Bob Shay Property

On September 28, 2016, Bob Shay of Bound Brook, NJ, and Stannard met with NRLT chair Susan Houston in the Stannard town office to sign a conservation agreement on Shay’s forest property on the south side of Stannard Mountain Road and abutting Stannard Brook to the east. See map and photo.

The easement, 100% donated by Shay, was NRLT’s twelfth, and its first in Stannard. The conserved property, abuttng the town’s Orcutt Park with Stannard’s iconic church, covers 63.6 acres with 1.63 miles of hiking trails and a 10-acre cedar swamp. The park provides abundant parking. A bridge across Stannard Brook leads from the park onto Shay’s land. 

At Shay’s request, the easement agreement provides that the land will be open to the public in perpetuity, and no cutting of trees will occur except to maintain the trails. The existing bridge is in rickety condition, and both Shay and the NRLT are seeking town support to repair it.