In 1987, a simple ad was run in the local newspaper looking for people who were interested in open space conservation in the Hopewell Valley. Weeks later, a group of concerned citizens gathered together to discuss the growing impact of suburban sprawl on their community. The impetus for action was a major roadway that was slated to intersect a beautiful 116-acre plot of land on the edge of Pennington Borough that contained a mature beech forest and a 17-acre lake.