Illegal off-roading has caused extensive damage to Wharton State Forest, but a plan that aims to address it has sparked a heated controversy in the Pine Barrens.
SHAMONG TOWNSHIP -- Halfway into a 40-minute drive out of the heart of Wharton State Forest, Jason Howell's old, gray jeep came to a sudden stop.
An orange-tinted puddle, if you can call it that at roughly 30 feet long and 15 feet wide, blocked the road leading back to Lake Atsion's ranger station in Shamong Township.
It only took a few moments for Howell, the stewardship coordinator for the Pineland Preservation Alliance and its Director of Conservation Science Ryan Rebozo to gauge the depth of the water with a paddle Howell had on hand and determine it was safe to drive through.
But the experts and activists say despite being seemingly minor, the large manmade puddle is indicative of a major problem -- reckless and mostly illegal motor vehicle use -- that's destroying one of the last truly wild places in New Jersey.
"[Wharton] is being eaten from the inside out," said Howell.
The MAP
Both Howell and Rebozo, as well as the South Jersey Land and Water Trust's Michael Hogan who joined them on a survey of damaged sites in the forest last week, are on one side of a heated battle raging in the pines, mostly, over a map.
Technically, it's a Motorized Access Plan, called the MAP, and it's sparked controversy between conservationists, hunters, motorsports enthusiasts, local residents and just about anyone who has a stake in how Wharton's 125,000 acres are accessed. The MAP's closure of roads in the forest has drawn such intense criticism that the state's Department of Environmental Protection reversed its course and announced plans to scrap the first draft of the MAP and start over after the public weighs in on the issue.
First developed by the DEP with federal grant money, the MAP's designed to curb the illegal vehicle use by designating where vehicles are allowed to drive and closing some roads and makeshift roads to vehicles entirely.
"It's a significant problem in the state forest, we view the MAP as helping us to make people understand what's going on better," said DEP Spokesman Larry Hajna.
But once it was introduced, many spoke out against it and the way it was developed, criticizing the DEP for not being transparent enough in how it was formulated or implemented. They also argue its closure of 275 miles of roads, some of which have been driven on for decades, is overreaching.
"One of the biggest problems was that the local officials and the DEP decided to roll this plan out without consultation of other people that use the forest," said Ben Ruset, who has run a website dedicated to the Pinelands for 15 years and is part of the Open Trails NJ movement that's worked to oppose the MAP.
In response to the outcry for more public input, the DEP put its plan on hold pending meetings with stakeholder groups, and public hearings that will culminate in a community-wide meeting at Hammonton High School on Nov. 5. In a letter to the Chairman of the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance sent Wednesday, DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said the MAP's first draft has been "suspended indefinitely" and that "From this point forward, were are starting with a blank slate and have no specific timeframe to implement a plan."
The roads that were previously closed pending the MAP's approval will reopen, minus ones that aren't safe or are environmentally sensitive, and other damaged ones will be repaired.
The last stronghold
A delay like this worries people like Michael Hogan. The project manager for the South Jersey Land and Water Trust has been coming out to what used to be a small opening along the banks of the Mullica River in Wharton since 1966, but he's never seen it look like this.
"This has all been done in the past year," said Hogan, gesturing to substantial erosion that has decimated the bank as off-road vehicle use has swelled. The opening has increased ten-fold, and not only has the vehicle use killed off large amounts of vegetation, it's sent piles of sediment into the river that seriously impacts the survival of the rare plant and animal species that call the Pine Barrens home.
"[Wharton] is really precious," said Rebozo, who recently earned his Ph.D in environmental science from Drexel University, partly through his research on the rare Pine Barrens gentian flower. "It's one of the last strongholds for a lot of these rare species of plants and animals that require this really specific Pine Barrens habitat."
The list of ways in which the Pine Barrens are unique is long -- it's the largest connected expanse of wilderness between Boston and Washington D.C., it sits above one of the purest aquifers in the state, and its location at the northern border for many southern species and the southern border for many northern species creates a vibrantly diverse ecosystem.
"It's a real anomaly in a state with 1,000 people per square mile," said Hogan.
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At a site off Sandy Causeway in Waterford Township, however, what's supposed to be a seasonal pond that bursts to life in the spring after the snow melts and be surrounded by rare plant species, frogs, painted turtles and a buzzing array of biodiversity is now a dead, muddy mess.
"This should be full of frogs," said Hogan as Howell collected crushed cans of Bud Light and pulled an old tire from the mud. "You're poking a big finger into the web of life, into the food chain."
While the type of vehicle use that's destroying habitats is illegal, online forums often make it known it's easy to get away with it, Howell said, and draw in large groups of people from across the tri-state area who want to take advantage of the forest's terrain.
"People know they can come to Wharton and it's not really enforced. That's not the case anywhere else," said Rebozo, adding garbage and fires from illegal vehicle use also causes issues.
That's why part of the MAP plan includes efforts to catch off-roaders in the act and increase enforcement. Signs in the forest make it known where vehicles are banned, but they're often torn down. The absence of signs usually allows the few people who are caught to avoid any fines. A clear MAP saying where you can or can't go would be much more powerful, said Hogan.
"That's going to make a big difference in the state's ability to prosecute people," he said, adding the MAP includes other plans to increase patrols and repair roadways.
Last but not least on their long list of damaged sites is Jimima Mount, a once thriving, rare elevation deep in the forest that's been gouged out and significantly eroded by drivers illegally using it for thrills.
"What will we have left if we let this continue?" asked Howell.
Damaged roads
Each driver may not feel like their one jaunt into unauthorized roads or in standing water or up Jimima will have a significant impact, but Hogan said with those individuals' activities becoming more consistent and frequent, the ecosystem isn't getting the chance it needs to recover.
Even if the environmentally vulnerable areas are given a second chance, Rebozo said it's much easier for invasive species to take hold in the damaged habitats and push out native species that make up the forest's unique biodiversity, likely for good.
"A change in the Ph opens the door to non-native species, and you really lose what makes this place so special," said Rebozo, who doubts impacted areas will be able to fully recover with the same rare species.
"Those are things you don't get back," he said, and added later: "This is bigger than any one person."
Not only are the vehicles decimating sensitive habitats, they say, they're destroying roads that law-abiding drivers use to access the forest, and more importantly, roads and trails firefighters rely on when they're called into action.
Once those roads are made unpassable -- often by trucks revving tires to create bigger puddles and more challenging obstacles -- others create "go-arounds" to make a new pathway, cutting deeper into the forest and further destroying wetlands habitats.
Just this past spring, Hajna from the DEP said a firefighter in a brush truck trying to fight a fire got caught in what was "effectively a lake" on a roadway, that had been dug deeper and deeper by large tires.
"He got stuck, and the fire was racing in on him," said Hajna. "It was a very dangerous situation."
The MAP aims to improve the roads that are suitable for vehicle use and also expand access for those who are unfamiliar with the forest to navigate its roads by providing a comprehensive guide, he said.
"The more people we can get to come out and enjoy this place responsibly, the better our chances are of preserving it," said Howell.
The middle of the road
Opponents to the MAP don't deny there is damage being done and that it needs to stop, but they've also said there's not enough data to document the destruction, and imply the damage is being exaggerated as leverage to close the roads.
"It basically cuts off huge swatches of the forest that are not damaged, they're not at risk of being damaged, " said Ruset, who has opposed the MAP's process.
He's not into motorsports or off-road driving, he said, and feels that real problem at hand is a lack of enforcement. Unless the MAP can help bolster the NJ Park Police that patrols the forest, people will continue to illegally use their vehicles, MAP or no MAP.
Ruset said the stakeholder meetings, open public forums and most recently, the statement from the DEP commissioner saying they'll start from scratch on the MAP, has him optimistic that a plan can be put in place that addresses the underlying issues at hand.
"We want to be reasonable partners and work with everyone," said Ruset, who stressed he didn't think it had to be an "us versus them" situation. "Maybe the environmental groups won't be completely happy, maybe the motorized recreation people won't be entirely happy, but if there's something in the middle, I think really we all win."
Howell, Rebozo and Hogan had their own brief moment of optimism after making it through the flooded sandy road. Just before they arrived back to Lake Atsion, a Park Police vehicle passed by on its way into Wharton to patrol.
"That's the first time I've seen them in a year," said Hogan.
Michelle Caffrey may be reached at mcaffrey@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ShellyCaffrey. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
