ALEX DOCNJ Fl42 .P5 l€ T46 1977 PJne BdRRens

OF NEW JERSEY ,· '

Fir·st printing 1967 Revised 1977

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THE PINE BARRENS OF NEW JERSEY By Lester S. Thomas

I F 0 R E W0 R D

The New Jersey pine barrens is a broad expanse of relatively level land cov­ ering approximately one and one-third million (539,600 sq. hm.) acres on the coastal plain between the piedmont and the tidal strip, roughly eighty miles (49. 7 km.) long and thirty miles (18. 6 km.) wide. It includes most of Ocean and Atlan- j'~, tic Counties,much of Burlington County, and portions of Cape May, Cumberland,Glou­ cester,and Camden Counties. Fringes of the pine area extend also in Salem and Mon- 1 mouth Counties.

This unusual tract has attracted attention for over three hundred years and is still an area of interest to individuals and groups of concerned and curious persons. Correspondence from throughout the State and across the country is re­ ceived regularly with inquiries on one or more aspects of the barrens. To answer these requests for information in general, the following article has been p~e­ pared. No attempt at detailed description has been made. Persons wishing more complete information should consult the appropriate references in the appended bibliography.

Appreciation is extended to the several persons whose suggestions and con­ structive criticism have been most helpful in assembling the information in the following pages. THE WILD PINE LANDS

The first white men to enter the pine lands of southern New Jersey undoubt­ edly followed the few established trails of the Lenape that led to the shell fisheries on the coast. The peculiar wildness of the region, empty of human life, must have impressed these early explorers, accustomed as they were to the massive deciduous forest trees and the grass meadows of the uplands, and the river valley and the coastal marshes where an occasional Indian village could be found. Al­ though these trails through the pines represented a long day's journey, there is no evidence of any permanent Indian camp or village within the area. The red man apparently held tQe deep pine lands in certain awe and shunned them as far as possible.

There is a strange wild beauty in this region, even today, that both attracts and repels. It is not unlike the desert in this respect. Unique properly describes the pine barrens, but those sensitive to the appeal of open space prefer the word, incomparable, in visualizing this block of wilderness. The average citizen, flying over it or driving the long straight highways that transect it, is likely to think of it as wasteland. And those persons always eager to exploit undeveloped open areas see only what they consider a great potential for profit and tax revenue. Botanists, foresters, naturalists, biologists, and many outdoor recreationists, however, will quickly challenge any views that threaten the status quo of the pine lands.

There are places in the pine barrens--the Apple Pie Hill fire tower, for in­ stance--where the outlook to the four horizons is an apparently unbroken carpet of forest, with a glimmer here and there of small ponds and only a distant hint or two of human intrusion. And this amazing wilderness is less than a hundred miles (160.9 km.) from New York City at the north and Philadelphia at the south! Attrac­ tive at all seasons--spring and summer with the beauty of countless bog flowers and the fragrance of sun-warmed pines and cedars,autumn with a colorful palette on a background of green, and winter with its snow-streaked, almost stark and lonely aspect--the region has a continuing appeal the more striking because of its geo­ graphic setting.

SOIL AND FOREST

-The white sandy soil of the barrens, overlaying what is known to geologists as the Cohansey formation, is largely infertile. With the exception of areas of l blueberry and cranberry culture and isolated truck farms, it is not suited to commercial agriculture. The natural forest covering the bulk of the region is predominantly pitch.pine, Pinus rigida, with scattered stands of shortleaf pine, Pinus echinata. "In no other region in North America does the pitch pine cover such an extended area of country as a dominant tree," (Harshberger, 1916). Oak trees of several species are common where the pines have been removed, and oak becomes the climax type where firmly established. In the swamps and along the streams, southern white cedar and swamp magnolia are very common, with sour gum, red maple, and gray birch on somewhat drier soils nearby.

1 The forest understory and thicket consists of a variety of woody shrubs and sub-shrubs such as blueberries, huckleberries, sweet pepperbush, buttonbush, winterberries, chokeberries, poison sumac, shad bush, staggerbush, greenbriers, Virginia creeper, and others. There is also an abundance of sweetfern, sand myrtle, leatherleaf, sheep laurel, hudsonia, bearberry, viburnums, and azalea. Well over a hundred species of herbaceous plants, some exceedingly rare, are found in the bogs, the wooded swamps, the dry woods, and along the roadsides. In areas of fire­ ravaged woodland, the underbrush is often very dense and furnishes protection for the young pitch pines that sprout profusely from the burned stumps of the parent trees.

THE PLAINS

In the east central part of the region there is a tract of about 12,000 acres (4,856.4 sq. hm.) popularly known as the "Plains." This tract supports a growth of unusually scrubby oak and pine which scarcely reaches an average height of four feet. Scientists have published several theories accounting for this stunted for­ est, the consensus pointing to a combination of factors: fires, infertility,expo­ sure, and aridity. But under the trees grows a fairly heavy ground-cover, mostly heath types, with a generous mixture of herbaceous plants. Typical of the Plains flora are carpets of the Conrad crowberry, Corema conradi, and the bearberry,fi.rc­ tostaphylos uva-ursi, both plants reminiscent of the cold barrens in the North. In spite of repeated fires which have swept the Plains since before white settlement, an interesting variety of plant life continues to thrive here.

BERRY CULTURE

Extensive acreages of swamp land in the pine region have been cleared over the years for cranberry growing, and large tracts of drier ground are cultivated for blueberry production. In a few sections, as in the vicinity of Tabernacle and Indian Mills, considerable truck farming is carried on. An interesting industry of the pine barrens, which has disappeared in many sections, is the gathering and drying of sphagnum moss for sale to nurserymen and for packing and insulation. In former days, local inhabitants augmented the family incomes by gathering laurel, mistle­ toe, arbutus, and medicinal herbs for sale in Philadelphia and other cities.

The cranberry lands were established in cut-over white cedar swamps. Where cranberry growing has been abandoned the bogs have gradually changed to savannah types with grasses, other herbaceous plants, and seedling deciduous trees and shrubs moving in. Occasionally the original cedar reestablishes itself in small areas. Where conditions have been favorable, a few pines will also enter the bog edges. Students of natural phenomena find here an excellent example of plant suc­ cession and the attempt by nature to vegetate an exposed area.

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WATERS

Under the mats of vegetation and layers of sand is a fairly constant water table, • the top of a great reservoir underlying the whole region. It was this tremendous water resource that influenced the late Joseph Wharton to make wide­ spread land purchases in the last century; this area of almost 10,000 (4,047 sq. hm.) acres is now owned by the State and called the Wharton State Forest, Wharton estimated that the water from his holdings would furnish nearby cities with up to 300 million (1,135.5 ml.) gallons daily. Politics dictated, however, that he could not export water into another state; the water enterprise was abandoned.

The principal streams which drain the region are the several branches of the Rancocas Creek at the west; Great Egg Harbor at the southeast; Westecunck, Oyster, and Cedar Creeks and the Toms, Metedeconk, and Manasquan Rivers at the east and north; and the Mullica River and its tributaries (the Wading, Bass, and Batsto Rivers and the Nescochague and Landing Creeks) easterly. The Oswego River and Tulpehocken Creek flow into the Wading River.

Because the pines are a land of low relief, most stream banks are low and sometimes barely distinct where the water flows through a wooded swamp. It is not unusual for creekside vegetation to reach across the streams and form a continuous canopy over the slow-moving water. Only where the terrain dips or the channel is constricted, does the current pick up sufficiently to resemble small rapids. The streams of the pine barrens are lazy waters.

EARLY INDUSTRY

Long before Wharton saw water sale possibilities in the massive aquifers of the pine lands, Jerseymen, who were not impressed by Indian pine barrens folklore, were using the region fo:: whatever profitable ventures the barrens afforded. First to move in were the loggers who cut clean. Pine and cedar lumber moved steadily to shipyards and nearby towns foryears before, during and after the Revolution. Roads to the coastal communities followed theloggers and charcoal burners, and hostelries were established at a number of places along the sand roads. Bog iron was dis­ covered in the barrens, and forges and furnaces were built on the major streams and branches. Iron proved a fairly profitable venture for a generation or so, but shortly after the mid-nineteenth century the Jersey iron industry practically dis­ appeared. Competition from the Pennsylvania furnaces with their superior ore and coal fuel was overwhelming; the bog ironworks were forced to rely on the uncertain l qualities and limited availability of charcoal for fueling their forges.

Glass making, using the fine silica sands of certain areas, followed the iron era and flourished for a time; afew large glassworks still prosper on the southern edge of the pines. Paper mills were built on several of the streams, using salt lf hay for fiber; but they, too, were short-lived.

3 By the turn of the twentieth century the cranberry industry was full-fledged, and a few years later blueberry culture became a business of great promise, con­ tinuing to the present day. Although cranberrying has declined to some extent, these are theonly extensive and profitable industries now active in the pine lands.

ATTEMPTED SETTLEMENT

Aside from the berry growing in recent times, the pine barrens has been put to practically no productive or consumptive use. Over the years there have been many attempts by individuals and land promoters to settle the area with homes and farms. Host were complete failures, resulting in property abandonment, tax sales, removal of names from assessment lists, selling and reselling, subdividing, and a general confusion of ownership. Clear titles were often difficult to obtain, the land was found to be "worthless" to many hopeful owners, and the attempted move to populate the uninhabited barrens slowed to a halt.

GHOST TOWNS

Where the ironworks once stood, nature has practically obliterated all traces of the once-busy communities. Ghost towns now dot the pines with only the remains of a structure or two, or none at all, as vague reminders of the places where people once lived and worked. A number of the ponds that were built to power sawmills and gristmills and to furnish water for other purposes still remain. The shores of these ponds provide fertile ground for typical pine barrens flora. Likewise the abandoned cranberry bogs and the old clearings have become ideal propagation grounds for the characteristic growth of the barrens.

Although the region remained wild and primitive--a forbidding land to most people--it claimed the attention of the early naturalists and became especially well known as a locality for unusual plants. To the botanists the barrens was a natural wilderness recovered from its early clear-cutting and slashing by lumbermen and charcoal burners. A number of areas have since become major botanical meccas. Many have historical and sentimental value as well. The combination of natural history and human interest associated with these places gives them an intellectual aura and educational status that many concerned persons would preserve.

BATSTO

One of the principal communities of the iron days was Batsto, established in 1765 in Burlington County a few miles from the salt reaches of the lower Mullica River. Although fires and neglect left their destructive marks on the village, the core of the community has remained. Protection and restoration by the State has resulted in an attractive and authentic early pine barrens village. Open to the

4 view of visitors now are the "big house" where the master lived, several workers' cottages, the general store and post office, sawmill, gristmill, and a number of other old buildings. Restoration is continuing.

In the Batsto vicinity a nature area has been set aside for the edification of those who wish to know more of the flora of the region. Tours of this area, as well as of the historical structures and village layout, are available.

WILDLIFE

It is reasonable to suppose that other forms of wild nature would be present in the barrens as well as the much-publicized plant life. To some extent this is so. Where underbrush furnishes browse and protection and the savannahs support desirable grasses, the white-tailed deer is plentiful. The local herds do not seem to have been decimated to any appreciable extent by the heavy hunting pressure in this inter-metropolitan area; deer may be seen on almost any excursion into the pine woods. Throughout the region where once was found the black bear, panther, timber wolf, and bobcat, there now is left the deer, the gray fox, skunk, raccoon, rabbit, and opossum. Muskrats thrive on many of the creeks and rivers, mink are found here and there, otters are known to be present in a few places, and beavers are increasing to the point of being a nuisance in some areas at the edge of the barrens.

Smaller mammals such as a few species of mice, red squirrel, gray squirrel, common mole, shrews, little brown myotis, and the weasel are more or less common.

The last of the three big mammals (wolf, panther, bear) to disappear was the black bear. Not wholly carnivorous, the bear subsisted in season on the abundant :,j blueberries and acorns. Bruin was said to be so common that he would sometimes be seen sharing a blueberry patch with a lone human berry picker. i, Eighty-four species of birds are known to breed in the pines, some regularly and others occasionally. This number includes the few kinds that follow the clear­ ing of the woods and the establishment of homes and farms. Little concentrated study of the bird life of the barrens has been made, although ornithological re­ search is strongly indicated in such unusual environment. l Reptiles and amphibians in the pine barrens are represented by thirteen frogs and toads, nine salamanders, three lizards, eighteen snakes, and ten turtles (Conant). Two of the frogs are rare: the pine barrens tree frog, Hyla andersoni, l and the carpenter or sphagnum frog, Rana virgatipes. The former has its principal habitat here; it is known elsewhere only in isolated colonies in the South. The carpenter frog lives in cool, mossy bogs elsewhere than in New Jersey, but nowhere is it a common species. It is undoubtedly the peculiarly acid waters of the habitat that have localized these two amphibians. l

5 AN OUTDOOR LABORATORY

Because of the abrupt change in physical environment--soil and water acidity and great areas of sand--the New Jersey pine barrens have become truly an "island" habitat for several species of plant and animal life not found in adjacent territory. As an outdoor laboratory and museum for biologists and ecologists, the pine lands have no equal in the State.

The vegetation in general is an old and relict flora occupying its area since prehistoric days. Existing essentially in the same circumatances as in its original state, it provides most unusual opportunities for plant research. There are areas here that are visited regularly by students from eastern schools and colleges for teaching and special projects. Hany of these special areas are in the protected State lands within the barrens, but there are other sites of equal ecological significance presently outside of State ownership that should be protected from future disturbance.

The multi-acred pine and oak natural areas of southern New Jersey are among the last of these biologically important types. rluch basic information is available here in the study of structure, function, and development of mankind's natural environment. Ecologists look to the pine barrens with its oak interludes as a significant segment of a continent-wide biological reserve, a concept now under consideration by a number of the nation's scientists.

BOTANICAL AREAS

Among the more notable sites of botanical interest are Quaker Bridge, Martha Furnace, Atsion, Hampton Furnace, Forge Pond, Lower Forge, Sims Place, East and West Plains, and the Goose Ponds near Egg Harbor City. Many of the bogs and ponds found in these spots are the result of early clearing, damming, diking, and bridging of local streams. A few are natural. Over the decades since the abandonment of activities in these areas the ponds and stream banks have partially reverted to bogland, patches of cedar swamps, and small savannahs. Typical wetland flowering plants have found the habitat congenial and thrive profusely with the mosses and algae. Such sites have a great attraction for naturalists, as do the natural ponds scattered through the barrens. Other botanically productive spots include the savannahs along the Wading River, thecedar swamps like that at Double Trouble, and numerous open areas in the Plains and elsewhere.

CEDAR SWAMPS

The white cedar swamps still in existence approach their primeval condition and appearance in every way except in size of trees. The straight trunks of the southern, or Atlantic, white cedar, Chamaecyparis thyoides, grow in thick stands, rising from the soggy ground where their buttress roots are matted with sphagnum

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mosses. Shade-tolerant ferns, vines, and shrubs thrive in the dark and humid sur­ roundings, and a few moisture-loving flowers find a horne in the brandy-colored cedar water. The mossy hammocks and fallen logs also carry their little colorful gardens of interesting plant life. There is little animal life in these gloomy but intriguing morasses. A few birds call, and the occasional track of a raccoon or fox may be found.

The special wildness of a white cedar swamp is unequalled in this part of the Northeast. It is a compelling remnant of original New Jersey that will continue to flourish and generate its own wilderness atmosphere, providing it is not drained, cut, or opened to the often questionable designs of certain types of planners and developers.

Some of the more extensive and typical white cedar swamps within or bordering the pine barrens include the excellent forest at Double Trouble on the headwaters of Cedar Creek; the exceptionally photogenic stand on State Route 539 near Warren Grove; and the swamp downstream from Lake Oswego and north of Martha. Other cedar swamps of note and worth visiting are found in the Beaver Darn area of Mt. Misery Brook near U. S. 70; in the Batsto River drainage below Hampton Furnace; in Job's Swamp at Whitesbog; on Shinn's Branch in Lebanon State Forest; and along Skit's and Robert's Branches on the Carranza-Friendship Road. A cedar swamp in miniature is traversed by the Absegami Nature Trail at Bass River State Forest.

HIKING AND CANOEING

Trails and old sand roads used byhikers interlace the pines and cedar swamps. The Batona Trail is the longest, extending from Carpenter Spring in Lebanon Forest to Batsto in Wharton Forest, a distance of thirty miles through the heart of the pine lands. Several canoe routes are popular on the bigger streams. The most frequented routes follow stretches of the Oswego, Wading, Batsto, and Mullica Rivers. Lengths vary from a mile or so to twelve miles. Some courses are easy paddling; others, especially on the less-traveled branches, require carrying, poling or dragging, and forcing the canoe through overhanging underbrush. There are nowhite water stretches, however, nor dangerous "sweepers" to upset the canoeist.

A number of campsites are available to canoeists and hikers on the major streams and hiking trails. Other camping areas, accessible by car, may be found at Atsion, Bass River, Lebanon, and Allaire.

PRESENT USE

Human activities in the pine barrens at present are not incompatible with its generally natural aspect and condition. Hikers, canoeists, campers, hunters, fish­ ermen, nature students, history buffs, solitude seekers,--all find the pine lands a rewarding place to pursue their interests. Forest management practices such as selective harvesting of timber in special plots, experimental plantings, and con-

7 trolled burning to combat wildfire and maintain the dominance of the pines, have little effect on the barrens as a whole. Too, the culture of cranberries and blueberries contribute to the appeal of the area; these are basic and earthy oc­ cupations that fit the environment and add the human touch which a certain segment of visitors seems to need.

However, use of the barrens much beyond the current extent and tempo of activ­ ities could well have a negative effect not only on the surface environment, but, more importantly, on the quality and yield of the tremendous reservoir of water beneath the pines. As of now, this underground reserve is the largest potential source of fresh water in the State. The disturbance which would be caused by industry, housing developments, airports, stadiums, and more access highways is incalcuable. It is hoped that the greater part of the pine region may be preserved from exploitation, whatever the reason, so that it may continue to satisfy all basic needs: economic, scientific, and recreational.

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A P P E N D I X

STATE LANDS AND MILITARY AREAS

Extensive tracts of the pine barrens region are under the jurisdiction of various governmental agencies and are with few exceptions generally open to the public.

The State parks and forests,for instance,have a total acreage within the pine lands of over 150,000 acres (60,705 sq. hm.) and over 7,000 acres (2,832.9 sq.hm.) in the Pine Barrens fringe areas (1974). Individually, they cover territory as follows: Wharton Forest, 99,647 acres (40,327.1 sq. hm.}; Lebanon Forest 27,594 acres (11,167.3 sq. hm.); Bass River Forest, 9,100 acres (3,682.8 sq. hm.) Penn Forest, 3,366 acres (1,362.2 sq. hm.); and Belleplain Forest, 11,2L3 acres(4,542 sq. hm.). These State-owned woodlands are dedicated to forest research, recre­ ational activities, and timber production. Fire towers for watchers in season are placed strategically in such locations as Apple Pie Hill, Bass River, Batsto, Belleplain, Cedar Bridge, Jamesburg, Lakewood, Lebanon, and Medford.

Several thousand acres of the region are under the aegis of the State Fish and Game Division and are open for hunting in season. Some of the better-known public shooting grounds in or at the edge of the barrens are: Turkey Swamp in Mon­ mouth County with 1,855 acres (750.7 sq. hm.); in Ocean County, 12,130 acres(4,909 sq. hm.) at Colliers Mills, 1,270 acres (514 sq. hm.) at Manchester, 1,200 (485.6) at Whiting, 3,119 (1,262.3 sq. hm.) at Pasadena, 8,958 (3,625.3 sq. hm.) in Green­ wood Forest, 2,788 (1,128.3 sq. hm.) at Stafford Forge, and 103 acres (41.7 sq. hm.) at Butterfly Bog; in Atlantic County, 755 acres (305.6 sq. hm.)at Port Repub­ lic and 12,438 acres (5,033.7 sq. hm.) near Corbin City; and in Cumberland County, Peaslee with its 14,000 acres (5,665.8 sq. hm.). Hunting is also permitted in the State forests.

Federal lands in the pine barrens, limited in access to the general public, account for over 60,000 acres (24,282 sq. hm.). The best known, perhaps, are Fort Dix and its neighbor, McGuire Air Force Base. Dix, acquired as an army training center during the first world war, together with McGuire which was established some twenty years later, includes nearly 36,000 acres (14,569.2 sq. hm.). The Earle installation in Monmouth County takes 11,000 acres (4,451.7 sq. hm.); Lake­ hurst Naval Base, 7,000 (2,832.9); the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) Experimental Center in the Plains, 5,000 (2,023.5); and the FAA installation at Barnegat 971 acres (393 sq. hm.). Coyle Field in the West Plains is a State air field used by official aircraft, including patrol and fire-fighting planes.

l~S OF THE BARRENS

The majority of the thirty-four mammals listed below are known to exist in various habitats within the pine lands. Some are found only on the borders of the barrens or along the streams. Some are common, others are rarely seen without re­ sort to trapping.

9 Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus Eastern Pipistrelle PipistreZlus subflavus Little Brown Myotis MYotis lucifugus Oppossum Didelphis marsupialis Eastern Mole Scalopus aquaticus Star-nosed Mole (rare) Condylura cristata Masked Shrew Sorex cinereus Least Shrew Cryptotis parva Short-tailed Shrew (occasional) Blarina brevicauda Raccoon Procyon lotor Long-tailed Weasel Mustela frenata Mink Mustela vison River Otter Lutra canadensis Striped Skunk Mephitis mephitis Red Fox (rare) Vulpes fulva Gray Fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus Woodchuck (occasional in cultivated Marmota mon= areas) Eastern Chipmunk (rare) Tamias striatus Red Squirrel Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Gray Squirrel (found around farms & houses) Sciurus carolinensis Southern Flying Squirrel (occasional) Glaucorrrys volans Beaver* Castor canadensis White-footed Mouse Peromyscus leucopus Rice Rat (in river meadows) Oryzonys palustris Southern Bog Lemming Synaptorrrys cooperi Red-backed Vole Clethrionorrrys gapperi Meadow Vole Microtus pennsylvanicus Pine Vole Pityrrrys pinetorum Muskrat (occasional along rivers and ponds) Ondatra zibethicus House Mouse Mus museu lus Norway Rat Rattus norvegicus Meadow Jumping Mouse Zapus hudsonius Eastern Cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus White-tailed Deer odocoileus virginianus

BIRD LIFE OF THE BARRENS

The pines have never been a bird hunter's paradise, although small populations of heath hens and wild turkeys existed here in early colonial days; and ruffed grouse, woodcock, and bobwhite are relatively common in places today. A good representation of the smaller birds may be found in season, either as breeders or transients, although the area isnot especially attractive for the bird watcher who wants only to build up a long list of species.

*Beaver re-introduced after they became extinct about 1920.

10 Among the breeding birds here, according to Fables (1962), are the green heron, wood duck, turkey vulture, red-tailed hawk, broad-winged hawk, ruffed grouse, bob­ white, killdeer., woodcock, mourning dove, yellow-billed cuckoo, whip-poor-will, nighthawk, chimney swift, hummingbird, flicker, hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, kingbird, crested flycatcher, phoebe, Traill's flycatcher, least flycatcher, wood pewee, rough-winged swallow, barn swallow, purple martin, bluejay, andcommon crow.

Also the Carolina Chickadee, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, brown creeper (rare), house wren, Carolina wren, catbird, brown thrasher, robin, wood thrush, bluebird, waxwing, starling, white-eyed vireo, red-eyed vireo, and the following warblers: black-and-white, prothonotary, blue-winged, parula, yellow, pine, prairie, hooded, and the ovenbird, chat, yellow-throat, and redstart.

Nesting species also include the red-winged blackbird, common grackle, cowbird, cardinal, indigo bunting, goldfinch (the State bird), red crossbill (rare), towhee, swamp sparrow, and song sparrow. Many of these and other species are occasionally found both within the pine woods and along roadsides, on cleared land, and around dwellings.

REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS

Conant (1962) notes that fifty-five terrestrial or semi-aquatic forms of snakes, turtles, toads, frogs, and salamanders may be found in or along the borders of the pine barrens. The eight species confined to the barrens are the ground skink, the pine barrens treefrog, the carpenter frog, the pine snake, corn snake, red-bellied snake, scarlet snake, and timber rattlesnake. Others of the list, found also outside the pine lands, include the painted turtle, leopard frog, chorus frog, kingsnake, black racer, water snake, and green snake. The box turtle also belongs here.

BOTANICAL SITES 1 Quaker Bridge. About four miles (6.4 km.) southeast of Atsion is the site of an early nineteenth century tavern where the old stagecoach road to Tuckerton crossed the Batsto River. Thompson's Tavern here was a favorite spot for social functions of the day as well as for travelers, while the surrounding wetlands be­ came a goal for rare plant hunters, following the chance discovery of the curly­ grass fern, Schizaea pusilla. In 1805 or 1808 (the records are not clear), this small plant was found by a party of naturalist that included the botanist, Frede­ rick Pursh. Pursh published the discovery,and Quaker Bridge became international­ ly famous. There are other scarce botanical forms found in the vicinity, and the curly-grass fern grows elsewhere in the pine barrens,but Quaker Bridge has remain­ ed botanically significant because of this fern for over a century and a half.

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'I !l 1 Martha Furnace. Built in 1793 on the Oswego Branch of Wading River, Martha was in operation for about fifty years before succumbing to competition. There are few visible remains of this ironworks community with its one-time fifty homes, mills, general store, and schoolhouse; but the pond is still there, its level considerably lower. The marshy shores of the pond, together with the savannah and cedar swamp borders of the river, contain probably the richest stands of pine barrens plant life in the State. Just above Martha grows what is called "the world's largest tract of bog asphodel," Narcethi um americanum. Acres of this remarkable and uncormnon plant border the stream, furnishing a rare sight for the canoeists who travel the Oswego in early summer.

A few of the other plants, both cormnon and unusual, found here are Carolina Clubmoss, Lycopodium carolinianum; Foxtail Clubmoss, L. alopecuroides; Golden­ crest, Lophiola americana; Nuttall's Lobelia, Lobelia Nuttalli; Cross -leaved Milkwort, Polygala cruciata; Thread-leaved Sundew, Drosera filiformis; Ten-angled Pipewort, Eriocaulon decangulare; Spatterdock, Nuphar variegatum; the always beau­ tiful waterlily, Nymphaea odorata; and several wild orchids.

Atsion. At the intersection of U.S. 206 and the tracks of the Central Railroad of New Jersey, much of the region's flora noted by old reports still thrives. Here within an area of forty acres or more, on both sides of the railroad and the high­ way, may be found the typical sundews, clubmosses, St. John's-wort, milkworts, and according to the records, the rare pine barrens gentian and several other scarce species. Atsion, of course, is also important in human history, having seen four successive industries rise and fall between 1766 and the 1880's: two ironworks, a paper mill, and a cotton factory. One of the State's first real estate develop­ ments, as we know them today, was promoted at Atsion in the last century. Little evidence of this venture is left, but the 1826 ironmaster's mansion and several workers' homes remain from the old iron days.

Hampton Furnace. Near the headwaters of the Batsto River three miles (4.8 krn.) or so on a sand road northeast of Atsion are the remains of Hampton Furnace and the later abandonment of an extensive cranberry bog. There are many interest­ ing plants to be found here, but the most outstanding is the climbing fern, Lygodium palmatum, growing below the dam in large patches. Golden-crest, Lophi­ ola americana, and similar moisture-loving types are abundant in the swampy area upstream. An excellent grove of larger pines thrives in the drier areas. Hampton Furnace bog is a very good example of plant succession with red maple and pine following the mosses, grasses, and sub-shrubs into the wet ground on each side of the Batsto.

Forge Pond. On a twelve-acre (4.9 sq. hm.) tract straddling the Nescochague Creek a short distance from Pleasant Mills is the site of the old Batsto Forge. Human activity goes back at least to 1739 when Samuel Cripps had a sawmill there. Forge Pond, the small body of water created by damming the creek,has receded some­ what since the days of saw logs and pig iron, but its boggy shore and adjacent terrain has become one of the best and most accessible botanical areas in Wharton State Forest.

12 According to Louis E. Hand, who has made several plant surveys of the vicinity, the floral specialties found here include a number of fascinating species. Another kind of rare attraction at Forge Pond is a good population of the much-publicized pine barrens treefrog, Hyla andersoni.

The following list of late autumn flora was made by Hand in November on the north side of the pond, about one and a quarter miles west-rtorthwest of Batsto village. Only those plants recognizable at this season are noted. This list is typical of the plant life found in similar ponds and bogs in the region.

Clubmoss, Bog Lycopodium inundatum bigelovii Clubmoss, Carolina L. carolinianum Clubmoss, Foxtail L. alopecuroides Fern, Bracken Pteridium aquilinum latiusculum Fern, Curly-grass Schizaea pusilla Beaked-rush, White Rhynchospora alba Beardgrass, Broom Andropogon scoparius Beardgrass, Bushy A. virginicus abbreviatus Cotton-grass, Tawny Eriophorum virginicum Dropseed, Late-flowering Muhlenbergia uniflora Golden-crest Lophiola americana Goldenrod, Slender-bushy Solidago tenuifolia Manna-grass, Blunt Glyceria obtusa Milkwort, Orange Polygala lutea Pipewort, Ten-angled Eriocaulon decangulare Pitcher-plant Sarracenia purpurea Red root Lacnanthes tinctoria Reed-grass, Nuttall's Calamagrostis cinnoides Rush, Brown-fruited Juncus pelocarpus Rush, Canadian J. canadensis Rush, Soft J. effusus St. John's-wort, Canadian Hypericum canadense Sedge, Coast Carex exilis Sundew, Thread-leaved Drosera filiformis Turkeybeard Xerophyllum asphodeloides Twig-rush Cladium mariscoides Wool-grass, Pedicelled Scirpas rubricosus Bayberry Myrica pensylvanica Blueberry, Black Vaccinium atrococcum Blueberry, Low V. vacillans

Blueberry, New Jersey V. caesariense 1 Cranberry v. macrocarpon .. ·.~ Fetter-bush Leucothoe racemosa Greenbrier, Common Smilax rotundifolia Huckleberry, Dwarf Gaylussacia dumosa Hudsonia, Heath-like Hudsonia ericoides Inkberry Ilex glabra Laurel, Sheep Kalmia angustifolia Leather-leaf Chamaedaphne calyculata Pyxie Pyxidanthera barbulata ,, St. John's-wort, Shrubby Hypericum densiflorum Sand-myrtle Leiophyllum buxifolium Sawbrier Smilax glauca 13 !;. Stagger-bush Lyoraa mariana Steeple-bush Spiraea tomentosa Sweet Pepperbush Clethra alnifolia ********************

Cedar, Southern (Atlantic) White Chamaecyparis thyoides Gum, Sour Nyssa sylvatica Maple, Red Acer rubrum trilobum Oak, Blackjack Quercus marilandica Oak, Post Q. stellata Pine, Pitch Pinus rigida Pine, Short-leaf Pinus echinata Sassafras Sassafras albidum ********************

Sim's Place. Two miles (3.2 km.) west of Warren Grove is an area of approx­ imately 300 acres (121.4 sq. hm.), privately-owned, where extensive bogs and ponds furnish not only excellent plant material for the searching but also good birding. Several rare ~rchids, bearberry, and Conrad crowberry are found here. Water birds are common in the flooded areas.

West and East Plains. Driving east on U.S. 72 and turning right at the height of land on one of the good sand roads, the visitor will find himself shortly in the heart of the Plains. A natural curiosity with its stunted forest and wind-swept aridity, the area would seem to be most unproductive for the botanist. But the plant life here is surprising in its variety. Casual observation from the car can discover the following species within a stretch of a mile or so. All species are more or less common along the roadside.

Low Blueberry Vaccinium vacillans Black Huckleberry Gaylussacia baccata Blue Huckleberry G. frondosa Heath-like Hudsonia Hudsonia ericoides Conrad's Crowberry Goats-rue Corema conradii Tephrosia virginiana Trailing Arbutus Epigaea repens Pyxie Pyxidanthera barbulata Cow-wheat Melampyrum lineare Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Sweetfern Comptonia peregrina Sand-myrtle Leiophyllum buxifolium Sheep-laurel Kalmia angustifolia Mountain-laurel K. la tifolia Stagger-bush Lyonia mariana Pitch Pine Pinus rigida Blackjack Oak Quercus marilandica Scrub (Bear) Oak Q. ilicifolia

14 ''I

Not far from the East Plains near Warren Grove, thesoil becomes more fertile, and small homesteads line the roadway. In an "old field" of less than one acre, a profusion of plant species flowers in season. This spot is typical of the occasional "island" of remarkable plant life found here and there throughout the borders of the pine barrens. Among others, there are three kinds of goldenrod, five asters, six thoroughworts (bonesets), golden-aster, meadow beauty, pine barrens gerardia, and pine barrens rattlesnake-root. Nearby grows the unusual red-fruited smilax, Walter's greenbrier. And in sandy spots there grows the native ipecac spurge, one of the euphorbias.

Goose Ponds, Atlantic County. The two largest natural ponds in southern New Jersey are found amile and a half west of Egg Harbor City. They are shallow ponds with much grass and are surrounded by marsh and woodland typical of the pine barrens. Plant life here is unique, with some species said to be found nowhere else north of southern Virginia. Nine species are exceptionally rare:

Boykin's Lobelia Lobelia boykinii Awned Meadow Beauty Rhexia aristosa Reversed Bladderwort Utricularia resupinata Dwarf Bladderwort U. olivacea (This is one of the smallest flowering plants known). Quill-like Arrowhead Sagittaria teres Maiden Cane Panicum hemitomon Reticulate Nut-rush Scleria reticularis Slender Horned Rush Rhynchospora inundata Horsetail Spike Rush Eleocharis equisetoides

A short list of other plant species found here would include:

Foxtail Clubmoss Lycopodium alopecuroides Virginia Chain Fern Woodwardia virginica Robbin's Spike Rush Eleocharis robbinsii Green Spike Rush E. olivacea Tiny-fruited Spike Rush E. microcarpa White Beaked-rush Rhynchospora alba Brown Beaked-rush R. fusca Twig-rush Cladium mariscoides Walter's Sedge Carex walteriana Carolina Yellow-eyed-grass Xyris caroliniana Congdon's Yellow-eyed-grass X. congdonii Bayonet Rush Juncus militaris Proliferous Rush J. pelocarpus Flattened Pipewort Eriocaulon compressum Seven-angled Pipewort E. septangulare White-fringed Orchis Habenaria blephariglottis Rose Pogonia Pogonia ophioglossoides Golden-crest Lophiola americana Fragrant Waterlily Nymphaea odorata Floating Heart Nymphoides cordata Golden Hedge Hyssop Gratiola aurea Fibrous Bladderwort Utricularia fibrosa Horned Bladderwort u. cornuta Rush Bladderwort u. juncea 15 McDonald's Branch. Along certain streams called "branches" or "runs," the plant life becomes a veritable arboretum or botanical garden. McDonald's Branch in Lebanon Forest is a fine example of the type. Late in the season when flowering is about finished and seed heads and basal rosettes are the main clues to identity, a little searching can discover nearly a hundred varieties of plants. Louis Hand surveyed an area of this branch less than a half-mile in diameter late in October and submitted the following list: TREES

Red Maple Acer rubrum trilobum Gray Birch Betula populifolia Southern White Cedar Chamaecyparis thyoides Swamp Magnolia Magnolia virginiana Sour Gum Nyssa sylvatica Pitch Pine Pinus rigida Scotch Pine Pinus sylvestris (Planted in 1928-1929) Scrub (Bear) Oak Quercus ilicifolia Blackjack Oak Q. marilandica Post Oak Q. stellata Black Oak Q. velutina Sassafras Sassafras albidum

SHRUBS AND SUB-SHRUBS

Cormnon Alder Alnus serrulata Leather-leaf Chamaedaphne calyculata Sweet Pepperbush Clethra alnifolia Wintergreen Gaultheria procumbens Black Huckleberry Gaylussacia baccata Dwarf Huckleberry G. dumosa Blue Huckleberry G. frondosa Heath-like Hudsonia Hudsonia ericoides Shrubby St. John's-wort Hypericum densiflorum Inkberry Ilex glabra Smooth Winterberry I. laevigata Sheep-laurel Kalmia angustifolia Mountain-laurel K. latifolia Sand-myrtle Leiophyllum buxifolium Fetter-bush Leucothoe racemosa Privet Andromeda Lyonia ligustrina Stagger-bush L. mariana Evergreen Bayberry Myrica heterophylla Red Chokeberry Pyrus arbutifolia Pyxie Pyxidanthera barbulata Dwarf Chestnut Oak Quercus prinoides ' Swamp Azalea Rhododendron viscosum Dwarf Sumac Rhus copallina Poison Sumac R. vernix Running Swamp Blackberry Rubus hispidus Sawbrier Smilax glauca 16 Laurel-leaved Greenbrier s. laurifolia Common Greenbrier s. rotundifolia New Jersey Blueberry Vaccinium caesariense Cranberry V. macrocarpon Naked Witherod Viburnum nudum

HERBS

Virginia Beardgrass Andropogon virginicus Bush Beardgrass A. v. var. abbreviatus Bog Aster Aster nemoralis New York Aster A. novi-belgii Grass-pink Calapogon pulchellus Collin's Sedge Carex collinsii Pennsylvania Sedge C. pensylvanica Three-fruited Sedge C. trisperma Spatulate-leaved Sundew Drosera intermedia Round-leaved Sundew D. rotundifolia Tawny Cotton-grass Eriophorum virginicum Rough Thoroughwort Eupatorium pilosum White-fringed Orchis Habenaria blephariglottis White Everlasting Gnaphalium obtusifolium Swamp-pink Helonias bullata Canadian St. John's-wort Hypericum canadense New Jersey Rush Juncus caesariensis Soft Rush J. effusus Cow-wheat Melampyrum lineare Bog Panic-grass Panicum lucidum Rose Pogonia Pogonia ophioglossoides Short-leaved Milkwort Polygala brevifolia Orange Milkwort P. lutea Coast Jointweed Polygonella articulata White Beaked-rush Rhynchospora alba Pitcher-plant Sarracenia purpurea Pedicelled Wool-grass Scirpus rubricosis Wrinkle-leaved Goldenrod Solidago rugosa Star-flower Trientalis borealis Fibrous Bladderwort Utricularia fibrosa Turkeybeard Xerophyllum asphodeloides Carolina Yellow-eyed Grass Xyris carolina

FERNS

Bog (Massachusetts) Fern Dryopteris simulata Cinnamon Fern Osmunda cinnamomea f!.oyal Fern 0. regalis Bracken Pteridium aquilinum Curly-grass Fern Schizaea pusilla Virginia Chain Fern woodwardia virginica

17 PONDS

The majority of the lakes and ponds in the pines are old impoundments that over the years have assumed a natural look with wooded shores and large expanses of water plants. A few have been stocked with mediocre success. Fishing in pine barrens waters is not a major sport; but in many of the ponds and rivers, panfish are often caught. Smaller species of interest to the naturalist and the ffsh culturist are also found here. The acid cedar waters have their own unique fish fauna among which are found the Yellow Bullhead, t:he Pirate-perch, the Hud Sunfish, Sphagnum Sunfish, and Banded Sunfish. The more widely distributed Hud-minnow, Pickerel ("Pike"), Chubsucker, and Eel are regularly found in the barrens. Other fish species occasionally observed or caught are the Golden Shiner, Brown Bullhead, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Calico Bass. Some of the smaller sunfish and darters make good aquaira specimens.

The major ponds and small lakes within the pine barrens or at the edge of the pine lands include the following--like the streams of the region they are colored by iron compounds and decaying vegetation, and are called "cedar waters":

Burlington County: Absegami, Browns Mills, Pakim Pond, Oswego, Goose Pond, Atsion, Centennial, Etna, Batsto, Chatsworth, and Harrisville.

Ocean County: Success, Horicon, Colliers Mills, Deerhead, Barnegat Pines, Carasaljo, and Manetta.

Atlantic County: Hammonton, Goose Ponds, and Lenape.

Cape May County: Nummy and East Creek.

Niddlesex County: Nanalapan and Spotswood.

Gloucester County: Wilson and Malaga.

Salem County: Willow Grove.

PLACE ;.;AllES

Names of communities and noted places in a region are often a clue to the kind of people who lived there, their sentiments, their humor, their occupations, and perhaps their racial origins. Animals, trees, and land and water forms also con­ tributed frequently to local nomenclature. Some of the intriguing, occasionally puzzling, place names of the New Jersey pine barrens show more earthy originality than many of the present day "prestige" names. The following is a list of the more interesting names, many of which are still in current use:

18 ------~-

Apple Pie Hill Manamuskin Atsion Manopaquo Bass River Maple Root Branch Batsto Martha Beaver Branch Nary Ann Furnace Bread-and-Cheese Run Hecheseatauxin Creek Breeches Run l1t. ~1isery Bull Branch Muskingum Brook Burnt Bridge Branch Nescochague Creek Cabin Branch New Freedom Calico Ridge Old Halfway Chicken Bone Ong's Hat Chinquapin Branch Panther Branch Comical Corner Papoose Branch Deep Run Pleasant Mills Double Trouble Pole Bridge Branch Featherbed Brook Red Oak Grove Five-mile Road Retreat Five-acre Pond Sandy Ridge Forked River Shamong Four-mile Road Sim 1 s Place Friendship Slab Causeway Branch Fox Chase Stop-the-Jade Run Good Luck Stormy Hill Goodwater Run Tabernacle Goose Pond Tar Kiln Branch Green Branch Ten-mile Hollow Gum Spung Tub Mill Head.of Snag Tuckahoe Hospitality Branch Tulpehocken Creek Huckleberry Hill Turkey Foot Hundred-dollar Bridge Wading River Hurricane Ridge Westecunk Creek Jake Branch White Oak Bottom Landing Creek Whites bog Log Swamp Branch Wildcat Long Cripple Wolf Run Magnolia Wood Swamp Manahawkin

19

B I B L I 0 G R A P H Y

In gathering information for the preceding pages, many authorities and much available literature were consulted. The following books and pamphlets refer wholly or in part to various aspects of the pine barrens of New Jersey:

Barber, John W. Historical Collections of New Jersey; Past and Present. New Haven, Justus H. Bradley, Benjamin Olds, 1868.

Barksdale, Henry C. Ground Water Resources in the Tri-State Region Adjacent and Others to the Lower Delaware River. Department of Conservation and Economic Development, Special Report #13, Trenton, 1958.

Beck, H. C. Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey. New Brunswick, N. J., Rutgers University Press, 1936.

More Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey. New Bruns­ wick, N. J., Rutgers University Press, 1937.

Jersey Genesis. New Brunswick, N.J., Rutgers University Press, 1956.

The Roads of Home. New Brunswick, N.J., Rutgers Uni­ versity Press, 1956.

Bill, Alfred Hoyt New Jersey and theRevolutionary War. New Jersey Histor­ ical Series, D. Van Nostrand Company.

Boucher, Jack E. Of Batsto and Bog Iron. Hammonton, New Jersey, Batsto Citizens' Advisory Committee, 1964.

Boyer, Charles S. Early Forges and Furnaces in New Jersey. Philadelphia, Pa., University of Pennsylvania, 1931.

Breisky, Bill New Jersey's Unknown Wilderness. The Saturday Evening Post, CCXXVIII, August 6, 1955.

Cawley, J. & M. Exploring the Little Rivers of New Jersey. New Bruns- wick, N.J., Rutgers University Press.

Conant, Roger Notes on the Distribution of Reptiles and Amphibians in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Franklin Lakes, N.J., New Jersey Audubon Society Bulletin 106, 1962.

Connor, Paul F. Notes on the Mammals of a New Jersey Pine Barrens Area. Journal of Mammalogy, May, 1953.

Cook, George H. Geology of New Jersey. New Jersey Geological Survey, Newark, 1868.

21 Cunningham, John T. A New Jersey Pine Barrens Monument. !;ew York, l.;ew York, Audubon !:agazine, July-August, 1966.

Fables, David G. Breeding Birds of the NeCN Jersey Pine Barrens. Hew Jersey Audubon Society Bulletin 107, 1962.

Federal Writers' Stories of New Jersey. Circa, 1935. Project

Gordon, Thomas F. The History of New Jersey . . . (and) A Gazetteer of New Jersey. Trenton, N.J., D. Fenton, 1834.

Harrington, M. R. Indians of New Jersey. New Brunswick, N. J., Rutgers University Press, 1963.

Harshberger, J. W. The Vegetation of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Phila., Pa., Christopher Sower Company, 1916.

Kummel, Henry B. and The Geology of New Jersey. Department of Conservation Lewis, J. Volney and Economic Development, State of New Jersey, Bulletin 50, Trenton, 1940.

Lee, Alvin T. M. Land Promotion Schemes in the New Jersey Pine Area. U.S.D.A. Land Use Planning Section, New Brunswick, N.J., October, 1937.

Little, S. Effects of Forest Fires on Upland Sites in the Pine Region of Southern New Jersey. Leaflet 100, College of Agric., Rutgers, TheState University, New Brunswick, N.J., 1952.

Controlled Burning in South Jersey Woodlands. Leaflet 201, College of Agric., Rutgers, The State University, New Brunswick, N.J., 1959.

Fire Ecology and Forest Management in the New Jersey Pine Region. Proceedings Third Annual Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference, April 9-10, 1964 . ., McCormick, Jack The Role of Pinus Virginiana in the Vegetation of Southern New Jersey. New Jersey Audubon Society Bulletin 110, 1963.

A Study of Significance of the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Pa., for the National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior, 1968.

The Pine Barrens: A Preliminary Ecological Inventory. New Jersey State Museum, Report 2, December 1970.

HcCormick, Jack and The Plains: Pigmy Forest of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Buell, Murray F. a Review and Annotated Bibliography. The Bulletin, Vol. 13, No. 1, 1968, New Jersey Academy of Science, Rutgers, The State University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. 22 McCormick, Richard P. New Jersey from Colony to State. New Jersey Historical Series, D. Van Nostrand Company.

McPhee, John The Pine Barrens. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1968.

Hoare, Harvey An Old Jersey Furnace. Baltimore, Md., Newth-Morris Printing Company, 1943.

Parker, Garald G. Water Resources of the Delaware River Basin. Washington, and Others U. S. Government Printing Office, 1964.

Pepper, Adeline Tours of Historic New Jersey. New Jersey Historical Series.

Pierce, Arthur D. Iron in the Pines. New Brunswick, N. J., Rutgers Uni- versity Press, 1957.

Pomfred, John E. The New Jersey Proprietors and Their Lands. New Jersey Historical Series.

Richards, Horace G. The Geographical History of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. New Jersey Audubon Society Bulletin 101, 1960.

Salisbury, Rollin D. The Quaternary Formations of Southern New Jersey. Dept. and Knapp, George N. of Conservation and Economic Development, Vol. VIII, Trenton, 1917.

Schonbach, Morris Radicals and Visionaries, a History of Dissent in New Jersey. New Jersey Historical Series.

Shoemaker, Lois M. Wild Flowers along New Jersey Highways and Byways. New Jersey State Museum, Bulletin 9, 1964.

Sim, Robert J. and Charcoal Burning in New Jersey from Early Times to Present. Weiss, Harry B.

Starkey, Albert J. The Historical Background of the Pine Barrens, with Espe­ cial Reference to the Wharton Tract. New Jersey Audubon Society Bulletin, 1960.

Stone, Witmer Plants of Southern New Jersey. Trenton, N. J., State Museum, 1911.

Studley, Miriam V. Historic New Jersey through Visitors' Eyes. New Jersey Historical Series.

Vecoli, Rudolph The People of New Jersey. New Jersey Historical Series.

Weiss, Harry B. Life in Early New Jersey. New Jersey Historical Series.

23 Weygandt, Cornelius Down Jersey. Appleton-Century, 1940.

Wharton Tract Plant Life. N.J. DepartmentofConservation and Economic Development, Trenton, N.J., September, 1965.

Widmer, Kemble The Geology and GeographyofNew Jersey. D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., New Jersey Historical Series, Vol. 19, Princeton, 1964.

Wilson, Harold F. The Jersey Shore. New York, Lewis Publishing Co., 1953, 4 vols.

Wright, Elias A Short History of the Several Tracts of Land Once Con­ taining Iron Furnaces. Atlantic City, 1898.

(Several authors) The Pine Barrens of New Jersey. (A Symposium sponsored by the Ecological Society of America). Bartonia, Dec., 1952.

24 THE PINE BARRENS LEGEND

~ Pine Barrens

~ Pi ne Barren Plains

~ Oak-Pine Fringe Areas

D Wetlands

~ State Parks &

Niles Del aware Bay 0 5 1 0 I I I I I 0 ! 10 1 5 Kllumeters Bureau of Parks P.O. Box 14?0 Trenton, N.J. 08625 lets protect our earth

TO:

llfW JIRSEY DIPARTMINT Of ENVIRONMENTAl PROTECTION

~tate of JltbJ 31 tr5t!' Brendan T. Byrne, Governor DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

DIVISION OF PARKS AND FORESTRY BUREAU OF PARKS NATURAL AREAS SECTION ALEX. LIB. RUTGEi\S

Ot&.: ~ 1 1977 GOV'T PUBUCAHONS