The Wharton State Forest Motorized Access Plan is designed to make the many activities available in the Forest accessible to visitors driving on-road motor vehicles, while also preserving and protecting the Forest’s precious and irreplaceable natural environment. ATVs are not permitted on any lands administered by the State Park Service. Grassmann Trust, the F.M. Many fences or barriers have been torn down; signs saying an area is closed to motor vehicles are ripped from trees, and newly planted trees have been uprooted, he said. Last summer the DEP announced the M.A.P. A map showing all of the roads and trails through Wharton, in even greater detail than the somewhat outdated USGS topographic maps of the area, would help guide both new and old visitors safely throughout the forest. (Motorized Access Plan) for Wharton State Forest. At every township meeting I have attended, these first reponders have ALL STATED they WERE NEVER CONSULTED about this plan. The majority of the “touristy” historic sites such as Batsto, Atsion, and Harrisville are all reachable via paved state or county roads. The State Forest tells all the liveries where they are permitted to put people into the rivers and take them out, and all these access points are also open to any member of the public. How many miles of roads are open for on-road motor vehicles under the new plan? Some roads have been roads since the days or horse and buggy and also deteriorated unless maintained. No wonder every ORV policy the state has tried has been an abject failure – there’s been nobody around to enforce them! Today, though, all of this is changing. I once felt that the PPA was a overall force for good. In a disappointing move, the Department of Environmental Protection removed the draft MAP from their website in September. DEP did not respond to several requests for comment for this story. Individuals can send their comments to whartonmapcomments@dep.nj.gov. Our State Forest were never intended to be motorsports arenas even though the activity has been going on for years. Anyone who spends time in the forest has observed the damage first hand. So they must be met on their own terms, which is with the force of the law. And the net result of that agenda is to take away public access to as much of the Pine Barrens as possible. The majority of all roads within the Forest will remain open for public motorized access. There are no formal provisions for determining under what a criteria a road might be reopened. The plan called for the blanket closure of over 50% of the roads and trails that exist in Wharton State Forest. Spread the word. “Any barrier that you put in, anything, will be pulled out, whether it’s a welded steel gate, whether it’s piles of stumps and logs, thick braided cable,” he said. The Plan includes a detailed map that shows the 225 miles of open roads within the Forest and informs both first-time and long-time visitors to the park of the many opportunities to enjoy this beautiful and unique environment. The M.A.P. Interestingly, the State’s grant application makes no mention of road closures at all. ... Three years after the Department of Environmental Protection scrapped its Motorized Access Plan … Township EMT’s and Fire Departments have already stated that was a really bad idea. Holtec CEO stereotypes Camden and Congressman Don Norcross calls his constituents “children”, What small ‘d’ democracy in Camden County looks like and why it matters, Arthur Barclay’s Resignation Shows Need for a More Transparent Appointment Process in Camden County, South Jersey Democrats take a page out of the Betsy DeVos playbook, Every Vote Counts: A South Jersey Progressive Victory in Merchantville, New Jersey Politics 101: Levers of Power [UPDATED with video of the event], Mark Schwartz: Teaneck Council Member & NYC Landlord. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection also release an FAQ about the Plan recently. Besides, there’s a risk the cable would simply be stolen and sold for scrap metal, he said. by taking reporters out to the most damaged areas (that nobody would have argued should stay open), issuing press releases full of blatant mistruths, and characterizing anybody who was against the M.A.P. Pinelands Commission to Consider Wharton MAP, Your Forest Under Attack: A Response to the PPA’s Call to Arms, Your Forest Under Attack: MAP Misinformation from the DEP, Over half of the roads and trails in Wharton State Forest are being closed to motor vehicles, http://www.njparksandforests.org/parks/maps/wsf_motorized_access_plan.pdf, Pinelands Adventures, Wharton State Forest and the Motorized Access Plan, Your Forest Under Attack: Facts About the Road Closings in Wharton State Forest, Firstly, the proposed route of the BL England pipeline, The PPA has been advocating for large scale road closures for years. Even if they cannot get there in time to stop the problem there is a record of that call and the location can be monitored in the future. Ultimately the DEP decided to put the M.A.P. Now, some of the roads are being closed to “Class 1 ORV’s”, which includes all vehicles that are licensed, registered, insured, and inspected, and can therefore legally operate on any road or highway of the State designated for vehicle traffic. The most egregious part is that this plan was developed using grant money earmarked for the establishment and maintenance of recreational trails.