Water gap national park will have a designated hunting area

[buck169]

Looks like they want to pull a pelosi on us. Just sign here and read it later.

 

[buck169]

If I remember correctly,  just the other day when this BS was dropped on our threshold,  They being the left wing delta bravos want to allow all hunting on only 50 acres.  Wow all that.  Gonna get really crowded in that parking area.  But whos to say this area is all in one spot.  Next they will tell us you are prohibited from hunting unless you are a Native American.  And you wont need any license at that point anyway.  Guess there's gona be allot of  new fukowee tribe members.

[alabjr]

What if we start a petition? That way it’s more organized than just telling guys to “write to your state/county reps about your disapproval”

I don’t mind writing in, and if we don’t get something organized I will do so. But if we all speak collectively through one succinct petition it might speak more loudly than a bunch of individual letters to rep offices that they likely won’t even read or consider. 

[mazzgolf]

16 minutes ago, alabjr said:

if we don’t get something organized I will do so. But if we all speak collectively through one succinct petition it might speak more loudly

That is why I was asking about the @NJSFSC and where they are currently on this. I assume they have already been in contact with the Sierra Club about this proposal (the SC did say their "outreach is continuing to outdoor sporting groups" - and NJSFSC is one of the biggest outdoor sporting groups here in NJ). I was hoping they would chime in and tell us where to focus our efforts - I assume they are going to be working behind the scenes - but, again, I don't know that for a fact. I'm just assuming...

[alabjr]

1 hour ago, mazzgolf said:

That is why I was asking about the @NJSFSC and where they are currently on this. I assume they have already been in contact with the Sierra Club about this proposal (the SC did say their "outreach is continuing to outdoor sporting groups" - and NJSFSC is one of the biggest outdoor sporting groups here in NJ). I was hoping they would chime in and tell us where to focus our efforts - I assume they are going to be working behind the scenes - but, again, I don't know that for a fact. I'm just assuming...

Agreed, let’s hope we get some intel on that sooner than later so we can make some noise. I would hate to lose the Gap… at least for North Jersey it feels like the only place you can really feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere away from roads and people etc., and I absolutely love that. 

[Nomad]

3 hours ago, mazzgolf said:

 they have already identified 270,000 acres (the Gap is only 70,000) - so.. where is this extra 200,000 acres? Have they published ANY maps? Any information about where these extra 200,000 acres are?

They could take all of Stokes, Worthington, and all of the WMA's up there and it would not come close to 270,000 acres.

[Greybeard]

4 minutes ago, Nomad said:

They could take all of Stokes, Worthington, and all of the WMA's up there and it would not come close to 270,000 acres.

Probably includes PA side too

[Nomad]

2 minutes ago, Greybeard said:

Probably includes PA side too

It says the Recreation area is 70,000 total, NJ and PA.

[1957Buck]

Did my Google Research and came up with more confusions than answers One thing for certain The lenape seem to be everywhere.  State and National Parks and lands the same, And Nothing Definitive on The Plans on The Water Gap or any other Parts of the Sussex County State - National Park Systems . All talk no action and No Funding.   

Last 2 Photos are State Parks 

[buck169]

Makes you wonder if they even know about this land grab.

[Nomad]

Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area has a site on Facebook.  We should start pounding them with questions and presenting our opposition.

[DJ0808]

If someone gets together a petition let me know.

I'll sign and can easily get some other hunters and fishermen I know to sign.

Maybe we can even get some of the gun and tackle shops in NJ and PA to post petitions up in their shops.

[mazzgolf]

Just to be clear - the 270,000 is the proposed size of the new Park and Preserve in total - that INCLUDES the PA side as well as the NJ side.

OK, so, let's assume half and half. Today, the Gap is 70k (both PA and NJ). That leaves 200k unaccounted for. Split it up -100k PA side, 100k NJ side. So, according to the Sierra Club, there is presumably at minimum 100k state acres on the NJ side available to hand over to the federal NPS.

But is it true that half will be "donated" by NJ and half by PA? I don't think so. I think NJ will bear the brunt of this generous land donation. Why do I say this? Because they infer this when they presented this proposal to the public this past summer. Specifically they said (and I quote),

Quote

 

QUESTION: You talked briefly about expanding the area -- what it is now. Can you be more specific about which areas are you targeting for expansion and are we talking about a 10% increase or 50% increase?

ANSWER: The proposal that has been discussed in the past would be almost over a tripling in size, but it would not be buying more land except for a few small connecting areas to connect one large track with another. There's a large amount, particularly on the New Jersey side, of preserved state land that would, if the proposal is accepted, become part of the National Park, would have better funding, more unified management. There's also some areas on the Pennsylvania side that are preserved that might be added to the Park. So the 70,000 acres now would be triple or more than the acres that exist at the present time. And, as I mentioned, many of those additional acres would be areas where hunting is allowed now (particularly on the New Jersey side) and where hunting would be allowed as part of the National Preserve.

 

So he says "large amount, particularly on the New Jersey side, of preserved state land that would . . . become part of the National Park"... then he adds there are "some areas" from PA that "might be" added to the Park.

Two things I get from this. (1) They already have the lands in mind that they are talking about - they just never mention it nor give maps to identify which lands they are talking about. And (2) that infers most of the state lands absorbed will come from the NJ side. Right? How else can you interpret those statements? A "large amount particularly on the NJ side"  that "would" become part of the National Park and "some areas" in PA that "might be added to the Park". Sounds like they have a lot more NJ land in their sights than from the PA side.

Side note: notice the last sentence: "many of those additional acres would be areas where hunting is allowed now (particularly on the New Jersey side) and where hunting would be allowed as part of the National Preserve." He must be talking about WMA, state forest, and/or state parks. But what lands we do not know. And WHAT hunting would be allowed? Everything? Deer only? Archery only? And what about trapping? No mention of trapping, which is allowed today on state WMA lands (but not the Gap proper). Absorb those state lands into the new Park/Preserve, and trapping will be illegal.

[Nomad]

They would have to take Stokes, and all of the Northern WMA's to get anywhere near that total.

[hunterbob1]

4 hours ago, Jim_ said:

Anyone have an idea where this Lenape preserve area even is?

What a punch in the gut! My *only* deer hunting in NJ is fall and winter bow at the same place near Dingman's. Every year since ~1985. My young sons' first deer were there.

Pissed. 

Yes I do Jim been there! My son was born in 1985. Pretty cool your son got his first deer there not easy hunting.