How to use the Blueprint maps.
If you are one of the many dedicated people working to create a vibrant future for our state, access to the most current natural and cultural resource data is important. Whether you’re a volunteer on an open space committee, planning board or environmental commission, or a professional working for a land trust or local government, the Conservation Blueprint will be a critical resource for all your land preservation and land use decisions.
First-Time User
If you’re a new user of the Conservation Blueprint, you’ll be impressed by its power, ease of use and speed. It is your go-to source to access reliable, up-to-date, statewide information for your decision making.
The Blueprint’s science-based prioritization models identify the most critical open space, farmland, and community greenspaces to be preserved (not developed) in New Jersey.
Use the Blueprint to:
- Discover the conservation value of land and identify its natural and cultural features
- Find conservation partners that work in the region
- View on your smartphone or tablet, in a meeting or out in the field
- View data at a statewide, regional, hometown or parcel scale
Farmland Preservation
Preserving existing farmland and our farmland soils will help us secure the future of New Jersey’s agricultural economy and heritage.
The Conservation Blueprint identifies the most critical agricultural features to help focus preservation in the places of highest need to slow the rate of farms lost to development.
We provide quick, easy access to the most up to date data for soils, agriculturally-active lands, and preserved farmland, as well as parcel data to help with farmland preservation planning and individual projects.
Open Space Protection
Protecting our natural resources is vital to our health, our quality of life, and the future of New Jersey.
The Conservation Blueprint will help you make open space preservation decisions, ensuring we use our precious resources intelligently.
Access the most up to date scientific, ecological priority models and open space preservation data to evaluate the importance of a parcel to the health of New Jersey’s natural resources.
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COMMUNITY GREENSPACE
Land important to protect for connecting people to nature and recreation in NJ.
View Map View Camden
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AGRICULTURAL
Lands important to protect that support and maintain agriculture in NJ.
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POWER USERS: ALL PRIORITIES
A single window for Power Users to view all the priority maps- agriculture, ecology, water quality and community greenspace.
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Conservation Blueprint Plus
Using the same priority models as Blueprint, Plus offers a new way of visualizing the models by displaying priority rankings on a parcel-by-parcel basis.
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Water Quality
Lands that help safeguard our water resources, rivers and streams in NJ.
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ECOLOGICAL Integrity
The lands in NJ most important to protect for biodiversity, water quality and climate resiliency.
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The choices we make today shape the communities we live in tomorrow.
Since 1985, we’ve seen an increase of 350,000 acres of urban land (that’s 27 football fields per day or 30 Central Parks per month!). Each acre of new development results in the loss of an acre of farmland, forest or wetlands.
What will New Jersey look like in 2050? The choices we make today shape the communities we live in tomorrow. The Conservation Blueprint is an interactive mapping tool that empowers users to identify land best suited for conservation. These areas are crucial within New Jersey’s landscape to ensure clean drinking water, a sustainable agricultural industry, and a healthy, vibrant place for us all to live, work and play.
As the most densely populated state in the U.S., wedged between New York and Philadelphia, New Jersey is challenged with unprecedented development pressure. Since 1985, we’ve seen an increase of 350,000 acres of urban land (that’s 27 football fields per day or 30 Central Parks per month!). Each acre of new development results in the loss of an acre of farmland, forest or wetlands.
Fortunately, New Jersey's land conservation efforts have saved over 1.3 million acres of land in permanent protection. As the Garden State’s remaining lands are either developed or preserved in the coming years, New Jersey is on track to be the first state in the nation to reach build-out, where all land is either developed or preserved, locking-in land use patterns. Now is our time to ensure a healthy New Jersey for generations to come.
The landscape of New Jersey–our natural lands, our parks, our farms–directly influence our quality of life. Fortunately, our history is rich in stories from communities successfully protecting natural lands, farmland and historic resources for future generations. It is these narratives that inspire the work we do. The Blueprint empowers users with data and resources to help them write new conservation success stories for New Jersey. Please share your story with us by emailing conservationblueprint@gmail.com or click on the link below.
The Conservation Blueprint has been developed by a statewide partnership, led by The Nature Conservancy, New Jersey Conservation Foundation and the Rowan University Geospatial Research Lab, that includes 21 conservation-focused organizations, both governmental and non-profit. The blueprint presents four unique priority models that characterize, and rank land based on unique considerations to identify the most important places for agriculture, ecology, water quality and people.
Critical parcel-level data, like ownership and natural resource profiles, provides users with insights to quickly inform land protection and land use decisions. Parcel Explorer provides users with valuable ownership and natural resource information about a parcel. The search function allows a user to search Parcel Explorer by Blueprint rankings, parcel size, property owner name, address, tax assessment value, and open space status.
You found a place to call home. Let’s protect it! Help New Jersey be a model for the rest of the country.
A balance of protected lands and intelligent growth that benefits all New Jerseyans for generations is the legacy that can inspire action. Knowing that you played a part in setting this in motion, that you became part of something bigger than yourself, will pay dividends in fulfillment.
When you’re out camping, hiking, or simply appreciating backyard nature–take a moment to hashtag a social media photo with #njblueprint #njlandlegacy. Dr. Seuss put it best in The Lorax: “Who speaks for the trees?” Use the power of social media to use your voice. And maybe even change how New Jersey is perceived across the country, one hashtagged image at a time.
#njblueprint #njlandlegacy
Steering committee.
The Conservation Blueprint would not be possible without the creative, innovative thinking from our dedicated steering committee and advisory committees. Made up of federal, state and non-profit organizations, New Jersey’s natural, agricultural and cultural resources are improved daily by these results-focused organizations.
Steering Committee
- Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC)
- D&R Greenway Land Trust
- Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
- Ducks Unlimited
- Highlands Council
- Isles
- Land Trust Alliance
- Monmouth Conservation Foundation
- Natural Lands
- New Jersey Conservation Foundation
- NJ Audubon
- NJDEP Green Acres Program
- NJDEP State Historic Preservation Office
- Rowan University
- Rutgers University
- State Agricultural Development Committee
- The Land Conservancy of NJ
- The Nature Conservancy
- The Watershed Institute
- Trust for Public Land
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service
Agricultural Advisory Committee
- New Jersey Conservation Foundation
- Rowan University
- State Agricultural Development Committee
- USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service
Community Greenspace Advisory Committee
- Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC)
- D&R Greenway Land Trust
- Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
- Isles
- New Jersey Conservation Foundation
- NJ DEP Environmental Health Division
- NJ DEP Green Acres Program
- NJDEP State Historic Preservation Office
- Rowan University
- The Nature Conservancy
- Trust for Public Land
Science Advisory Committee
- New Jersey Conservation Foundation
- NJ Audubon
- NJDEP Division of Fish&Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management
- NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP)
- NJDEP Division of Science, Research and Environmental Health
- NJDEP Green Acres Program
- NJDEP Office of Environmental Review
- NJDEP Office of Natural Lands Management
- Raritan Headwaters
- Rowan University
- Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association
- The Nature Conservancy
