Across the Watershed - Winter 2000 - State of Great Swamp

The first victory came in 1964, with the dedication of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), when nearly 3,000 acres of wetlands were assembled through grassroots efforts and turned over to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Since then, this once-sleepy area has been transformed.

For example, interstate highways and other forces have stimulated explosive development pressures, both commercial and residential. These have had some negative environmental consequences, but there has also been a "silver lining."

Looking back from the vantage point of a new millennium, we should be gratified - perhaps amazed - by what has actually happened, both within and around the NWR. For example:

Great Swamp NWR was established by public command and has doubled in size. Meanwhile, the Fish & Wildlife Service has implemented a wide array of management practices that benefit both the environment and the public.
Other public and private agencies have protected additional lands in the Great Swamp watershed - about 12,000 acres in all (including the NWR).
Public interest in environment protection, always evident here, appears to be mushrooming.
Regional planning initiatives now under way promise to become a strategic environmental tool in the ten towns spanned by the Great Swamp watershed.

To explain further: The Refuge is a vital component of the National Wildlife Refuge System, which has a mission to "administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans." To help accomplish refuge goals, intensive management supporting a variety of plant and animal species is applied. To minimize disturbance to wildlife and research study areas, public access is limited on a part of Great Swamp NWR; however, much of it, predominantly the Wilderness Area, is open to compatible public uses. We've also constructed bird blinds and boardwalks, removed abandoned buildings, returned public roads to wilderness, remediated dumpsites, built a modern headquarters building, and more.

Within the larger 55-square-mile watershed, publicly accessible land today includes the Morristown National Historical Park; Morris and Somerset County parklands; township parks; the Schermann-Hoffman Sanctuaries of the New Jersey Audubon Society; lands owned by the Raptor Trust and the Great Swamp Watershed Association; and more. And preservation continues.

Turning to public interest and support: After the jetport controversy subsided, NWR managers usually found themselves on the defensive when they sought to address local environmental issues. And they often spoke in lonely opposition to the voices of developers and rate-base expansionists. No longer.

Today, more than ever before, concerned citizens, organizations and local governments collectively and cooperatively have the desire to protect open space. Strategic regional planning and "smart growth" are being embraced, and there's a greater disillusion with the mad scramble for "tax ratables."

As for regional planning: This welcome necessity is reflected in the development of a collaborative, multi-government approach to local environmental issues such as land development, water quality and stormwater management. We were delighted to see the 1995 formation of the Ten Towns Great Swamp Watershed Committee, with representation from each watershed municipality. Its Watershed Management Plan and model ordinances were completed in 1997. Since then, the plan has been adopted by all ten municipalities, and implementation measures are under way.

As the manager of Great Swamp NWR, I count myself fortunate to be able to participate in its continuing evolution, and feel privileged to be among the growing ranks of the concerned and involved. Also, I believe the public should consider itself fortunate since you, your children, and theirs are the beneficiaries of all the valiant efforts. For thanks to past accomplishments and future promises, we have a much greater assurance that the character of local towns and villages will be maintained. We can choose from a growing smorgasbord of recreational and educational resources. And we can leave behind a lasting legacy - a pristine natural jewel, just 25 miles from Times Square.

If you haven't already done so, please join in and help make a lasting difference.

With this issue, we welcome Mr. Koch as a regular columnist.

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