The Woods South of Black Run Preserve Are Staying Woods, and Their Stewards Meet in Public
On October 14, Evesham Township Council took its final vote at the municipal building at 984 Tuckerton Road and adopted Ordinance 31-10-2026. It authorizes the township to acquire the Black Run Headwaters property, about 834 acres, "for recreation and open space purposes by the public," and names Evesham as its steward. You can read the township's notice of adoption yourself. The tract is the forest bounded by Kettle Run, Tomlinson Mill, Kenilworth and Egret roads, and its owners had once proposed it for 270 single-family homes. It will join a preserve that now covers 1,300 acres. Adding roughly 835 acres to 1,300 makes the park almost two-thirds larger.
Evesham is securing the land first and deciding how people will use it afterward. The township is following the same order on a four-acre lot on Lakeside Drive. So for anyone who already walks these trails, the people most likely to shape the larger preserve are already running hikes there and holding public meetings once a month.
The tract matters mainly because of its water. In a release that Evesham Township reposted on March 3, New Jersey Conservation Foundation explained that the property holds the headwaters of the Black Run. That stream is a freshwater tributary of Rancocas Creek, so protecting its source also protects the watershed downstream. The land sits on the western edge of the state-designated Pinelands Area and the federally designated Pinelands National Reserve. In the same release, Green Acres director Martha Sullivan Sapp described it as habitat for "oak-pine forest, wetlands, and numerous plant and animal species of ecological significance." She also placed it inside the state's Connecting Habitat Across New Jersey initiative, which aims to keep wildlife habitat in continuous blocks. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that one of those species is the threatened Pinelands tree frog.
The deal runs in two steps. NJ Conservation signed a binding contract to buy the land from Kettle Run Investments LP, the Samost family's company, and its co-owners. Evesham then agreed to take ownership from NJ Conservation and fold the land into the existing preserve. The sellers said publicly that they preferred this outcome. "We are eager to move forward with the project so that the community can experience and appreciate the natural beauty of this land for years to come," Linda Samost said in the March release.
The purchase price is $15 million. According to NJ Conservation, that is about $2.4 million less than the property's full market value, so the sellers effectively gave a large part of the land's value toward the preservation. Public money from several levels covers the rest.
| Source | Contribution reported |
|---|---|
| Sellers' discount below full market value | About $2.4 million |
| Burlington County open-space funds | Up to $5 million |
| New Jersey Pinelands Commission | $3 million |
| New Jersey Green Acres Program | Committed; amount not given in the reporting |
| Private campaign by four conservation groups | $100,000 goal, aimed at stewardship |
The private money is meant for the years after the sale. Jaclyn Rhoads, executive director of Pinelands Alliance, told 70and73.com that "all of the acquisition costs have been secured." The $100,000 private goal would go toward caring for the land. The campaign is run by NJ Conservation, Pinelands Alliance, Friends of the Black Run Preserve and Rancocas Conservancy. In the same article, their joint announcement said the money would cover final purchase costs and build "a strong foundation for the long-term stewardship and maintenance of the expanded Black Run Preserve." Donations go through NJ Conservation's Black Run page.
"Now, we hope the passion continues with those who can contribute to the fundraiser to help get us across the finish line." Jane Dean, president of the Friends of the Black Run Preserve, as quoted by 70and73.com
The Friends' newsletter for August 2026 announced the contract under the headline news that the 835 acres had been "protected from the encroachment of hundreds of new homes." It quoted Mayor Jaclyn Veasy calling the agreement "a historic milestone for Evesham Township" and saying that "when we prioritize stewardship over sprawl, everybody wins."
The former Barton Run Swim Club on Lakeside Drive closed about a decade ago, and developer Orleans Investment Land Associates had planned six homes on its 3.84 acres. In early September, 70and73.com reported that Township Council had authorized a letter of intent to buy the site instead. Evesham would pay between $670,000 and $810,000, helped by a $405,000 Green Acres grant. Township open-space funds would cover the balance, and the final figure depends on a Green Acres appraisal. Under that agreement, Orleans would demolish the clubhouse and pool, fill the land and plant grass. The township is also seeking grants for rain gardens on the site.
The per-acre math shows two different kinds of land. At $15 million, the Black Run tract works out to roughly $18,000 an acre. Barton Run's range works out to roughly $174,000 to $211,000 an acre. That is about ten times as much, for a lot that will hold a lawn and a neighborhood park rather than Pinelands forest. Both parcels had been headed for housing. Both are being bought with Green Acres support, and in both cases the plans for public use come after the deed changes hands.
Evesham's public information director, Zane Clark, described that order for Barton Run in an email to 70and73.com: "Once formal closing proceedings on the property are completed, and the land is restored to open space, the Township will begin engaging the community so residents can help plan for the future uses at the new park." The same outlet observed that Evesham has been aggressive in recent years about acquiring land to preserve as open space.
At Black Run, the residents' role is easier to find because a group already fills it. According to the Friends of the Black Run Preserve, Evesham owns the 1,300-acre preserve as a township park, and the Friends care for it under a Memorandum of Cooperation with the township. The group lists hiking, biking, trail running, dog walking and birdwatching among the uses it supports. The new ordinance makes Evesham the steward of the added land as well. The Friends already steward the existing preserve, lead its hikes and helped run the campaign for the expansion.
Until then, the existing preserve stays busy. A local trail guide published by The Sun Newspapers in September describes more than six miles of marked trails and sand roads. Its loops can run from roughly two to seven miles over sand, singletrack and some boardwalk, including a wooden walkway near the Kettle Run lot, and dogs must stay leashed. These are the dates on the Friends' events calendar as of publication:
The trustees meet on the fourth Tuesday of every month unless they note otherwise. According to the Friends' calendar, the open hour is for updates on committee work, questions and suggestions.
For buyers and owners near Kettle Run, Tomlinson Mill or Lakeside Drive, the open space beside a property usually shapes how that home feels to live in as much as the house itself does. If you would like to talk through how these preserved acres fit into a purchase, a sale or a renovation plan nearby, Holly Garber would be glad to begin the conversation.
Whether you are preparing to sell, searching for your next home, planning a renovation, or exploring an investment opportunity, I welcome a confidential conversation about your goals.
