KGA ANNUAL MEETING AND PROGRAM--
NATURAL BEAUTY: SOMERSET COUNTY PARKS
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Clifford Zink, award-winning historian, preservation consultant, and author, gave a presentation on the subject of his latest book, NATURAL BEAUTY: SOMERSET COUNTY PARKS. He traced the development of Somerset County’s park system from its roots in the County’s agricultural past through its evolution over nearly six decades into an organization utilizing creative public-private partnerships to preserve open space and serve more than 2,000,000 visitors and program participants annually.
Businessmen and political leaders worked tirelessly to establish the Somerset County Park Commission in 1956 by public referendum, and they adopted a visionary plan to preserve prime open space and provide excellent recreational opportunities for the public. Since that time, inspired public officials and professional staff have implemented and expanded the plan into a countywide network of 26 parks encompassing more than 13,500 acres.
Somerset County parks today include award-winning facilities like the Environmental Education and Equestrian Centers at Lord Stirling Park, the horticultural centers at Colonial Park and Leonard J. Buck Garden, the Torpey Athletic Center, and the Neshanic Valley Golf Course. The Parks also contain exceptional landscapes and natural areas like Natirar and Sourland Mountain Preserve, the largest county park in New Jersey.
To obtain a copy of NATURAL BEAUTY, please call 908 722-1200 ext. 236, or visit Somerset County Parks Commission
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