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| Forum Rules |
| REGISTRATION: The NJPineBarrens.com forum requires you to register an account before you can post or access certain forums and features. Membership is FREE and easy, simply click on the register link to the left. You are welcome to use your own name or an alias from 4 to 20 characters in length. AFTER YOU REGISTER: After you register, you will receive a confirmation email to verify that your email address is correct. Click the link in that message to verify it. After you have verified your email, you will have full access to all public areas of the forums. If you're a user of AOL as well as other services, you might want to check your "Junk Maill" folder as sometimes these confirmation emails end up in there. Users that do not confirm their email addresses will be purged by the system after 7 days. Users that confirm their email but have not posted will be deleted every so often. EMAIL SUPPORT: If you have specific questions about the Forum, feel free to email us, but please read the FAQ forum before you do so. Replies to email may take several days as this forum is administered by volunteers, so please keep that in mind. Thanks! YOUR MODERATORS: Ben Ruset - (bruset) - founder, owner, and administrator of this site and these forums. You can email me by clicking on this link. Any questions about this site should go to me. Guy Thompson - (teegate) - Forums Administrator. You can email him by clicking on this link. DIRECTIONS/GPS COORDINATES: Due to the sensitive nature of many historical and natural sites in the Pine Barrens, the posting of GPS coordinates or directions in public forums is prohibited. There are a few exceptions to this rule: a) Locations that appear on the current USGS Topographic maps or Street Maps b) Locations that have appeared on any historical map available for download on this site or viewable publicly on the web. c) Sites that are not of historic or natural interest. Before asking for directions to sites, please have a look at our Directions Forum. If you can contribute to the forum, please send us an email. The posting of directions and coordinates to endangered plants, sites on private property, etc. is prohibited. One very important thing to mention here is that we're not trying to limit the discussion of these places or things, merely trying to prevent the great influx of people from destroying these places. You may think this is overkill but consider several things that happened to bring about this rule: 1. Back in the summer of 2002, several members of this site went on a kayak trip and came across the location of an abandoned campground in Wharton State Forest. We took pictures of this place which had been abandoned since the early 1990s and was pretty much left in pristine condition. Several people have asked about it, and when told that we wouldn't give out the information they attemped to flood the forums with obscene messages and, write graphitti with my name in it in various places. In addition, when we did give some very vague directions, the site was quickly vandalized, artifacts stolen, graphitti sprayed, etc. The state is now in the process of demolishing the campsite due to the destruction wrought by vandals. 2. A member of this site found a "forgotten" graveyard near Union Clay Works. This graveyard consisted of several headstones in very poor shape. Much pestering was made in regards to the location of this graveyard. Several people made it painfully obvious that they were going to find it. Presumably they have. Now there is a pretty discernable path leading right to the graves. These graves, which are literally in pieces, will likely disappear bit by bit as souvineer hunters come along. 3. Several geocaches have sprung up in locations of places that they should not have been placed. We're also not discouraging you from going out and finding places on your own. Usually we'll give enough in the way of hints or point you in the right direction. A big part of the fun in exploring the Pines is the sense of discovery when you actually do find what you've been looking for. Feel free to discuss whatever you'd like, and share your discoveries. But use caution when talking about where things are located. METAL DETECTING/"TREASURE HUNTING": Metal Detecting is ILLEGAL on State Land without a permit. You can only use your metal detector on private property or with a permit. For more information on obtaining a permit, call the Ranger Station at Batsto. We can not help you with information regarding permits - we are not affiliated with the State in any way. Do not ask about the best places to go metal detecting. Your post will be deleted. Removal of artifacts from historical sites or otherwise is prohibited by NJ State Law, is unethical, and is harmful to the preservation of Pine Barrens history. There is a ZERO TOLERANCE policy in place regarding discussions of "treasure hunting" or the plundering of archaeological sites. Conservation Officers, rangers, archaeologists, and other officials read and monitor this website. We will cooperate fully with authorities to recover stolen or plundered artifacts discussed on this site. PRIVATE PROPERTY: Some historic sites are located on private or otherwise restricted property. We accept no responsibility for the consequences of you trespassing. You should always get permission before visiting any site located on private property. POSTING GUIDELINES: 1. Please always remember to act civil. There are many people on this site with varying interests. While we all may not agree, we are all here to discuss our love of the Pine Barrens. Flame wars, trolling, etc. is not tolerated. 2. Actions and decisions of the admin staff and/or moderators are final. Please respect our judgement. 3. Please do not post just for the sake of posting. Try to add something useful to the discussion. USER PHOTO GALLERIES We offer FREE photo hosting for registered users of the site. All I ask is that you refrain from posting images that have nothing to do with the Pine Barrens. We also ask that you do not post pictures of animal carcasses or other pictures that would not be appropriate for our younger visitors. Images not abiding by these rules will be deleted without warning. |
