The Value of Land Preservation: Permanently Protecting Green Space Locally 

The Value of Land Preservation: Permanently Protecting Green Space Locally 

March 12, 2025 

By Karen Keene, Director of Development and Communications, Monmouth Conservation Foundation 

Photo by Kelsey Knight on Unsplash

One of EarthShare New Jersey’s founding partners is a local, independent land trust – Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF). Founded in 1977, MCF works to create parks, save open space, preserve farmland, teach environmental sustainability, safeguard waterways, and protect wildlife throughout Monmouth County, New Jersey. Their efforts to #KeepMonmouthGreen support outdoor recreation, agriculture, clean water, and wildlife for long-term sustainability.  

A land trust is a nonprofit organization that works with public and private partners to permanently protect land for future generations. Land trusts conserve land with natural, agricultural, recreational, historic, and/or scenic value.  

Red Bank’s former landfill being transformed into a community park with MCF’s help.
Photo by Fred Yahn, Eagle Drone Solutions.

While operating relevant to a community’s needs, whether urban, suburban, and/or or rural, land trusts generally focus on preserving land and natural habitats, protecting waterways, supporting family farms and ranches, providing equitable access to green space, and addressing the impacts of climate change with natural climate solutions. 

By partnering with landowners and government agencies, land trusts like MCF act as facilitators to protect land through conservation easements or by purchasing land outright, ensuring the land remains undeveloped, forever. Each opportunity is unique and handled on a case-by-case basis.  

Nationally accredited land trusts, like MCF, are bound by the highest national standards for excellence and conservation permanence and follow guidelines set forth by the Land Trust Alliance. 

Hunts Crossing 84-Acre Easement at McClees Creek, Middletown Township
Photo by Fred Yahn, Eagle Drone Solutions.

MCF’s vision is to lead conservation and education efforts to preserve and protect our natural environment, so all individuals and communities have access to and can benefit from open space and nature for generations to come. The nonprofit is working toward a goal for every Monmouth County resident to have access to green space within ten minutes’ walking or biking distance from their homes. This work is primarily focused on underserved communities.  

To date, MCF has worked alongside partners at the federal, state, county, and municipal levels, as well as with nonprofit and community organizations, to permanently preserve more than 9,500 acres (about the size of 11 Central Parks) of open space and farmland in Monmouth County.  

Handmade sign spotted during the fall 2024 election season, encouraging NJ voters to support open space programs. Photo by Karen Keene

This work is critical because the Garden State is the most densely populated state in the nation, and according to land-use experts, New Jersey will be the first state to exhaust its supply of land available for development.  

Land preservation is also valuable because it affords countless benefits to society: 

• The health of our natural environment impacts the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the wellbeing of future generations. 

• Land preservation and the implementation of natural climate solutions protect ecosystems and combat the devastating effects of climate change like flooding, erosion, and damaging storms. 

• Saving farmland – what little is left – helps uphold our region’s pastoral character and agricultural roots; maintains fresh, healthy food sources; and supports local family farms.  

• By protecting natural habitats and safeguarding waterways, we provide a haven for wildlife and plant life – including threatened and endangered species facing potential extinction.  

• Green spaces are not only beautiful; they increase property values, boost the economy, and offer a variety of health benefits.  

• By exposing children to our natural world through educational programs, we plant the seeds of curiosity, a sense of wonder, and appreciation for nature  – fostering the future stewards of our land. 

 

MCF and other land trusts are a critical part of the equation, as they can act swiftly and impartially, free from government bureaucracy and political constraints. Their role is sometimes imperceptible in facilitating land preservation projects, while at other times the land trust is the prominent driving force. In every instance, for land preservation to be successful, they must be supported by funding and through critical partnerships.  

MCF benefits from funding and collaboration with EarthShare New Jersey to collectively mobilize the people of New Jersey to protect our land, water, air, and wildlife, making the state a healthier place to live, work and play.