Two environmental advocacy groups are sharing new office space at the Highlands Meadow Farm, located on a preserved watershed property overlooking the Monksville Reservoir.

Skylands CLEAN of Ringwood and the Passaic River Coalition (PRC) of Morristown are hosting their new office's grand opening on Sunday, April 18.

Built around 1910, the farmhouse at the Highlands Meadow Farm serves as the new Skylands CLEAN headquarters. PRC is having a satellite office for its land trust operation at the farmhouse, according to an April 9 Skylands CLEAN press release. The Highlands Meadow Farm still includes many small outbuildings from its days as a working farm.

The farmhouse is the ideal office space because it's located on preserved property overlooking the reservoir with "adequate space" for the organizations' operations, said Skylands CLEAN Executive Director Robin O'Hearn.

"It's also ideal because it offers us a place to do education programs for the public, which we have wanted to do for some time," she added.

Highlands Meadow Farm is a 17-acre property that was once lined up for a housing development.

Although Skylands CLEAN and PRC have been collaborating for several years, they have not shared office space until now, said O'Hearn.

PRC acquired the Highlands watershed property in 2004 because it's a habitat for many songbird species and because of its proximity to the Monksville Reservoir, said PRC Executive Director Ella Filippone.

The farmhouse has been restored through the support of Ringwood contractor Ron Houser and Son and private donors. The Home Depot, Benjamin Moore, Tilcon, and CertainTeed were among several companies that supplied construction materials.

PRC and Skylands CLEAN wanted to renovate the office space with more eco-friendly building materials. However, because the organizations relied on construction material donations, they "weren't able to do quite as much as (they) wanted," O'Hearn said.

"We were just so fortunate to find Ron Houser to oversee the restoration of the building," Filippone said in the Skylands CLEAN press release. "He made the property a showplace that will be enjoyed by the entire community for years to come. It's something we're all extremely proud of."

A new trail has been constructed on the Highlands Meadow Farm. The property also provides access to a number of other hiking trails on neighboring parcels such as the 68-acre Waterview property and the 32-acre Wogisch property.

The office grand opening is from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Highlands Meadow Farm, located at 1101 Greenwood Lake Turnpike in Ringwood.

E-mail: edmond@northjersey.com