When the owner of the former cranberry farm decided to make sure the land would never be turned into a McMansion farm, the New Jersey Conservation Foundation stepped up and purchased the land that is now known as the Franklin Parker Preserve. And a good thing too, because this tract of wetlands and forest is just too important to lose.
Within its 14 square miles are dozens and dozens of species of animals and plants that are endangered or close to it. Bring your binoculars and no matter where you venture throughout the 5,000 acres of wetlands and 4,000 acres of upland pine oak forest, you’ll find bobcats, bald eagles, barred owls, the northern Pine Snake and the you’ll-only-find-it-here Pine Barrens Tree Frog.
Look closely and you’ll also spot 29 rare species of plants that have sent botanists into raptures over their discovery here in the Preserve – Pine Barrens Gentian, Bog Asphodel, Yellow-fringed Orchids, and Curly Ferns.
Birders are equally ecstatic over the preservation effort because the Preserve has been designated as an Important Birding Area. State-endangered Pied-billed Grebes and Northern Harriers are breeding here and Purple martins and dozens of other species of migrating birds rest here during their annual migrations.