A nearly 800-acre Hopewell farm will be permanently preserved thanks to a gift from the family of the late philanthropist Betty Wold Johnson. The Princeton-based D&R Greenway Land Trust announced the gift February 16.
Betty Wold Johnson supported the land trust’s mission for more than a quarter century. Over her decades-long relationship with D&R Greenway, Johnson expressed her concern that New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the country, was running out of open space. A champion of conservation, she cared deeply about the importance of preserving as much land as possible. She spent four decades assembling individual properties to create her farm with a goal of protecting and permanently preserving its views and ecology. This gift secures a greenbelt on the northern edge of the town where she was legendary for her generosity and community involvement.
“We are inspired by the family’s confidence in D&R Greenway as we announce this historic land gift from Betty’s family,” said Peter Dawson, chair of D&R Greenway’s board of trustees. “In choosing our organization as the keeper of this legacy, the family is honoring Betty Wold Johnson’s commitment to preserving land.”
Betty Wold Johnson’s sons, who made this gift, are Robert Wood Johnson, the former United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom and owner of the New York Jets football team, and Christopher Wold Johnson, American businessman and Jets co-owner.
“We are pleased and proud to donate this special property in honor of our mother,” Robert Wood Johnson and Christopher Wold Johnson said in a joint statement. “She loved Hillside Farm as much as she loved the Hopewell area and she would be thrilled that the land will be preserved for future generations to enjoy.”
The property sits high on a hill with sweeping views across the Hopewell Valley, and holds great ecological value for birds and wildlife. Larger in size than Hopewell Borough, most of the land is in Hopewell Township and 10 minutes from Princeton. It contributes to the region’s inclusion in the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area, so designated for its Revolutionary War-era historic significance. Contiguous with two other D&R Greenway preserves, its Sourlands Ecosystem Preserve and popular Cedar Ridge preserve, the linkage of protected land secures migratory corridors and habitat.
On the opposite side of town, and visible from the gifted property, is the organization’s St. Michaels Farm Preserve that Betty Wold Johnson helped protect. With this new gift, D&R Greenway begins 2022 with more than 22,000 acres of land preserved in New Jersey.
Johnson was also instrumental in securing and naming D&R Greenway Land Trust’s headquarters, the Johnson Education Center in Princeton, on the former estate of her father-in-law General Robert Wood Johnson.
“When Betty Wold Johnson believed in you, she gave her all to ensure the mission of the organization succeeded,” said Linda Mead, president and CEO of D&R Greenway Land Trust. “Together, we sat at her kitchen table studying maps of lands to preserve, and shared her view about the importance of land as a forever legacy. It is our greatest honor to be entrusted by the Johnson family to carry out this vision in Betty Wold Johnson’s name, in a community she loved.”
The property includes forests, meadows, and agricultural land with a tributary stream to the Stony Brook, a state-designated high priority waterway. While the property is currently closed to the public, D&R Greenway plans to take a thoughtful, strategic approach to determine how best to carry out Betty’s vision for the property before opening some of the land for public access.
“We are thrilled to know that our residents will benefit from these preserved acres and future trails where they can connect with the land,” said Hopewell Township Mayor Courtney Peters-Manning. “Our township’s commitment to land preservation and our partnership with D&R Greenway remains strong as we look forward to enjoying the benefits for years to come.”
“Having this historic and beautiful property preserved in such close proximity to the borough is a treasure that displays the generosity of Betty Wold Johnson and her family,” said Mayor Paul Anzano of Hopewell Borough. “With this land on the north and D&R Greenway’s St. Michaels Farm Preserve on the south, we are ringed by a greenbelt that makes this an especially desirable place to live.”
For more information: www.drgreenway.org.
Deaths
Lenora Miller Green, 65, on February 10. She worked for ETS for 37 years and was a founding executive in the creation of the ETS Center for Advocacy and Philanthropy.
Clarence Stockton, 84, on February 6. He worked for 20 years for ACME Hamilton Company and retired from Princeton University.
Theresa Marie Morgan, 89, on February 4. She worked for Builders Emporium/Channel in Hamilton and for the state of New Jersey Microfilm Storage.
Marlene R. Otter, 85, on February 10. She was retired from Carter-Wallace in Cranbury.
Joe Bujalski, 74, on February 8. He worked in maintenance handling at Crate & Barrel in Cranbury for 22 years.
Walter Martin Swedo Jr., 61, on February 9. The lifelong Trenton-area resident was a mechanic for more than 40 years and operated Swedo’s Service.
Diane Taylor on February 1. She was employed by the West Windsor Board of Education for more than 25 years where she was the administrator of the Adult Education and the Extended Day programs.
Charles J. Brodowicz, 72, on February 4. He worked for the state Department of Transportation for 41 years.
Joan Sant Antonio Parry, 89, on February 7. She was the founder of the West Windsor Historical Society and the Historical Association of Central New Jersey.
