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46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
8,837
2,143
Coastal NJ
Are WMAs really still open? Or did they just forget to close them?

I have not seen anything official one way or the other. They do have clarification on their FB page that you cannot fish or hunt on the announced closure for parks and forests. Gonna be a lot of Trout around when/if this thing ends.

Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 118 closing State Parks and State Forests DOES NOT make an exception for fishing or hunting on those lands.
 

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
4,944
3,080
Pestletown, N.J.
Here's another question for all to think about: According to my calendar, turkey hunting season starts next Saturday 4/18 with a Youth hunting day, then Monday-Saturday Spring Turkey Season days. I'm not a hunter, just curious. Canceled? WMAs and private property only? (Are WMAs really still open? Or did they just forget to close them?)
Shhhhhhhhhh!
 

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
4,944
3,080
Pestletown, N.J.
If you like "original source" material (rather than filtered/recycled) you can read today's Executive Order 118 here:
In answer to my (and others') questions: Yes it includes closing all county parks, and yes it is in response to 'observed behavior' at county and state parks throughout the state.
I really don’t like facts getting in the way of the real story. :)
 
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Gibby

Piney
Apr 4, 2011
1,640
442
Trenton
I am available for super secret drop offs if anyone needs a ride in. I just watched Apocalypse Now so I have some training but won't utilize a boat. Your extraction will require a little more effort but that can be discussed. Don't tell anyone...
 

SpineyPiney

Scout
Jan 15, 2013
69
74
This stinks! Getting out into Wharton was one of the few things I still had to look forward to and my wife wasn’t freaked out about me leaving the house for. A few bad apples, right?

Got that email around 1:20, grabbed some water and my bike and was on the road for one last ride by 1:30. Only saw one other person not inside a vehicle and didn’t get within 100’ of them.

I was parked on Atsion rd by the Goshen pond entrance one day last week for a ride and only saw two other people in 4 hours but when I got back to my truck there were about 5 or 6 cars parked all around me as close as they could get. Plus a group in jeeps milling around BSing. The guy behind me parked so close I couldn’t get my tailgate open.
 
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46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
8,837
2,143
Coastal NJ
I have some training but won't utilize a boat.

You couldn't if you wanted too; that's closed as well :rolleyes:

Law enforcement, including New Jersey State Police, State Park Police and Conservation Police, will enforce this order at parks, forests and among boaters on state open waters to ensure compliance with social distancing mandates.

 

Jon Holcombe

Explorer
Dec 1, 2015
967
1,934
Medford
This just in: Franklin Parker Preserve is closed.

 
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Ben Ruset

Administrator
Site Administrator
Oct 12, 2004
7,616
1,863
Monmouth County
www.benruset.com
Try as you might, there's no guarantee that you won't cross paths out there with someone who can pass Covid-19 on to you. Judging by the number of cars parked at Batsto I'd say it's a strong possibility that you'll run into people. Not to mention that if something happens the SPP still needs to go out and find you, which puts them at risk.

I know our tax dollars pay for the forests and parks. But the enormity of the situation isn't sinking in for a lot of people yet.

I have a few friends who have lost a parent to this. I have a number of friends that are in nursing, including ER nurses. They have to Facetime people's family so that they can say goodbye when they pass. Most of my nurse friends are at the end of their rope with all of the death and suffering they have to see.

This isn't "just the flu". This isn't a minor thing. This isn't some grand conspiracy to make the president look bad. This isn't caused by 5G cell towers. Staying out of the parks keeps you and others safe. It's not like they'll be closed permanently. Everyone has to make sacrifices if we're going to pull out of this. I would love to be able to go out and enjoy nature. I would also like to not die, and I would like to not put others at risk by selfishly going outside because I'm bored, so I'm okay waiting until the coast is clear.
 

46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
8,837
2,143
Coastal NJ
But the enormity of the situation isn't sinking in for a lot of people yet.

True enough. It's a shame the government took so long in acting to close things down. We elect them to make the hard decisions such as this; it should not have taken so long. People will migrate to what is available to them, as seen in some of the posts here. But its all water under the bridge for now; hopefully they will get their act together should round 2 come along.

I have asked this question an several of the virus web sites and no response yet. There are good directions on how to use a mask and gloves, but nowhere is there info as to what effect the virus has on your clothing. If someone sneezes/coughs and you are in range, it will land on your clothing, just as it lands on other materials. How long will it stay active, if at all, and if it does, how best to wash the clothing.
 

Ben Ruset

Administrator
Site Administrator
Oct 12, 2004
7,616
1,863
Monmouth County
www.benruset.com
True enough. It's a shame the government took so long in acting to close things down. We elect them to make the hard decisions such as this; it should not have taken so long. People will migrate to what is available to them, as seen in some of the posts here. But its all water under the bridge for now; hopefully they will get their act together should round 2 come along.

I have asked this question an several of the virus web sites and no response yet. There are good directions on how to use a mask and gloves, but nowhere is there info as to what effect the virus has on your clothing. If someone sneezes/coughs and you are in range, it will land on your clothing, just as it lands on other materials. How long will it stay active, if at all, and if it does, how best to wash the clothing.

Prolonged contact with soap will destroy the virus since it breaks down the fatty bonds that keeps it together. So laundry detergent ought to do the same thing. Of course the thing is, if someone sneezes on your sweatshirt, how are you going to take it off without it rubbing up against your face?

I think that had so many people not crowded into the parks, especially people from out of state, they would have remained open to an extent.
 

Boyd

Administrator
Staff member
Site Administrator
Jul 31, 2004
9,505
2,766
Ben's Branch, Stephen Creek
But, apparently the WMA's are still open. Just looked at the latest media coverage as well as the State website(s) and it does not mention WMA closures anywhere. So, won't people will just flock to them now and do the same kinds of things? Guess we'll find out soon.

Is this a situation like states where public assembly is banned but churches are allowed to stay open?
 

46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
8,837
2,143
Coastal NJ
Stay at Home.jpg
 

Jon Holcombe

Explorer
Dec 1, 2015
967
1,934
Medford
Try as you might, there's no guarantee that you won't cross paths out there with someone who can pass Covid-19 on to you.

I work out of my house. When I don't have to work, I am now trapped in my house with my wife, who is a nurse, and my stepson, who works for a bank and was told to go home for 2 weeks because a co-worker may have been exposed. I share the same kitchen, bathrooms and air.

I am 66 and have asthma.I do however, run 3 or 4 days a week, and on the days I don't, I go into the woods, hike and take photographs.

The woods have fresh air and sunshine. I go to remote locations where I see no one.

Staying in my house is obviously, clearly, unsafe, and going into Lower Friendship by the Tulpehocken is completely safe.

See you in the woods.
 

eblightning

New Member
Aug 6, 2015
7
17
54
Sewell
There are many good points on the thread from all perspectives and I am sensitive to those who have lost close ones and/or medically treating folks. I do not take this pandemic lightly. However, I feel compelled to share my viewpoint and do not intend to offend anyone. Like anything in life – there are two paths: educate and encourage, or dictate and micromanage. I, too, watched the video taken of cars lined up on Pleasant Mills Road at Batsto. However, the video did not show any evidence of folks not adhering to social distancing guidelines. The perception of the video is also misleading. Cars lined up in single file on a secondary road can show the appearance of crowding. If you took the actual count of the vehicles and placed them in a parking lot, the perception would suggest a desolate situation and you could cue the tumbleweed to blow on by. My intention is not to be insensitive to our current reality. I will take every sound measure to protect my family, myself, and others from this horrific disease but you would have a hard time in convincing me that this measure is warranted. In fact it contradicts all of the recommendations to exercise and get out in fresh air. Am I to believe that it is safer for my family and I to walk along the shoulder of a much more traveled paved road as opposed to hiking a trail in the pines? Furthermore, everyone seems to point to the fact that this will subside in short time. We do not know this. In fact, there are conflicting reports daily. Latest is schools may not reconvene in the fall… now, directly to the core, this measure is NO different than gun control. We are essentially punishing all for the acts of few. Unacceptable.
 

Broke Jeep Joe

Explorer
Mar 8, 2006
779
475
Waterford Twp
I work out of my house. When I don't have to work, I am now trapped in my house with my wife, who is a nurse, and my stepson, who works for a bank and was told to go home for 2 weeks because a co-worker may have been exposed. I share the same kitchen, bathrooms and air.

I am 66 and have asthma.I do however, run 3 or 4 days a week, and on the days I don't, I go into the woods, hike and take photographs.

The woods have fresh air and sunshine. I go to remote locations where I see no one.

Staying in my house is obviously, clearly, unsafe, and going into Lower Friendship by the Tulpehocken is completely safe.

See you in the woods.
There are many good points on the thread from all perspectives and I am sensitive to those who have lost close ones and/or medically treating folks. I do not take this pandemic lightly. However, I feel compelled to share my viewpoint and do not intend to offend anyone. Like anything in life – there are two paths: educate and encourage, or dictate and micromanage. I, too, watched the video taken of cars lined up on Pleasant Mills Road at Batsto. However, the video did not show any evidence of folks not adhering to social distancing guidelines. The perception of the video is also misleading. Cars lined up in single file on a secondary road can show the appearance of crowding. If you took the actual count of the vehicles and placed them in a parking lot, the perception would suggest a desolate situation and you could cue the tumbleweed to blow on by. My intention is not to be insensitive to our current reality. I will take every sound measure to protect my family, myself, and others from this horrific disease but you would have a hard time in convincing me that this measure is warranted. In fact it contradicts all of the recommendations to exercise and get out in fresh air. Am I to believe that it is safer for my family and I to walk along the shoulder of a much more traveled paved road as opposed to hiking a trail in the pines? Furthermore, everyone seems to point to the fact that this will subside in short time. We do not know this. In fact, there are conflicting reports daily. Latest is schools may not reconvene in the fall… now, directly to the core, this measure is NO different than gun control. We are essentially punishing all for the acts of few. Unacceptable.
Fantastic posts, couldn't agree with these points more.
 
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