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Manumuskin, That area is an ancient riverine dune field. Those are Pleistocene parabolic dune arms composed of loose windblown sugar sands along Route 55, hence the classic Pine Barrens feel. It is critical habitat but that is the last thing the developers and their allies wish to hear...

Pine trees out perform all other tree species on sandy ground. Find a sand patch, and pines are likely to predominate. Sandy deposits are scattered all across the Inner and Outer Coastal Plains, often forming caps atop hills (e.g., Snow Hill, Sugar Hill). By geologic definition, a Barren is...

Bob, Us rock-jumpers (people below the Mullica) are mighty appreciative to be considered as living in Mac's realm. All the software's written for the PC, and it has 86% of the market share, but once you've tried Mac, you'll never go back. Thanks for the Beck quote, too!

Boyd, For this spring's flurry of presentations I digitized and colored layers of the original McCormick/Andreson map in Keynote, Mac's version of PowerPoint. Rick Radis, NJ Audubon, kindly provided the original for me to use in publication and presentation with proper attribution. Because of...

Geezerfinneran, For inspiration as to what constitutes the "Pine Barrens," look at the Figure 4 map “Outline of the Pine Barrens” in the introduction to Forman’s classic volume Pine Barrens Ecosystem and Landscape, (page xl). The original was published by botanists McCormick and Andresen...

Folsom certainly is in the Pine Barrens, is designated a Pinelands Village, and was the first "modern" ethnic settlement in the Pines (c.1848). Originally known as New Germany, the name was later changed to honor President Cleveland when they broke away from Buena Vista Township in 1906. He was...

Our opinion counts. Local politicians need to know that New Jersey residents care about the future of the Pinelands. I report with cautious optimism that the Richland package sewerage plant is all but dead because of local opposition.

Bob, Cool adjective, facetious–carefully chosen. But sadly this was no joke or wit. Have you ever gone up against engineers or attorneys at hearings? Sure, I had local knowledge, but now I am better able to complement that experience with scientific knowledge, and use words like katabatic...

Piker, Not only is Monty Python educational, but the actor Michael Palin is President of the Royal Geographical Society and has been awarded the Livingstone Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. During the Irish Potato Famine, his great grandmother (Brita Gallagher) emigrated to...

Chile, I was referring to: March 24, 2012, 10:00–11:00 AM & 1:15–2:15 PM. Earth, Wind, and Ice will be presented at the 23rd Annual Pinelands Short Course, Burlington County College, Pemberton, NJ. Other public presentations on South Jersey’s Ice-Age geology include: February 16, 2012...

Manumuskin, What a tough question! Read Silas Little’s The Effects of Forest Fires on the Stand History of New Jersey’s Pine Region, Forest Management Paper No. 2, February 1946, 43 pp. He concluded that light but frequent fires characterized the pre-settlement Pine Barrens, a condition which...

Chile, Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana), Larch (Larix), Spruce (Picea), and Fir (Abies) are technically native to the Pine Barrens, appearing during cold episodes that have cyclically occurred over the last two-million years. Currently we are in a warm interglacial, so their range has shifted north...

Pines seem to thrive where windblown sands are present around the world. Much of Pinelands soils are composed of ancient cover sands and dunes. On the Delmarva Peninsula, the best pine stands developed on the Parsonsburg dunes. The same is true for dune areas like Brandenburg region in Germany...

ChileHead, I agree, conifers rule! There are a number of pine species to admire besides Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida). Additionally there is: 1) Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata), 2) Pond Pine (Pinus serotina), 3) Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda), and 4) Virginia Pine (Pinus virginiana). Now for the fun...

Dragoncjo, Priority Funding Areas are not unlike bank bail-outs. According to Downs (2005) pressure to adopt Smart Growth policies does not come from the citizenry at large but from special interest groups. Smart Growth means nothing in the Pinelands. As Down (2005: 368) suggested, “In...

Water quality at risk under New Jersey bill "Just when a recent Monmouth University poll shows N.J. residents view protecting freshwater supplies as the top state priority, our lawmakers have decided to ignore the science and public in favor of allowing developers to send sewers and intensive...

Here's a diagram of locations adapted from the 1850 Thomas Gordon map, which helps explain my earlier post: Both Ikey and Billy lived along the South River Road that (West to East) went from Coopers Mill to the Oasis in New Italy, passing the Lee Ponds (the "Lee Place"), Ikey's Pond (red...

Pinelands use of “caves” as living space continued into the twentieth century. In deep woods behind our farm a hermit called Ikey-the-Wild-man lived through the 30’s in such a structure. It was located along the old South River Indian trail that linked the Oasis in Vanamans Thick n’ Hole (hole =...

The prime mover behind Richland Village redevelopment was just ousted by his fellow committeemen. As more Pinelands growth plans come to light, other politicians will surely face similar scrutiny. Priority Funding Areas are not popular back home, and have no place in Village land-use management...

I saw nothing between 2:00–2:30 AM. Bummer. The sky was bright since the moon had not quite set yet. S-M