There are a few things the PUBLIC as a whole needs to understand about Rob Auermuller and the FIRST PHASE of these closures. I have been working with and watching Rob since he came to WSF and I am slowly learning more and more about his time at Island Beach State Park before he got kicked out.
Rob is a ‘preservationist’ through and through. He will tell you lots of things to your face, but he doesn’t want comprehensive management, he doesn’t want functional enforcement, and he CERTAINLY doesn’t want the community to get involved and work together until we are ready to follow his plan to the letter.... He wants gates and he wants us to blame each other for them.
It is of utmost importance to understand that we are experiencing a COVERT shift from CONSERVATION (controlled use) to PRESERVATION (protection).
When large private tracts (Wharton, Lebanon, Bass River, etc.) were originally sold to the State of NJ... it was for Conservation purposes only. Joseph Wharton put together Wharton Tract to, among other reasons, sell water to Philadelphia for profit. Clean water has been a problem for Philadelphia from day one... that is the only reason Fairmount Park and others exist - to protect the water from runoff and human waste.
When the laws changed and it became illegal to sell water across state lines, Wharton got stuck. Over time, other attempts to profit from the Wharton Tract were unsuccessful and the Wharton family sold the land to NJ to for Water Conservation Purposes.
Under a CONSERVATION MODEL that land was pretty much just left alone with only limited improvements. The land was barred from all commercial-use, industrial-use, all land development, and most for-profit activities. Land use was only guided by a couple dozen fundamental rules and it was basically protected by enforcement of these rules. There were no user groups or interests... do what you want and respect it. You could travel all existing paths with a registered motor vehicle and pretty much walk wherever you wanted to hunt, fish, or just simply explore. It was open and free to every tax payer that BOUGHT it from the Wharton Family. It should always remain this way!!
Anyway, people that were already here before the land was sold wanted to do continue doing traditional things that were gray areas in the rules... so a permit process was eventually made available for things like organized annual events, small scale logging, camping, etc., etc. Today we have paid camping areas, timber programs, and Special-Use Permits for Rallys, Enduros, Jamborees, etc.
Unfortunately, half a century later, the people that made these original deals are dead and there is an unrelenting push to shift from CONSERVATION to PRESERVATION.
In Preservation, the removal of man’s influence from the ecosystem is paramount. Any perceived need of the ecosystem (real, fabricated, or imagined) overrides the recreational interests of the public. Man's presence should only be for research, education, asthetic appreciation, or to provide an intervention to repair or foster the ecosystem. Things like recreational opportunities are a responsibility left to local government, private organizations, and other states.
Motorized traffic should be SEVERELY limited and only used to access the ecosystem from outside (i.e. parking). Foot traffic should be limited to the established, marked paths to avoid unnecessary impact. All paths should provide an aesthetic or educational value.... activities that involve wandering or discovering (geocaching, historic research, etc.) are not in the interest of the ecosystem and will not be tolerated.
While hunting and fishing cannot easily be prohibited under NJ law, they will be made so inconvenient that their practices will simply die out over time.
Welcome to Auermuller's new world order.
You are not welcome.
So Where Does this Leave Rob?
Looking for a promotion to a regional position to continue spreading this shift.
His ideal vision is likely for every area of public land in the State of NJ to resemble a public version of Franklin Parker Preserve. This is currently Phase I of his legacy project and, as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow... there will be more closures.
Without some serious noise from all users NOW, in the next few years, he will move into that regional position by default and the fight will change dramatically.
Rob is a ‘preservationist’ through and through. He will tell you lots of things to your face, but he doesn’t want comprehensive management, he doesn’t want functional enforcement, and he CERTAINLY doesn’t want the community to get involved and work together until we are ready to follow his plan to the letter.... He wants gates and he wants us to blame each other for them.
- Rob doesn’t REALLY want Enforcement - for now. Rob worked hasn’t worked as a team with the Park Police (ever) and he hasn’t spoken to them in years. He has eroded that relationship to the point it is irreparable. I’m sure Rob doesn’t like dumping and severe motorized damage on or off the trail... but he doesn’t really want to work together to stop it either. He wants to use abuses as justification for ‘his plan’ to shut it all down and he knows in time those areas will heal after the fact. A small price to pay, I suppose he would say.
- Motorized Damage isn’t the REAL reason for the closures. Even if every blade of grass was still in 1/4 Mile and there wasn’t a single tire track on Jemima Mount, this would STILL BE HAPPENING. Plot the first NEW sign posts of this closure on a map... the only ones placed that were leading to an area of real damage were done so purely out of convenience. What the closures really do is start to provide a non-motorized buffer for Franklin Parker Preserve and provide a Non-Motorized Corridor for Pinelands Adventure’s Canoe Trips (both favors to the PPA). Once this is out of the way, he will start to funnel all motorized travel onto graded clay/gravel roads. If a road can’t be stabilized with clay gravel or doesn’t fit a huge commercial grader for yearly maintenance... it will be closed in time.
- Fighting and blame within the public are his greatest tools. This is **not a defense** for those that currently abuse the resources, but it is how this is going down. Simply put: If you stir up anger within the public (widespread unannounced closures) and give them someone to hate (blame motorized damage in other areas), you can get them to agree to wallpaper themselves into the corner with ‘No Motor Vehicle’ signs before they ever realize what they have given up. In REALITY, the LAND MANAGER is removing traditional access for 99% of the tax paying public and justifying it as necessary to prevent possible future damage resulting from a history of FAILED LAND MANAGEMENT POLICIES. Why are we closing access because of hypothetical damage that could only result from his continued failures as a land manager?
- Follow the Money. Many involved members of the community are very, very tired of hearing “lack of funding” as an excuse. Every year Auermuller and the State of NJ turn down millions of dollars in Federal money for multi-use trails through the Recreational Trails Program (RTP). Ask yourself why Auermuller would turn down $1 million every year in favor of a $600k one-time grant to simply fill in puddles and put up closed signs? This RTP money would be for bridges, erosion control, mapping, education, and ENFORCEMENT for all users. On numerous occasions we have approached Auermuller about a cooperative approach to get WSF land management back on course. The minute he hears RTP... the conversation is over. Why? Because it requires motorized access be part of the plan and it requires a mature approach to allowing EVERYONE to legitimately use public land in the longterm. Once the spigot is open to federal funds, shutting down all motorized access means demonstrating how the problem has been managed and why closure is being used as the last resort... or federal funds are shut off. That is a preservationist’s NIGHTMARE explaining why anti-access policies have stopped federal money. NJ is the ONLY STATE not accessing the RTP funds
- Back Room Deals. There is increasingly talk from people WITHIN the state government that these closures may have been a back-room deal to allow the pipeline and other projects (think Walmart) to ease through the legal system. PPA backs off expensive fights it is already losing and gets everything it wants in Wharton State Forest in return. At this point, they set up their for-profit pinebarrens eco-outfitting company and start filling the war chest of the next big fight. If this is, in fact, the case... then it came from the very TOP and we are in a tough spot. In a state where the Governor is running for President and wants to show his ability to diplomatically reach a pipeline agreement - we are just in the shadows.
It is of utmost importance to understand that we are experiencing a COVERT shift from CONSERVATION (controlled use) to PRESERVATION (protection).
When large private tracts (Wharton, Lebanon, Bass River, etc.) were originally sold to the State of NJ... it was for Conservation purposes only. Joseph Wharton put together Wharton Tract to, among other reasons, sell water to Philadelphia for profit. Clean water has been a problem for Philadelphia from day one... that is the only reason Fairmount Park and others exist - to protect the water from runoff and human waste.
When the laws changed and it became illegal to sell water across state lines, Wharton got stuck. Over time, other attempts to profit from the Wharton Tract were unsuccessful and the Wharton family sold the land to NJ to for Water Conservation Purposes.
Under a CONSERVATION MODEL that land was pretty much just left alone with only limited improvements. The land was barred from all commercial-use, industrial-use, all land development, and most for-profit activities. Land use was only guided by a couple dozen fundamental rules and it was basically protected by enforcement of these rules. There were no user groups or interests... do what you want and respect it. You could travel all existing paths with a registered motor vehicle and pretty much walk wherever you wanted to hunt, fish, or just simply explore. It was open and free to every tax payer that BOUGHT it from the Wharton Family. It should always remain this way!!
Anyway, people that were already here before the land was sold wanted to do continue doing traditional things that were gray areas in the rules... so a permit process was eventually made available for things like organized annual events, small scale logging, camping, etc., etc. Today we have paid camping areas, timber programs, and Special-Use Permits for Rallys, Enduros, Jamborees, etc.
Unfortunately, half a century later, the people that made these original deals are dead and there is an unrelenting push to shift from CONSERVATION to PRESERVATION.
In Preservation, the removal of man’s influence from the ecosystem is paramount. Any perceived need of the ecosystem (real, fabricated, or imagined) overrides the recreational interests of the public. Man's presence should only be for research, education, asthetic appreciation, or to provide an intervention to repair or foster the ecosystem. Things like recreational opportunities are a responsibility left to local government, private organizations, and other states.
Motorized traffic should be SEVERELY limited and only used to access the ecosystem from outside (i.e. parking). Foot traffic should be limited to the established, marked paths to avoid unnecessary impact. All paths should provide an aesthetic or educational value.... activities that involve wandering or discovering (geocaching, historic research, etc.) are not in the interest of the ecosystem and will not be tolerated.
While hunting and fishing cannot easily be prohibited under NJ law, they will be made so inconvenient that their practices will simply die out over time.
Welcome to Auermuller's new world order.
You are not welcome.
So Where Does this Leave Rob?
Looking for a promotion to a regional position to continue spreading this shift.
His ideal vision is likely for every area of public land in the State of NJ to resemble a public version of Franklin Parker Preserve. This is currently Phase I of his legacy project and, as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow... there will be more closures.
Without some serious noise from all users NOW, in the next few years, he will move into that regional position by default and the fight will change dramatically.
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