The Gloucester County Office of Land Preservation operates under the authority of the Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders, whose Director is Stephen M. Sweeney. Freeholder Robert M. Damminger is the office's liaison to the Freeholder Board. The staff for the Office of Land Preservation is as follows:
- Ken Atkinson, Director
- Eric Agren, Field Representative
- Mary Anne Simmons, Administrative Assistant
- (Assistant County Counsel August Knestaut serves as solicitor)
Our office operates two specific programs, the Farmland Preservation Program and the Open Space Preservation Program. The Land Preservation Office also acts as staff to the County Agriculture Development Board, who has regulatory oversight for the County Farmland Preservation Program and also hears County Right-to-Farm cases.
The Gloucester County Freeholder Board has recognized that agriculture remains a major industry in our county and that the window to preserve this way of life is rapidly closing. Additionally, residents feel that the rural heritage of Gloucester County must be preserved for future generations. As such, the County's Land Preservation Program has overwhelmingly focused on farmland efforts. Open space also remains a priority, as the office has secured numerous land additions to our county parks and has assisted with additions to municipal open spaces that includes land in Deptford, East Greenwich, Glassboro, Greenwich, Harrison, Logan, Mantua, Monroe, Washington Township, West Deptford, Woodbury, Woodbury Heights, and Woolwich. Recently Gloucester County reached a major milestone by permantly preserving its 15,000 acre of farmland and open space, and currently has more 15,906 acres of preserved farmland and open space in 18 different municipalities.
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