MANALAPAN — The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders has eased restrictions on certain activities at the Quail Hill Scout Reservation on La Valley Drive.
The freeholders took the action at their Nov. 13 meeting.
Quail Hill has been used by the Monmouth Council Boy Scouts of America as a base for outdoor activities for many years. The Boy Scouts sought modification of restrictions involving dead trees and deer hunting on the property.
According to a resolution passed by the freeholders, the Boy Scouts gave Monmouth County a conservation easement by deed of easement that was recorded on Nov. 16, 1992.
The deed of easement preserves and protects the natural, scenic and open space values of the Quail Hill Scout Reservation, according to the resolution. The deed also protects the land from ecological imbalance and improper land use.
According to the resolution, the Boy Scouts requested modifications to be made by the county due to hazards presented by dead trees and branches, as well as the increase in the size of the deer herd on the property. The increase in the number of deer is due to the loss of habitat from residential and commercial development in the area, according to the resolution.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres program assisted with the acquisition of the conservation easement in 1992. A review and approval of Green Acres was necessary for the modification of the easement and was approved on June 12.
According to the resolution approving the modifications, the Boy Scouts of America “may remove fallen trees from the immediate vicinity of buildings, activity areas, across trails, roads, parking lots or standing trees posing a direct hazard to residents, campers, structures or improvements.”
The removal of fallen trees will be under the direction of the camp ranger, who will keep a record of what trees are removed, according to the resolution.
The Boy Scouts will submit an annual tree-removal report to the Monmouth County Park System. All timber will remain on the property for firewood use, camp construction projects, or turned into woodchips for use as trail surfacing or plant mulch.
The second modification states that “in accordance with local, county and state regulations, deer hunting will be permitted by an organized and insured association by the [Boy Scouts] and with the prior approval of the [Monmouth County Park System] year to year with lease payments made to Quail Hill Scout Reservation,”
The Boy Scouts will permit no trapping unless approved by the county’s park system for public safety and health purposes, according to the resolution.
Contact Taylor M. Lier at [email protected].