Advocates for motor vehicle access in Wharton State Forest say a map of 200 miles of dirt roads eliminates far too many routes, while preservationists like the plan. A public comment period is underway.
Advocates for motor vehicle access in Wharton State Forest say a map of 200 miles of dirt roads eliminates far too many routes, while preservationists like the plan. A public comment period is underway.
Advocates line up for and against road use plan for Wharton pressofatlanticcity.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pressofatlanticcity.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Credit: (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)
New Jersey Pinelands
The Department of Environmental Protection plans to hold public hearings to try to settle a long-running confrontation over the illegal use of off-road vehicles on state property in the Pinelands, the DEP’s new Commissioner, Shawn LaTourette, said.
LaTourette hopes the hearings will find a way of balancing the interests of drivers of pickup trucks and all-terrain vehicles with those of hikers, birders or anglers.
The hearings represent the latest attempt to resolve a rancorous public debate over the recreational use of the Pinelands, in which conservationists accuse off-roaders of a lawless disregard for the environment, while the drivers resist official attempts to restrict where they can roam in the vast forests of South Jersey.