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I know that the rural parts of New Jersey do not receive very much attention on these boards aside from the occasional thread about where to go leaf peeping or pumpkin picking, but I felt that this was worth sharing nonetheless. Recently the Superintendent of Wharton State Forest, New Jersey's largest at 115,000 acres, unveiled an "access plan" (which could be more accurately described as a "plan to deny access") which detailed the closure of OVER TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILES of the 500 miles of roads which crisscross the forest-some of which had been established before the founding of the United States. State Forests are just that-forests. They are not parks, they do not have picnic pavilions, swimming areas, or snack bars. They are places to be alone with, and interact with nature, bought and paid for with the tax dollars of hardworking New Jerseyans. State Forests are for hunting, fishing, hiking, etc...all of which are facilitated by very access roads that the Division of Parks and Forestry seeks to close. Some of the roads were pre-Colonial era trade and transportation routes that moved people and brought goods to market. Some were cut for logging and mining, later, others were cut for firebreaks and fire fighting access. Regardless, the roads of our state forests pre-date the Division of NJDEP that now controls access to them. Until recently, these roads were used primarily by the people who care most deeply about New Jersey's wild places-it's hunters, hikers, and fishermen. Now these individuals, and many others, will be locked out.
The state has done this in the name of restricting access to sensitive areas and blocking illegal ATV access. It has been illegal to operate an ATV on state lands since the early 2000s, yet illegal ATV abounds in our state forests, so instead of targeted enforcement on illegal ATVers, the state has taken the hamfisted approach of also restricting access to the roads by street legal, registered, and insured vehicles. The state has been unable or unwilling (or both) to step up enforcement, and is now resorting to a half hearted attempt to block access altogether, which will simply result in the illegal ATVers blowing past "ROAD CLOSED-NO MOTOR VEHICLES" signs and operating with impunity as there will be no one there to catch them in the act.
Perhaps the worst part of all of this is how many people will be frozen out of some of the more remote areas of NJ altogether-hunters, fishermen, birdwatchers, and anyone who enjoys wild lands and solitude who can't hike 5+ miles over rough terrain to get to a favorite spot, families with young children (like mine) who wish to take their kids into the woods without having to put them on a forced march. Finally, although the Superintendent of Wharton, along with NJDEP, has said that the closures will be limited to the 250 miles of roads in Wharton, this has already proven to be false. Just today I learned that ALL unpaved roads in Stokes State Forest have been closed to motor vehicles-PERMANENTLY. Just last May I led a group of friends who had never been to Sussex County on a two day camping trip and tour of Stokes and the Water Gap-practically every highlight of that trip is now inaccessible. I believe I am one of the first people to even make this public-you will find no mention of the Stokes road closures on their website or anywhere else. If you care about this issue at all, please take the time to peruse the following links:
I know that the rural parts of New Jersey do not receive very much attention on these boards aside from the occasional thread about where to go leaf peeping or pumpkin picking, but I felt that this was worth sharing nonetheless. Recently the Superintendent of Wharton State Forest, New Jersey's largest at 115,000 acres, unveiled an "access plan" (which could be more accurately described as a "plan to deny access") which detailed the closure of OVER TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILES of the 500 miles of roads which crisscross the forest-some of which had been established before the founding of the United States. State Forests are just that-forests. They are not parks, they do not have picnic pavilions, swimming areas, or snack bars. They are places to be alone with, and interact with nature, bought and paid for with the tax dollars of hardworking New Jerseyans. State Forests are for hunting, fishing, hiking, etc...all of which are facilitated by very access roads that the Division of Parks and Forestry seeks to close. Some of the roads were pre-Colonial era trade and transportation routes that moved people and brought goods to market. Some were cut for logging and mining, later, others were cut for firebreaks and fire fighting access. Regardless, the roads of our state forests pre-date the Division of NJDEP that now controls access to them. Until recently, these roads were used primarily by the people who care most deeply about New Jersey's wild places-it's hunters, hikers, and fishermen. Now these individuals, and many others, will be locked out.
The state has done this in the name of restricting access to sensitive areas and blocking illegal ATV access. It has been illegal to operate an ATV on state lands since the early 2000s, yet illegal ATV abounds in our state forests, so instead of targeted enforcement on illegal ATVers, the state has taken the hamfisted approach of also restricting access to the roads by street legal, registered, and insured vehicles. The state has been unable or unwilling (or both) to step up enforcement, and is now resorting to a half hearted attempt to block access altogether, which will simply result in the illegal ATVers blowing past "ROAD CLOSED-NO MOTOR VEHICLES" signs and operating with impunity as there will be no one there to catch them in the act.
Perhaps the worst part of all of this is how many people will be frozen out of some of the more remote areas of NJ altogether-hunters, fishermen, birdwatchers, and anyone who enjoys wild lands and solitude who can't hike 5+ miles over rough terrain to get to a favorite spot, families with young children (like mine) who wish to take their kids into the woods without having to put them on a forced march. Finally, although the Superintendent of Wharton, along with NJDEP, has said that the closures will be limited to the 250 miles of roads in Wharton, this has already proven to be false. Just today I learned that ALL unpaved roads in Stokes State Forest have been closed to motor vehicles-PERMANENTLY. Just last May I led a group of friends who had never been to Sussex County on a two day camping trip and tour of Stokes and the Water Gap-practically every highlight of that trip is now inaccessible. I believe I am one of the first people to even make this public-you will find no mention of the Stokes road closures on their website or anywhere else. If you care about this issue at all, please take the time to peruse the following links:
Sell it to a private, for-profit company who can manage the park properly, or sell it for development. The state has no business owning all this land anyway. The idea of taking money that people earn and own away from them, when they need it for their own lives, and diverting it to state parks and other land grabs is utter and complete madness. The amount of land owned by the United States and state governments is utterly ridiculous.
The state should not be in the business of owning ANY land, other than perhaps military bases and the White House and Pentagon and a few others. Sell it. Divest. Return all vacant land to private use. The proceeds should be rebated to the taxpayers who were enslaved in the first place to pay for it all.
Just a question. Is there anything other than the over-editorialized website linked in the OP that presents the closures and which roads would be closed? The website seems intent on hacking the NJDEP, but without presenting what the plan actually is. The website says a map has not been released yet. Maybe we should see what that map shows.
I can't say whether road closures are a good thing or a bad thing without more info. My gut feeling is that fewer roads might not be a bad thing, especially since, as the OP says, the forest is not a park but a place "with intact nature." Do we need 500 miles of roads there?
Sell it to a private, for-profit company who can manage the park properly, or sell it for development. The state has no business owning all this land anyway. The idea of taking money that people earn and own away from them, when they need it for their own lives, and diverting it to state parks and other land grabs is utter and complete madness. The amount of land owned by the United States and state governments is utterly ridiculous.
The state should not be in the business of owning ANY land, other than perhaps military bases and the White House and Pentagon and a few others. Sell it. Divest. Return all vacant land to private use. The proceeds should be rebated to the taxpayers who were enslaved in the first place to pay for it all.
Why don't we just blow up the Grand Canyon and strip mine Yosemite?
Or sell them to Donald Trump so he can build some condos that most people can't afford?
Just a question. Is there anything other than the over-editorialized website linked in the OP that presents the closures and which roads would be closed? The website seems intent on hacking the NJDEP, but without presenting what the plan actually is.
The website says a map has not been released yet. Maybe we should see what that map shows.
Though the plan says "Draft" the closures indicated on the map have already occurred-also don't forget that no draft plan or notice of any kind was ever released regarding the road closures at Stokes. I heard through word of mouth what had happened and called the office to verify-ZERO TRANSPARENCY. However, back to Wharton:
Yes, they closed the roads by cutting down hundreds of 70-80 year old trees... Not to mention the fact that these roads are not only impassable by civilian 4x4s-they are also impassable to NJ Forest Fire Service trucks as well. Not a particularly good idea considering the kind of fire season we're having:
I can't say whether road closures are a good thing or a bad thing without more info. My gut feeling is that fewer roads might not be a bad thing, especially since, as the OP says, the forest is not a park but a place "with intact nature." Do we need 500 miles of roads there?
The 500 miles of roads have been there for hundreds of years and are what allow access to the forest. If your goal is simply preserving 115,000 acres of wilderness so that it's just sitting there and no one can access it or enjoy it, then yes, closing roads is a good thing. If you want the taxpayers who actually paid for the land to get something out of what they've invested in, no, closing roads is not a good thing.
Or sell them to Donald Trump so he can build some condos that most people can't afford?
I can hear him advertising those condos now...
These are, without question, the most luxurious, classiest condos that God ever invented, and any man who doesn't agree with me is a loser. If you are a woman who disagrees with me, you are a pig.
Very funny, but I could care less about Donald Trump-this is pretty serious issue that has major implications for the future of the state.
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