All Donations are Tax Deductible
Checks made payable to: We Care
send to:
13 Howell Drive
West Orange, NJ 07052
Upcoming Events
Golf Outing Fundraiser!Mon, Jul 06Essex Fells Country Club
Save the Date! Auction 9/23/26 6:30 PM Essex Fells Country ClubWed, Sep 23Essex Fells Country Club
Welcome to the new site
We Care Open Space Preservation is a new 501(c)3 nonprofit working with our sibling 501(c)4 group, WeCare NJ, to continue the fight to preserve the Second Watchung Ridge Forest that has successfully prevented its development for the past 26 years.
Through nonprofit contributions, We Care Open Space expands and strengthens the effort to preserve the Second Watchung Forest in West Orange and continues the work of WeCare NJ to increase and broaden community engagement in the preservation of open space throughout the Watchung Mountain Region.
Save the Watchung Forest
For more than twenty-five years residents have been fighting to preserve 120 acres of old-growth forest in the northwest corner of West Orange, NJ. The land is home to the headwaters of Canoe Brook and is the source of drinking water for many municipalities. This mature 120-acre core forest - the last of its kind in the entire region was designated by Essex County and West Orange as a top priority for preservation for the last two decades and is recognized as a treasure by legions of area residents.
The Problem: Development in the wrong place
This magnificent forest has been targeted for preservation by both West Orange and Essex County, and is currently the proposed location for a nearly 500-unit mega housing development.
A previous proposal to construct less housing units on this site had been rejected as unsuitable,
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West Orange and the developer are using the state’s affordable housing requirements to justify the construction of the massive housing development.
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They are shamelessly pitting the need for affordable housing against the need to preserve environmentally sensitive land.
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The developer’s application fails to address the previous concerns about why this land is unfit for a housing development.
These concerns remain as valid today as they were over 26 years ago:
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The site lacks approvals for public sewerage and water service
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There is a substantial risk of flooding, rock-slides, and land subsidence
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Deforestation would disrupt natural habitats and increase flooding and erosion and soils
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Risk to the safety of residents due to fire and other threats, including forest fire since there is only one way in and out of the site
The Solution: Permanent Preservation
Residents of West Orange and those in adjacent communities of Verona, Roseland, and Essex Fells, and within the entire region, must come together to
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stop this project,
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advocate for the full preservation of the forest
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urge elected officials to locate affordable housing in appropriate sites.
It is not too late to stop this project, but the time to take action is NOW!
Our Partners are United in Preserving the Forest
All of our partner organizations strongly urge the West Orange Planning Board to say NO to the flawed development plan on the Watchung Second Ridge Forest, and take every necessary measure to preserve this last remaining natural treasure for the benefit of your own citizens, the entire region and State of New Jersey.
We Care Watchung Mtn. Press Conference
On September, 29 2025, on the northern point of the Second Watchung Forest, a Coalition of Residents, Environmental Leaders, Indigenous Leaders, Businesses and Regional Organizations issued a Call to Reject the Proposed High-Rise Over Development of the Second Watchung Ridge Forest and Demand Permanent Preservation.