newjerseynewsroom.com

Only picnic area, boat ramp to remain open

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Popular state-run Bull’s Island Recreation Area on the Delaware River in Hunterdon County has been all but closed for the year and half of popular camping grounds will never reopen, the Department of Environmental Protection announced Thursday.

Day use activities in the southern section of the recreation area, including the boat ramp and picnic area, will remain open.

Citing the danger of trees falling on campers due to flood-soaked roots and debris, the DEP’s Division of Parks and Forestry has decided to permanently close the campground at the northern end and the campground at the southern end will remain closed until at least the spring of 2013. Plans call for the removal of weakened trees and the restoration of the northern section to a natural state.

Campground access roads will not be rebuilt and the bath house and other campground features will be removed. Public access will be restored for passive recreation only.

A tree health assessment found that the northern campground is susceptible to silt buildup from repeated floods that weakened roots of trees in this area.

"Based on this examination and more frequent flooding, we determined that the prudent course is to permanently close the upper river campground area and restore it to a natural state," DEP Assistant Commissioner Amy Cradic said.

Cradic said Parks and Forestry will ultimately reopen the northern area for passive recreation only. She said the southern campground will be closed this season to allow for further tree risk assessment.

Meanwhile, Parks and Forestry is evaluating the acquisition of land away from the river for a new campground to replace the sites lost by the permanent closure of the northern campground.

The DEP conducted a tree health assessment after a Somerset County man died when a sycamore tree fell on his tent in the northern portion of the campground in June. A DEP contractor found that repeated flooding caused an accumulation of soil around the bases of the trees, which may have stressed the trees' root systems.

Significant amounts of storm debris still remain on the grounds from the passage of Hurricane Irene in August. Cradic said that after removing the debris, standing trees, and other vegetation, Parks and Forestry will replant the area with tree species adapted to areas that are frequently flooded and which grow slowly. The DEP also intends to contact New Jersey colleges about partnering on a long-term landscape restoration plan.

New Jersey Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel was angered by the announcement.

“This again shows the failure of the state to maintain our parks,” Tittel said. “This is one of the only camp grounds in the Central Jersey area where many families in New Jersey use and enjoy. Hurricane Irene back in August caused damage to the park and they have still not fixed it. Instead they are busy privatizing our parks.

Two other sections of Delaware Raritan Canal park areas have been damaged by the hurricane but still have not been fixed,” Tittel said. “This just shows the mismanagement of parks in New Jersey and their agenda to privatize them.

“Instead of investing in our parks, the Christie administration is using this as an excuse to try to privatize our parks, potentially limiting public access and costing the public more,” Tittel said. “This shows that the Christie Administration’s only plan for our parks is to privatize them, not to maintain or keep them open. Our concern is that as warm weather comes and families are looking for places to go there will be fewer and fewer places available.

“There is not enough funding now for our parks,” Tittel said. “We have fewer campgrounds than the demand by the public. Many of our campgrounds must be booked months in advance and there are not enough facilities. There is also not enough maintenance at these sites. Many of our campgrounds do not have adequate facilities.

“Because of a lack of funding to expand facilities, many of our parks are full by 10 a.m. on weekends and holidays or in this case being closed permanently,” Tittel said. “The state has also passed on acquiring new properties that would have made a wonderful addition to our park system due to a lack of staffing and resources. Many of our state parks have boarded up historic buildings or facilities and restrooms in need of repair."