Open Space Preservation

About Us

The open space program provides grants to municipalities and non-profits to preserve land or water areas for recreation or conservation purposes, including but not limited to parkland, natural areas, greenways, ecologically sensitive areas, and lands providing passive and active outdoor recreational opportunities.

Under the municipal/qualified charitable conservancy category of Morris County’s Preservation Trust Fund, a 15-member committee annually reviews and makes recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners on applications submitted by any of the 39 municipalities in the county as well as eligible land conservancies.

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Latest News

StoryMap Celebrates Three Decades of Open Space Preservation

Morris County is marking more than three decades of land preservation by launching an interactive online ArcGIS StoryMap© that highlights the history, scope and impact of the Morris County Open Space Trust Fund.

Developed by the Morris County Office of Planning and Preservation, the Open Space StoryMap offers a detailed look at the nearly 300 projects supported by the fund since it was established by voter referendum in 1992. The platform includes interactive maps, photographs, and data showing the extent of preserved lands by municipality and region, as well as multimedia features to enhance the user experience.

View the Open Space StoryMap

Watch the Video About Morris County's Open Space Preservation

Read the Full Press Release

2025 Open Space Applications Available

The Morris County Office of Planning and Preservation has released the application form for the 2025 funding round of municipal/non-profit open space projects under the Morris County Preservation Trust Fund. Any of the 39 municipalities in the county and qualified non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for funding.

The 2025 open space application and list of other required application materials can be found online.

All application materials are due by 4:30 PM on Thursday, June 19, 2025.

Program rules now include costs for demolition and restoration of a property (up to a maximum of 10% of the eligible land cost, or $50,000 whichever is less) as allowable costs under the program.

Please contact Barbara Murray in the Morris County Office of Planning and Preservation at (973) 829-8120 or bmurray@co.morris.nj.us for further information on the program or application process.