As economy makes land available, money to save it is scarce.

With 112 undeveloped acres, beautiful scenery, and easy public access, the old Maple Ridge Golf Club in Gloucester County has all the makings of a park.

Thanks to the housing slump, it may even have a willing seller.

Development firm IBG Partners of Washington, which proposed building 143 houses on the land, has talked with county officials about selling the property for conservation.

But locals who want to see the land preserved - some of whom have worked for nearly three years toward that goal - face the obstacle plaguing conservationists throughout the region. While there are more opportunities to preserve land as owners and developers look to get out from under investments they made when construction was booming, fewer conservation dollars are available to close the deals.

New Jersey is much better off than most states. Voters last year agreed to let the state borrow $400 million to buy open space and preserve farmland. But Maple Ridge won't be eligible for that money until it can come up with local sources to match a state grant.

The property stretches into Mantua and Deptford and abuts Wenonah. Officials in the three towns have passed resolutions supporting preservation.

None has made a financial commitment to the Maple Ridge project.

The golf course, at Bark Bridge and Glassboro Roads, closed in 2006 after a brief stint under the Maple Ridge name. Before that it was Ron Jaworski's popular Eagles' Nest, known for its hilly landscape.

Today, those hills make the property feel remote. People ignore "no trespassing" signs to stroll the paved cart paths.

What were neatly trimmed fairways and greens have turned into open meadows, colored this time of year with goldenrod, yellow evening primrose, white boneset, and the deep purple and pinks of pokeberry.

Hawks, turkey vultures, and the occasional bald eagle soar overhead. Herons take up feeding posts on the banks of gurgling Mantua Creek, which runs through the property. And, along the grassy paths mowed by frequent users, hundreds of crickets jump at walkers' feet.

"When the golf course closed, people just started using it as a de facto park because it's such a lovely place," said Richard Dilks, 63, of Wenonah, a founding member of the Friends of Maple Ridge, a coalition of residents and conservation groups pushing for preservation.

It was a golfer, Chuck Forsman, 75, of Wenonah, who first thought of making the park status official. In early 2008, he called IBG Partners.

When the company responded favorably, "it was kind of a shock, but I didn't question it," Forsman said.

IBG officials did not return calls to comment for this article. In 2008, they gave the county's land-preservation office permission to conduct appraisals with the possibility of conserving the property.

Maple Ridge is an example of the "green lining" of the economic crisis, conservationists say. Properties that may have been swiftly turned into townhouses or wooded cul-de-sacs five years ago are being offered for conservation - some at reduced prices.

"The challenge is assembling the funds in this tough climate," said Tom Gilbert, Mid-Atlantic finance director for the nonprofit Trust for Public Lands.

The $400 million commitment that New Jersey voters made last fall puts the state in an "enviable position," Gilbert said. Plus, he said, it is the only state where every county has a voter-approved open-space fund.

But, he said, some resources are stretched thin.

Mantua residents turned down ballot measures in 2008 and 2009 to temporarily increase an open-space tax for the Maple Ridge project.

In Deptford, which has no township open-space tax, Mayor Paul Medany won't consider one.

"We support open space," he said, "but I also can't impose any more financial burden on our residents."

Gloucester County supports protecting Maple Ridge but isn't in the market for new county parks because of maintenance costs, said Ken Atkinson, director of county land preservation. A municipality or a private entity would have to take ownership should IBG Partners sell.

The county could provide some funding and help the project secure state money through the Green Acres open-space program for as much as 75 percent of the purchase cost, he said. The county assessed the land at just over $5 million last year. The balance would have to come from local or private sources.

While the state continues to collect applications for Green Acres projects, money for new projects won't be available until new bonds are issued, perhaps next year.

Atkinson is moving forward, expecting there could be some lag time. For now, he said, he must determine how to distribute the $10 million raised this year through the county's open-space tax to 45 proposed projects.

"As of right now, we just can't freeze the millions of dollars that it would take" for Maple Ridge, he said.

The Friends of Maple Ridge, a group that includes the South Jersey Land and Water Trust, are hoping to change the tide.

Dilks attributed the failure to raise municipal tax money to a lack of public awareness.

Members have begun distributing "Save Maple Ridge" signs around the area and setting up booths at community events.

Once people know what the golf course looks like, Dilks said, they will want to help keep it just as it is - home to goldfinches, belted kingfishers, turtles, and wild turkeys, not more houses.