The Warren County Parks Foundation, a recently formed New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation, is looking for trustees, volunteers, and donations to help fulfill the organization’s mission to support Warren County’s growing park system.

The Parks Foundation was created to protect and enhance these parks, provide for additional recreational activities, preserve historic sites and educate visitors about the natural, historical, and cultural significance of these cherished areas. By working closely with the Warren County Board of Recreation Commissioners and the Warren County Board of Chosen Freeholders, members of the Parks Foundation will play a critical role in helping to shape the development of nearly a dozen county parks, better their community, and foster an appreciation for local history and the great outdoors.

“We’re really excited to be launching this organization,” said Corey Tierney, director of Preservation for Warren County and a founding trustee of the Parks Foundation. “Warren County is blessed with so many hard-working and generous people who take time out of their busy lives to volunteer in our parks. Thanks to some incredibly thoughtful and selfless pioneers, we’ve made tremendous progress enhancing these parks over the years.”

Warren County is also blessed with exceptional natural beauty and fascinating local history. In a sustained effort, and with the public’s consistent support, the county has acquired nearly 2,000 acres of parkland along with many historic sites over the decades.

“We have some really terrific parks here and because of that, we’re seeing more and more visitors every year,” said David Detrick, Warren County Board of Recreation commissioner and founding trustee of the Parks Foundation. “The volunteers we have are straining to keep up. These areas are there for the public to enjoy and they help draw visitors to our region, so it’s a good problem to have. But we need more volunteers to get involved with the Parks Foundation, to lend us a helping hand however they can, and to take ownership of these beautiful sites because these parks really do belong to everyone.”

Michael Muckle, director of the New Jersey Youth Corps and Founding Trustee of the Parks Foundation, said “Volunteering to clear trails is certainly one great way to stay in shape. But there are also many other ways people can get involved. We’re looking for people of all ages and varying skillsets. We’re looking for leaders to become Trustees, we’re looking for professionals with experience in business and finance, we’re looking for people with experience in the trades, we’re looking for historians, naturalists, and writers, we’re looking for educators and event planners, we’re really just looking for anyone who can help us make a difference.”

If interested in learning more about the Warren County Parks Foundation and about how to get involved, email wcparksfoundation@gmail.com; or call

908- 453-3252, ext. 2.