Road Closure

Teegate · Jun 9, 2019

All,

There is a new road closure in Wharton. Quite a few members here use a road off of Tuckerton to drive to High Crossing Road and park vehicles when accessing Quarter Mile by foot. Vehicles using this road do not at any time get to Quarter Mile. However, it does cross a small stream and passes through a sensitive area along the way. With that said, this road shows up on the 1931 aerials, was recently scraped by the FFS, and is a wonderful viable road that should not be closed. The practice of blocking off specific locations could have been done with no impact of vehicle traffic and of sensitive vegetation as far as I am concerned.

It is important for everyone to keep in mind there are many other roads just like this road which most likely will suffer the same fate. I complained to the Superintendent a year ago about the fact that signs were going up at the end of this road blocking access to a parking area on High Crossing Road, and was told no roads were closed. I was dead on with predicting the future and I am predicting there are more to come.

Dark forces are among us and you all should be concerned.

Guy

The gate is located here. No turn around so you must back up. I have to assume it was placed this far down the road so it was not out in the open for everyone to notice. Out of sight out of mind.

https://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.78276951568654&lng=-74.65567130249025&z=18&type=hybrid&gpx=

bobpbx · Jun 9, 2019

Pain in the ass. I was just in there last year exploring.

Broke Jeep Joe · Jun 10, 2019

I figured this would come sooner. Guy, this is the road I PM'd you about back in 2017. Guess we can expect more as you say since Rob is back.

Jon Holcombe · Jun 10, 2019

Teegate said:
Dark forces are among us and you all should be concerned.

It is hard for me to sort out the relationship between the Wharton Sup, DEP, the Pine Barrens Commission, and the influence of the PPA. Is the Wharton Sup doing this with the blessing of the other agencies (if you can answer directly)? In other words, does he need to ask for approval?

And if this proceeds as you predict, do you think the MAP will go into effect, but as a back-door "do-it-over-time" strategy?

46er · Jun 10, 2019

Jon Holcombe said:
do you think the MAP will go into effect, but as a back-door "do-it-over-time" strategy?

IMO, yes and if there is no substantial push-back things will speed up. DEP now reports to a different administration.

Teegate · Jun 10, 2019

I think the do-it-over-time strategy is already in motion. And in regard to approval I am sure he can close individual roads at will. Nothing wrong with that when there is no other alternative, but with the above mentioned road the area in question can be protected without closing the road, just like other area's that have been blocked and the road remains open. Most of that occurred when the Superintendent was not here and it worked well.

We should be able to drive to High Crossing Road and exit our vehicle there to access Quarter Mile. I usually walk from the ruins at Hampton because I see and experience more, but not everyone is like me. I only found the gate this week because I wanted to walk in from the other side of Quarter Mile from High Crossing Road.

Yes Joe we have discussed this road before.

bobpbx · Jun 10, 2019

Without doing a lot of elaborate searching, didn't the pinelands commission agree on a map of open roads? Is that road on it?

Piney4life · Jun 10, 2019

Not surprised have seen many side rds off Hampton that are blocked to motor vehicles

Teegate · Jun 10, 2019

Yes, many roads along Glossy Spung now are blocked by trees. And on one road a huge tree fell last year and has not been cut. They want to keep you from getting close to the bridge at Hampton Forge.

manumuskin · Jun 10, 2019

Are four wheelers tearing up that pond just past the gate? Perhaps snakes in the sandy clearings or just plain and simple "Get Off My Lawn" crap?

Teegate · Jul 23, 2019

And this is most certainly the reason for the gate as suspected. Watch the video.

Saving rare Pickering’s morning glories

Saving rare Pickering’s morning glories

Anyone who’s planted “garden variety” morning glories knows how easily they grow. These showy annuals climb like crazy and produce lots of seeds. New plants pop up year after year

www.southjerseylocalnews.com

And here is the farm growing them for the NJCF. Watch the video and Part 2 of the video. There is a link below the video for both.

Duke Farms | Conservation in the Pinelands: Pickering's Morning Glory

Duke Farms' conservation work regarding the Pickering's morning glory plant in the Pine Barrens.

dukefarms.org

bobpbx · Jul 23, 2019

I do agree with the work being done, but not entire road closures. Close off SPOTS, not historical ROADS!

popeofthepines · Jul 24, 2019

If you review the FB post by Wharton State Forest, you will see there are four areas where the Pickering's morning glory are being observed and there is a 5 year plan for them. My bet is there is another closure coming directly correlating to this plant somewhere else in Wharton. I am all for conserving the plants and animals but couldn't they just fence off the area close to it as they did in parker preserve? Or is it just an excuse to close a road to circumvent the MAP BS? And since they are getting away with it here, why not try another one right?

popeofthepines · Jul 24, 2019

Sorry it was New Jersey Forests

New Jersey Forest Service

New Jersey Forest Service, Trenton, New Jersey. 38,898 likes · 689 talking about this. We're out in New Jersey's forests every day to ensure our grandchildren's grandchildren know and enjoy the...

www.facebook.com

Boyd · Jul 24, 2019

Wow, the sneaky Facebook code in that link is crazy! :ninja:

Here's a "clean" link, just in case anyone doesn't want Facebook to track them

https://www.facebook.com/NewJerseyForests/

Teegate · Jul 24, 2019

I MAY know at least one another location because I was the one who found it and reported it. The only way to it is through the woods or the tight walking path. Last year Jessica and I went there and found they had cut the path wider for easy access. I guess they did not like pushing through the vegetation on both sides of the path. They should have left it alone and dealt with it, making the location safer. Anyway, if it is the location it is pretty safe but the plant does not grow there well there.

And there are other locations that I have not checked recently to see if they gated the road off. I will try and get there this weekend.

popeofthepines · Jul 25, 2019

Boyd said:
Wow, the sneaky Facebook code in that link is crazy!

Here's a "clean" link, just in case anyone doesn't want Facebook to track them https://www.facebook.com/NewJerseyForests/

Sorry about that.

Teegate · Jul 28, 2019

Teegate said:
I MAY know at least one another location because I was the one who found it and reported it. The only way to it is through the woods or the tight walking path. Last year Jessica and I went there and found they had cut the path wider for easy access. I guess they did not like pushing through the vegetation on both sides of the path. They should have left it alone and dealt with it, making the location safer. Anyway, if it is the location it is pretty safe but the plant does not grow there well there.

And there are other locations that I have not checked recently to see if they gated the road off. I will try and get there this weekend.

I received a message that at one of the locations the road is open. So that may or may not be a study area. This morning Jessica and I went to the location we found and was surprised to see a few more growing than other years. Everything seems the same there so I doubt anything is going on there unless they are just counting them.

ecampbell · Aug 19, 2019

Last September I took these pictures of a lot of stakes while walking in from Tuckerton Road. I had made a video at that time but it was censured by YouTube. I was not told why but some one complained, you guess and he subscribes to my channel. Does anyone know of another site which hosts video? They are presented as I walked in from Tuckerton road.