Spotlight Article on Off-Roading
- Thread starter bobpbx
- Start date
"...commission staffers — at the request of Lohbauer and some other commissioners — are developing another access plan that would clearly identify all the roads and trails in Wharton State Forest that are permitted for off-road vehicle use, and would pinpoint sensitive areas, Lohbauer said."
"The plan is expected to be considered by a policy committee in September and to go before the full commission later in the fall…"
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That should liven things up around here…
"The plan is expected to be considered by a policy committee in September and to go before the full commission later in the fall…"
______________
That should liven things up around here…
I was at Batsto yesterday talking to a park police officer I know. He said they had a ATV crack down over the weekend and they got six ATV's.
I was at Batsto yesterday talking to a park police officer I know. He said they had a ATV crack down over the weekend and they got six ATV's.
In Wharton?
It might be a good test for the Super ModeratorThat should liven things up around here…
I was walking around the cemetery at Pleasant Mills and watched the SPP Chase two quads down 542.I was at Batsto yesterday talking to a park police officer I know. He said they had a ATV crack down over the weekend and they got six ATV's.
YAS! I cannot stand seeing offroad vehicles tear up such a beautiful place, makes me sick.
You impound enough ATVs and obviously illegal ORVs and pretty soon people will get the hint.
I was at atsion and batsto yesterday and there is more park police presence. At least on major roads,that i noticedI was at Batsto yesterday talking to a park police officer I know. He said they had a ATV crack down over the weekend and they got six ATV's.
I was sent this email and can't find it on the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance website to post a link so I have copied it from the email and added the proper link for the article that this thread is about. If anyone finds the link let me know and I will delete this email and just post the link.
Guy
The New Jersey Outdoor Alliance was recently taken to task and mis-quoted by an "environmental" writer from the online publication NJ Spotlight. They claimed to have discussed the views of NJOA and included direct quotes describing NJOA political action from a so called Enviromental Organization pertaining to the Motorized Access Plan at Wharton . None of which was true. The article is rife with fabricated information!
Here is the article in question. http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/...l&utm_term=0_1d26f473a7-dd3fbc63db-398650705#
NJOA Trustees have released this response and circulated it to the editors of NJ Spotlight. NJOA has your back!
NJSPOTLIGHT article on Wharton rife with off-road errors
We at the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance (NJOA) would like to address errors and omissions in the recent NJ Spotlight article “Conservationists Fear Off- Roaders Will Damage N.J. Pinelands,” by John Hurdle. Firstly, Mr. Hurdle wrote that no one from the NJOA respond to a request for comment. The fact is that no one contacted NJOA for comment. But, we welcome to opportunity to respond.
Some background is in order. In the fall of 2015 the NJOA received calls from stakeholder groups that roads in Wharton State Forest were being marked with “Closed” signs. At this point in time, very few users of Wharton State Forest, or the municipalities that surrounded the forest, were even aware of a Motorized Access Plan (M.A.P.). In response, NJOA requested a meeting with the Division of Parks and Forestry to better understand the process of road closures. Contrary to statements in article, no lobbyist was hired by NJOA; we do not employ a lobbyist. NJOA representatives attended all meetings.
During the meeting we were informed that a MAP had not yet been implemented and that no roads had been closed. We later found out that this was not true, and that several Non-Government Organizations had helped formulate the initial plan and had started closing roads before the M.A.P. was unveiled.
We requested a tour of Wharton State Park on behalf of conservation stakeholders in order to review the trails and roads that were marked for closure under M.A.P. At this time there were conflicting reports about the condition of important trails and roads. During this review NJOA requested a list of criteria being used to determine road closures. We were not given a list nor provided concise answers. We did witness that some trails and roads should be closed, and also that some should have never even been created. Additionally, some were made by illegal vehicle use and by using old fire cuts. Importantly, we did discover from our meeting and tour that the M.A.P. was not implemented with full public disclosure, which was of concern to many conservationists and stakeholder groups since M.A.P. was negatively impacting public access.
In response, NJOA requested the D.E.P. to provide public meetings so that the M.A.P. could be detailed for all user groups and allow for public commentary. This is a fundamental requirement of good government and management of public resources. In fact, public meetings and commentary is perfunctory in most cases.
Contrary to Mr. Hurdle’s article, NJOA never contacted the Governor’s office. As a result of public meetings and public commentary a comprehensive list of procedures and criteria were integrated into the M.A.P. and provided to the public. Signs were posted that explained the current regulations to users entering the forest and a comprehensive plan provided for the entire forest road system. Included in this plan was repair and maintenance of the roads; something that has not been addressed in more than 25 years. Also, NJOA requested an increased law enforcement presence to apprehend and prosecute violators of the current laws and statutes. This was also included in the revised M.A.P. NJOA firmly believes that public input allowed the D.E.P.to better fulfill its obligation to both the public and natural resource management. In fact, NJOA was founded on the principle of conservation and natural resource stewardship.
We are proud of the efforts of D.E.P. and the end result of the M.A.P. We believe this was properly corrected by D.E.P. and is a testimony to its dedication and commitment to both the environment and the public who relies on it.
We are also pleased that NJOA may have played a role in an improved M.A.P.
Respectfully Submitted New Jersey Outdoor Alliance Trustees
www.njoutdooralliance.org
Guy
The New Jersey Outdoor Alliance was recently taken to task and mis-quoted by an "environmental" writer from the online publication NJ Spotlight. They claimed to have discussed the views of NJOA and included direct quotes describing NJOA political action from a so called Enviromental Organization pertaining to the Motorized Access Plan at Wharton . None of which was true. The article is rife with fabricated information!
Here is the article in question. http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/...l&utm_term=0_1d26f473a7-dd3fbc63db-398650705#
NJOA Trustees have released this response and circulated it to the editors of NJ Spotlight. NJOA has your back!
NJSPOTLIGHT article on Wharton rife with off-road errors
We at the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance (NJOA) would like to address errors and omissions in the recent NJ Spotlight article “Conservationists Fear Off- Roaders Will Damage N.J. Pinelands,” by John Hurdle. Firstly, Mr. Hurdle wrote that no one from the NJOA respond to a request for comment. The fact is that no one contacted NJOA for comment. But, we welcome to opportunity to respond.
Some background is in order. In the fall of 2015 the NJOA received calls from stakeholder groups that roads in Wharton State Forest were being marked with “Closed” signs. At this point in time, very few users of Wharton State Forest, or the municipalities that surrounded the forest, were even aware of a Motorized Access Plan (M.A.P.). In response, NJOA requested a meeting with the Division of Parks and Forestry to better understand the process of road closures. Contrary to statements in article, no lobbyist was hired by NJOA; we do not employ a lobbyist. NJOA representatives attended all meetings.
During the meeting we were informed that a MAP had not yet been implemented and that no roads had been closed. We later found out that this was not true, and that several Non-Government Organizations had helped formulate the initial plan and had started closing roads before the M.A.P. was unveiled.
We requested a tour of Wharton State Park on behalf of conservation stakeholders in order to review the trails and roads that were marked for closure under M.A.P. At this time there were conflicting reports about the condition of important trails and roads. During this review NJOA requested a list of criteria being used to determine road closures. We were not given a list nor provided concise answers. We did witness that some trails and roads should be closed, and also that some should have never even been created. Additionally, some were made by illegal vehicle use and by using old fire cuts. Importantly, we did discover from our meeting and tour that the M.A.P. was not implemented with full public disclosure, which was of concern to many conservationists and stakeholder groups since M.A.P. was negatively impacting public access.
In response, NJOA requested the D.E.P. to provide public meetings so that the M.A.P. could be detailed for all user groups and allow for public commentary. This is a fundamental requirement of good government and management of public resources. In fact, public meetings and commentary is perfunctory in most cases.
Contrary to Mr. Hurdle’s article, NJOA never contacted the Governor’s office. As a result of public meetings and public commentary a comprehensive list of procedures and criteria were integrated into the M.A.P. and provided to the public. Signs were posted that explained the current regulations to users entering the forest and a comprehensive plan provided for the entire forest road system. Included in this plan was repair and maintenance of the roads; something that has not been addressed in more than 25 years. Also, NJOA requested an increased law enforcement presence to apprehend and prosecute violators of the current laws and statutes. This was also included in the revised M.A.P. NJOA firmly believes that public input allowed the D.E.P.to better fulfill its obligation to both the public and natural resource management. In fact, NJOA was founded on the principle of conservation and natural resource stewardship.
We are proud of the efforts of D.E.P. and the end result of the M.A.P. We believe this was properly corrected by D.E.P. and is a testimony to its dedication and commitment to both the environment and the public who relies on it.
We are also pleased that NJOA may have played a role in an improved M.A.P.
Respectfully Submitted New Jersey Outdoor Alliance Trustees
www.njoutdooralliance.org
More from Spotlight.
http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/...il&utm_term=0_1d26f473a7-8d3f28319d-398650705
http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/...il&utm_term=0_1d26f473a7-8d3f28319d-398650705
The Government may not be able to fix the problem but it can help deter illegal behavior and the State does play a critical role because of this........on a citizen level educating local users is somewhat possible (and I believe to a limited extent positive change has been occurring) but folks travelling from New York, PA, DE and MD for the sole purpose of off roading/mudding will be much harder (if not impossible) to reach. You can see these lifted trucks and jeeps with out of state plates every weekend emerging from the woods covered in mud. However I am encouraged by this article and I hope the 10/26 meeting brings additional constructive steps to mitigate the ongoing damage. It's in everybodys best interest (except for those committing crimes) to have a clearly defined road map system. It would protect the law abiding (for access). A "MAP" does not mean that any roads have to be closed...
Why can we not use the usgs maps they are already avaliable at batsto and atsion 1997 was the last complete map of the roads. the state park service has no money. thanks in large part from the open space program
I'm all for having a place people can ride and hoot and holler. It annoys me how the sand plants (which I despise), are allowed to ruin the ground forever, but everyone looks down on a riding park. The below is just a small montage of what we put up with in South Jersey.
Yes they are private property, of course. I did not say I was not frustrated that a private entity has not developed a park. I don't expect the state to do so. By we, I mean all of us. Most people don't like to see the permanent scarring of the land and loss of fresh water (to atmosphere) that a plant causes. You can except yourself from that general statement if you wish to do so.
Thanks, but I prefer to speak for myself. Just one of my many independent American foibles.
Then you should have just not said anything. When you bring up negative thoughts about a person's post that most people just ignore, it makes you look boorish and hard to deal with.