Eco-Terrorism in the Pines

[Ben Ruset]

I really hate to throw around the "terrorism" word but I'm not really sure what else to call this. This is from the NJ Motor Vehicle Access Facebook group, and Open Trails NJ is taking the lead into having this be investigated,

Over the last few days people have been reporting that they've found these home made devices designed to puncture the tires on motor vehicles that pass over them. The problem is that, from what I understand, they've been placed on roads that are not closed to motor vehicles.

From Dave Dempsey (OTNJ) on the NJ Motor Vehicle Access Facebook page:

Over the past 2 days we have witnessed some acts of terrorism on our own state. I need your help. I need exact locations of the areas as in pin points or GPS coordinates of where these "weapons" have been placed. My advice to everyone from here on out call 1-877-WARN-DEP upon discovery and do not leave until state park police or a game warden comes and removes the device. These incidents need to be recorded and the person needs to be put behind bars. These do not only puncture tires, but also present the danger of a serious laceration of a human foot, horses hoof, hunting dogs foot etc etc. Here are 4 different pictures of 3 different devices similarly fabricated at 2 different locations about 20 miles from one another.

I can understand people not wanting to have vehicles drive in the Pines. But this brings it to a whole other level because now you're damaging property and potentially risking lives. These devices can't differentiate between a ORV and a rescue or forest fire vehicle.

If anybody runs across one of these things, please take a picture of it, get GPS coordinates, and call 1-877-WARN-DEP. Leave it in place until a ranger comes out to investigate it. Also shoot me a note here and give me the info.

This is a serious escalation, folks. I'm going to make it my life's mission to see that the person doing this is caught and spends some time in jail.

 

[bobpbx]

Dastardly!

 

[Teegate]

Unacceptable!

It would be nice to know if they were just laying in the road or nailed to wood in the road or whatever.

 

[46er]

This is not new. I recall several posts in the past of folks finding similar objects in roads and trails. I would think that would classify as aggravated assault, a felony, whether or not there were injuries. In New Jersey, an assault occurs when a person injures or attempts to injure another person without legal justification. I sure would hate to step on it, or have my dog run into it. Whomever did it, spent a lot of time making that thing.

Any clues to where the general area where they are being found?

 

[smoke_jumper]

We will probably never know who placed them there. So close to shotgun season kind of make you wonder if it's from a hunter trying to keep people out of his area. I've heard stories of hunters burning bridges to accomplish the same thing.
It doesn't make it any less wrong but like 46er said its nothing new. I hope it's not fall out from the failed map plan. Where they were found might shed a little more light on it.

 

[Ben Ruset]

Any clues to where the general area where they are being found?

I know at least one was found near the 72/Savoy Blvd. area.

 

[Broke Jeep Joe]

These are smaller and the spike seems to have been improved on over the ones I found a few years ago. I'll edit and post a pic in a little while

 

[smoke_jumper]

It sounds like they were placed all over the place which doesn't seems like a hunter.

 

[46er]

I know at least one was found near the 72/Savoy Blvd. area.

Thats not near the area covered by the MAP. Lebanon, old NJMSP property and some private land. Always see a lot of riders back in that area, and night racers on Savoy.

 

[Gibby]

Keep an eye out for 3/8 X 8 galvanized spikes. I have come across the large nails hammered into the sand roads in the area of Sandy Ridge and along the Skit.

 

[c1nj]

As bad as that is, I remember in the late 80's when someone was stringing barb wire at neck level along enduro trails.

 

[smoke_jumper]

As bad as that is, I remember in the late 80's when someone was stringing barb wire at neck level along enduro trails.

I was thinking of that too. I remember hearing that but I was young and wasn't sure if it was just rumors. I did hear of a person that was cutting through someone's back yard and caught a clothes line but even that I don't know much of the details.

 

[Ben Ruset]

Now, imagine if we took a page from the PPA's playbook and labeled every pro-MAP supporter as an eco-terrorist much like they've labeled everyone with a truck as a wanton destroyer of the Pines. It'd be a pretty ridiculous claim to make! Well, the flip side is true, too.

There's extremists on both sides of every issue. What's important is to find the middle ground.

 

[Wreckless]

The problem is the middle ground gets squished when a dispute gets polarized and emotional like this one.

 

[Wreckless]

As bad as that is, I remember in the late 80's when someone was stringing barb wire at neck level along enduro trails.

In the 70's it was fishing line.

 

[Kevinhooa]

Unfortunately it seems to resurface every now and then. I myself have taken down a couple of fishing lines down a power line ROW in Mullica about 5 years ago, and dug up a bunch of bent and welded spikes behind the Country Cupboard on Sailor Boy Rd about 10-15 years ago. I saw a post online about the nails driven into the roots in some of the puddles in the pines as well. Terrible stuff.

 

[PineBarrens Advocate]

Unfortunately it seems to resurface every now and then. I myself have taken down a couple of fishing lines down a power line ROW in Mullica about 5 years ago, and dug up a bunch of bent and welded spikes behind the Country Cupboard on Sailor Boy Rd about 10-15 years ago. I saw a post online about the nails driven into the roots in some of the puddles in the pines as well. Terrible stuff.

Totally illegal/unethical for any citizen or government entity to place items like that.......however, I am surprised that the power companies are not taking a more aggressive stance in banning/stopping off road vehicles from Power Line Right of Ways...apparently it is very costly to the utilities (and the ratepayers) having to continue to restore damaged ROW....from a recent Courier post article "
At the commission meeting, PSE&G spokesman Tom Taylor told the commission that illegal off-road vehicles have caused millions of dollars in damage to its rights-of-way along 153 miles of electrical transmission in the Pinelands — a cost passed on to ratepayers.

"We've spent $2.5 million in repairs to damage by monster trucks using our corridors for four-wheeling," Taylor said.

 

[Ben Ruset]

Totally illegal/unethical for any citizen or government entity to place items like that.......however, I am surprised that the power companies are not taking a more aggressive stance in banning/stopping off road vehicles from Power Line Right of Ways...apparently it is very costly to the utilities (and the ratepayers) having to continue to restore damaged ROW....from a recent Courier post article "
At the commission meeting, PSE&G spokesman Tom Taylor told the commission that illegal off-road vehicles have caused millions of dollars in damage to its rights-of-way along 153 miles of electrical transmission in the Pinelands — a cost passed on to ratepayers.

"We've spent $2.5 million in repairs to damage by monster trucks using our corridors for four-wheeling," Taylor said.

I'd love to see the facts that back numbers like that up. Two point five million American dollars to keep 153 miles of sand road passable? What does it cost to truck sand in and regrade a road? Or figure out a way to not have water undermine the road?

What's more likely is that they examine the damage, come up with an estimate to fix it, take it as a loss on their corporate taxes, and not actually pay any money to do anything.

 

[Boyd]

They have been working on the powerline right-of-ways down here in Southern Atlantic and Cumberland Counties recently. I keep seeing construction vehicles parked at the entrances as I drive around.

 

[PineBarrens Advocate]

I'd love to see the facts that back numbers like that up. Two point five million American dollars to keep 153 miles of sand road passable? What does it cost to truck sand in and regrade a road? Or figure out a way to not have water undermine the road?

What's more likely is that they examine the damage, come up with an estimate to fix it, take it as a loss on their corporate taxes, and not actually pay any money to do anything.

Great questions. I don't know the answers. 2.5 million is quite a bit of money for road repair. Having said that even if much of this is a "loss on there taxes" the damage is probably real I found this recent gem of a video of mudding on a right of way power line ;