State unveils new brochure highlighting the treasures of the Pinelands National Reserve of southern New Jersey.

The natural, cultural and historic treasures found in the 1.1-million-acre Pinelands National Reserve take center stage in a new brochure that was unveiled during the New Jersey Pinelands Commission's meeting earlier this month.
 
"This brochure will serve as a vital tool to help people navigate and better understand an area of southern New Jersey that is unlike any other place in the world," said John C. Stokes, Executive Director of the Pinelands Commission. "The more people discover what makes the Pinelands so special, the more they will want to protect this region."

The Pinelands Commission, the National Park Service (NPS) and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Division of Parks and Forestry teamed up with a writer and designer from the NPS' Harpers Ferry Center to produce the brochure.

The three agencies are partners in the Pinelands Interpretive Program. Congress called for the creation of a Pinelands interpretive and educational program in 1988 to "enhance public understanding, awareness and appreciation of the natural and cultural resources" of the Pinelands.

The project has resulted in the creation of Pinelands themed wayside exhibits and kiosks that have been installed at six state forest areas in the Pinelands and other locations, as well as new Pinelands road signs that have been posted at 22 locations in the region.

"These informative and colorful brochures are the signature piece for the National Park Service, and the DEP is proud to have played a role in producing one for the Pinelands National Reserve," DEP Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson said.

"They serve as guides and keepsakes for tourists who visit famous natural treasures such as the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, the Great Smoky Mountains, and Shenandoah, to name a few. The fact that the Pinelands National Reserve finally has its own inspires us to seek a deeper understanding of the national treasure we have right here in New Jersey."

Copies of the brochure can be obtained at Bass River State Forest, Belleplain State Forest, Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, Double Trouble State Park, the Forest Resource Education Center, and Wharton State Forest, or by contacting the Pinelands Commission at (609) 894-7300 or info@njpines.state.nj.us.

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Source: Pinelands Commission


Additional information, including a separate Pinelands Commission Brochure is available online at the Pinelands Commission Information Center.

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Copyright 2008 by Lawrence Yerkes. All Rights Reserved.