What will we do with 1 million more acres?

Wise stewardship of our land is critical

By:Michele S. Byers
   Taking care of an additional million acres of preserved land may be as big a challenge as preserving it. The need for wise stewardship of our public lands is critical.
   New Jersey voters — the same ones who overwhelmingly supported the million-acre campaign — must elect a governor and state legislators this fall who recognize the need for stewardship, and who will commit the necessary resources to maintain and protect preserved lands.
   Preserving a farm or wooded lot is only the first step. Once saved from development, we are faced with important choices about the land — are ball fields allowed? Should there be trails? What about parking lots and restroom facilities?
   In one current example, land on top of Hamburg Mountain in Sussex County was once preserved for wildlife management purposes. Today, several rare, threatened and endangered species make their home there. The mountain also is part of a region that provides drinking water to millions of New Jerseyans. When the mountaintop land was later sold to a local ski resort, restrictions were placed in the deed to make sure it was used only in ways consistent with conservation purposes — passive forms of recreation, such as hiking, bird-watching, hunting and fishing.
   However, the new owners of the ski resort have proposed building a golf course and residences that would forever alter the natural land. Hamburg Mountain — once preserved — now is being defended in court by many conservation groups. In essence, the land now has to be "saved again."
   Stewardship of land is not limited to protecting our current lands. It also includes restoration of habitat. In NJCF’s Dorothy Reserve in the Pine Barrens, we are restoring a Pine Barrens Savannah and a cedar swamp. The restored habitats will encourage native wildflowers, butterflies, birds and other flora and fauna.
   For more information on conserving land in New Jersey, please visit NJCF’s Web site at www.njconservation.org, or contact me at 1-888-LAND-SAVE or by e-mail to [email protected].
Michele S. Byers is executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation.