By: DANIELLE CAMILLI
Burlington County Times
The freeholders Wednesday approved the preservation of a 90-acre alpaca farm in Pemberton Township.
The board purchased the development rights for a permanent easement and deed restriction that will ensure Fenwick Manor Farm on Pemberton-Browns Mills Road remains in agricultural use, officials said.
The total easement value is about $265,083 and is owned by Stephan and Katherine Thompson.
They raise alpacas and produce grain crops on the farm.
The county will use U.S. Department of Defense grant funding to offset Pemberton Township's share of the purchase. The land is near Fort Dix, making it eligible for the grant, which funds preserved farms in a military buffer zone, officials said.
"Our farmland program has been effective in preserving land in the buffer zone which contributed to saving the bases from closure by reducing conflicting land uses," Freeholder Bill Haines Jr. said.
Last year, the county received more than $1 million in federal funds to continue preservation around Fort Dix and McGuire Air Force Base. Those funds are being used to preserve about 800 acres on several farms in the "the most critical areas of the buffer zone," officials said.
Democratic Freeholder Mary Anne Reinhart voted against the purchase. She said she did not have enough specific data on the land deal and was uncomfortable taking a position. She also said she wants to further familiarize herself with the county's farmland preservation program.
Email: dcamilli@phillyBurbs.com
March 12, 2009
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