Sparta Fields

Route 94, Sparta Township, Sussex County, NJ

43 acres

It is adjacent to more than 100 acres of municipally owned parkland.  It is also near land protected through the Sussex County farmland protection program, preserved land owned by the Girl Scouts of America and a former rail bed owned by Sussex County that is being considered for a hiking/biking trail.

History:

2001  --  the Trust for Public Land's acquired the White Lake property just ½-mile away from what became Sparta Fields.

2004 (January 22) --  it was announced that Sparta Fields would be protected as open space because of cooperation between the nonprofit Trust for Public Land (TPL) and Sparta Township. The acquisition links more than 100 acres of land already owned by the township.

Funds for the $475,000 purchase will come from Sparta Township, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres Program, the Trust for Public Land and the Sussex County Open Space Trust Fund.

Habitats:

meadow and critical wetlands

Source:  The Trust for Public Land: 43-Acre Sparta Fields Protected  http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=13803&folder_id=629