More than six months after a report outlined recommendations for better managing the issue of off-road vehicles damaging swaths of New Jersey state land, including the Pinelands, environmental advocates say they are no closer to a solution.
Jason Howell, an activist with the Pinelands Preservation Alliance which commissioned the New Jersey State Lands Management Report, said the problem has continued for years. One example of the negative impact the vehicles have had on the land has been evidenced by surveys done by the organization on ponds in the region.
The ponds nearest to the roads had a very high likelihood of being driven in by off-road vehicles (causing) damage to the habitat, Howell told NJ Advance Media. Ponds that were more isolated from dirt roads were fairly protected because off-road vehicle users didnt know they could get there. That shows the frequency of the off-road vehicle abuse in the Pinelands specifically, but we see reports all over the state of how these vehicles have become really a scourge on society.
Off-road vehicles, including ATVs and dirt bikes, are allowed in some parts of New Jersey under a set of requirements outlined by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Where are they not allowed? State parks and forests, with no exceptions, the agency notes online.
Frequent use of off-road vehicles has been shown to harm vegetation, wildlife, air quality, water quality and the socio-economic vitality of public parkland, the U.S. Geological Survey previously found.
Emile DeVito, a staff biologist with Chester Township-based non-profit, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, said the problem of illegal off-road vehicles invading state lands dates back to the 1980s when they became more prevalent here.
Off-road vehicles started to become popular and diversified and powerful. These vehicles that can just tear up and chew up and create their own passageways through the forest, DeVito said. Its just gotten worse and worse and worse.
A lack of concerted effort, a divestment in public land and lax enforcement of the issue which has been exacerbated by staff shortages are to blame for the ongoing epidemic of off-road vehicles, both Howell and DeVito said.
A New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman said figures on fines issued for off-road vehicle violations were not immediately available. She said the State Park Service currently has 223 employees and an additional 14 funded vacancies. Earlier this year, New Jersey Forest Service officials said staff levels have been low and the challenge has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this summer, the DEP closed sections of five wildlife management areas for four months due to illegal activists including off-road vehicles.
Forest land makes up 40% of New Jersey or nearly 2 million acres. According to the New Jersey State Lands Management Report, state parks have seen staff numbers dip by 28% since 2006, with 15 park superintendents currently overseeing more than 50 parks. There is one park service staff member for every 36,000 visitors or for every 5,500 acres of land, according to the report, made in partnership with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Highlands Coalition and the New York-New Jersey Trails Conference.
The low staff levels have led to reduced services including seasonally staffed or closed nature centers, swim areas closing early, and delayed storm cleanup, the report said. It later highlighted that about 300 more staff members would be needed statewide to bolster efforts.
State Park Police actively patrol the forest, including areas where illegal ATV use is suspected, DEP spokeswoman Caryn Shinske said in a statement provided to NJ Advance Media on Monday. We look forward to working with the many partner and friend organizations that are committed to ensuring that parks are protected, accessible and available to all.
The report, which was released in April, also outlines issues like the overabundance of deer, invasive species and deteriorating historic sites. It recommends the state officially recognize a new friends organization to manage ongoing issues, increase staff, become more efficient through additional partnerships and mitigate threats to state forest land more effectively.
The State Park Service is aware of the New Jersey State Lands Management Report, as part of the Fix Our Parks campaign but has not done a thorough review or analysis at this time. The State Park Service was not involved in the development of the report and, therefore, is unable to comment further on it, Shinske added.
DEP officials said State Park Police can impound or hold illegal vehicles for no less than 48 hours after the first offense. A rider must pay a $500 fee, as well as cover towing and storage fees, to retrieve the vehicle. Fees and holding time increase for additional offenses.
The New Jersey Attorney Generals Office has been successful in securing an increase in fines that can be issued for illegal off-road activity and associated damages, Shinske said, noting that the increase went into effect in July 2021. If a violation results in damage to or destruction of natural resources, an additional fine of five times the damage may be assessed.
Riders can be penalized from $500 to $1,000 for a second offense and a minimum of $1,000 for a third.
But Howell said it will take more than fines to make a dent in the issue of off-road vehicles in New Jersey state parks an issue he called a symptom.
Its a symptom of divestment, he said, because when you have a power vacuum, that allows bad actors to fill that vacuum. So, what you get is illegal dumping, illegal off-road vehicle use, and all sorts of other deleterious uses of the lands, which drives the good uses out.
The report states that New Jersey parks per capita operational and capital expenditures in 2018 are significantly lower than neighboring states 1/3 of Pennsylvanias operating budget, 1/6 of New Yorks and 2/3 of the national average.
New Jersey State Lands Management Report outlines New Jersey park budget data noting that it's "significantly lower" than its neighbors Pennsylvania and New York.
Howell and DeVito said that unless New Jersey takes more action and invests more in state land, problems will only grow worse. Off-road vehicles, they added, have already been seen to drive some visitors away.
If you wanted to go for a picnic with your family and you see ATVs, thats not going to be where you ever want to go and try to picnic again, Howell said. That kind of displacement is a serious negative concrete consequence of the disinvestment in our park system … what were building is the political grassroots momentum to get the state to reinvest in these critical places.
Robert Auermuller, superintendent of Wharton State Forest, stands near a dirt road and talks about a recent wildfire at Wharton State Forest, Tuesday, July 26, 2022.Joe Warner | For NJ Advance Media
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Steven Rodas may be reached at srodas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @stevenrodasnj.