DEP Announces Virtual Public Meeting to Launch Wharton State Forest Visitor and Vehicle Use Survey

TommyP said:
I went on a nice trail ride with about 20 drivers from Atsion to Quaker Bridge, down Goodwater to Washington Turnpike, then back via Penn Swamp Road. No one went off the roads, and the park police were at Atsion when we left. I saw a few dirt bikes with license plates on the ride. No one broke the law. We use radios to warn of hikers and bicyclists crossing the trail. We even picked up trash. These events would not be feasible with a permit system unless you can buy a permit at Atsion on the weekends at 8am.
Wash Pike looked really chewed up around there, so I'll hazard a guess some truckers were behaving badly at some point.

An event with 300 vehicles seems very difficult to manage, where would you even stage? I'm glad it got canceled, because it seems like a nightmare for anyone else trying to use the roads they'd be taking. I don't want permits, but I've seen more Park police at Wharton and Byrne lately, and I'm thankful for that.
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I did some of the same roads on New Year's Eve with one of the Jeep groups. We had a large number of participants as well. This particular group seemed very responsible when driving in the woods. They stayed on the roads. They also are active in organizing trash cleanups. Not surprisingly, they oppose the permit idea.
 
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Just saw this in my local blog.

Wharton State Forest Visitor/Vehicle Use to be Released

NJDEP SET TO RELEASE RESULTS OF DURING FEBRUARY 8 VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING Participants are Encouraged to Pre-Register to Ensure Ample Opportunity to be Heard (23/P6) TRENTON – Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced today the Department of Environmental Protection will present the results of...
www.gloucestercitynews.net
 
I had mention this before on another post about the $195 permit fee. That is an annual fee to drive our Mobile Sportfishing Vehicle (4-Wheel Drive) on the beach at Island Beach SP. There is a limited number of permits available per year. At the toll booth (only one entrance) there is a day fee of $5.00 to $10.00 per vehicle based on the time of the year. That's any activity other then driving on the beach; swimming, fishing, hiking, birding, kayaking, looking for sea shells, and etc. If you like, you can drive all the way down to the end of the road, and then walk 1.4 miles down the beach to the 'rocks' at Barnegat Inlet. I've done that a good number of times over the years.
 
Rooftree said:
I had mention this before on another post about the $195 permit fee. That is an annual fee to drive our Mobile Sportfishing Vehicle (4-Wheel Drive) on the beach at Island Beach SP. There is a limited number of permits available per year. At the toll booth (only one entrance) there is a day fee of $5.00 to $10.00 per vehicle based on the time of the year. That's any activity other then driving on the beach; swimming, fishing, hiking, birding, kayaking, looking for sea shells, and etc. If you like, you can drive all the way down to the end of the road, and then walk 1.4 miles down the beach to the 'rocks' at Barnegat Inlet. I've done that a good number of times over the years.
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Doesn't that permit mean that you must be fishing at all times vs just driving around or parking to take in the beauty?
 
this_is_nascar said:
Doesn't that permit mean that you must be fishing at all times vs just driving around or parking to take in the beauty?
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I don't believe so, but most people who get the permit are fishermen. What I had read on a Tackle Shop Facebook page, you are probably already too late in getting a permit. There is a list of the required equipment you need to carry in the vehicle. The Island Beach SP web site would give you additional info. I don't have a 4-wheeled drive vehicle, so I am what is called a "walk-on". I've been surf fishing there since 1971.
 
I heard you had to be actively fishing. In 1969 I went spearfishing there. It was a tough time for them to deal with the need for beach access to get the scuba gear to the ocean. I eventually got a boat and we would anchor just off the surf. I worked with a man who used a kite to get his line offshore. I also got permits for my club, the Monmouth County Hunt, to ride our horses on the beach. That was great fun galloping through the surf. Even more fun when my friends saddle came loose, and he fell into the ocean.
 
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I checked the web site. It states that access to drive on the beach is for the sole purpose of fishing. You can interpret it the way you want. I've seen trucks on the beach with the camper tops where the whole family is there. The kids playing in the water, Mom sitting on the beach under an unbrella, and the guy may be fishing. I don't drive on the beach, so don't know the total enforcement. I beleve there is a member of this Site that has a permit. Maybe he'll see this post.
 
From what I've seen, seems like you just plant a pole, and hey, you're fishing.
A7405866.jpg
 
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Yeah, pretty much anything goes there now. They let it get out of control. My neighbor used to take my family there in the late 1980's. Looked nothing like it does in the above photo. There was often hundreds of yards between us and someone else. His under carriage was destroyed by the salt.
 
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Rooftree said:
I had mention this before on another post about the $195 permit fee. That is an annual fee to drive our Mobile Sportfishing Vehicle (4-Wheel Drive) on the beach at Island Beach SP. There is a limited number of permits available per year. At the toll booth (only one entrance) there is a day fee of $5.00 to $10.00 per vehicle based on the time of the year. That's any activity other then driving on the beach; swimming, fishing, hiking, birding, kayaking, looking for sea shells, and etc. If you like, you can drive all the way down to the end of the road, and then walk 1.4 miles down the beach to the 'rocks' at Barnegat Inlet. I've done that a good number of times over the years.
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That sounds similar to the regulations for Brigantine's north end. There is a state fee for the permit to access, and it's supposedly for fishing only. The weird thing about that location, though, is the only access road is owned and managed by the City of Brigantine, not the state. The city charges its own fee for 4x4 access on top of the state fee as they have for decades. The Brigantine fee for 2023 is $200-$300, depending on when you buy it.
 
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I may not be able to get home on Wednesday to watch the DEP presentation. I am hoping I can get here in time.
 
I've got a work function at 6 so I won't be able to stay on for a whole lot of this, but it looks like it's being recorded. I really made all of the comments I was going to make in the survey. Hopefully they make playback available.
 
Some nice comments from a few members of this site. I noticed Paul from PBX was also attending. Even one individual who I have disagreements with made some valid comments.
 
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I watched the attendance tally closely. At 5:38 there were 267 and 36 minutes later the highest count I saw was 352. With a million visitors a year in Wharton this has to be alarming for the DEP.

And as one viewer pointed out they made a mistake on one of their graphs that contradicted the other. I may have taken a photo of it and will post later tonight. It is obvious that most people want the permit system idea eliminated.
 
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