Welcome to the New Jersey Pinelands

Our world is a world of contrasts, extraordinary natural treasures, scattered villages and settlements, and intensive suburban development.  In 1978 the National Parks and Recreation Act recognized the ecological significance of the New Jersey Pinelands area and established the
Pinelands National Reserve.

The Federal legislation helped motivate the state of New Jersey to pass the Pinelands Protection Act in 1979, the legal bedrock on which Pinelands conservation is built.  The Pinelands Protection Act created the New Jersey Pinelands Commission. The Commission has instituted the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan -- a plan that regulates, and over large areas restricts, development in the Pinelands.

The photographs above show places inside and right outside the Pinelands.  Pressure for development around and within the Pinelands is strong and growing.