There was a pretty well thought-article put up the other day by JB Kasper, a well-known NJ freshwater guide. What he said.


Sunday, April 13, 2008 trenton times
BY J.B. KASPER
OUTDOORS

In the last two weeks I got several e-mails and phone calls from readers asking about the closures of state parks and some of the cuts and how they will affect the outdoors and sportsmen.

One recent call had to do with the kids fishing derby that is held by the city of Trenton in August. Seems the Division of Fish and Wildlife is no longer stocking lakes and ponds for the kids fishing derbies. This has been common knowledge for several months, and I did a couple of columns on this a while back.

What is interesting is that some of the cuts and things that are being forced upon the public are starting to take on a pattern.

First, the reason for cutting the kids fishing derbies had nothing to do with the state budget.

The derbies were cut because the Division did not have the personnel to staff the Charles O'Hayford Fish Hatchery, which supplied the fish for the derbies.

The truth is the Division had the money to hire the people under a $300,000 grant from the Federal Government under the Aid to Fisheries Restoration program. The Governor would not let the Division hire the personnel because he had a hiring freeze on state departments, even though the money had nothing to do with the state budget. So the Division had to turn the money back the Feds and the big losers were the kids. I'm sure you have heard the story of the Grinch who stole Christmas. Well, now we have the governor who stole the kids fishing contests.

I recently attended an outdoor writers meeting with the Division of Fish & Wildlife and it was explained that the Division has had to shut down the education programs at the Pequest Trout Hatchery, once again because of a lack of staffing. At a time when we need to get people, and in particular kids, into the outdoors and away from the TVs, video games and the couch potato sports, what does the governor do? Through his hiring freeze he forces the Division to cut the very programs that help get people into the outdoors.

But wait, it gets better. Now the governor is threatening to close down nine state parks, cut services to three others and severely curtail services and operating hours of all state parks.

Slated to be closed at the start of the new fiscal year in July are:

Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Monmouth County -- visitor center, restrooms, closed.

Stephens State Park, Warren County -- camping area closed.

High Point State Park, Sussex County -- swimming, camping, interpretive center, office, closed. Trail access limited.

Brendan T. Byrne State Forest (formerly Lebanon State Forest), Burlington County -- camping, group picnic area, Indian King Tavern, office, closed. Trail access limited.

Round Valley Recreation Area, Hunterdon County -- swimming, camping, Wallace House, office, closed.

Parvin State Park, Salem County -- swimming, camping, interpretive center, office, closed.

Jenny Jump State Forest, Warren County -- camping and office, closed. Trail access limited.

Worthington State Forest, Warren County -- Camping and office, closed. Trail access limited.

Fort Mott State Park, Salem County -- Hancock House, historic sites, office, closed. Access to ferry service, open.

Three state parks would be partially closed:

Ringwood State Park, Bergen and Passaic counties -- Shepherd Lake swimming area closed; Ringwood Manor, reduced hours. State Botanical Gardens and Skylands Manor, open.

D&R Canal State Park, central New Jersey -- Bulls Island Recreation Area closed to campers. Rockingham Historic Site and towpath, open.

Washington Crossing State Park -- Mercer and Hunterdon counties. Reduced hours at Clark House, Johnson Ferry House and the museum.

In addition, winter hours at all remaining parks would be reduced. All but Liberty and Island Beach state parks would be closed Mondays and Tuesdays from Nov. 1 through March 31.

Think about it, once again the governor is shutting down access to the outdoor recreation that the state parks provide.

When a reporter asked if the closures would mean that no one could use or enter the parks, Lisa Jackson of the DEP said if it's closed, you can't use it. If this means no one will be allowed to use the parks, what about the limited hunts that are held in some of the parks that are used to control the exploding deer populations? Will boat ramps at parks like Worthington and the D & R Canal State Park (Bulls Island Access and Byram Access) be closed to boaters and fishermen? Will access to streams and lakes on those state parks be cut off to fishermen?

With gas at $3-plus a gallon, more and more people are looking for things to do closer to home to save money. The tougher the economy gets, the more the working man will need to have swimming, camping and other outdoor activities close to home.

Let's face it, at a time when the governor should be keeping open and promoting the state parks as a way to enjoy the outdoors and save money, he does just the opposite.

People use the state parks to swim, camp, fish and participate in other outdoor activities because it is less expensive than many of the alternatives, especially for larger families and those that are struggling to make ends meet. A person can camp at a state park for a week for what it would cost them to get a motel or hotel room for a night. In hard times that can mean the difference between going on a vacation with the family and not going for many hard-working people.

One Times reader e-mailed me and said how disgusted he was about the closings and made a very astute comment at the end of his e-mail. He simply said, "aren't the Wall Street money men responsible for many of the economic problems we are now facing, and did not the governor work and make his fortune on Wall Street?" My answer was, yes he did, and I guess he is taking a Wall Street-approach to the state parks and the outdoors. I just hope sportsmen and people who use the outdoors remember the governor's Wall Street-approach to state parks come next election.