FOHOS
- Friends of Holmdel Open Space
FRIENDS OF HOLMDEL OPEN SPACE
Friends of Holmdel Open Space (FOHOS) is a non-profit, non-government, non-political organization formed to raise funds to preserve, protect, and maintain open space in Holmdel.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
FOHOS has joined with grassroots groups Citizens for Informed Land Use (“CILU”, https://holmdel-cilu.org/) and Preserve Holmdel ("PH", https://www.preserveholmdel.org/) in an effort to preserve the 43 beautiful acres on Crawford Hill as a public park and keep the Horn Antenna, a national historic landmark, at its current location.
Click on the button below for more information and to sign our online petition.
OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The Ramanessin section of Holmdel Park
PRESERVING OPEN SPACE
FOHOS was founded as part of the effort to rescue the 400-acre Chase tract from high-density development.
We raised a portion of the money that enabled the land to be acquired and preserved.
It is now (and forever) two protected farms and the Ramanessin Section of Holmdel Park.
This natural area contains miles of trails and connects to Holmdel Township’s Bayonet Farm.
PRESERVING OPEN SPACE
Working with the NY/NJ Baykeeper organization in 2008 and 2009, we helped Holmdel obtain what is now the Neil Waackaack Preserve, adjacent to Allocco Park.
We obtained grants that paid for improvements like a small parking area, organized volunteers to clear garbage out of what had been a dumping ground, planted shrubs and flowers, and built trails throughout the property.
An eyesore was transformed into a neighborhood amenity.
PRESERVING OPEN SPACE
In 2018, FOHOS made a significant contribution to assist Holmdel Township in purchasing the development rights and placing an agricultural easement on the 12-
acre Callan Farm on Crawfords Corner Road.
The property is now deed-restricted for agricultural uses and will always remain a farm. Other preservation partners were Monmouth County and Monmouth Conservation Foundation.
Callan Farm, picture courtesy of Monmouth Conservation Foundation
IMPROVING OUR PARKS
Over many years, FOHOS has worked to improve trails in Holmdel’s open space. In 2015 we obtained funding from a federal Recreational Trails Program grant and used it to create new
trails and update old favorites.
Much of the work was done by Boy Scouts, guided by Eagle Scout Larry Fink. This project won a Coalition for Recreational Trails Award in 2019.
In addition to improving our parks, this project provided many opportunities for volunteers, like the scouts who built signs, boardwalks, and benches.
FOHOS funded this Eagle Scout project at Bayonet Farm with our trails grant.
IMPROVING OUR PARKS
We have paid for numerous improvements at the Bayonet Farm Park, especially repairs to the Harding House (replacing siding, porches, and windows) and to the barns.
Harding House at Bayonet Farm
ACTIVITIES IN THE PARK
Every year we lead walks in Holmdel’s open space, starting with our traditional
New Year’s Day Walk and continuing with a Daffodil Walk, and an End-to-End walk on the Ramanessin Brook Greenway on National Trails Day.
Everyone is welcome!
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A special walk just for children is our annual Fossil Walk, where experts help young naturalists find ancient sharks’ teeth in the Ramanessin Brook.
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Click on the button below for more details and our current schedule.
Fossils are there, if you know how to look.
DONATE
Tax-deductible donations are greatly appreciated.
FOHOS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises money for preserving open space in Holmdel, maintains Holmdel's greenway trails, and promotes the public's enjoyment of Holmdel's parks and open spaces by sponsoring seasonal greenway walks and outdoor activities.
This year we are actively seeking donations to support the acquisition and preservation of Crawford Hill and the Big Bang Horn Antenna as a park with public access.
VOLUNTEER
Our work is never done, and we can use all the help we can get. One of the ways you can take part is by Volunteering. Spread the word about all that Friends of Holmdel Open Space is doing, and help us gain the support we need.
