TEWKSBURY TWP. – The cold-water streams and open landscapes of Oldwick have gained a new layer of protection.
Township residents Jennifer and Joe Duke have donated a conservation easement on 33 acres of forest, fields, and wetlands along Cold Brook Road to the Raritan Headwaters Association (RHA), a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the water that sustains local communities. The gift ensures that a critical portion of the region’s headwaters will be protected from development forever.
The preservation of Old Cold Brook Farm continues a remarkable family legacy. Jennifer Duke’s family has a long history of land stewardship in the area, including her mother, Mrs. Esther Johnson, who preserved the nearby Fox Hill Preserve in Tewksbury and donated it to Raritan Headwaters.
Jennifer and Joe Duke’s donation of the Old Cold Brook Farm conservation easement further strengthens the ecological corridor that safeguards the region’s most sensitive wildlife habitats and water sources.
“This is a major contribution to preserving Tewksbury’s treasured rural character,” said Mara Tippett, RHA’s executive director. “Here in the Highlands, where the smallest springs feed the largest reservoirs, actions like this ripple far beyond property boundaries. We applaud the family for their vision and continued dedication to protecting the land and its precious water supplies.”
The property contains a vital feeder stream of Cold Brook, a tributary known for its naturally cool waters that offer a rare refuge for native trout and other aquatic life. This critical habitat also supports various wildlife, including bobcats, American kestrels, and nesting grassland birds such as Bobolinks and Eastern meadowlarks.
The Dukes purchased the 38.5-acre property in 2022. The property’s historic main house, cottage, and barns on 5.5 acres are outside the easement area, while the remaining 33 acres of fields, wetlands, and forest edge are permanently protected by the conservation easement.
By safeguarding this land, the family has ensured the continued health of Tewksbury’s countryside. “Progress happens property by property, neighbor by neighbor,” Tippett said. “This is a gift to the future of our natural resources.”
Since our formation in 1959, Raritan Headwaters has been dedicated to preserving critical lands throughout the watershed. As an accredited land trust, we are committed to the highest professional standards for land conservation. To learn more about the benefits of land preservation and conservation easements, visit our Land Preservation page here.
To discuss options for protecting your own acreage, please reach out to Executive Director Mara Tippett at mtippett@raritanheadwaters.org.
