Owners of N.Y. Jets donate their mother’s 800-acre farm near Princeton for conservation

Scions of New Jersey’s prominent Johnson family — also owners of the New York Jets — have donated their late mother’s 800-acre Mercer County farm, with its sweeping valley view outside Princeton, for preservation.

The land was given to the nonprofit D&R Greenway Land Trust, which announced the deal Wednesday. It will connect to 3,600 other protected acres of the Sourlands regions, with the possibility of adding miles of new public trails.

Robert Wood Johnson IV, a former U.S. ambassador and owner of the Jets football team, and his brother, Christopher Wold Johnson, a businessman and also a co-owner of the team, made the gift in honor of their mother, Betty Wold Johnson, a philanthropist. Her father-in-law was a son of Robert Wood Johnson, a cofounder of Johnson & Johnson.

“We are pleased and proud to donate this special property in honor of our mother,” the Johnson brothers said in a statement. “She loved Hillside Farm as much as she loved the Hopewell area, and she would be thrilled that the land will be preserved for future generations to enjoy.”

Betty Wold Johnson, who died in 2020 at age 99, had a long association with the D&R Greenway Land Trust, which now has more than 22,000 acres preserved in New Jersey. The new property in Mercer County has a view of Hopewell Valley and is contiguous with two other conserved lands owned by the trust: the Sourlands Ecosystem Preserve and Cedar Ridge preserve.

Most of the property lies in Hopewell Township with a smaller portion in Hopewell Borough.

The central New Jersey property is not yet open to the public, said Linda Mead, the trust’s president and CEO. Mead said the goal is to create a preserve in Betty Wold Johnson’s name.

“The property is remarkable, consisting of nearly 800 acres of forests, meadows, agricultural land, and streams, including a tributary of the Stony Brook, a state-designated high priority stream,” she said.

The trust is currently assessing the land for wildlife corridors, important bird habitats, and opportunities for public trails, Mead said, and wants to ensure its conservation before opening it to the public.

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The property is bordered on three sides by lands permanently preserved by the trust, so it’s expected all will be linked eventually by trails. The trust holds 3,400 acres at its Sourlands Ecosystem Preserve and 200 acres at its Cedar Ridge Preserve, both of which connect to the much larger Sourlands region.

“The property is vast with many opportunities for a deep dive into nature,” Mead said. “The preserve to be created will become a place where people can experience the beauty and healing qualities of being surrounded by wide, open spaces.”

Mead said the trust does not have a current value for the property. Property records show that most of it was already under conservation easements or assessed as farmland, so municipal appraisals don’t reflect potential commercial or residential values.

“This land is truly priceless,” said Mead, who noted the land will “contribute” to the Crossroads of American Revolution National Heritage Area, a National Park Service program that promotes understanding of New Jersey’s role in the American Revolution.

During the Revolution, soldiers and horses used the land as part of a route to major battles. The land is adjacent to private property that includes a house once owned by John Hart, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

According to the trust, Betty Wold Johnson had been concerned that densely populated New Jersey was running out of open space. It took her four decades to assemble the land for the farm with the goal of permanently protecting it.

“When Betty Wold Johnson believed in you, she gave her all to ensure the mission of the organization succeeded,” said Mead. “Together, we sat at her kitchen table studying maps of lands to preserve and shared her view about the importance of land as a forever legacy.”

Courtney Peters-Manning, mayor of Hopewell Township, said the municipality is “thrilled to know our residents will benefit from these preserved acres and future trails.”