What Our Members Are Saying
Results of the 2026 Membership Survey are in!
We are in the process of creating our next strategic plan to set the course for our work protecting New Jersey’s Pinelands over the next five years. From March 30th to April 1st we surveyed our members as part of this process. Member feedback is critical as we determine the projects, programs and initiatives that will best serve the public and the Pinelands.
We distributed survey links by email and sent postcards to members that we could not reach by email. We offered a paper survey option and entered those responses by hand into our survey tool. In total, 867 surveys were completed.
You can see a summary of the full survey results here.
Members were asked a wide range of questions. When asked what aspects of the Pinelands they valued the most, the top three answers were forests, rivers and other water resources, and plants and wildlife. Members were given a chance to share more information, and one of my favorite sentences is this one:
Being in the woods brings me back to my childhood and reminds me of how simple life was then and still can be as long as we have the Pinelands. Above all, I love the smell of the pine trees. I can close my eyes, breathe in, and transport back in time 50 years just from the scent of the forest. We need this to remain as is forever.
The most popular recreation activities included hiking, scenic drives, and bird watching. When asked what threats to the Pinelands concern them the most, more than 50% of respondents ranked warehouse and data center development, off-road vehicle damage to habitats, excessive water use and housing development as threats of “extreme concern”.
We asked people to share with us what actions the Pinelands Alliance should prioritize in order to protect the Pinelands over the next 10 years. People ranked options as low, moderate, high and critical priorities. The top critical priority for respondents was protecting water quality and supply, followed by protecting more land from development, and protecting and restoring plant and wildlife habitats. People were given a chance to share their thoughts, and I think this response speaks to the heart of what the Alliance does:
Keep your eye on the political aspects that could upset the entire apple cart. Political forces for good established the Pinelands National Reserve, alternate political forces could erase the protection just as quickly.
Questions? Email Kayla Harris, Membership Manager at kayla@pinelandsalliance.org or call 609-859-8860 ext. 132. Enjoy this final thought:
What makes the Pinelands special to me is that it feels like a place that still knows what it is. There’s a quiet integrity to it—the way the forests, rivers, and small towns exist without trying to be anything else. You can be out on the water or walking a trail and feel a kind of stillness that’s increasingly rare. Not empty—but alive in a quieter, deeper way. I’m especially drawn to the sense of continuity there. The Pinelands carry layers of history—indigenous roots, maritime traditions, the legacy of working the land and water—and yet it doesn’t feel like a museum. It’s living history. You see it in the boats, the towns, the people who still have a direct connection to place. There’s also something wonderfully quirky about it. The tea-colored rivers, the unique ecology, the folklore, the unexpected beauty in what at first glance might seem simple or even sparse—it rewards you the more you pay attention.
