By Melanie DeStefano

Conservation projects across the country, including right here in Warren County, will be getting a boost in funding after the Great American Outdoors Act was recently signed into federal law.

Local plans for the funds include upgrades to Pequest Fish Hatchery in Oxford Township, New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s (NJCF) Executive Director Michele S. Byers recently shared.

The site is a state-owned trout hatchery that also contains an education center and 5,100 acres of land open to hiking, hunting, and bird watching. The education center is currently closed due to the pandemic, but the Wildlife Management Area lands are open.

The Great American Outdoors Act greatly expands funding to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which was established in 1964. The fund has been used to protect the drinking water in the New Jersey Highlands region, of which Warren County is a part, and current conservation projects are underway at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, among other state-owned parks and open spaces.

Record numbers of people have been using public green spaces since the pandemic hit, according to the NJCF, but outdoor recreation has always been an important part of New Jersey. This industry supports 143,000 jobs statewide and earns billions in state and local tax revenue, according to NJCF. The group expects the boost in funding to also provide additional jobs.