Found this article...
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/atlantic/032005PINELANDSEHT_M19.cfm
March 20, 2005
Pinelands Commission may alter building rules Potential habitat for endangered species could be set aside
By JARRETT RENSHAW Staff Writer, (609) 978-2015
The Pinelands Commission is considering preserving any land where it believes threatened and endangered species could live, according to officials with the regulatory agency.
The land would be protected even if no sign of the threatened or endangered species existed, according to Pinelands Commission officials. The possible change in policy is just being discussed at this point, they said.
Such a shift in policy could lead to a significant reduction in the number of buildable lots in the Pinelands regional growth areas, such as Egg Harbor and Hamilton townships.
Officials say the change would have less effect in other growth areas such as Stafford and Barnegat townships, where much of the growth area is already under development or planned for development.
However, officials noted that the proposal could open development in different areas as well.
The potential shift in policy would be part of the Pinelands Commission's larger goal of reassessing land management in the region, where officials say they will use more than 20 years of data to examine current policies.
The new focus on what species could live in an area would be a significant break from the current Pinelands Commission's regulatory process. Historically, a developer's ability to build is determined upon the types of species living in a given area.
Pinelands Commission Executive Director John Stokes said the agency wants to take a step back and review its management policies, along with its comprehensive master plan, which is the fundamental blueprint for the region.
"We have a lot of information that we have gathered over the past 25 years, and I think it is about time we take inventory of the region's resources and evaluate our management areas," Stokes said in a phone interview week.
Thus far, the Pinelands Commission has attempted this policy shift in much smaller areas in Toms River and Ocean and Lacey townships.
In each of those areas, the Pinelands Commission review led to a change in the Pinelands master plan and reduced the number of buildable lots substantially.
The reassessment could be good news to Egg Harbor Township residents critical of a long-standing Pinelands growth plan that has caused their township to explode by 4,959 homes since 1996.
The commission's current plan funnels construction into the regional growth region, conserving areas on other parts of the region.
"There are areas in Egg Harbor Township that are undeveloped, and it is not out of the realm of possibility that some building would be restricted there," Stokes said.
"I just can't rule that out," he said.
The Pinelands Commission also plans to increase the number of plants it will protect under its management plan.
The Commission now recognizes 54 plant species as threatened or endangered.
And soon the agency will adopt the state's list of 339 threatened or endangered plant species, which officials say will add 38 plants found in the Pinelands.
The Commission now recognizes 44 animals as threatened or endangered.
Stokes said the Pinelands Commission is looking into adopting a state Department of Environmental Protection method called landscape maps.
These maps are specific to each species of plant and animal and illustrate where the environment suits their survival, even in the absence of field studies that indicate the species is present.
"A landscape map shows the potential habitat - not what is there, but what might be there," Stokes said.
And those areas could be exposed to the same protection afforded to areas where the species live, Pinelands Commission officials say.
But developers say any attempt to limit development in growth areas established by the Commission could wind up in court. It also could anger those who gave up building rights in other areas of the Pinelands, adding to the potential for lawsuits.
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I am scared...I live in an area that must have ALL building (construction, demolition, etc.) approved by the Pinelands Commission. We are seriously planning on building on our property that is in dire need of improvement, but not if I have to worry about a 'potential habitat' for the Pine Barrens Tree Frog, the Barred Owl or the Southern Yellow Orchid which are all considered endangered species by the state. It would frankly give me no choice but to sell the two acres we own in a small town where my husband's family has resided since the early 1800's...I may lose my 'potential habitat' to one of nature's creatures.
Please, don't mistake my opinion as an 'evil builder' or something like that. I have to provide a home for my family too and can't see dragging my kids into either a crime infested area or somewhere we can't afford. I want to keep our roots here where they have been for over 200 years...
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/atlantic/032005PINELANDSEHT_M19.cfm
March 20, 2005
Pinelands Commission may alter building rules Potential habitat for endangered species could be set aside
By JARRETT RENSHAW Staff Writer, (609) 978-2015
The Pinelands Commission is considering preserving any land where it believes threatened and endangered species could live, according to officials with the regulatory agency.
The land would be protected even if no sign of the threatened or endangered species existed, according to Pinelands Commission officials. The possible change in policy is just being discussed at this point, they said.
Such a shift in policy could lead to a significant reduction in the number of buildable lots in the Pinelands regional growth areas, such as Egg Harbor and Hamilton townships.
Officials say the change would have less effect in other growth areas such as Stafford and Barnegat townships, where much of the growth area is already under development or planned for development.
However, officials noted that the proposal could open development in different areas as well.
The potential shift in policy would be part of the Pinelands Commission's larger goal of reassessing land management in the region, where officials say they will use more than 20 years of data to examine current policies.
The new focus on what species could live in an area would be a significant break from the current Pinelands Commission's regulatory process. Historically, a developer's ability to build is determined upon the types of species living in a given area.
Pinelands Commission Executive Director John Stokes said the agency wants to take a step back and review its management policies, along with its comprehensive master plan, which is the fundamental blueprint for the region.
"We have a lot of information that we have gathered over the past 25 years, and I think it is about time we take inventory of the region's resources and evaluate our management areas," Stokes said in a phone interview week.
Thus far, the Pinelands Commission has attempted this policy shift in much smaller areas in Toms River and Ocean and Lacey townships.
In each of those areas, the Pinelands Commission review led to a change in the Pinelands master plan and reduced the number of buildable lots substantially.
The reassessment could be good news to Egg Harbor Township residents critical of a long-standing Pinelands growth plan that has caused their township to explode by 4,959 homes since 1996.
The commission's current plan funnels construction into the regional growth region, conserving areas on other parts of the region.
"There are areas in Egg Harbor Township that are undeveloped, and it is not out of the realm of possibility that some building would be restricted there," Stokes said.
"I just can't rule that out," he said.
The Pinelands Commission also plans to increase the number of plants it will protect under its management plan.
The Commission now recognizes 54 plant species as threatened or endangered.
And soon the agency will adopt the state's list of 339 threatened or endangered plant species, which officials say will add 38 plants found in the Pinelands.
The Commission now recognizes 44 animals as threatened or endangered.
Stokes said the Pinelands Commission is looking into adopting a state Department of Environmental Protection method called landscape maps.
These maps are specific to each species of plant and animal and illustrate where the environment suits their survival, even in the absence of field studies that indicate the species is present.
"A landscape map shows the potential habitat - not what is there, but what might be there," Stokes said.
And those areas could be exposed to the same protection afforded to areas where the species live, Pinelands Commission officials say.
But developers say any attempt to limit development in growth areas established by the Commission could wind up in court. It also could anger those who gave up building rights in other areas of the Pinelands, adding to the potential for lawsuits.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am scared...I live in an area that must have ALL building (construction, demolition, etc.) approved by the Pinelands Commission. We are seriously planning on building on our property that is in dire need of improvement, but not if I have to worry about a 'potential habitat' for the Pine Barrens Tree Frog, the Barred Owl or the Southern Yellow Orchid which are all considered endangered species by the state. It would frankly give me no choice but to sell the two acres we own in a small town where my husband's family has resided since the early 1800's...I may lose my 'potential habitat' to one of nature's creatures.
Please, don't mistake my opinion as an 'evil builder' or something like that. I have to provide a home for my family too and can't see dragging my kids into either a crime infested area or somewhere we can't afford. I want to keep our roots here where they have been for over 200 years...