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The Great Egg Harbor River, a National TreasureBy: Mary Vavra, National Park Service
As Program Manager for the Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River I travel to this south Jersey area regularly. The reason for the travel is always to complete an assignment, accomplish a goal or attend one meeting or another. A recent opportunity to travel both the tidal and non-tidal parts of the Great Egg Harbor River allowed me to stand still and appreciate the importance of this national treasure.
Traveling down the river makes it easy to understand why it was designated into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in 1992. From the river one can easily picture the native Lenape Indians and early Dutch settlers living in an area surrounded by the sandy flatlands and fresh and tidal wetlands. Bald eagle, osprey and other birds of prey swooping down to the river enforce the knowledge that the river is alive with herring, striped bass and a whole host of other aquatic life. This river trip was an epiphany providing me with a better appreciation of why this 129-mile river corridor within the Pinelands National Reserve is a unit of the National Park System.
This National Park System unit is unusual. The National Park Service manages the designated river in partnership with the State of New Jersey, four counties, and twelve municipalities through which the river system flows to protect the corridor’s valuable natural and cultural and recreational resources. Local jurisdictions continue to administer the land. This partnership approach has been successful so far, but it is a learning process.
During the last twelve months an eclectic group of people with a shared vision and sense of responsibility accomplished much. A major milestone was the completion of the final Comprehensive Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (CMP/EIS) in May. The plan is a blueprint for the future. The CMP/EIS was developed with input from the Great Egg Harbor River Planning Committee and from 15 open public meetings hosted by the Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association (GEHWA). A newsletter highlighting decisions and recommendations was widely distributed throughout the river corridor after each meeting so that interested partners were part of the process even though they could not attend meetings. Thanks to the inclusive nature of the process, the public review period resulted in purely positive comments.
The planning process was long, especially for those individuals who have been involved since the mid 1980’s, when the River was being studied for designation. Some of the same people are still actively involved in the GEHWA. They bring a valuable historic overview and knowledge that you cannot find elsewhere. GEHWA, along with the National Park Service, began addressing issues as they arose. The need to educate the public and enforce existing regulations along the river were two top priorities. The creation of a municipal River Council to provide an organizational structure and a forum for resolution of local river-related issues is also a priority and a recommendation of the river’s Comprehensive Management Plan.
With financial assistance from the NJ DEP’s Watershed Management Planning Office, GEHWA hired a part time coordinator who travels throughout the four county area educating people about the importance of the watershed. Funding from the National Park Service supported such projects as: an Adopt-A-Stream prototype program initiated in Egg Harbor Township; an educational video and slide show of the watershed that will be used throughout local school systems and to educate elected officials and local zoning and planning boards; a Trail Guide for the Dorothy Reserve; an archeological study of a peninsula in Weymouth Township; a new brochure for the Great Egg Harbor River that highlights points of interest for both residents and visitors; and the establishment of a River Unit within the Hamilton Township Police Department to educate visitors and enforce existing rules in their portion of the designated river. These are just a few projects underway.
The wheels of government grind slowly but we are moving in the right direction. As the first tidal river to be designated with no land owned or managed by the National Park Service, long-term protection of the Great Egg Harbor River depends upon the enforcement of existing zoning by municipalities, compliance with the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan, CAFRA, and other regulatory programs within the NJ DEP, the careful review of federal water resource permits within the designated corridor and coordination among all partners by the National Park Service. This fragile partnership is indeed a challenge as well as a learning process that allows us to grow stronger together while jointly protecting a national treasure for generations to come.
For more information, please call Belinda Irizarry, Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association, at (609) 567-4762.
[Executive Director’s Column:] Protecting the Biological Diversity of Pine Barrens Plants
by Carleton Montgomery
One of the main reasons people value the New Jersey Pine Barrens and want to protect its open spaces is that the Pine Barrens is home to many rare plants. The region is a place of pilgrimage to botanists from around the world. Several species are found only in the New Jersey Pine Barrens -- or soon will be found only in the Pine Barrens, due to destruction of their habitat in the few other places they have been found. Many other species are not unique to the Pine Barrens, but are so rare that this region provides one of their few safe havens from eventual extinction.
The Pine Barrens sustains so much rarity for two basic reasons: The region’s distinctive geologic history brought plants originating far to the north and far to the south together in this place and created a sort of ecological island in which species adapted to its acidic, low-nutrient conditions can thrive. Then, by historical accident, modern industrial development passed the Pine Barrens by, leaving extensive contiguous forests and wetlands relatively intact from development during the 19th and 20th Centuries. That historical accident made the Pinelands National Reserve possible by leaving us something great and worthy of special protections in this most densely developed part of the country.
Preserving biodiversity of the plant world is a critical, fundamental goal of the environmental movement, for both practical reasons (such as medical benefits) and philosophical or spiritual reasons. Thirty years ago, the nation embraced this goal with the national Endangered Species Act and the many similar state laws aimed at preserving America’s many rare plant and animal species.
The Pinelands – that part of the Pine Barrens ecosystem given special environmental protections – is home to:
§ 84 species of plants which New Jersey has classified as "endangered" -- meaning the species is rare in the world or its survival in the country or the state is "in jeopardy,"
§ 4 additional "S1" species -- scarce enough to merit endangered status,
§ 61 species classified "S2" -- scarce enough to be considered "threatened,"
§ 23 species classified "S3" -- rare in New Jersey and may be imperiled if additional populations are lost, and
§ 1 additional "SH" species – probably extirpated but possibly still present in the state.The state of New Jersey provides no general legal protections even for listed endangered plants. This is a fundamental weakness in our laws.
In the Pinelands, however, things are a bit better. The Comprehensive Management Plan stipulates that "No development shall be carried out unless it is designed to avoid irreversible adverse impacts on the survival of any local population" of a list of 54 plant species. Unfortunately, the Pinelands CMP list does not include all the endangered species, much less all the threatened or rare species that live in the Pinelands. Among these are several plants that are globally rare.
In fact, the CMP plant list has not been updated since it was originally put together almost 20 years ago. The result is that a majority of rare, threatened and endangered plant species in the Pinelands receive no specific protections from destruction. Many, but by no means all, of these plants receive indirect protection through the CMP’s relatively strict wetlands buffer protections – but even the wetlands protections are often compromised because there is no proof the wetland contains one of the CMP’s listed species. In addition, rare populations are often destroyed or damaged by public agencies, such as road construction and maintenance crews.
One notable example of a rare, extraordinarily beautiful Pine Barrens orchid that is threatened, but not listed in the CMP is the arethusa or "dragon’s mouth" orchid (Arethusa bulbosa). Very rare species that grow in the uplands and are currently omitted from the CMP include, for example, butterfly pea (Clitoria mariana) and false boneset (Kuhnia eupatorioides). In all, 126 Pinelands plant species are endangered, threatened or rare but are not included in the CMP’s list of protected plants.
PPA has begun discussing this problem with the Pinelands Commission and the New Jersey Natural Heritage Program with an eye towards updating the CMP’s protected plant list to include all endangered, threatened and rare species. This is likely to meet some resistance from those seeking fewer restrictions on development in the region. But because these plants are so rare, and often have very restrictive habitat needs, expanding the list will affect few private development projects.
More importantly, New Jersey and the nation are already committed to giving the Pinelands special protections as a National Reserve – protections that do not exist in other places, where development is almost entirely unregulated. If we are to meet that commitment, we must recognize and protect the full range of the Pine Barrens’ biological diversity.
If you are interested in the Pinelands’ rare plants, please contact Russell Juelg at PPA for more information.
Pinelands Commission Meeting ScheduleThursday, February 8, 2001 (7.00pm)
Friday, March 9, 2001 (9.30am)Pinelands Commission meetings are open to the public. For location and more information call the Commission at 609-894-7300 or visit their website at www.state.nj.us/pinelands
Pinelands License PlatesHave you noticed that the Pinelands license plate is more commonly seen on vehicles traveling throughout the state? Sales of the plates have doubled in the last year. The new sales figures are listed below.
Why have sales doubled in the last year? Is it the stunning design that makes the plates the best ones available? Is it the fact that funds from the plates go towards acquiring land in the Pinelands National Reserve? Or is it that the residents of New Jersey are increasingly showing their support for Pinelands preservation through this license plate?
Here at PPA we don’t think about the reasons too much but hope that more and more drivers choose Pinelands plates to express their support for this unique and beautiful region.
The plates cost a one-time $50 fee (and an annual $10 renewal). Pinelands plates can be picked up at any motor vehicle agency or by mail. You can personalize your plates with up to five characters for an initial $100 fee (and a $10 annual renewal).
CALL WEEKDAYS
8.30am to 4.30 pm
Toll Free in NJ 1-888-486-3339
Or 609 292 6500 from out of state
New Jersey Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Services
www.state.nj.us/mvsAs of November 1999 3358 plates have been sold!
The Cougar and the Swamp Monsterby Russell Juelg
We drove down the narrow road that runs from Highway 206, just south of Atsion Lake, roughly paralleling the Mullica River. Stopping briefly at an abandoned cranberry bog just north of the Great Swamp, we both pulled out our cameras and tried to capture a few images of the dramatic beauty of the place, snow-covered, surrounded by cedar and swiftly-running ice-encrusted streams. We also noticed some partially obscured tracks in the snow that looked like bobcat.
Driving south again, with the help of Bob’s GPS and the USGS topo map for the Atsion Quadrangle, we identified a point where the road intersects a narrow gully. We parked there at about 10 a.m. and hiked into the swamp, following a 268-degree compass bearing.
We encountered, initially, a very thick stand of young cedar, with occasional small openings where blueberry, leather leaf, and various grasses, sedges, and rushes poked through the snow. Heavy deer traffic and browsing was obvious in most of these openings.
Further along we found older cedars, some we estimated to be about 50 years old. Then, about three quarters of a mile into the swamp, we encountered a huge area, perhaps a hundred yards wide and hundreds of yards long, where nearly all of the tall cedars had been blown down by a fierce wind. We zigzagged and clambered among the horizontal trunks of these trees, trying to maintain our bearing.
Just before emerging into the enormous cleared area on the western side of the swamp, we crossed another huge blow-down, where we had to climb among the fallen and reclining trees as much as eight or ten feet above the ice-covered surface of the swamp. We had already broken through the ice in a few places, and knew that the relative warmth of the aquifer had kept it unreliably thin, especially in places where the water was flowing or welling up from below.
Bob related a fascinating story to me when, as we crossed the cleared area, I noticed that it was strewn not only with cedar stumps, but also with the trees that had been felled years ago. He said that a great rainfall and subsequent flooding had abruptly interrupted the logging operation.
The loggers pulled out most of their equipment, but had to abandon much of the felled timber as well as a huge crane. The rusting, relic crane was rediscovered years later by adventurous hikers, and someone dubbed it, "The Swamp Monster."
After lunch, we hiked along several roads looking for the Swamp Monster, but though Bob’s GPS fix on it got us into the general area, we couldn’t immediately locate it.
It had taken us longer than we had expected to cross the Great Swamp and, with lengthening shadows falling on the snow, we decided it was time to return to my vehicle. Rather than struggle through the swamp again, we opted to hike the roads. This required going southeast, nearly to Batsto, then back up and across the Constable Bridge, then north to where I had parked—roughly five miles.
As we trudged along the snowy road and over the solid ice of the puddles, we stopped from time to time to puzzle over tracks and trails. We spooked a few deer and watched them bound out of sight. And we made our plans for another swamp crossing and another search for cougar sign and the Swamp Monster.
The Pinelands are a wonderful place to explore, and one of the best ways to explore it is with The Outdoor Club of South Jersey. The Club offers weekly hikes, canoe/kayak trips, bicycling, backpacking and other activities in Wharton State Forest and elsewhere. Membership is only $8 per year for an individual, and $10 for a family, and includes the club's quarterly 30 page activity schedule. For membership information, call the OCSJ hotline at (856) 427-7777. * * * * *
The Forked River Mountain Coalition, in cooperation with the Ocean County Parks Department and the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, will conduct a spring cleanup of the area surrounding the Forked River Mountains for Earth Day. The cleanup will be held on Sunday, April 22, 2001, beginning at 8:30 a.m. For more information or to pre-register, call (609) 971-1635.
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Charitable Giving through the workplaceby Margaret O’Gorman
There are many ways to give to charity and to support your local nonprofit organization. You can become a member; you can contribute in honor of someone else; you can volunteer; or you can take action. You can also use the strength and size of your employer to maximize and increase support for your local charity or for the world of non-profits in general. You can do this through a matching gift program or through a workplace giving program. Do you know if your company offers either of these options?
Matching Gift Program:
Many corporations and companies have decided that they would like to encourage charitable acts and giving among their employees. Some companies provide employees time off to volunteer at local schools and community groups, some encourage employees to volunteer on their own time. Other companies offer a matching gift program that encourages employees to contribute to charity.
A matching gift program encourages someone to contribute to charity because the amount contributed is matched and sometimes doubles by the employer company. We have many members who join at the basic membership level. That in itself is a great thing. We also have many members who join and submit a matching gift form from their company – this means that their basic membership can be doubled or more thanks to a short trip to human resources.
We have listed the companies that we have received matching gifts from below. If you work for such a company and wish to maximize your gift to PPA, then please send in the appropriate form with your next donation.
TEXTBOX - Title: PPA has received matching gifts thanks to the employees in the following companies – Mobil Foundation, Prudential Foundation, McGraw-Hill, Hoechst Corporation, Cisco Foundation, Arco Foundation, CAN Insurance, Chubb & Sons Inc., Computer Associates International, CBS Foundation Inc., Chemical bank of New Jersey, Corning Inc., J.P. Morgan, NEC Research Institute Inc., UPS Foundation, Reader’s Digest, and WMX Technologies.
If your employer is not listed above please enquire whether they offer matching gifts before you send your next contribution to the Pinelands Preservation Alliance.
Workplace Giving:
How would you like to be able to contribute to charity and not even notice? This is the essence of workplace giving. The Environmental Fund for New Jersey is an example of a great workplace giving program.
The Environmental Fund for New Jersey is a partnership of eighteen of New Jersey’s leading environmental organizations. It was formed in 1994 to enable employees throughout the state to strengthen environmental support in the state through collaborative fundraising in workplace giving campaigns.
The Environmental Fund for New Jersey allows your employer to offer you the ability to give to the New Jersey environment or to give to specific New Jersey environmental organizations that you nominate. Workplace giving allows your contribution to be deducted at source with no effort from you beyond checking a box and signing your name.
Does your organization have a workplace giving program? Does it offer you the choice of eighteen leading environmental organizations in New Jersey? If the answer to either of these questions is no, then contact PPA or EFNJ at P.O. Box 191, Middletown, NJ 07748 on 973 729 1202 for information about how you can bring workplace giving into your workplace.
In Defense Of The Pinelandsby Richard Bizub
Since the threats to the Pinelands are never ending, PPA's staff is engaged in a number of issues and projects on a daily basis. This column provides a sampling of some of our work in addition to those discussed in other parts of this newsletter.
Upper Township Rezoning. Some Upper Township officials are working with the Pinelands Commission to revise the town’s master plan and rezone several properties for the express purpose of allowing one golf course development. The golf course is to be along Mt. Pleasant-Tuckahoe Road, behind the Sunset Acres development. The proposed golf course site would be given less restrictive zoning, while other land nearby would be made more restrictive. The proposed zoning change would also allow the owner to build homes or mine sand and gravel. PPA’s position is that it's simply bad public policy to let municipal planning be driven by one developer's financial interests, and we have serious water quality concerns downstream of the planned golf course. Township officials had not informed affected residents of the proposed changes. When PPA learned of the plan, we made sure residents were informed, leading to substantial local concern and press coverage. Still, after about a year and a half of discussions between certain township officials and Pinelands Commission staff, the public has not yet had the opportunity to be heard.
Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer Study. Assemblyman Jack Gibson of Cape May County has introduced a bill (A-658) that would provide $5.5 million to initiate a study of the aquifer and $2 million for various water resource studies in Cape May County. The Pinelands portion of the study would investigate the ecological effects of natural and man-made groundwater changes on wetlands and aquatic habitats. It is anticipated that a regional model will be developed to predict impacts upon the Pinelands ecosystem. PPA is grateful to Assemblyman Gibson for seeking our input and incorporating recommendations from the environmental community into the bill. As a result, the bill was enhanced, and we testified in support of it at the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The full Assembly recently voted unanimously in favor of the bill, and it now goes to the Senate Environment Committee.
Woodbine Landfill. Borough officials are considering reopening the landfill, which was closed in 1984 but left uncapped. The new proposal would allow a Mount Laurel company to dump 3 million tons of incinerator ash, dredge spoils, sewer sludge, construction debris and other contaminated soils classified by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection as type ID-27, "Dry Industrial Waste." Other wastes to be dumped under the ID-27 classification would include, petroleum contaminated soils from gas stations, pesticides, chemical wastes, asbestos and residues from scrap metal operations. After dumping the above materials into the 50 acre unlined landfill, the company would cap the landfill. The proposal violates the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan, which forbids that kind of new contamination in Pinelands landfills. We also think it makes no sense to reopen the landfill for a huge volume of contaminated material after 16 years. PPA is working to be sure the deficiencies in this proposal are fully aired for the public and the government agencies that must review it.
Bobcats (Felis rufus or Lynx rufus)by Mary Robbins
In the Pinelands, in Southampton Township, there is an unincorporated area called Red Lion. The Red Lion Circle shoots Route 206 traffic either north toward Trenton or south toward Atlantic communities. The west-east road is Route 70. Centerpiece of the hub is the Red Lion Diner. Inexplicably, several years ago when it was expanded, its ambiance became Miami art deco with quilted aluminum and much neon. The food, however, is still excellent as are dinners at the nearby Red Lion Inn. NJ State Police Red Lion barracks are nearby. Many small businesses in the area identify their locations with Red Lion in their names. Driveways of some homes are flanked by pre-cast concrete lions, painted red.
To this date there have been no recent sightings of lions in the area, much less red ones. The popularity of the name comes from folklore. While there may be many versions of the details of the following story, the essence is believable.
Years back, when the area was mostly agricultural or wild, farmers were losing chickens and other small animals to a predator obviously of the feline species ... a large one. Human demands won out over the natural. Hunts followed and a bobcat was shot. It was bloody, and in stories told at taverns, inns and quilting bees, the animal's size and reputation grew and grew and legend morphed it into a lion. A Red Lion.
Because it was a threat to domestic animals and because of indiscriminate hunting for the fur trade, the bobcat was once eliminated from New Jersey. Legal trapping was suspended in 1972 and in 1991 the New Jersey placed the bobcat on the Endangered Species list. Between 1978 and 1982, twenty-four bobcats from Massachusetts and Maine were introduced into the northern part of the state. Bobcats are secretive but have been sighted statewide including increasingly in Burlington, Cape May and Cumberland counties. By way of example, the New Jersey Endangred and Non-Game Species Program confirmed a bobcat sighting on Route 539 in Burlington County within the past year.
With snow cover on the ground, bobcat tracks are easy to identify. They are not much bigger than domestic cat tracks, but the stride is longer. To make less noise, when walking, bobcats usually put their back feet in the same spots as their front feet. Like house cats, bobcats keep their claws inside their toes. So if you see a footprint without a claw mark, it is from a cat. Dog toenails, in contrast, show up in clear, sharp footprints.
Mature bobcats are about 2 feet tall and weigh about between 15 - 20 pounds. They are not large enough to hunt and eat people. Being of the cat family, they are shy and avoid humans. Bobcats like to eat rabbits, rats, squirrels, opossums, snakes, ground nesting birds, turkeys and even small or sick deer. They can only eat about 3 pounds of meat at a time, so if their catch is large, they will often drag it to a safe spot and cover it up and come back to it until the meat rots.
Bobcat fur is short, soft and dense and can vary greatly in coloration. The background color of the fur can be light gray to reddish brown and the fur along the middle part of the back is usually darker, while the underparts are generally white. The fur may have black or dark brown spots or bars and the backs of ears are black with a white spot. Distinctive identifying feature is a short ("bobbed") tail. The long tufts of hair on their ear function to increase the bobcats’s ability to hear prey or predator.
Although breeding has been known to take place at any time, bobcats generally breed between February and June. Females like to den in secluded, protective places such as crevices in rocks or under fallen logs. Gestation period is about 60 days and a typical litter is 2 -3 kittens. Like domestic cats, the mother will first nurse the young, then bring meat for them to eat. As they grow older, she will bring them small, live animals such as mice so the kittens can learn to hunt. Bobcat kittens become independent at about 6 months and their life span in a wild environment is ten to twelve years.
Atlantic County Division of Parks & Recreation. 109 Boulevard Route 50, Mays Landing, NJ 08330-4306. 609-625-1897Pinelands Calendar of Events
NOTE: Names, addresses, and phone numbers are provided here for frequently mentioned event sponsors. The name, which will appear in bold-faced type, is all that will appear in an event's description.Outdoor Club of South Jersey. P.O. Box 422, Sewell, NJ 08060. Outdoor Club events will have the phone number of the contact person running the event.
PPA. Pinelands Preservation Alliance, 114 Hanover Street, Pemberton, NJ. 609-894-8000. PPA offers a 10% discount on Pinelands Adventures programs to PPA and Woodford members.
Whitesbog. Whitesbog Village, 120-24A Whitesbog Road (Mile Marker 13 on Route 530 in Pemberton Township), Browns Mills, NJ 0805, 609-893-4646.
Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge. 6 Sawmill Road, Medford, NJ 08055-8133. 856-983-0326.
Living in the Pinelands: Education and Enjoyment
Woodford-Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge is sponsoring a course designed for adults who live in the Pinelands region to learn about this unique ecosystem through a holistic approach. Taught by John Volpa, environmental science teacher. Classes on March 15, March 22, March 29 and April 5. Optional outings on weekends. Cost for the course is $60. To register call 856-983-0326 email janet@cedarrun.org
Friday, February 9
Jersey Devil Hunt. Start with an old-fashioned campfire and good, old-time music (bring your own hot dogs and marshmallows). Then by the ghostly light from the moon, search for that most infamous denizen of the Pine Barrens. $10. PPA.Saturday, February 10
Canoe Oswego River. Meet at Lake Oswego, Penn State Forest. Joint trip with South Jersey Canoe Club. For details, Call leader John Reynolds, 856-232-7397 or Carl Billerts, 856-783-3171. Outdoor Club.
Full Moon Social Hike. 6-7 miles. Hike the pines in winter under a snow moon. Meet in the field on Rt. 206 north of the Atsion Ranger station. For additional information, call leader, Paul Serdiuk, 856-697-3870 evenings or e-mail PIS1@CCCNJ.net. Outdoor Club.
Tundra Swan Tour. 10:00 am and 12:00 pm. Whitesbog.
Moonlight Walk. 7:00 pm. Whitesbog.Sunday, February 11
Weather Channel Ride. Ride the number of miles equal to the forecast high temperature in degrees F. Meet at Medport Diner, Hartford Road and Rt. 70. For details, call leader Ira Yermish, 610-917-0152 or e-mail at iyermish@aol.com. Outdoor Club.Saturday, February 17
Basic Wilderness Survival. Learn the practical skills needed in a survival situation: acquire shelter, water, fire and food; also land navigation with a compass and USGS topo map. $35. A "hands on" course. 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. PPA.
Public Orienteering. Three mile orienteering course through the woods at Estell Manor Park. Instructions, maps and a loaner compass provided. Basic or intermediate course offered. No fee. 11:00 am – 3:00 pm. Atlantic County.
Tundra Swan Tour. 10:00 am and 12:00 pm. Whitesbog.Monday, February 19 – President’s Day
High Crossing Hike. 5 miles. Look for deer along the Batona trail. Meet at Carranza Memorial. For further information, Call Leader Norm Lucas, 609-654-5893 or Bill Schmitt, 856-767-1838. Outdoor Club.
Hike Estell. Meet at the Fox Nature Center for a recreational hike through Estell Manor Park. Explore new trails and rediscover favorite spots. Binoculars may add to your enjoyment. No fee. 10:00 am – noon. Atlantic County.Saturday, March 3
Star Party. Sponsored by the Astronomical Society of Toms River Area (ASTRA). Gaze At the night sky with powerful telescopes. Rain date March 10. 6:00 pm. Whitesbog.
Saturday – Sunday, March 3 – 4
Wilderness Survival Overnight. (Pre-requisite: Basic Wilderness Survival) Build and sleep in your own shelter, collect and purify your own water, demonstrate fire-making, forage for food and make a solo trip with a map and compass. $55. 8:00 am Saturday to 4:00 pm Sunday. PPA.
Friday, March 9
Jersey Devil Hunt. See February 9.Saturday, March 10
Moonlight Walk. 7:00 pm. Whitesbog.
Saturday, March 17
Navigating the Pinelands. Practice both orienteering and dead reckoning. Traipse through distinctive Pine Barrens habitats: upland pine/oak forests, intriguing lowlands, mysterious bogs and magnificent old cedar swamps. Nature lore along the way makes the event memorable. $35. 8:00 am – 4:00 pm. PPA.
Saturday, March 31
Big Swamp Cougar Hunt. Rugged hiking into places few others go. Examine surroundings for cougar sign in some of the most remote locations in the Pinelands. $35. 8:00 am – 4:00 pm. PPA.
Coming PPA Events: April 20-22 Batona Trail Hike; May 5 Try Canoing; May 12, June 2
Canoeing the Piney Rivers, May 19 – 20 Spring Camp-Out; June 16-17 Overnight Canoe Trip.If a Pinelands organization you are affiliated with is having an activity you would like to see listed in the Pinelands Calendar of Events, please contact PPA, 114 Hanover Street, Pemberton, NJ 08068; 609-894-8000; fax 609-894-9455; e-mail ppa@pinelandsalliance.org. The deadline for the April-May 2001 issue is March 1, 2001.
Pinelands Preservation Alliance, PPA, Inside The Pinelands Newsletter. Take a journey into the world of the New Jersey Pinelands. Learn what our mission is about. Discover the treasure of the kirkwood, cohansey aquifer, the eastern timber rattlesnake, tree frog, and culture including the Jersey Devil. Learn about the Comprehensive Management Plan CMP and the New Jersey NJ Pinelands Commission and other development authorities in the pinelands preservation and protection areas. PPA, Pinelands, Preservation, Alliance, CMP, Comprehensive, Management, Plan, Pinelands Commission, NJ, New Jersey, Pinelands, National, Reserve, Preserve, pine barrens, ecology, development, regulation, zoning, preservation, area, protection, area, recreation, camping, camp, canoe, canoeing, hike, hiking, Batona, Trail, hunt, hunting, agriculture, cranberry, blueberry, bog, Atlantic, outer, coastal plain, white, cedar, aquifer, ground, cedar, water, kirkwood, cohansey, Mullica, Batsto, Oswego, wetlands, eastern, timber, rattlesnake, tree, frog, culture, jersey devil, Piney, pygmy pine, dwarf, pine, pitch pine, Wharton, tract, Belleplain, Lebanon, state, forest, pine, uplands, Forked River Mountain, UNESCO, Biosphere, CAFRA, Pinelands Protection Act, 1979, conservationist, preservationist
