Township
of
River
Vale
Poplar
Road
Wildlife
Sanctuary
&
Watershed
Forest
Preserve
Applicant:
Township
of
River
Vale
Trust
Fund
Awards
(1999,
2000):
$3,030,000
Total
Acquisition
Cost:
$8,000,000
In
both
the
1999
and
2000
funding
rounds
of
the
Bergen
County
Open
Space,
Recreation,
Farmland
and
Historic
Preservation
Trust
Fund,
the
Township
of
River
Vale
received
two
awards
totaling
$3,030,000
to
help
acquire
18
acres
of
watershed
forest
bordering
the
Lake
Tappan
Reservoir.
These
parcels
had
been
under
imminent
threat
of
development.
Located
adjacent
to
the
Hackensack
River
and
Cherry
Brook,
the
parcels
are
a
key
portion
of
the
watershed
buffer
forests
that
drain
into
the
Lake
Tappan
and
Oradell
Reservoirs.
These
unusually
beautiful
woods
contain
towering
evergreens
and
mature
hardwoods,
numerous
wetlands,
and
a
vernal
pool.
This
forested
land
serves
as
a
pivotal
parcel
for
an
extension
of
a
greenway
corridor
flanking
the
Hackensack
River
from
northern
to
southern
Bergen
County.
It
is
adjacent
to
additional
protected
watershed
forest
in
neighboring
Old
Tappan.
The
Poplar
Road
sanctuary
is
at
the
heart
of
over
100
acres
of
contiguous
watershed
forestlands
that
make
a
significant
clean
water
and
clean
air
contribution
to
all
Bergen
County
residents.
