantua Creek in the new Gloucester County nature area named Tall Pines State Preserve. Dilks is chairman of Friends of Tall Pines, a group that helped to raise funds to keep the site in its natural state. The course had other names and owners, including former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski, before closing in December 2006 and being sold to a Connecticut developer. The company planned a 123-unit housing development for the site. The recession, however, put the project on hold and a movement was started to seek an alternate use for the land.
Chuck Forsman, who served as chairman of the planning board in Wenonah, which borders the site, began the effort to preserve Tall Pines in 2008 after the developer indicated it was open to selling the site.
"I had golfed there since the 1970s and thought it was too nice a piece of ground to be used for housing," adds Forsman, 81, who now lives in Deptford.
Funding for the purchase came from a variety of sources, with contributions from the South Jersey Land and Water Trust ($350,000); the Frank H. Stewart Trust ($250,000); Friends of Tall Pines ($125,000); the state Green Acres Program ($983,500); plus contributions from Mantua ($250,000) and Gloucester County ($1.65 million).
Under the terms of the state acquisition, the county will manage the preserve, with Mantua Township and Friends of Tall Pines providing assistance.
Dilks says the site is ideal for a preserve because it reverted to its natural state when the golf course closed.
"There is great habitat diversity," he notes, with more than 125 species of birds and other wildlife, including bald eagles, red fox and deer, plus more than 50 varieties of trees and shrubs.
The rolling hills, with the elevation reaching 100 feet at some points, is a reminder of New Jersey's natural beauty. With its wetlands and grasslands, the preserve is designed for passive recreation, such as hiking, jogging, bicycling, bird watching and fishing. After it snows, cross-country skiing is possible, according to Dilks.
John DiPippo, left, of Deptford, and Ryan Dipper, of Woodbury Heights, fish in a pond on a former Gloucester County golf course that opens this spring as Tall Pines State Preserve. On an unseasonably warm weekend in early December, the preserve was busy with people out for a stroll, some with their dogs, and teenagers fishing in one of the ponds.
"We will be taking advantage of it (the preserve) for walking," says Julie Ream, a Wenonah resident and member of the borough's environmental commission, as is Dilks.
The preserve will keep some of the golf course features.
"The old golf cart paths will be trails," Dilks says, offering access to visitors with wheelchairs or bicycles.
Other trails will be added so there will be at least 5 miles of trails in the preserve. The trails will be closed to motorized vehicles, so that the land can be kept in its natural state.
Dilks has high hopes for the preserve's future. "This will be a great park, a needed refuge for wildlife and a place for people to come and enjoy the beauty of our region's natural heritage."