The Conservation Habit of Monmouth

The foundation at a glance

From the pine barrens of Colts Neck to the tidal marshes of the Navesink, Monmouth County's open space has been protected, parcel by parcel, by a single countywide institution: the Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF). Founded in 1977 and rooted in neighbor-to-neighbor philanthropy, it remains the original land trust of the county.

• Established in 1977 by Michael Huber and Judith Stanley as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit MCF.
• Monmouth County's original and only countywide land trust MCF.
• Mission: to create a permanent legacy of open space by acquiring and preserving open space and farmland, and conserving natural habitats that support outdoor recreation, agriculture, clean water, and wildlife MCF.
• Has helped preserve roughly 20,000 acres of open space and working farmland across the county; directly stewards about 1,100 acres through 46 conservation easements MCF.
• Acquired and reconveyed more than 15,000 acres to public partners, ensuring protected land stays in public hands rather than private portfolios NJ Land Trust Association.
• In 2024 became the direct steward of the 90-acre Scudder Preserve in Middletown — the first property held in MCF's own portfolio in nearly five decades MCF.
• Now led by Acting Co-Directors Jena Cosimo (Acquisitions) and Karen Keene (Development & Communications) as the Foundation searches for its next Executive Director; Board President Jack Tassini (2026–2029) MCF.
• Reach the Foundation at monmouthconservation.org, PO Box 4150, Middletown, NJ 07748 · Karen Keene, 908-839-0324, kkeene@monmouthconservation.org.

What it protects

Working farmland

• Conservation easements keep family farms productive while locking developable land out of subdivision — the agrarian backbone of the county's character.
• Farmland preservation keeps working farms in the tax rolls, so growers can stay on the land they steward across generations.
• Easements run with the deed, so the protection survives every future change of ownership.

Open space & woodlands

• Scenic woodlands, hilltops, and pine-barrens tracts are preserved for quiet, passive recreation.
• Open-space corridors link shore communities to natural areas, anchoring a sense of place from Rumson to Spring Lake.
• Acquired land is routinely reconveyed to public partners, so the public — not a private owner — holds the stewardship long-term.

Waterways & wetlands

• Protected wetlands filter stormwater and safeguard the tidal creeks and bays that define the Monmouth shoreline.
• Riparian buffers stabilize banks and improve water quality for both wildlife and the families who live along the water.

Wildlife habitat

• Native forest and meadow provide seasonal refuge for songbirds, pollinators, and the larger mammals of the Pine Barrens.
• Habitat restoration reintroduces native plant species, rebuilding the ecological connectivity that development fragments.

Stewardship in practice

• Trail networks across protected lands are maintained and expanded, giving families gentle, family-friendly walks.
• Invasive-species removal crews clear aggressive plants so native communities can re-establish.
• Native plantings along easement boundaries and waterways improve biodiversity and reduce erosion.
• Family volunteer days at the Scudder Preserve bring the community onto the land for trail work and native plantings.
• Ongoing ecological monitoring tracks water quality, species presence, and habitat health to guide adaptive management.

Education and youth

• School field trips to protected lands deliver hands-on ecology and conservation-science experiences aligned to New Jersey science standards.
• Youth programs invite middle- and high-school students into citizen-science and habitat-restoration projects.
• Classroom outreach extends the Foundation's reach beyond on-site visits, giving teachers curriculum-aligned materials on local ecosystems and stewardship.

Why it matters locally

For generations, the families of Monmouth have used thoughtful philanthropy to preserve the county's distinctive natural character — from the rolling farms of Colts Neck to the coastal marshes of Spring Lake. By keeping farmland working, protecting woodlands and wetlands, and nurturing wildlife corridors, the Monmouth Conservation Foundation ensures that the region's heritage remains a living landscape. For the families of Rumson, Fair Haven, and the Navesink, that stewardship is a form of legacy giving that outlasts any single generation: the meadows, marshes, and woodlands that define home, kept intact for the children who will inherit them.

How to get involved

• Become a member or make an annual gift — household contributions are recognized across tiered leadership levels MCF.
• Consider planned giving — bequests, charitable remainder trusts, or gift annuities directed to preserved-acre stewardship.
• Join family volunteer days at the Scudder Preserve: trail work and native plantings welcome participants ages 10 and up.
• Schedule a conservation-easement conversation if your family owns developable acreage and wants to protect it for the next generation.
• Contact Karen Keene for major-gift and board conversations: 908-839-0324 or kkeene@monmouthconservation.org.

For deeper civic involvement

• New Jersey Conservation Foundation — statewide partner for conservation grants and technical assistance.
• New Jersey Audubon — bird and habitat conservation across the state.
• New Jersey Historic Trust — preservation of the state's historic resources.
• Monmouth County — land-use planning and local environmental programs.
• New Jersey Land Trust Association — the network of the state's land conservancies.