New Jersey’s new 364 acre wildlife recreation area and hiking park

Jackson, NJ – Today, Jackson Township, home of Six Flags Great Adventure and the northeastern most border of the Pinelands National Reserve,  the Pine Barrens as New Jersey residents affectionately call it, officially preserved 364 acres of forest and wetlands.    The Bunker Hill Bogs Wildlife Recreation Area was officially christened today by Mayor Michael Reina as local residents and volunteers of the Jackson Pathfinders were on hand to witness the occasion.    

The huge parcel of land that encompasses a large section of eastern Jackson Township was rescued several years ago from becoming the southern entrance to an extension of the Westlake Village retirement community.   Years of legal and political maneuvering by concerned conservationists eventually forced the Westlake developer to cede the property to Jackson Township according Art Rosky, the local site manager for the Jackson Pathfinders.       The Jackson Pathfinders, through grants from the State of New Jersey and with the approval from the township, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and JCP&L, which maintains rights of way on the land eventually turned this once forgotten tract of land into a clean and pristine ecological park with over 5 miles of trails around two large lakes and 9 defunct cranberry bogs.    Through the dedicated effort of Pathfinders’ Treasurer Tom Stevens, Chairperson Karen Borga and the Pathfinders organization, a $25,000 grant from the New Jersey Conservation Fund, the group was able to clean up years of trash left behind which included items such as discarded metal swingsets, construction debris, tires, automotive parts and various other illegally dumped items forgotten by years of neglect.   

Joining Mayor Reina at today’s ribbon cutting ceremony was township Councilman Scott Martin and Councilwoman Bobby Rivere.   Other special guests included Jackson Girl Scout troop 110 who worked hard the previous morning on a community flower garden in preparation for today’s ceremony, led by troop leader Kathleen Malmstrom, of the Dogwood Service Unit of the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore.

Jackson Township Councilman Scott Martin said “It’s a beautful site. There’s no doubt the residents of Jackson will enjoy themselves here.” about the new park and it’s stunning natural beauty and hidden wildlife treasures as the children in attendance followed a turtle as it crept along the shore of the lake.

“Today is all about the Jackson Pathfinders and they deserve it” said Mayor Reina “This isn’t about politics, it’s about what ordinary people in the community have accomplished.  It makes me proud to be the mayor of Jackson when I see things like this.” as he pointed around at the kids playing by the water and the results of many years of hard work by the Pathfinders, a 100% volunteer organization and branch of the Jackson Township municipal government.  He continued “This project has had absolutely zero cost to the taxpayer and that’s the beauty of it”. 

It was just a few months ago that Mayor Reina proposed to expand Jackson’s volunteer corps by reinstating an all volunteer community advisory board for the township to tackle projects and iniatives that might have otherwise carried a burden on taxpayers, similar to the Bunker Hill Bogs reclamation project.  Mayor Reina then spent time with the children in attendance including his grandson and the kindergarten daisy scouts from the Lucy N. Holman Elementary School who created the community garden at the site.  Mr. Reina will be joining the children at their school as a special “Mystery Guest” to read an unspecified Dr. Seuss classic to the children later in the week and answer questions they may have about being mayor of their town.

After the ceremony, Tony Santamaria, a local ecological expert took the group of children and the mayor on a short hike through the bog trails and detailed the vast and diverse range of wildlife that could be found in the preserve from deer to snakes to fish to the local beaver population.   Along the way, Mr. Santa Maria showed the children the effects already being felt by the project such as a resurgence in wildlife and growth of  auquatic plants that haven’t been seen in recent memory at the Bogs because of damage caused by off road vehicles which has been all but eliminated.    The Pathfinders have also built dozens of bird and owl shelters on the property which have lured back local exotic bird species including woodpeckers and owls.

Along the hike, the group was joined by Customized Dickens, a horse owned by Karen Borga, being ridden here by Pathfinder member Keith Sawyer.   Dickens is a neiiigh-bor of the bogs who calls the adjacent horse ranch owned by Site Manager Art Rosky  home.

In the above photo, Mayor Reina, no stranger to horses, walks along some of  the 5.1 miles of reclaimed trails first hand, accompanied by Customized Dickens and Keith Sawyer. 

After such an accomplishment, the Pathfinders intend to remain busy and keep informing residents about the untold natural treasures right here in their own backyards.   “Next up is a full moon hike at the New Jersey Forest Resource Education Center in August” Ms. Borga said.  The Forest Resource Education Center is just a few miles west of the Bunker Hill Bogs on East Veterans Highway.

“We have fishing, hiking, kayaking, horseback riding and canoeing right now at the bogs” explains Art Rosky, site manager “In the future, we’ll have lots of activities for children and seniors.  Just yesterday morning, two fisherman spent all afternoon in a boat out here and didn’t catch anything.  As they were leaving, a young kid on the banks caught a huge bass!”.   Rosky says there are plenty of bass already in the lakes and the waters will eventually be stocked with fish by the state.

Bunker Hill Bogs is the most unique of Jackson Township’s parks as it has no swing sets, no ball fields and no stadium lights.  In fact, it doesn’t even have electricity, but it’s one of the most diverse and well maintained ecosystems in the town and it’s open from dawn till dusk every day.  You won’t find Bunker Hill Bogs on any Google Map or State Wildlife guides because it just officially opened today, but it’s located on East Veteran’s Highway (Route 527), west of the intersection of Whitesville Road on the westbound side of the highway.  It’s a makes for a perfect eco-day trip for the entire family.

Another rainy day in Jackson another vehicle loses control on Route 527

Jackson NJ – As has been the norm for several months now, each new rainy day in Jackson Township, New Jersey brings with it disaster on Route 527.   The road which has been host to dozens of critical and many fatal accidents over the past few years has recently been in the media spot light after two high profile accidents, one claiming the life of a 40 year old Jackson man and another sending young Chesley Thomas to the hospital in critical condition, still recovering from her injuries, has been a source of contention within the community.

On Tuesday night at 6:45pm, local Jackson mom Christine Stilton was stopped at the red traffic light at the intersection of Jackson Mills Road and Route 527 along with her 6 year old daughter when she looked in her rear view mirror and saw a black sedan veering out of control behind her which had lost control and apparently unable to stop for the traffic light.  The car veered off the road narrowly missing Mrs. Stilton’s vehicle and another vehicle behind hers and came to a stop after hitting the trees just a few feet away, narrowly missing the guard rail.

The passenger of the vehicle was alright and Mrs. Stilton immediately called 911 to report the accident in which Jackson Township Police responded to within minutes.   The vehicle was later towed away, showing minor damage.

The ironic twist to this accident is that Mrs. Stilton is the wife of Phil Stilton, a Jackson Township father who has been lobbying the Jackson Township Board of Education unsuccessfully for over one year to relocate bus stops where children are unnecessarily waiting on Route 527.  Mr. Stilton’s efforts began in June of 2008 when he was notified by the Jackson Township Board that his six year old kindergarten daughter would be expected to wait for her school bus on the busy 50 mph highway that has been host to so many tragedies over the years instead of within the safe confines of the development which he resides.

The Board of Education balked at Mr. Stilton’s request stating that Route 527 makes for a safe stop for a Kindergarten students,  in light of the dozens critical and many fatal accidents each year in the area of the proposed bus stop.  After attending many BOE meetings pleading with the Board of Education, board member and current President Barbara Fiero told Mr. Stilton ”We are not the Police Department” and that if Mr. Stilton is concerned about vehicles illegally passing school buses, he should “bring pencil and paper to the bus stop and record the license plates yourself”

“It’s disheartening to learn that the people who have been elected to the position of caretakers of our children’s education flat out reject a parent’s legitimate safety concern for his daughter.” Stilton said of the decision “as a parent with children just entering the public education system, I was not expecting a year long battle between the determination of the Board of Education and myself to ensue, but early on, I was told by the Superintendent that he was against opening the floodgates when it came to changing bus stops.  He told me if he did it for one parent, he would have to do it for all parents and to think this is how our district handles safety is appalling”.    In the Asbury Park Press forums, Joe Fiero, husband of Board President Barbara Fiero called Mr. Stilton a “Whiney first year dad who threw a tantrum when he didn’t get his way” in regards to Stilton’s persistance regarding the Board of Education taking children off this dangerous highway.  “I never realized the sort of people running the show in Jackson would resort to childish personal attacks just because you’re concerned about safety” Stilton said of Mr. Fiero’s comments.

In a meeting held between Luanne Meinders and the Board of Education Transportation subcomittee in December 2008, assistant Superintendent Meinders alluded that if Mr. Stilton was so concerned about his child safety, driving her to school himself was an option.   “I was floored that instead of providing a safer alternative for my child that the district would sit on their decision and instead tell me that if I don’t like it, I can drive my child and pick her up from school every day” Stilton Continued “To this day, I still don’t understand why the district is making such a huge issue out of nothing.  Every other bus company services the development in safe manner, the same should be expected by our public schools.”   

Today’s accident hit close to home as the very road Mr. Stilton has been tirelessly lobbying the Jackson Township Municipal Council, Jackson Police Department, Ocean County Engineer Department and the Board of Education to make necessary changes in policy and the road itself to present unecessary loss of life and injury in the future as it was just a few feet from potentially making his wife and daughter another statistic in the road’s lengthy and destructive history.

“I’ve seen so many bad things happen on this road in the 5 years since I moved to Jackson after being a lifelong Toms River resident” says Stilton  “In Toms River we had a similar issue back in the 1990’s on Church Road, where the county and the township eventually worked together to lower the speed limit, install many new traffic lights that broke up and stopped traffic and the results were amazing, significantly lowering the amount of fatalities by nearly 100% and reducing the number of accidents on that road significantly.  I don’t see why the same isn’t being done here”.

Mr. Stilton was recently quoted in the Asbury Park Press after several critical accidents within 1/8th mile of his daughter’s bus stop as saying “It is a bad place to stop a bus, it is just a matter of time before this happens where there is a corner loaded with children.”  regarding the increased amount of vehicles losing the control due to driver inattention and driving in execess of the speed limit on the road.

To this day, very little has been done by the Board of Education and Mr. Stilton is still lobbying the district to reconsider the placement of children on route 527 at least until the county completes its plan to make the road safer by widening and minimizing curves where possible and possibly a speed limit reduction.   A recent phone call to Mr. Stilton was made by Superintendent Thomas Gialanella stating that the district will take another look at the situation in September of 2009, but Mr. Stilton feels the longer we wait, the higher the risk will be for the children in the meantime.

Vehicle overturns on Whitesville Road during Kindergarten bus service

On Wednesday, a vehicle overturned on Whitesville Road around noon.  Less than 1/2 mile away, a kindergartner stood at the corner of  Route 527 and Cleveland Court waiting for her bus, spared once again from the rash of violent and critical accidents happening on a weekly basis around her.      

As the accidents close in on her bus stop and other bus stops mandated by the Jackson Township Board of Education our township continues to put children in harms way.    This time, the accident fell into the right time slot, but in the wrong location.

Between 11:45 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. the area surrounding this crash site is full of 5 and 6 year old Jackson children standing on the highways waiting for their school bus because one year after pleading with the district to relocate at risk children to safer alternatives when they exist has fallen upon deaf ears at the school district.

In the past 30 days, we have seen cars veer off the road, cross lanes and now overturn just minutes away from where children are waiting.       Once again, another accident and no action is taken by the school board to seek safer alternatives where possible. 

The Jackson BOE once again plays another pull of the trigger on this very dangerous game of Russian Roulette.  Once again, they have been spared, but how long will their luck continue for?

Let’s be serious about this though.   My daughter does not wait on the corner as she is expected to by the district.  She waits in our car, 20-30 feet off the corner, but her bus still stops on this very dangerous stretch of highway that has claimed many lives and maimed many in recent months.      The children at risk are those on the bus when it stops because we make sure all traffic is stopped before we approach the bus. 

It’s way beyond the time for the Jackson BOE to proactively change the situation and take other children out of harms way.   This is not the Jackson of 20 years ago where route 527 is a quiet country road connecting Route 195 to Lakewood and Toms River.  Today, it is a very high speed and twisting road that claims many lives.    

It’s time for the BOE to stop pointing fingers, sticking their head in the sand and pretending the problem away.