NJ State Parks Could Collapse From Underfunding, Abuse: Environmental Advocates

NEW JERSEY — The underfunding of New Jersey's state parks, forests and other natural areas has resulted in neglect and abuse of the outdoor areas, according to a new report. But environmental advocates say it's not too late for the state to reverse course if they make major changes.

The new report presented by Fix Our Parks NJ — a coalition led by several environmental organizations — warns that New Jersey's state parks, forests, wildlife-management areas and other natural areas will "collapse" and lead to park closures. Staffing of New Jersey parks has decreased 28 percent since 2006, leading to reduced services, swim areas closing early and delayed storm cleanup, according to the report.

Fix Our Parks NJ says the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection can fix this, with the help of thousands of volunteers and dozens of nonprofit organizations that want to help.

"The pandemic has reminded all of us of how critical our parks and forests are to our health and quality of life," said Elliott Ruga, policy director of the New Jersey Highlands Coalition. "If we care about the places we value, we must maintain them and we must enforce the rules that protect these lands and the safety of people that use them."

Larry Hajna, an NJDEP spokesperson, told Patch the following via email:

"While the specific recommendations and conclusions identified in the report are under review, we look forward to working together with partners across the State to achieve our common goal of the State Park and Wildlife Management Area system that New Jerseyans deserve."

New Jersey has 389 state parks, forests, historic sites, natural areas and wildlife-management areas across the state, according to Fix Our Parks NJ. The outdoor spaces cover 882,000 acres — roughly 15 percent of the state.

But insufficient staffing and funding have led to poor care and stewardship of public lands, according to the report. This is a nationwide issue that private foundations and friends groups can't fix alone, as successful partners only raise a small fraction of the funds that the state provides.

Gov. Phil Murphy's proposed budget slashes the NJDEP's appropriations by 34.9 percent, going from $720 million this year to $469 million in Fiscal Year 2023. Patch reached out to an administration spokesperson for comment and will update with any response.

From 2006-18, New Jersey's staffing for managing state lands declined by 28 percent, while park acreage increased 13 percent, the report states. Staffing levels in the NJDEP peaked in 1990 with 4,200 employees but now stands at 2,600 with added responsibilities, according to Fix Our Parks NJ.

The report shows the following examples of staff reduction in state parks:

• Cheesequake Park maintenance staff reduced from 46 (1976) to three (2021) that are shared with two additional parks.
• Liberty State Park went from 42 employees in 2002 to 17 last year.
• Wharton State Forest reduced staff from 25 in 2002 to eight in 2021.

"Staff morale is very low, many feel that they are part of a 'failed park system,' and it is possible that some parks will need to close if current trends continue," said Dr. Michael Van Clef, of Ecological Solutions LLC., who prepared the report.

Funding for New Jersey's public lands falls far behind its neighboring states, according to the reports. In 2018, New Jersey had a $24 million parks budget, while New York's totaled $129 million and Pennsylvania's had $51 million. During that year, New Jersey state parks generated only $12 million in revenue, while New York ($89 million) and Pennsylvania ($26 million) took in far more.

Fix Our Parks NJ suggests three primary solutions:

• establishing an officially recognized friends organization for NJ state parks
• increasing staffing and improving efficiency through partnerships
• improving the mitigation of threats through better enforcement

"Resources devoted to properly managing state parks and forests is just as important as acquiring additional lands," said Dr. Jaclyn Rhoads, assistant director of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance.