Above: Gottheimer in West Milford today.

Today, Saturday, October 17, 2020, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer spoke at the grand opening and naming of the Land Conservancy of New Jersey’s Nancy Conger West Brook Preserve, named in memory of the former Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Land Conservancy of New Jersey.

The 198-acre Nancy Conger West Brook Preserve was established in 2017 to preserve the headwaters of the West Brook — a major source of clean water for the Wanaque Reservoir, which is the largest drinking water reservoir in the Garden State, on which 2 million New Jersey residents rely for drinking water.

The Land Conservancy just completed a major restoration project at the Preserve, restoring more than a mile of damaged streams, with 40% of the investment for the project coming from the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Forty-three acres will be added to the reserve next year, made possible by federal investment from the National Park Service’s (NPS) Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Gottheimer recently helped pass the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act, which has now been signed into law, which permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

“This preserve will forever be memorial to Nancy and her amazing work in the community,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer today. “Throughout my time in Congress, during this crisis, and looking forward, I will continue to stand with all of you in our fight to keep our air and water clean for our families and for the generations to come. I’m proud that this can be such a fitting testament to Nancy’s legacy of helping to preserve our land and one that allows her to watch over it for years to come.”

Below: Gottheimer with David Epstein, Land Conservancy Chair of the Board; Andy Dietz, Land Conservancy President David Epstein; and Bill Conger.

###