Inside The Pinelands Newsletter, Index, Pinelands Preservation Alliance of New Jersey, PPA NJ

On Halloween day, the New Jersey Senate confirmed Governor McGreevey's nomination of six new Pinelands Commissioners, including his extraordinary nomination of former Governor Jim Florio to Chair the Commission. A seventh nomination was temporarily delayed and should be confirmed by the time this goes to press. These new Commissioners should bring dramatic change to the Commission. Here are some of our thoughts on new initiatives the new Commissioners and their colleagues should pursue in the coming year.

The Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) has been hugely successful in diverting development from most Pine Barrens natural habitats within the Pinelands National Reserve. It has, at least temporarily, saved vast stretches of forests, streams and wetlands from development, and slowed the degradation of water quality in the region's aquifers and surface waters. The Pinelands protection program has helped create a strong sense among the citizens of our state that the Pinelands is a special place that merits special protection before it is lost forever.

Yet the past twenty years have also revealed deficiencies in the program and raised fundamental questions about whether existing rules and plans are sufficient to save the Pine Barrens forever. It is becoming evident that the pattern, level and design of development permitted within and around the Pinelands is slowly destroying the region's natural infrastructure—potentially dooming the Pine Barrens to a slow and tragic death. Those who think the Pinelands is already "saved" need to look a little closer.

Table of Contents:	Policy Priorities for Today's Pinelands Commission
	New Faces at the Pinelands Commission
	PPA Launches The Pine Barrens: up close and natural
	Hits of the Year
	Misses of the Year
	Wait and See
	Winterberry "Berries" and other Winter "Berries"
	What's on in the Pinelands?

Water Quality: The Pinelands Commission's science program has found that runoff from development and upland farming is contaminating Pine Barrens surface waters by adding nutrients and raising the pH of these waters. These chemical changes make the waters appealing to non-Pine Barrens species of plants and animals, which compete with, and often displace, the distinctive communities that make the Pine Barrens a haven for so many rare, threatened and endangered species.

Just as troubling, well testing throughout the Pinelands and neighboring regions is revealing pollution of the aquifers on a surprisingly frequent basis, including contamination with radioactive radium, mercury, nutrients and volatile organic compounds. The sources of this contamination appear to be various: agricultural chemicals, leaking dumps, and years of unregulated spills.

We think the Pinelands Commission should publicly recognize the need for new initiatives to reverse these trends. So far, neither the Commission nor Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has acknowledged the need for new measures to address the problem, much less have they taken any steps to reverse the progressive degradation of water quality. We think the Pinelands Commission should:

Water Supply: The Pinelands Commission does not control the allocation of fresh water (a public resource) for private use. That is done by DEP. But the CMP does control the new development that drives our ever-growing exploitation of the Pinelands' aquifer systems. The Commission should object to harmful new water allocation requests. The Commission should ask DEP to bar any new allocations from the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system, at least until the major scientific study of the system just getting underway is completed. And most importantly, the Commission should reevaluate the level of new development it encourages in Pinelands growth areas in light of diminishing water supplies.

Landscape and Habitat Protection: We think there are several things the Commission should do to improve protection of the Pine Barrens landscape and its distinctive habitats. The Commission needs to amend the CMP to improve the way threatened and endangered species habitats are identified before development approvals are given; the current system of relying on developer reports has proven tragically unreliable. PPA has suggested several specific reforms to the Commission. The Commission also needs to step up its work with DEP's Endangered and Nongame Species Program to map endangered species habitats in the Pinelands Regional Growth and Rural Development Areas. This information will enable the Commission to reconsider zoning in areas that contain important endangered species habitats.

In this area, too, we urge the Commission to move forward aggressively on developing new subdivision and community design standards for growth and forest areas. Standards that encourage appropriate clustering of units and preservation of woods, meadows or fields—both across large portions of a town and within a single development tract—can greatly reduce forest fragmentation and impacts of development on habitats, while creating more desirable properties for homebuyers.

Carleton Montgomery is the Executive Director of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. Michaek Galloway is a Trustee of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance.
E-mail the author with comments or feedback.

The new Chair and three other new Pinelands Commissioners attended their first Commission meeting on November 8. Former Governor Jim Florio officially took the gavel as Chair of the Pinelands Commission. He was joined by Betty Wilson, Ed Lloyd, and Guy Campbell, who now join the 15-member body that oversees development and land use in the Pinelands.

All were nominated by Governor McGreevey. Along with Candy Ashmun and Steve Lee—long-standing members of the body who were nominated for new terms by the Governor—the new Commissioners occupy six of the seven seats which are filled by the Governor. We expect Bob Hagaman, Mayor of Mullica Township, to be confirmed by the state Senate and join the Commission very soon to fill the seventh gubernatorial appointment.

In announcing his nominations, Governor McGreevey stated that he looked to Jim Florio and his other nominees to lead the Pinelands Commission back onto the path of preservation from which it has too often strayed in recent years. We think the Governor chose very well.

Jim Florio was one of the key architects of Pinelands protection when he served in the United States Congress and sponsored the federal legislation creating the Pinelands National Reserve. With his wealth of experience and history in Pinelands preservation, it is difficult to imagine a better candidate to lead the Commission. Betty Wilson is a long-time public servant, a former member of the state Assembly and high-ranking official at the Department of Environmental Protection, and was a founder and member of the Board of Trustees of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. Ed Lloyd is the Director of the Environmental Law Clinic at the Columbia University Law School and has been for many years a trailblazing lawyer in the cause of environmental protection in New Jersey. We do not yet know Rev. Guy Campbell, a Baptist minister from Moorestown, as well as the other new Commissioners, but we do know he believes in the importance of saving the living world of the Pine Barrens. Bob Hagaman has served his hometown of Mullica for many years and demonstrated a consistent allegiance to preserving Mullica's natural areas and rural landscape.

Governor Florio, his colleagues on the Commission, and the excellent staff of the Pinelands Commission have a great opportunity to turn their attention to basic policy challenges like those we have outlined in the cover story. We are very optimistic that over the next few years the Pinelands Commission will make historic strides in saving the New Jersey Pine Barrens forever.

The Pine Barrens: up close and natural is a new film from the Pinelands Preservation Alliance that explores and celebrates the nature and beauty of the New Jersey Pinelands. The brainchild of Trustee David Johnson and PPA's Education Committee, this film, three years in the making, was premiered on October 28th at the Trenton War Memorial. The launch event was sponsored by the J.M. Huber Corporation, which also supported the production of the film and the beautiful poster to promote it.

The title of the film comes from the fact that the Pinelands has none of the grand vistas associated with more celebrated wilderness areas in this country. It is topographically challenged, a flat expanse of pine and oak forests intersected by tea-colored streams and punctuated by cedar swamps, savannahs and bogs. But it contains much to marvel at hidden away in dens, burrows and wetlands. It is this aspect of the Pinelands that the filmmakers mostly concentrate on.

Apart from some wonderful aerial shots over vast pine forests and some great views of forest fires, the film mainly stays up close and personal with the plants and animals that make this place unique. Using the call of the Pine Barrens Tree Frog as an overture, the film explores the lives and habitats of Pinelands' reptiles, mammals and fish, as well as the many plants that color the landscape throughout the year.

It shows the carnivorous plants that have excited botanists since Victorian times, it explores the juxtaposition of disjunct populations found nowhere else on the planet and it presents, for the viewers’ pleasure, a litany of orchids, heaths and assorted other plants that add variety, interest and biodiversity to the ecosystem.

Never seen a Pine Barrens Tree Frog when it quonks? You will here. What about a River Otter? A Pine Snake? A Black-banded Sun Fish? All are cast in this film to represent the animals that are adapted to live in a place designated as “barren” by early settlers, but quite obviously not, as illustrated by the talent and patience of the filmmakers on this project.

That this film could be created in the year 2002 is a testament to the forces who developed and pushed the legislation to create the Pinelands National Reserve and the Pinelands Protection Act back in 1979. It was fitting, therefore, to welcome former Governor Brendan Byrne and former Governor James Florio to the premiere at the War Memorial.

Former Governor Byrne introduced the film with a speech filled with his usual wit and wisdom. Mike Huber, former and founding chair of PPA's Board of Trustees, introduced Governor Byrne with an explanation of how compromises and coalitions lead to preservation through the activism of citizens and the vision of a Governor. This introduction increased the viewing pleasure of the assembled audience, who were unanimous in their appreciation of the beauty of the Barrens.

The film is more than just a moving postcard. It is an exploration of the reasons the Pinelands is unique and the reasons it should be protected. It is educational but not dull, beautiful but not shallow.

PPA now has a lot of work to do to make sure this film is shown to the largest possible audience. We are hoping that local PBS stations will appreciate this well-made nature film. We are planning to distribute the film to schools and libraries in the Pinelands and make it available for sale to individuals and groups. We will provide copies of the film to be shown to any groups that are interested, and will send a PPA staff person to talk about the film and answer any questions about it, the Pinelands or the work of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance.

We would like to acknowledge and thank the J.M. Huber Corporation for its enthusiasm and support for the project, David Johnson for his continuing support and unfailing interest in the film, and also PSE&G and Conectiv, for contributing to the success of "The Pine Barrens—up close and natural".

HITS! The past year `was filled with a variety of positive news and events concerning the Pinelands:

With help from PPA and many, many concerned citizens, Governor Jim McGreevey scored a hit when he nominated a very strong slate of Pinelands Commissioners to fill the 7 seats chosen by the governor - see our cover article. The only downside was that we also lost three excellent Commissioners the governor chose not to renominate: Pine Barrens naturalist Ted Gordon, long-time environmental leader Sally Dudley, and retired businessman Jerry Jacobs.

Responding to growing citizen opposition, Little Egg Harbor officials have withdrawn their application to the State Plan Commission for a sprawl-inducing extension of the Tuckerton "center." The township originally sought to promote a large development plan in land that the Pinelands Plan and coastal development rules did not permit in forests between Tuckerton Borough and the Garden State Parkway. PPA and Save Barnegat Bay spread the word about this plan and helped the citizens of Little Egg Harbor organize against it.

The PPA-led task force for off-road vehicle (ORV) reforms made recommendations to the DEP last June, and most of the recommendations were well received. The DEP has initiated a program to step up enforcement against illegal ORV recreation, and is investigating options to help provide ORV parks in appropriate places. The key strategy that was identified by the task force for long-term reform, a statewide registration program, is still being considered by the DEP.

In a year of economic uncertainty and a degree of insecurity in the workplace, PPA's membership held steady. While we did not experience the growth in membership we have enjoyed in the last few years, we did welcome nearly 300 new members as a result of our spring membership drive. We launched our fall membership drive in November and thank everyone who responded. Our renewing members are very important to us and this year we have seen 80% of our members decide to continue their support. To our new members we say welcome to the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. To our renewing members we extend a heartfelt thank you for supporting our cause and helping us with our mission for yet another year.

PPA was very lucky this year to enjoy the services of Barbara Solem and Marilyn Crespy, who organized our 2002 Pinelands Celebration with great efficiency and humor. This event is held every year at Whitesbog Village. Thanks to the many volunteers and staff who give generously of their time and skills to make it happen. This year Janet Jackson-Gould brought her Clydesdales to give wagon tours to participants, Howard Boyd gave a fascinating presentation about the wildflowers of the Pinelands, and the Sugar Sand Ramblers entertained the crowd with their old-timey music. Mark your calendars for October 4th next year and join PPA and friends as they Celebrate the Pinelands.

For middle and high school science and social science teachers there is only one way to spend the week after July 4th—exploring the Pinelands with the fascinating and erudite presenters and field guides who come together as part of the annual Pinelands Summer Institute. This program is hosted by PPA and supported by the Leopold Fund at Lawrenceville School.

Last July thirty teachers participated in talks, walks and canoe trips designed to provide thems with information to incorporate Pinelands issues into their programs. Feedback from participants told us that we provided a good mix of speakers who ranged through many subjects including policy, culture, nature and archaeology. We are already looking forward to next year's Institute. If you would like to be informed about this program, click here to e-mail us or stop by our booth at ANJEE in January and ask a staff member.

PPA's Pinelands Adventures outdoor programs were well-attended in 2002. Forty-four regular and special programs were scheduled for the year, with approximately 800 attendees. The twelve adventures that make up this unique program are available year-round. This year PPA gave fourteen public presentations of its New Jersey Pinelands Threatened and Endangered Species program, with approximately 300 attendees. Groups included classes from Drexel University and Stockton College, local nature clubs, retirement village clubs, and a Boy Scout troop. The presentation features the state-listed animals that live in the Pinelands and the fifty-four plant species that receive regulatory protection under the CMP.

PPA's small staff was increased this year with the addition of Ted Korth as our new Project Manager for Law and Policy. Ted has dug into many of the issues reported on in this newsletter and has represented PPA at meetings and hearings. He is also very useful at changing light bulbs and putting up directional signs. And Diana Byrd, our membership manager, decided this year to go back to school part-time. She now shares her job with Lisa Turowsky, who helps maintain our database, communicate with our members and coordinate special mailings and events.

MISSES! The past year also brought with it some setbacks and some obstacles to our mission:

The New Jersey Legislature missed the mark when it succumbed to pressure from the builders' lobby and turned aside the so-called Pinelands Timed Growth Bill. Sponsored by Republican Senator Bill Gormley and supported by Democratic Governor Jim McGreevey, the bill would allow Pinelands regional growth area towns to control the pace of development through their master plans, so long as they also planned for the infrastructure needed to support future growth. The bill would have won time to institute better community planning, open space preservation, and infrastructure like schools to support better-quality development in designated growth zones.

While publicly advocating for more open space preservation, Governor McGreevey and his administration actively supported a landmark "diversion" of public parkland in Cape May County for development as a community college. And they did this despite the property's importance as a link in the only surviving greenbelt across the Cape May peninsula and as habitat for threatened and endangered species. Political deal-making prevailed over sound public policy and the state laws designed to prevent this kind of thing, including one that requires the use of any feasible alternative site before sacrificing public parkland. This case bodes very ill for the security of Green Acres and other parkland.

McGuire Air Force Base operated this nuclear missile facility between 1950 and 1972. In 1960, a missile containing a nuclear warhead exploded, sending radioactive plutonium into the air and soil. PPA has been following this for many years and providing comments at numerous meetings. This year, the US government took major steps toward cleaning up the site. Plutonium contaminated soil and concrete is now being removed from the site and stored at a facility out west. In addition, trichloroethylene (TCE), an industrial solvent, has contaminated the groundwater beneath the site and in Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area. Exposure to TCE can result in problems of the liver, kidney, immune system and nervous system, to name just a few. The groundwater plume is flowing into the surface water in the Success Branch at concentrations up to 70 parts per billion. (The drinking water standard is 1 part per billion.) The government has not yet committed to a clean-up plan for the TCE.

On the evening of February 20 the PPA and over 120 residents of the Pinelands packed the Berlin Borough Municipal building to tell the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to turn off controversial water supply Well No.12. This well had been drying up a stream and wetlands in Berlin and Evesham Townships that contain a plant listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. On that evening, the DEP did something that it very rarely does: hold a public hearing to stop the use of a well. This marked the culmination of an 18-month effort by PPA and the residents of Marlton Lakes to have this well turned off. In addition, the Commissioner of the DEP has prohibited the use of this well during a declared drought emergency. We are currently waiting for the DEP to make a final decision on closing the well.

You know how you're walking along in the Pine Barrens or paddling down one of the rivers, and you see all these berries on different trees and shrubs, and you wonder what they are, and if they're edible, or if the birds eat them? Well, winter is a good time to forget about blueberries and huckleberries, and go out and solve some of those other berry mysteries.

Some berries just beg to be noticed. How the Winterberry shrub, Ilex verticillata, got its common name is no mystery, since it loses its coarse-toothed, oval-shaped leaves in the fall and displays its persistent bright red berries against the drab swamps and thickets where it grows. These berries are toxic to humans, but birds and mammals eat them. This shrub is also known as Black Alder.

A very similar shrub, Smooth Winterberry, Ilex laevigata, may be more common in the Pine Barrens, and grows in the same habitats. Smooth Winterberry leaves (if you can find them lying on the ground) will be more shallowly toothed than those of the look-alike Winterberry. Also, the fruits are likely to appear more orange-red.

Most of us are probably much more familiar with another Ilex, the moist-woodland tree known as American Holly. Branches of wild female Ilex opaca trees used to be heavily harvested at Christmas-time in South Jersey for their spiny, evergreen leaves and splendid red berries. Witmer Stone, in The Plants of Southern New Jersey (1911), described the local trees as "dwarfed" and "barren" because of such practices. These berries are generally considered toxic to humans, though Native Americans used them for colic and dyspepsia. Many birds and mammals readily eat them.

The truly characteristic holly of the Pine Barrens is the Inkberry, Ilex glabra. Like American Holly, this shrub is evergreen, but the leaves are not at all spiny. The berries are just as persistent, but they're black. Though not entirely restricted to wetlands, Inkberry tends to grow mostly in damp or wet places. Like the others of the genus Ilex, in our area, the berries are mostly for the birds.

There's one other shrub in the Holly Family that we may encounter, especially on the western fringe of the Pine Barrens. Mountain Holly, Nemopanthus mucronatus, is another deciduous holly restricted to wet places. You could also find it while exploring north Jersey or Cape May. The leaves are elliptic, abruptly pointed, and alternate, though often tightly clustered on short spurs. The ¼ inch berries hang from long, slender stalks and are dull red.

The Holly Family (Aquifoliaceae) is just one family among the many families of plants in the Pinelands that make winter-persistent berries. They bring a nice splash of color to the otherwise muted tones of winter, and they pique the curiosity. Of course, holly berries aren't really berries. They're drupes, like cherries, plums, and peaches. But no winter explorer in the Pinelands wants to be caught saying, "Look at those beautiful, bright red holly drupes!"

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Policy Priorities for Today's Pinelands Commission