James P. Wyse

Jim Wyse dedicated his life and his career to the preservation of natural land. Nationally recognized for his expertise in conservation easement law, he was instrumental in the preservation of well over 75,000 acres of natural and farmland in New Jersey. Jim provided expert and invaluable help with the defense of conservation easements and many public parks and forests. He helped develop what is considered the

national standard for conservation easements. Fellow attorneys often sought his guidance on conservation easements— advice and input he gave generously and humbly.

He represented the New Jersey Conservation Foundation for over thirty years, along with the Open Space Institute, The Trust for Public Land, the Nature Conservancy, Raritan Headwaters Association, Harding Land Trust, Tewksbury Land Trust, Lamington Conservancy, and The Friends of Frelinghuysen Arboretum, among others. He also represented a wide range of other nonprofit and charitable organizations in New Jersey, and, inspired by his uncle, Bill Wyse, his practice included work in real estate, business, and corporate law. He was a well-respected lecturer at state and national conferences.

His colleagues and his clients note the kindness, creativity, and sense of humor with which he approached his work. "Jim brought an enormous amount of dedication, special expertise and wisdom to the conservation community,” notes Alison Mitchell of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. “His humor and empathy made him a wonderful friend and colleague.”

His generosity, enthusiasm, and commitment to the natural world also extended to his longtime volunteer service with the Boy Scouts. In 1996, Jim agreed to organize an outdoor high adventure program for Boy Scout Troop 8 in Chatham. Jim's efforts quickly built a model boy-run program. He enabled generations of older youth and adults in the troop to enjoy backpacking, kayaking and climbing in beautiful wilderness areas throughout the United States and internationally, including in the Scottish Highlands. Jim remained active in the program all the rest of his life, beloved by the hundreds of young men (and their families) who learned life lessons and outdoor skills through his leadership, unselfish dedication, and friendship.

He had a great enthusiasm for life and for his many and varied interests. He was an accomplished flutist, a longtime practitioner of Tai Chi Chuan, and a lifetime member of The Triple Nine Society. He loved poetry and opera; bicycling, fly fishing, hiking, and camping; art and travel. Witty and thoughtful, his friends remember him as intellectually exciting, compassionate, and brilliant. Many friends recall listening to him play his flute or read a poem after a dinner party.

A loving and dedicated father to his children, Melissa and Glenn, he always inspired in them this same love of — and openness to — the world around them, and nurtured their shared interests in art and nature. He delighted in his new role as a grandfather upon the recent birth of his granddaughter, Lilly Glenn.

And he found enormous joy in his life with his wife, Elizabeth. “I’ve never laughed so much,” he said. Together, they traveled the world, including visits to Spain, Morocco, Mexico, and Iceland. In 2016, they hiked the legendary pilgrimage route El Camino de Santiago.

Jim received his B.S. from Bucknell University in 1973, and his Juris Doctorate with honors from Rutgers University School of Law School in 1977. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Garcia; his daughter, Melissa Wyse; his granddaughter, Lilly Peck; his son-in-law, Tim Peck; and his step-children, Maria Ruiz and Manuel Ruiz. He is also survived by his sisters, Roberta Torres, Heather Wyse Emelander, and Betsy Jett; his brother-in-law and (as he would be sure to note) best friend Stan Emelander; and his nieces and nephews, Jordan and Giselle Jett, Jackson Bell, and Emily and Ernest Torres.

Jim was preceded in death by his beloved son, Glenn Wyse, whom he loved and missed dearly; by his parents, Dr. Robert James Wyse and Dr. Elizabeth Pallotta Wyse; and by his brother Bruce Wyse.

A memorial service will be held in the spring of 2022. In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for donations to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation in honor of Jim’s lifetime dedication to the environment and the conservation of the natural world.