The Pinelands are the largest connected area of wilderness in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Thousands have signed a petition seeking to make the Pine Barrens a national park, but it may be easier said than done.
The Change.org petition asks senators Cory Booker and Robert Menendez to work to make the area part of the National Park System. Wrightstown resident Beverly Medenbach started the petition two months ago and it had 5,515 signatures Thursday, out of a goal of 7,500.
The petition says that making it a national park could make more funding and resources available to protect the Pine Barrens from development and other harm.
In recent years, state officials have struggled to find a way to stop the illegal off-roading activity that is damaging Wharton State Forest, one of four state forests in the Pinelands. The construction of a natural gas pipeline in the Pine Barrens has also been approved.
Tom Pietrykoski, a spokesman for Booker, would not say on the record whether the senator supports the petition's goal. He said Booker supports protecting the land and getting more resources to do so.
"Whether designation of a portion of the Pine Barrens as a national park is the best approach to preserving this natural treasure is something that should be studied with significant input from New Jersey stakeholders," Pietrykoski said. "Senator Booker looks forward to hearing from a variety of voices as he continues his work to protect the Pine Barrens for generations to come."
Two experts in the management of the Pinelands said that it is unlikely the massive area will become a national park, and it might not change anything if it did.
That's because the Pinelands is already designated a national reserve, which offers some protections against big development. Four state forests, that are overseen and patrolled by the state, make up about one-third of the million-plus-acre reserve.
"It's already part of the National Parks System, though it's not a park per se," said Nancy Whittenberg, executive director of the New Jersey Pinelands Commission. "I'm not sure what making it a national park will change in terms of protection."
Whittenberg and Jaclyn Rhoads, assistant executive director of the non-profit Pinelands Preservation Alliance, said federal officials considered whether to make the Pine Barrens a national park in the 1970s, but opted instead to create that first national reserve.
"That really would have been the opportunity," Rhoads said.
One big reason for the decision is that the Pine Barrens includes thousands of acres of private and developed land. To make it a national park, the government would have to buy all of that land or carve out areas that would not be parklands.
"It's not feasible," Whittenberg said. "Over 300,000 people live there."
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The Pinelands National Reserve is the largest connected area of wilderness in the Mid-Atlantic region and despite its nutrient-poor soil that gives it its name, it is home to a diverse ecosystem including many rare plants and animals.
Whittenberg said the commission, created when the national reserve was born, approves development within the area to ensure that the unique forests and wetlands are preserved.
Rhoads speculated that the support of the petition may be somewhat in reaction to the Pinelands Commission staff approving a plan to build a pipeline through the Pine Barrens, despite an initial denial and opposition from the Pinelands Preservation Alliance and others.
"I think it's trying to raise awareness and trying to get more federal involvement," Rhoads said of the petition.
Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.