A new Pinelands book?

[Takoda]

Just came across this news article that is saying a new book about the Pinelands is now out:

http://barnegat-manahawkin.patch.co...uts-piney-power-in-everyone-s-hands-with-book

Based on the news story, it seems the book will contain locations of places in the Pines. My only thought is, I hope if certain "hidden" locations are published, this does not draw vandals and/or "scrappers" to those locations. I believe in preserving the Pines and for what is not known to the outside public is better to "leave well enough alone".

Since I'm not familiar with the author of this book, can anyone tell me if this author is someone well known and has actual Pinelands education/historical knowledge - or is the book a compilation taken of what others have posted online or may have passed along to others via verbal communication (pics, locations, myths, etc)?

For instance, I feel that I and others have learned a great deal of info, facts and history from the many knowledgable folks on this site - those who went through the effort of researching, traveling, taking detailed pics, providing actual original historical pics from the past, plotting map data and documenting for future references.

Any thoughts or input?

 

[Boyd]

You can read some of it here (see: "Click to Look Inside"):

http://www.amazon.com/Discovering-N...eywords=discovering+new+jersey's+pine+barrens

I just had a quick look but didn't see any secrets being revealed.

Any thoughts or input?

Yes: be careful what you post here! Really. Often we are very excited by finding something interesting deep in the woods and there's a natural urge to share. After making a post like this, sit back, read it through and ask yourself if you have provided enough information for someone else to find the location and remove or vandalize things. If so, edit your post or remove it completely. And remember that many cell phones embed gps location data in the photos that you take. For example, the iPhone does this but you can disable location reporting in the settings (thanks to Dogg for pointing out that I had posted some photos like this myself).

I found some very interesting ruins myself last year and it appeared that nobody else had been there for a long, long time. I was so excited that I started a long thread full of pictures that included hundred year old artifacts. After discussing privately with some senior members on the site, I removed the whole thread. Made me sad to do that since I know that many others would also find the place interesting and would respect it. But I'm afraid others would have removed things or even worse.

It's really a shame that this happens, but there are a lot of people out there with no respect for the history of the pines and the internet never forgets once you post something.

 

[46er]

Since I'm not familiar with the author of this book, can anyone tell me if this author is someone well known and has actual Pinelands education/historical knowledge - or is the book a compilation taken of what others have posted online or may have passed along to others via verbal communication (pics, locations, myths, etc)?

Any thoughts or input?

The author has a web presence and will be in attendence at several fall events. Why not ask those questions directly to her? I have met her and, IMO, she is one of the good guys.

 

[Jersey Jeff]

The author is the person behind www.pineypower.com. She is a very nice lady.

 

[Takoda]

Let me make this clear - in no way am I questioning the author's intent, or abilities, just merely asking if the author is well known among the Pinelands "historians".

Ive also never posted any info about anything relating to actual locations of anything in the Pines - so Im not sure why the above came out?? I'm for preserving what is and has been there - I don't believe that any book or magazine article should contain actual location information as it only draws in those who end up destroying those once preserved sites. We've not only seen the destruction but have read about it as well - more so after a locations GPS data or road names/how to get there data has been divulged.

Theres half the folks that like to explore, find and take pics of their findings and LEAVE things alone - while there's the other half that either destroy, pilfer or vandalize the same sites and ruin it for others. This site contains a wealth of info, more so historic and I am glad folks don't give out exact locations. The pics and info posted on here is enough to keep future readers and researchers stacked with knowledge without really ever having to physically go to those sites.

Not trying to stir up anything (and no offense was intended), i was merely curious and thought since there are many knowledgable folks here, they would be able to provide more info to the questions I asked.....

Thanks for the responses and info as well, I'll check out the book for sure !

 

[Boyd]

Ive also never posted any info about anything relating to actual locations of anything in the Pines - so Im not sure why the above came out??

You said you were concerned about the publication of hidden locations and asked for thoughts and input. I responded with my thoughts and input. Information posted on this site has likely contributed to several contemporary authors' books. Therefore we all need to be careful not to reveal the location of sensitive places. That's all.

I was not suggesting that you personally have revealed any secrets.

 

[Teegate]

The issue with embedded GPS coordinates in a photo really should be a non issue here. You should not post a full size photo anyway, so when you crop or shrink your photo to add to this site, you need to have your editing program remove the EXIF data.


Guy

 

[Boyd]

With a JPEG and Photoshop, that was non-intuitive for me and I consider myself pretty advanced with computers. The only way I could find was to use "export for web" which strips out all that stuff. But I am using CS3 on my Mac, so maybe newer versions are different or better? There are also utility programs that remove EXIF, but I haven't tried any.

I see EXIF data in quite a number of photos posted here. Usually they don't include GPS coordinates though, since they were taken with a camera and not a phone.

 

[Pine Baron]

Let me make this clear - just merely asking if the author is well known among the Pinelands "historians".

Cathy (the author) is an experienced explorer of the pines, and not necessarily an historian. The book is written with emphasis on the present attractions of the Pine Barrens and the surrounding area, without compromising the integrity of the historical elements.

It lightly touches on the history of the region and comes off as a tourist guide, however, it is a light and fun read. With the many places of intersest in the book, the new and experienced pineland explorer stands to gain some sort of knowledge.

John-

 

[ecampbell]

Here is a program I have used to strip info from my pictures.

http://download.cnet.com/FileMind-QuickFix/3000-12511_4-75563232.html

 

[46er]

With a JPEG and Photoshop, that was non-intuitive for me and I consider myself pretty advanced with computers. The only way I could find was to use "export for web" which strips out all that stuff. But I am using CS3 on my Mac, so maybe newer versions are different or better? There are also utility programs that remove EXIF, but I haven't tried any.

I see EXIF data in quite a number of photos posted here. Usually they don't include GPS coordinates though, since they were taken with a camera and not a phone.

Most good photo hosting sites offer the option of not displaying EXIF data by clicking that option on. Many newer cameras capture GPS coords, but they also offer the option of turning that off. Not much help if you wish to keep those coords for ones personal use. Using the hosting site option appears to be the better option, or making a copy of the image and stripping the data.