New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve (also known as
Pinelands National Reserve) preserves the
New Jersey Pine BarrensThe Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands, is a heavily forested area of coastal plain stretching across southern New Jersey. The name "pine barrens" refers to the area's sandy, acidic, nutrient-poor soil, to which the crops originally imported by European settlers didn't take well...
.
The Pinelands is a unique location of historic villages and berry farms amid vast oak-pine forests (
pine barrensPine barrens, also known as pine plains, sand plains, pinelands, pine bush, and pitch pine-scrub oak barrens, occur throughout the northeastern U.S. from New Jersey to Maine as well as the Midwest and Canada...
), extensive wetlands, and diverse species of plants and animals. It is protected by state and federal legislation through management by local, state, and federal governments and the private sector.
New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve (also known as
Pinelands National Reserve) preserves the
New Jersey Pine BarrensThe Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands, is a heavily forested area of coastal plain stretching across southern New Jersey. The name "pine barrens" refers to the area's sandy, acidic, nutrient-poor soil, to which the crops originally imported by European settlers didn't take well...
.
The Pinelands is a unique location of historic villages and berry farms amid vast oak-pine forests (
pine barrensPine barrens, also known as pine plains, sand plains, pinelands, pine bush, and pitch pine-scrub oak barrens, occur throughout the northeastern U.S. from New Jersey to Maine as well as the Midwest and Canada...
), extensive wetlands, and diverse species of plants and animals. It is protected by state and federal legislation through management by local, state, and federal governments and the private sector. The reserve contains
Wharton State ForestWharton State Forest is a state park in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The largest single tract of land in the state park system of New Jersey, it encompasses approximately 115,000 acres of the Pinelands northwest of Hammonton, in Burlington, Camden, and Atlantic counties. The entire park is...
,
Brendan T. Byrne State ForestThe Brendan T. Byrne State Forest is a 34,725-acre area in the New Jersey Pine Barrens in New Jersey's Burlington and Ocean Counties. It is the state's second largest state forest . There are 25 miles of hiking trails and a camping area...
and
Bass River State ForestBass River State Forest is a 23,563-acre state park in the Pine Barrens in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. The first of New Jersey's state forests, it was acquired by the state in 1905 for public recreation, water conservation, and wildlife and timber management. Sixty-seven-acre ...
, which provide public recreation facilities. It was the nation's first national reserve.
Administrative History
Authorized November 10, 1978. Designated a
biosphere reserveThe UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve Programme was established in 1977 to promote an interdisciplinary approach to research, training and communications in ecosystem conservation and rational use of natural resources.-Development:...
1983. The reserve is managed by the
New Jersey Pinelands Commission, and is an affiliated area of the
National Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
.
The commission was created by a 1979 act of the
New Jersey LegislatureThe New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
titled the Pinelands Act. Its mission statement indicates its role "is to preserve, protect, and enhance the natural and cultural resources of the Pinelands National Reserve, and to encourage compatible economic and other human activities consistent with that purpose." It consists of 15 commissioners, of whom seven are appointed by the
Governor of New JerseyThe Governor of New Jersey is the chief executive of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The current holder of that office is Jon Corzine, who re-assumed executive powers on May 7, 2007 from acting Gov. Richard Codey, after recuperating from an automobile accident on April 12, 2007...
subject to the approval of the
New Jersey SenateThe New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the State Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
. Another seven commissioners are to be appointed, one each, by the seven New Jersey counties affected by the Pinelands Act:
AtlanticAtlantic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2000 Census, the population is 252,552. Its county seat is Mays Landing....
,
BurlingtonBurlington County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county seat is Mount Holly. The county seat had been in Burlington, but as population moved away from the Delaware River a more central location was needed. As of 2000, the population was 423,394.Burlington County dates...
,
CamdenCamden County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 508,932. Its county seat is Camden. It was formed on March 13, 1844, from portions of Gloucester County....
,
Cape MayCape May County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 102,326. This county is part of the Delaware Valley area as well as the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat is the Cape May Court House section on Middle...
,
CumberlandCumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2000 Census, the population is 146,438. Its county seat is Bridgeton. It is part of the Vineland-Millville- Bridgeton Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses the New Jersey cities of Vineland,...
,
GloucesterGloucester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 254,673. Its county seat is Woodbury.This county is part of the Delaware Valley area...
and
OceanOcean County is a county located along the Jersey Shore in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Toms River, which, like the county itself, has been one of the fastest growing areas of the state since the 1990s. As of the United States 2000 Census, the population was 510,916...
Counties. The 15th and final commissioner is appointed by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Commission terms are three years in length and include no official compensation. The commission meets monthly, as do most of its sub-committees.
Source
- The National Parks: Index 2001-2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, and to...
.
External links