West Windsor Township has finalized the purchase of 27.6 acres of land from the Jewish Community Center (JCC) property at the west corner of Clarksville and Meadow roads, across from the Princeton Terrace apartments. The area will now be known as the Great Blue Heron Preserve, signifying its environmental mission.
A purchase price of $1,358,725 was paid after Mercer County distributed two matching grants of $233,808.75: one to West Windsor and another to Friends of West Windsor Open Space (FOWWOS). FOWWOS then decided to add $100,000 to its grant amount as its president, Alison Miller, presented Mayor Hsueh with a check for $333,808.75 for the property, effectively cutting the cost to the township in half.
Hsueh said the land will be used to “protect the environmentally sensitive area.” Of the full property, 18.75 acres in the area are developable. The rest is wetlands and cannot be built on.
The great blue heron is the largest wading bird in North America, known to build nesting areas in wetland areas or near bodies of water. Mayor Hsueh said over the past nine years more and more herons had settled in West Windsor, and the state has dictated that municipalities make arrangements to preserve wildlife.
“The state said they’re an endangered species, so we knew we had to protect them,” he said.
West Windsor Director of Community Development Pat Ward said there are now over 30 nests in the area, up from 12 in previous years. Although the great blue heron usually nests in tall trees, caution has been taken on the ground level in West Windsor.
“We had to be very careful when we were reconstructing Meadow Road because we can’t do construction when they’re in their nesting period,” Ward said. The herons’ breeding period usually lasts from March until July.
Ward said the herons like to feed near the downstream side of Grover’s Mill Dam by standing in or alongside water and striking prey with its bill. The great blue heron has a relatively wide diet consisting of insects, crustaceans, fish, amphibians, small reptiles, and mammals.
The parcel of land, which is cut across by Duck Pond Run, was originally designated for open space in 1999. While the township paid from its open space fund, Hsueh said West Windsor will be eligible to receive money from the state when more becomes available.
Hsueh added that West Windsor got a good deal on the JCC property, which sits next to a 6.4-acre buildable property sold to the Korean Community Center of Princeton (KCCP) earlier this year. Hsueh said KCCP paid $570,000 per acre.
