Former Giralda trails opening to public
Chatham Township and Morris County Park Commission officials will share the ribbon-cutting honors Saturday at the official opening of Giralda Farms Preserve at Loantaka Brook Reservation.
Purchased by the township in part with a $10 million county open space grant awarded last year, the 136-acre parcel once was part of the private estate of philanthropist Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge. After her death in 1973, the property became part of Giralda Farms corporate park, which was off-limits to the public behind a fence and guarded gatehouse.
Township and county officials said the purchase preserves one of the largest remaining tracts of open space in southeastern Morris County.
"This is a wonderful resource for Chatham Township as well as all of southeastern Morris County, which will be forever protected and open to the public," said Chatham Township Mayor Kevin Sullivan.
The majority of the Giralda tract is owned by Chatham Township, but the property and trails will be maintained by the Park Commission.
"The Park Commission and Chatham Township have worked collaboratively on a number of significant open-space preservation projects over the years," said Park Commission Executive Director David Helmer. "This project is another example of the importance of teamwork when it comes to protecting our environmental, cultural and recreational resources
Coinciding with National Trails Day, the ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at the trail head off Woodland Avenue in Chatham Township, near St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center. A Park Commission-sponsored walk and bike ride for the public will precede the ceremony at 9:30 a.m. starting at Kitchell Pond in Loantaka Brook Reservation on Kitchell Road, between Spring Valley Road and Woodland Avenue, on the boundary of Morris Township and Harding.
Following the ceremony, the public will be permitted to walk a 1.2-mile network of hiking and off-road biking trails that connects to the existing trail system at Loantaka Brook Reservation via Woodland Road. Those trails may be expanded in the future, officials said.
"This is a spectacular addition to the county's existing network of natural lands and trails, which improves the quality of life for all residents of our county,'' said Morris County Freeholder Director Kathy DeFillippo. "It is testament to the continued importance of the county's open space trust fund, which helps to make such important preservation projects possible.''
"This project connects greenways and enhances the recreational opportunities for all residents of our county,'' said Freeholder John Cesaro, liaison on preservation issues. "We thank all of the partners who worked to make this happen.''
Additional funding for the land purchase, which totaled $14.1 million, came from the state Department of Environmental Protection's Green Acres Program, the Chatham Township Open Space Trust Fund, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, Normandy Real Estate Partners, the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority and the Park Commission.
"The purchase provides an important wildlife corridor and opportunity for passive recreation while helping to protect water quality in the region leading into the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge," said Sally Rubin, executive director of the Great Swamp Watershed Association.
For more than a century, public access to the property was allowed only for invited guests and, more recently, for special events such as the Giralda Music & Arts Festival. Plans for the land include an extended walking trail, an entry kiosk, benches and signs marking specimen trees and historic vistas. The tract is expected to draw more than 100,000 visitors a year.
Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-428-6627; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com.