National Park Service2011 Strategic Plan U.S. DepartmentNew of the Interior Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route Northeast Region Office Division of Interpretation and Education 2011 Strategic Plan New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route PDF, Part 1 of 2 August 2, 2011 EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA™ New Jersey 2011 Strategic Plan National Park Service New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route CoastalU.S. Department of the Interior Trail Rout e Northeast Region Office Division of Interpretation and Education 2011 Strategic Plan New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route NPS 2011 Strategic Plan New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route 389 Fortescue Road; PO Box 568 Newport, NJ 08345 After September 30, 2011, communication should be directed to: New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route c/o Division of Interpretation and Education National Park Service, Northeast Region U.S. Custom House 200 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19106 Opposite: East Point Lighthouse, Cumberland County, New Jersey. Paul Leakan, Pinelands Commission Contents Executive Summary 5 Introduction 11 Vision and Mission 13 History and Current Status of the Trail 15 Trail Accomplishments 23 Issues 35 Organizational Options Summary 41 Public Engagement Process 51 Acknowledgments 59 Appendices Appendix A: Legislation, 1988-2008 61 Appendix B: Trail Implementation Guide 69 Appendix C: Staffing History and Administrative Review Recommendations, 2003 149 Appendix D: Funding History, Construction and Operations 151 Appendix E: Budget Analysis−Implementation Plan vs. Actual Appropriations 153 Appendix F: List of Trail Partner Destinations 155 Appendix G: Public Engagement Process: Meeting Agenda and Organizations/Agencies Represented 159 Appendix H: Resolutions, Written Comments, and Correspondence 163 Appendix I: Meeting Announcements and Media Coverage 189 Opposite: Batona Trail, Pinelands National Reserve. Right: Harold N. Peek Preserve, Cumberland County, New Jersey. Steve Eisenhauer, Natural Lands Trust Steve Eisenhauer, © NEW YORK 95 CITY PERTH AMBOY Sandy Hook Raritan Bay Gateway National KEYPORT Recreation Area Welcome 36 Center Sandy Hook Navesink River D Region SEA BRIGHT e RED BANK la w a r e 18 LONG BRANCH 295 36 R i ve 18 ASBURY PARK r M an a OCEAN GROVE TRENTON River sq u a Shark River 195 n 476 276 T 34 Sandy Hook/Barnegat Bay om Region boundary s Manasquan Inlet 76 Ri POINT PLEASANT BEACH 295 ve 95 r e ik New Jersey p rn u Pennsylvania T Intracoastal Waterway y e rs e J 70 PHILADELPHIA CAMDEN w TOMS RIVER 37 e Walt Whitman N SEASIDE PARK Bridge y a y 70 w k a r CHESTER a B Barnegat Bay P Commodore e t Region t Barry a t a Bridge S g 42 n e 72 e n d r r d s a 9 a Barnegat Inlet a n G B WILMINGTON 322 55 e l BARNEGAT LIGHT 295 i n DEEPWATER P Delaware MANAHAWKIN 95 47 Memorial G y Bridge r e e 40 a s t r E SHIP BOTTOM Welcome g g e Center H J a Mu Fort Mott rb A llic o tl a State Park r a n R t i R ic v i e v C r w e i r t y SALEM e E N x HOLGATE N p 47 re ss 49 322 w A 40 ay Barnegat Bay/Absecon 50 9 Region boundary E M D a BRIDGETON u e r C i Absecon Region c l e a 55 GREENWICH 40 w O BRIGANTINE a MILLVILLE r hanse R e o y R. i 49 C v R e ATLANTIC CITY r iv e 553 r MARGATE CITY C I Absecon/Cape May Region boundary 13 Delsea Region T 50 OCEAN CITY Intracoastal Waterway PORT WOODBINE N FORTESCUE NORRIS Cape May Region A L DOVER Welcome Center 47 Ocean View Service Area, T Garden State Parkway A Delaware Bay Intracoastal Waterway Delsea/Cape May Region boundary Delaware STONE HARBOR 9 Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal Designated cities and towns are for directional purposes only and may or may not be CAPE MAY official Trail destinations. 0 10 Kilometers New Jersey Coastal Ferry to Delaware Heritage Trail Route Area 0 10 Miles NPS 4 New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route, 2011 Strategic Plan Executive Summary Background Enabling Legislation and Original Intent and Habitats, Wildlife Migration, Relaxation & Mission Inspiration, and Historic Settlements—are The New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route used to explore the heritage of the New Jersey (hereafter Trail) was established by federal leg- coast. The Trail has been organized as a public islation under Public Law 100-515 (Appendix driving trail that links non-contiguous destina- A) in 1988 to promote awareness, stewardship, tions under the five themes. and protection of natural and cultural re- sources along nearly 300 miles of New Jersey The Guide called for an initial five-year imple- coastline using interpretation and promotion mentation period with the NPS and state of rather than federal ownership. The legislation New Jersey cooperatively managing the Trail, authorized the Secretary of the Interior to des- followed by a diminished role by the NPS and ignate a vehicular tour route linking important an expanded role by the state of New Jersey. natural and cultural sites, to provide technical assistance in the development of interpretive Legislative History materials and conservation methods, to pre- Congress made various changes to the Trail’s pare and distribute informational material for legislation and funding over the years. Cur- public appreciation of sites along the route, rent legislation calls for a strategic plan and a and to erect signs to guide the public. sunset date. According to the legislation, the strategic plan should describe both “oppor- The National Park Service (NPS) has had the tunities to increase participation by national lead responsibility from the beginning with and local private and public interests in the assistance from three state of New Jersey planning, development, and administration of agencies [Department of Environmental Pro- the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route;” tection, Division of Parks and Forestry (that and “organizational options for sustaining the includes the New Jersey Historic Preservation New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route.” Six Office); Division of Travel and Tourism; and public meetings and additional briefings have the Pinelands Commission (significant por- been held about the future of the Trail, and tions of the Pinelands National Reserve over- a set of four organizational options has been lap with the Trail)]. developed. Project Area As of July 2011, the Trail has a sunset date of The enabling legislation defined the Trail’s September 30, 2011, beyond which the NPS project areas as generally to the east of the will no longer have authority to manage or Garden State Parkway, from Sandy Hook to participate in the Trail. Cape May and south of State Route 49 along the Delaware Bay. The project area (see Fig- Status of Trail Implementation ure 1) was expanded later to include a portion The Trail has five interpretive themes (Mari- of the coast along the Raritan Bay from Sandy time History, Coastal Habitats, Wildlife Migra- Hook westward to the City of Perth Amboy. tion, Relaxation & Inspiration, and Historic The Trail includes portions of eight counties Settlements). The first three of these themes (Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington, are in operation. Planning is incomplete for Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem) the remaining two themes. There are nearly and six Congressional districts (2, 3, 4, 6, 12, sixty locations or facilities associated with the and 13). The project area is divided into five Trail as “Sites,” “Points of Interest,” “Welcome regions. Centers,” and “Local Information Centers.” Two of the proposed five welcome centers Implementation Plan have been fully developed. The Implementation Guide, New Jersey Coastal Figure 1. The map opposite Heritage Trail Route (Appendix B) was com- Staffing and Funding shows the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route’s project pleted in early 1993. Five interrelated inter- Trail Staff: During the initial years of Trail area (green). pretive themes—Maritime History, Coastal implementation, the staff consisted of 5-6 NPS National Park Service 5 full-time equivalents (FTE). Current staffing May County. An interim welcome center is consists of 2.5 FTE. Due to a deteriorating located at the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway financial situation, the New Jersey Division National Recreation Area. Except for Sandy of Parks and Forestry has only been able to Hook, Trail welcome centers are owned and provided one and occasionally two part-time staffed by non-NPS partners with all operat- seasonal positions most years to supplement ing costs covered by the partner agencies. The NPS staff. Trail has provided exhibit design and instal- lation while partners rehabilitated the exhibit Trail Funding: Overall actual NPS construc- facilities. tion and operational support between FY 1993 and FY 2011 has been closer to $4.5 million Promotional Brochures compared to planning projections of $10.9 An NPS full-color unigrid brochure provides million. This explains, in part, why the initial a general introduction to the Trail with a map implementation has yet to be completed. of the overall project area and the location of welcome centers. In addition, the Trail has Partnerships developed a series of regional brochures with The Trail works through partnerships with detailed information on individual destinations. federal, state, and local government agencies; nonprofit organizations; and corporate inter- Website Presence ests. All destinations are owned and managed The Trail has its own NPS webpage at www. by partners; the Trail neither owns nor man- nps.gov/neje. This website includes all of the ages any land or resources directly. The Trail information found in the Trail’s general and Managing partner logos: (1) New demonstrates the potential of public/private regional brochures and includes links to part- Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Parks and partnerships that allow the National Park ner destinations.