Miller's Bog Road Crossing

[RednekF350]

The road across Miller's Bog (a.k.a. Ancora Bogs) is ready to blow. The beavers have been out of control for the last few years back here. They are now plugging the vertical outflow weir structures forcing water to find a path underground along the sides of the large diameter pipes that convey all of the Pump Branch beneath the roadway. I ran the dogs tonight but I kept them out of the water from here on out because the underground movement looks like it is causing the road to reach the point of failure. A huge silt plume has appeared on the downstream side which is the dirt being transported beneath the road that is circumventing the pipes.

The State rebuilt the crossing about 20 years ago and it seems that time is up. The road sees a lot of traffic during waterfowl and deer seasons and a lot of horse traffic from a horse farm to the south. Within the last two days, a truck tire dropped into the edge of the sinkhole but managed to escape. A major storm event or just a little bit of passing time is going to yield a total failure.

I have emailed a State employee and member of this site to let her know what I am seeing.

The location is here:

These are from tonight's dog run.

The silt plume.

 

[smoke_jumper]

Wow. It might be too late but contact the FFS in Mays Landing. They might want to investigate before it's another Burnt Mill Road

 

[RednekF350]

Wow. It might be too late but contact the FFS in Mays Landing. They might want to investigate before it's another Burnt Mill Road

Will do John. I haven't heard back from my other contact yet.
I may have to take up beaver trapping. They have also destroyed a huge expanse of white cedar in the last two seasons just downstream of the road crossing. 330 body grippers scare the hell out of me though. Always thinking about dogs.

 

[smoke_jumper]

Will do John. I haven't heard back from my other contact yet.
I may have to take up beaver trapping. They have also destroyed a huge expanse of white cedar in the last two seasons just downstream of the road crossing. 330 body grippers scare the hell out of me though. Always thinking about dogs.

They are scary. The beavers are changing the looks of locks bridge too.

 

[manumuskin]

Couldn't you set the traps underwater in the lodge entrance? A bit inconvenient,you'd probably get wet but it would keep dogs out of it.

 

[Piney4life]

They have a huge dam downstream about 5ft tall

 

[RednekF350]

They have a huge dam downstream about 5ft tall

There are three dams downstream, all within a half mile of the road crossing..

 

[RednekF350]

Couldn't you set the traps underwater in the lodge entrance? A bit inconvenient,you'd probably get wet but it would keep dogs out of it.

Body Grippers have to be set below the water with your trap tag visible above the water Al.
A lot of trappers find an active path where they are coming up and down the bank and set that just below the water surface. Scary but legal.

 

[Piney4life]

There are three dams downstream, all within a half mile of the road crossing..

It is flooded pretty bad took kayak down to the big dam at what looks like old road that crossed the creek

 

[bobpbx]

Believe me, beaver are killing many thousands of cedars where I roam. In addition, the flooding is creating stagnant water that breeds mosquitos. Is it time for a petition? Do we want to ask the Pinelands Commission and DEP to start reversing this trend? After all, we want our old Pine Barrens streams back. No dams, no cut brush, no dead cedars, no slack water!

 

[Teegate]

The beaver dam at the Parkdale RR bridge is also scary. I hope when the construction on 206 is done they knock it out.

 

[Teegate]

Is it time for a petition? Do we want to ask the Pinelands Commission and DEP to start reversing this trend? After all, we want our old Pine Barrens streams back. No dams, no cut brush, no dead cedars, no slack water!

They are worrying about too many other things that are not as important.

 

[manumuskin]

Body Grippers have to be set below the water with your trap tag visible above the water Al.
A lot of trappers find an active path where they are coming up and down the bank and set that just below the water surface. Scary but legal.

I know you can set trails where they come in and out but much of the old Trapper literature I have read describe them also setting traps in the entrance tunnels to the lodge.Perhaps thats illegal now?

 

[46er]

I wonder if this is a coordinated campaign started by the Beavers of Webs Mill. It has all the marking of their work As far as killing Cedars Bob, have you been past White bridge in Dbl Trbl? The barricade is now gone. An army of Beaver could not do the damage the DEP has back there. Cut, stacked and left. Gives new meaning to clear-cut.

 

[bobpbx]

Yes, I think they contracted that out after Sandy blew them all down. Pretty sure, but not positive that was the case.

 

[46er]

Yes, I think they contracted that out after Sandy blew them all down.

Sandy blew some down, not all. They were concerned with folks walking Dbl Trbl Rd. There are some down in other stands within the park and fortunately no clear-cut there. Why they took them all down at this location when all that was needed was cutting back 20-30 feet on either side of the road beats me. But then to waste them as they did by leaving them there, what a shame.

 

[RednekF350]

Our friend Turtle here on this website was able to get to the right people quickly. The road has been temporarily closed and there is a formal announcement on the parks and forestry website under Wharton state forest . If someone was driving on this road and it collapsed, it could have been catastrophic if their vehicle rolled to the downstream side. Hopefully it will be repaired quickly. it is an important link for the forest fire guys as well.
Thank you smoke jumper for your help as well !

 

[Cherokee261]

I received the following in an email this morning from the DEP:


Please be advised that due to a partial road failure along the embankment near Ancora Bogs (west Wharton), park and forest fire staff have initiated emergency repairs including the replacement of 2 culvert pipes.




Until further notice this road is closed to the public.

 

[RednekF350]

This will likely be a very expensive repair. The substantial flow of the Punp Branch a.k.a. Albertson Branch will have to be managed by construction of a coffer dam and bypass pumping or constructing a temporary relief channel. The vertical difference between the bog and the lower stream make it challenging.

 

[Teegate]

The state needs to be more concerned about the problems that beavers are causing. We just can just let them work freely without some sort of control. They have ruined so many streams.