Feds hope locals save the farm

MILFORD — The Santos Farm is the “number one priority for acquisition,” according to Superintendent John Donahue of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The 118-acre, $7 million parcel of land was pursued by Delaware Valley School Board, which eventually abandoned it after learning of archeological sites on the property. Preservation is one of the largest factors motivating the park’s desire to acquire the farm. “Anything that would be built on the Santos property would have an immediate effect on all the rest of the park in terms of view shed,” Donahue said. Located within the legislative boundaries of the park, the farm can offer recreational opportunities now unavailable to the Milford-Matamoras area, Donahue pointed out. The property has “important natural features, is a great place for recreation and hunting, and has important archeological resources,” he said. But the money has not been approved by Congress, leaving the park service with little more than a wish. That was the case until a “consortium of local grassroots organizations” expressed their interest in buying the farm for the same reasons. “[Our plan] has essentially come to fruition,” Donahue said of their efforts in trying to pool funds for the purchase. Sue Currier of The Delaware Highlands Conservancy and Keep Pike Green Alliance said that their organization is also lobbying for the property acquisition. Sally Corrigan of the Pike County Planning Office, said the county has applied for state funding to help in purchase. The application simply put the county on line for consideration; another party can still purchase the property in the meantime, she added. If the application is approved, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will fund 50 percent of the project. Corrigan said that about $1 million in financial support can possibly come from the “Growing Greener” program. The remainder of the funding will have to come from other sources. The county is still pursuing funding from the federal level. The Trust for Public Land is one organization Pike is working with to find additional funds. The Trust was established in 1972 and completed more than 3,000 land conservation projects in nationwide, some 2 million acres. Donahue said, “Our interest is preserving the property. We haven’t dwelled on who will hold the deed or how it is going to be managed. It isn’t really that important to us other than that the property keeps being available to the public for recreational use. There are many locals who have expressed their interest in recreating Milford as a river town like it was. Santos farm could be a key property in that opportunity.”