ATVs continue wild illegal joyrides through the NJ Pine Barrens

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Boyd

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If future mandates require all vehicles to be electric won't this problem solve itself?

No. Pretty much all of the major automakers are introducing electric SUV's and trucks. Do you seriously believe they won't be able to drive through puddles?
 

Pinesbucks

Explorer
Apr 15, 2013
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My opinion is no road closures period. And before any permits or other junk are even proposed we need to enforce laws on the books. We all know the quads are stacked up like cordwood in Greenwood and Wharton. Let's start there guarantee you start inpounding and giving tickets word travels fast they are cracking down and everything else will calm down. You will still have the occasional idiot but way less. But when you can pull into Greenwood and the trucks and trailers are there and nothing is being done and no warden in sight thats an issue. But you can guarantee during 6 day gun season no matter where you go you will see the warden at some point.
 

Teegate

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Sep 17, 2002
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My opinion is no road closures period. And before any permits or other junk are even proposed we need to enforce laws on the books. We all know the quads are stacked up like cordwood in Greenwood and Wharton. Let's start there guarantee you start inpounding and giving tickets word travels fast they are cracking down and everything else will calm down. You will still have the occasional idiot but way less. But when you can pull into Greenwood and the trucks and trailers are there and nothing is being done and no warden in sight thats an issue. But you can guarantee during 6 day gun season no matter where you go you will see the warden at some point.
Even in Lacy along the pole line the ATV's are prevalent. We were there a few weeks back for less than 15 minutes and they came from all directions.

I have found many of the hunters use ATV's as well. The paths leading to their stands have the tracks.
 

Pinesbucks

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Apr 15, 2013
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Yes Guy lacey too. All law enforcement has to do is sit on any dirt road in Greenwood or in the wawa parking lot on 539 on a Saturday or Sunday. They aren't hard to find at all. As for hunters fine them too for illegal use as well.
 

NJChileHead

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Dec 22, 2011
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Color me cynical, but I can't help wondering how the notion of introducing permits makes any bit of sense.

1) Our taxes are used to preserve and maintain the land
2) Hunters, fishermen, etc. purchase permits to hunt, fish, etc. respectively.
3) Now I'll have to purchase a permit and pay a THIRD time to use the land (maybe fourth, since some parks charge an admission fee)?

Is the problem here really a financial one? If so, why did the State Park Service waive entrance fees for the entire summer, since they're so low on funds that they couldn't afford enforcement of 'problem' areas that they identified and outright closed down to the public?

I had to get rid of some of my post because it was a little too heated but I'll end with this: can we do better than to think that charging the average, law-abiding citizen who recreates in our parks another fee is a good idea?
 
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G. Russell Juelg

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Jul 31, 2006
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Burlington County
Color me cynical, but I can't help wondering how the notion of introducing permits makes any bit of sense.

1) Our taxes are used to preserve and maintain the land
2) Hunters, fishermen, etc. purchase permits to hunt, fish, etc. respectively.
3) Now I'll have to purchase a permit and pay a THIRD time to use the land (maybe fourth, since some parks charge an admission fee)?

Is the problem here really a financial one? If so, why did the State Park Service waive entrance fees for the entire summer, since they're so low on funds that they couldn't afford enforcement of 'problem' areas that they identified and outright closed down to the public?

I had to get rid of some of my post because it was a little too heated but I'll end with this: can we do better than to think that charging the average, law-abiding citizen who recreates in our parks another fee is a good idea?
Seems like most of us keep coming to the same question. Why in the hell is the state not doing effective enforcement?
 

Broke Jeep Joe

Explorer
Mar 8, 2006
779
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Waterford Twp
Seems like most of us keep coming to the same question. Why in the hell is the state not doing effective enforcement?
My guess is the points I mentioned earlier about short staffing etc. Enforcement can only be as effective as the force behind it, if it is limited the enforcement will seem limited to the naked eye. There used to be an SPP officer that posted here, maybe he can comment?
 

Pan

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Jul 4, 2011
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Arizona
I used to go down to the Pine Barrens from the late sixties to the mid 90's with a couple of forays up to ten years ago. I don't remember seeing a single one of those nasty things down there. It was very peaceful back then. They are all over the desert, where I am now, though.
 

Teegate

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I thought that the state stepped up enforcement after the MAP went away. Did they scale back?
That only lasted a short time. When other matters came along such as summer staffing at the state parks at the shore the pines were forgotten.
 

Teegate

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Speaking of staffing, it looks like Atsion may be closed this weekend because of staffing. That may be slightly old news or inaccurate but Jessica just read it to me now.
 

Boyd

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From their website

https://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/

Screen Shot 2022-07-23 at 3.22.56 PM.png
 

mowergod

Explorer
Apr 9, 2011
108
91
Newtonville
The only way things are going to change is more enforcement and more staffing with off road capability to reach out to more places you can't have this with the current soccer mom trucks the SPP has they need to just as capable as the law breakers and more of them I see those SPP trucks at the 54&40 WAWA all the time they are also patrolling a couple of WMA's that are around me how on gods green earth are they supposed to protect Wharton when there in Folsom and Buena Vista watching WMA's too
 

JerseyDevil

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Dec 22, 2003
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Jackson, NJ
We have to make some very simple distinctions about "road closures." Some of the avenues of travel being used out there are actually not legitimate roads. A good example is lanes opened up by the forest fire service in the course of fighting fires. Those are not legitimate roads. Every law-abiding citizen should agree that they should be closed. The same is true for illegally-created ATV and dirt bike trails. They should be closed, because they were never permitted in the first place.


You'll just push the problems elsewhere if you just start tightening without solving, to the point where illegal users cut new roads and trails, this amplifies the problem and only causes it to spread to otherwise pristine areas. I've seen it happen far too often.

Keeping existing fire roads and fire cuts that have existed in many cases for decades open to pedestrian, bicycle and registered vehicle traffic prevents new ones from being cut illegally by wrongdoers and in many cases by the fire service. This helps stop the spread of wild fires as well. To be clear I mean the fire roads/cuts that have existed and used by the general public for many years.

It's a much better idea to first designate use areas for stakeholders to legally use, then close and police the legitimate sensitive areas. Doing it any other way just pushes illegal use elsewhere and that causes the problem and destruction to spread. AND... that's what's been NOT working for many years, if not decades.
 
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G. Russell Juelg

Explorer
Jul 31, 2006
284
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Burlington County
You'll just push the problems elsewhere if you just start tightening without solving, to the point where illegal users cut new roads and trails, this amplifies the problem and only causes it to spread to otherwise pristine areas. I've seen it happen far too often.

Keeping existing fire roads and fire cuts that have existed in many cases for decades open to pedestrian, bicycle and registered vehicle traffic prevents new ones from being cut illegally by wrongdoers and in many cases by the fire service. This helps stop the spread of wild fires as well. To be clear I mean the fire roads/cuts that have existed and used by the general public for many years.

It's a much better idea to first designate use areas for stakeholders to legally use, then close and police the legitimate sensitive areas. Doing it any other way just pushes illegal use elsewhere and that causes the problem and destruction to spread. AND... that's what's been NOT working for many years, if not decades.
Where are the areas that can be designated for these stakeholders to legally use? Lots of people have proposed this theory over the last twenty years, but nobody seems to know where these places are.
 

bobpbx

Piney
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Oct 25, 2002
14,154
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Pines; Bamber area
Where are the areas that can be designated for these stakeholders to legally use? Lots of people have proposed this theory over the last twenty years, but nobody seems to know where these places are.
They don't have to be state owned. When Ocean County bought the Forked River mountains, I suggested at a meeting that they designate this pit area off Lacey Road as an ORV park....300 acres of severely disturbed upland. Guess who from NJCF at the meeting shouted NO the loudest.

1659051119199.png
 
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