ORV Management In Sensitive Areas Of Wharton
- Thread starter Teegate
- Start date
Hi all, wanted to share some info. Last night I met with a small group of folks from Dave's Facebook group to talk about next steps. It was an impressive group of intelligent, articulate, passionate, and very well connected people. I know some of you are members over there, but I've pasted Dave's message below that he sent to the 4000 plus strong group. I know there was concerns about some of the negativity that was being posted over there, but if you didn't know, Dave a few moderators have locked down the page so that all posts need to be approved. That has significantly improved things. With 4000 people, you're always going to have a few crazies and extremists...
Anyway here is Dave's update (sic)
Last night was a long exhausting night that ended up getting me home at 12:30 am. With that being said there was a small meeting last night about a path forward. We had a many groups represented including hunters, wheelers, hikers, kayakers, enduro, geocachers, etc. We had lawyer, the president of a hunting federation, and representatives from other clubs. We are exploring having our group work with another, larger group, with similar values who already has an established non-profit, that we can use. This will let us get started immediately, while we still hand in our paperwork for the non profit organization. For those who are not familiar with the process of forming a non profit , it take well up to 18 months for it to go through the state. 18 months is too long to wait if it were to take that long. Combining forces with the umbrella organization was an option that we weren't aware of a d sounds rather appealing however there are still some points of research that have to be looked into. The good news is if we decide that we don't want to work with this non profit any longer or we have a disagreement to any of our future goals, we can pull our money and leave. Another question may be what happens to the 3000 in the go fund me account. Well, the paperwork for the non profit is $495, and with other charges everything equals up to about $2500. Once the 501c3 is approved and functional the remainder of the account would go into the groups bank account. As we make decisions on what we will spend the money on we will be transparent with the group on what those decisions are. By all means any questions feel free to contact me.
Thanks
Dave
Anyway here is Dave's update (sic)
Last night was a long exhausting night that ended up getting me home at 12:30 am. With that being said there was a small meeting last night about a path forward. We had a many groups represented including hunters, wheelers, hikers, kayakers, enduro, geocachers, etc. We had lawyer, the president of a hunting federation, and representatives from other clubs. We are exploring having our group work with another, larger group, with similar values who already has an established non-profit, that we can use. This will let us get started immediately, while we still hand in our paperwork for the non profit organization. For those who are not familiar with the process of forming a non profit , it take well up to 18 months for it to go through the state. 18 months is too long to wait if it were to take that long. Combining forces with the umbrella organization was an option that we weren't aware of a d sounds rather appealing however there are still some points of research that have to be looked into. The good news is if we decide that we don't want to work with this non profit any longer or we have a disagreement to any of our future goals, we can pull our money and leave. Another question may be what happens to the 3000 in the go fund me account. Well, the paperwork for the non profit is $495, and with other charges everything equals up to about $2500. Once the 501c3 is approved and functional the remainder of the account would go into the groups bank account. As we make decisions on what we will spend the money on we will be transparent with the group on what those decisions are. By all means any questions feel free to contact me.
Thanks
Dave
It's absurd to say there was ANY concrete PLAN in place whatsoever. A few old signs, little to no monitoring or surveillance, no staff enforcement, and no plan to maintain or restore any part of the forest besides the roads that "friends" have to run their Adventure Business through. Turning down hundreds of thousands of dollars in Financial Aid really sealed the deal as it clearly sends the message that zero care is really given. I truly believe that the reason for such a lame plan was to let certain areas get damaged so they could just close it down and say "See, told you so"
And by refusing FREE MONEY that is allocated to help improve the land and hire staff, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Of course not enough staff, Rob refused the money given to hire them.
In a previous post it was mentioned he refused a bunch of grants because they came with strings.
I've heard that several times too. I find it hard to believe free money was turned down for no reason. There is more to it then that. Money is never free. If the federal government is handing out any money there are definitely rules that apply. Until any concrete details emerge I'll treat them as just that, rumors. We need to stay focused on the facts. This closure plan has left way too many loopholes and unanswered questions for anyone to support it. That is except the PPA. What do they know that no one else does?
Saw on facebook that bass river also has a map and is waiting to release it. They may be waiting due the negative feedback on Wharton clousures. If this rumor is true hopefully they never release the map.
All,
I have learned that there will be a Municipal Resolution introduced in Medford Lakes council tomorrow night at 7:00 PM. This resolution opposing the "Wharton State Forest Motorized Action Plan (M.A.P.) if approved will be sent to our State Legislators, as well as the Governor. I believe it may also be sent to the surrounding towns. The council meeting starts at 7:00 PM at Oaks Hall Medford Lakes. Anyone can go to show support especially if you are from Medford Lakes.
I have learned that there will be a Municipal Resolution introduced in Medford Lakes council tomorrow night at 7:00 PM. This resolution opposing the "Wharton State Forest Motorized Action Plan (M.A.P.) if approved will be sent to our State Legislators, as well as the Governor. I believe it may also be sent to the surrounding towns. The council meeting starts at 7:00 PM at Oaks Hall Medford Lakes. Anyone can go to show support especially if you are from Medford Lakes.
I hope it's a fake and there is no map ever created or any road closures for bass river. And plus everything we read on Internet is always true. Bonjour.
I don't know if it's fake. I just said don't trust it. I have heard rumors that it's not just Wharton. That was early on and I haven't heard it since. With that said we didn't know about this until the signs went up.
I agree. I really don't think it's anywhere else despite what I've heard. But, if Rob can make this stick all others would definitely start considering it.
Guy, would you happen to know who is bringing it forward? I would love to know what the process they followed is so I could bring something forward in Tabernacle.
There have been plans to roll this out to all other state forests: http://www.pinelandsalliance.org/downloads/pinelandsalliance_1262.pdf
This is in the 2013 Newsletter linked above and refers to mapping trails for Enduros but also ORV's.
According to Rob Auermuller, Superintendent of Wharton State Forest, “Wharton State Forest is the first State Forest to develop a map of pre-approved routes for this activity. These routes are comprised of plowed lines, unimproved roads and improved roads. Clubs interested in hosting events within Wharton are permitted to plan events using any subset of these pre-approved routes. This program has reduced the staff time involved in reviewing these events, streamlined the permit process for applicants, and offers a balance of recreation and resource stewardship.” The State Park Service plans to apply this model to the other state forests throughout New Jersey and is in the process of mapping pre-approved routes for these locations. This new approach not only reduces the work load of employees, but also helps to identify illegal trail creation, reduce natural resource damages and conflict with other recreational uses of the state forest