Leading experts Michele Byers, Eastern Environmental Law Center and Princeton Hydro join opposition to stop unsustainable development
WEST ORANGE (February 20, 2025) - WeCare NJ, a nonprofit organization seeking to stop a proposed 496-unit housing development on environmentally sensitive land in West Orange, has expanded its team to include Michele Byers, a nationally-recognized land conservationist with a decades-long track record of preserving land in New Jersey, Eastern Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit, public interest law firm that works on behalf of environmental advocacy, conservation and community groups, and Princeton Hydro, an expert in water resource engineering, natural resource management, and regulatory compliance. The team also includes renowned legal expert, Paul Tractenberg, founder of the Education Law Center.
“This ill-planned proposed housing development would cause irreparable harm to important natural resources and our community. We have expanded our team to include some of the state’s leading land conservation and legal experts to demonstrate why it must be stopped,” said Joseph Pannullo, president of WeCare NJ. “This development is not a done deal. WeCare will continue to fight it every step of the way.”
The housing development is proposed by West Essex Highlands, Inc. on an environmentally sensitive forested ridge which contains the headwaters of the Canoe Brook in West Orange near its borders with Verona, Roseland and Essex Fells. The parcel has been targeted for preservation in West Orange and Essex County plans for over two decades.
Last week, Eastern Environmental Law Center (EELC) filed a joint appeal on behalf of WeCare NJ and New Jersey Conservation Foundation to challenge a permit issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for the project. Three municipalities that either border or are located downstream of the proposed site - Essex Fells, Roseland, and Verona - have also filed legal challenges to the permit.
Byers is well known for her 30 years of land preservation and advocacy work in New Jersey. She retired in 2021 from New Jersey Conservation Foundation after serving more than 20 years as executive director. During her tenure, she helped secure passage of the NJ Highlands Water Quality and Planning Act which protects the drinking water supply for 70% of New Jersey’s residents and established several new preserves throughout the state. She is also credited with founding several conservation organizations, including the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, New Jersey Highlands Coalition, Hunterdon Land Trust, and the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters. She also launched the ReThink Energy NJ campaign that led the successful fight that stopped the proposed 116-mile interstate PennEast Pipeline from being built in Hunterdon and Mercer counties. Most recently, Byers authored New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s Nature for All report that calls for New Jersey to preserve half of its remaining open space and farmland and to launch a comprehensive Green and Healthy Cities initiative.
“The development of this property, which is the largest undeveloped private forest in Essex County, flies in the face of every policy and best practice for smart growth planning. Because of its environmental importance, it had been earmarked for preservation by both West Orange and Essex County. This site is wholly inappropriate for a mega-housing development and should be permanently preserved,” said Byers.
Tractenberg is Board of Governors Professor Emeritus at Rutgers Law School in Newark where he taught for 47 years until his retirement in 2016 and founded the Education Law Center to advance educational rights of New Jersey’s neediest students. While a resident of the West Essex Highlands, Paul organized WeCare to lead the community’s successful 2006 fight against the development and rezoning of the 120-acre parcel. He now serves as its chairman emeritus.
Eastern Environmental Law Center is a Newark-based, nonprofit environmental law firm dedicated to assisting community groups and environmental organizations in their efforts to advance clean energy solutions, achieve environmental justice, and preserve New Jersey’s treasured open spaces, wildlife and natural resources for future generations.
“DEP’s 2023 Inland Flood Protection Rule is critical for protecting our communities from rising floodwaters and stormwater pollution as climate change brings increasing rainfall to New Jersey - but the Rule is meaningless if DEP lets new development slip through without enforcing it,” said Chris Miller, EELC’s executive director.
Dan Greenhouse, EELC’s senior staff attorney, said, “Since DEP refused to hear our legal concerns about the project administratively, we’re now prepared to prove these issues in Court. We remain confident that the Court will recognize that the DEP improperly issued this permit, in violation of both the letter and intent of the laws."
Princeton Hydro, founded in 1998, is a leader in natural resource management, water resources engineering, geotechnical design and investigation, and regulatory compliance. The firm provides integrated ecological and engineering solutions, combining technical expertise with a commitment to enhancing ecosystems, communities, and quality of life. Princeton Hydro has conducted hundreds of feasibility studies and environmental analyses, frequently partnering with federal agencies to ensure compliance with the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Environmental Policy Act. Most recently, the firm received the 2024 NJ Future Smart Growth Award for its Musconetcong Island Park Project, which transformed an abandoned laboratory into an accessible riparian community park.