Taxpayers Lose One Million Annually to NJ Forest Destruction

At 125,000 acres, Wharton State Forest is the largest unit in the NJ State Park System to make up the Pinelands National Reserve (PNR). Wharton Forest protects rare plants and animals, some found nowhere else in the world. It also encompasses some of the most remote areas in New Jersey. However, this beautiful area is under serious threat, and we need your action today in order to preserve it.

Popular with hikers, horseback riders, canoers, wildlife enthusiasts and others, the Wharton Forest also draws participants in off-road vehicle (ORV) and all-terrain vehicle (ATV) recreation. Forging new trails through ecologically sensitive areas and causing extensive damage to existing roads, ORV and ATV recreation threatens to cause more irreparable destruction than it already has. Though existing laws prohibit motorized vehicle recreation in Wharton Forest, low numbers of forest rangers cause enforcement to be lax, and ORV/ATV damage persists.

To date, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) estimates that damage caused by illegal or irresponsible ORV/ATV use affects hundreds of thousands of acres of state park and costs taxpayers a million dollars annually in repairs. This destruction of the PNR comes not only in the mutilation of the lands, but also in water, air, and noise pollution. Additionally, irresponsible recreational motorists are often found to be the source and cause of frequent trash pollution and unpermitted fires in the PNR. To add to these obvious risks, the destruction of Wharton Forest roads frequently blocks access to fire service vehicles.

The duty of the NJ DEP Division of Parks and Forestry is to maintain healthy biologically diverse ecosystems to sustain wildlife. In August of this year, the Division of Parks and Forestry State Park Service launched a draft Motorized Access Plan (MAP) to encourage public education of Wharton State Forest’s important biodiversity and responsible motorized vehicle use. MAP is a map and brochure that designates 225 miles of established road to motorized vehicle access and provides information about Wharton Forest’s ecological treasures and how they can be damaged by irresponsible off-roading.

We need your help now because, due to the uproar and pressures of off-road motorist individuals, groups, and clubs, the NJ DEP is backing off its proposed Motorized Access Plan. Current opposition to MAP far outweighs its support, and we need your vote today to show the NJ DEP that there is a majority that cares about the environment!

For more information and a detailed video from NJN News, please visit: http://www.pinelandsalliance.org/protection/hotissues/ecological/offroadvehicles/

Additional Information:

(From NJ DEP: http://www.nj.gov/dep/newsrel/2015/15_0065.htm

The New Jersey Pinelands, also known as the Pinelands National Reserve (PNR), was established as the nation's first National Reserve in 1978. The PNR is home to scores of rare plant and animal species, and houses the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system, one of the largest fresh water systems in the country at an estimated 17 trillion gallons of water. Approximately 1.1 million acres large, the PNR is the largest body of open space on the Mid-Atlantic seaboard between Richmond and Boston, and is also recognized by the United Nations as a Biosphere Reserve.

Wharton provides habitat to some 300 bird species, nearly 60 reptile and amphibian species, and more than 90 fish species. The DEP lists 43 animals as threatened or endangered, including the Pine Barrens tree frog, timber rattlesnake, and pine snake.

The State Forest also boasts some 850 species of plants, including wild orchids, sedges, grasses and insect-eating plants. Rare plants include the bog asphodel, swamp pink and Pine Barrens gentian. The predominant trees are the pitch pine, various oak species, and Atlantic white cedar.