Park destruction blamed on ATVs
Erosion, noise, garbage attributed to off-road vehicles
BY JESSICA SMITH, Staff Writer, Suburban
Joe Sapia takes daily treks through the Jamesburg Park Conservation Area to clear his mind in the solitude of the woods.
While he is able to find peace there, he is also touched with a sense of loss. For 100 years, Sapia's family has been walking the trails of the park, but over that time period, drastic changes have taken place.
"I'm never going to see it the way it should be in my lifetime," Sapia said.
Riders of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) frequent the county-owned park's 1,700 acres, trampling plant life and speeding erosion, according to residents near the park. When one trail gets flooded because of erosion, the riders simply create another one through the woods.
"They do a lot of damage, and they destroy everything," resident Mike Smith said. "They're nasty and arrogant. They come from all over."
Smith, owner of Michael Smith Septic and Excavating of Jamesburg, owns a 106-acre tract of land that abuts the park. Riders are often on his property, he said, and they knock down the dirt and sand he stores there for his business. He said he sees about 50 to 60 ATV riders per week.
"Sometimes they'll go right past my house [going] 60 to 65 mph," Smith said. "I'm waiting for the day someone gets hurt, and they'll come knocking at my door looking for a check."
Aside from the destruction of the land, noise pollution and garbage left behind by some riders are concerns.
One resident who spoke out on the issue wished to remain anonymous, saying his house has been vandalized after confronting riders in his area. He said the riders often park their trailers right in front of the signs that forbid motorized vehicles, disregarding them.
Though police from various jurisdictions are called often to respond to illegal riders, they are usually unable to apprehend anyone because of the riders' ability to elude them through trails. The park is largely located in East Brunswick, but also goes into Helmetta, Monroe and Spotswood.
"They don't seem to take it seriously," Sapia said, noting it is difficult to get police to respond to things that are happening in the woods, away from the core of the town.
"It's not that we're not responsive," said Lt. Bill Krause of the East Brunswick Police Department. "The problem is that the police department does not have the resources to patrol wooded areas. The only time we can stop them or attempt to stop them is when they go out near the roadways."
Krause said a number of violations have been written for ATV riders in the area. Some residents are unsatisfied, however, and have said there should be an officer on an ATV to deal with the problem.
Jamesburg Conservation Area
"Just speaking from a manpower and resources position, that's not an easily accomplished goal," Krause said.
There would have to be at least two officers patrolling the woods, Krause said, in case there was a need for backup. This would take away from the number of officers patrolling the town, bringing a need for an increase in the size of the department. Additional concerns are brought on by possible liability on the part of the police force if an accident happens while they are chasing a rider, Krause said.
Last year, an East Brunswick officer found himself in harm's way while trying to apprehend a rider, Krause recalled.
"The gentleman on the quad came extremely close to running the officer down," Krause said.
Another thorn in the side of law enforcement is the fact that the park land touches four towns. The ability of riders to go from one town to the next on their vehicles makes it even more difficult for enforcement to take place.
"We're talking about areas that are very large," Middlesex County Parks Director Ralph Albanir said. "It's very, very difficult to control."
Albanir said the county has retained the services of a land steward whose sole responsibility would be to manage undeveloped areas of open space. Part of the steward's duties would be to establish controls on motorized vehicles by restricting access points. The park rangers are working alongside the East Brunswick Police Department to combat the problem, Albanir said.
ATV riders see the park as one of the places they can go to ride.
"If there were more riding areas, they may not have these problems," said Mark Jordan, an ATV and motorcycle enthusiast. "If there was no place for kids to play basketball, they'd all be at the same basketball court, and it would be overrun."
Jordan, who resides in the New Egypt section of Plumsted Township, said he has not ridden in Jamesburg Park, but the problem exists statewide because there is only one legal place to ride trails in New Jersey.
The New Jersey Off-Road Vehicle Park in Chatsworth, Burlington County, is slated to close for good in September 2008, according to its Web site. People involved with the park have been working with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for over two years, as well as the Pinelands Commission, to obtain another location for an off-road vehicle park, according to the site. A proposed location in the Williamstown section of the Monroe Township that is in Gloucester County is in the works.
The damage done by off-road vehicles is minimal, and similar to that created by other uses on public land, ATV riding advocates said. Jordan said the damage done by horseback riding is just as bad as what is done by ATV riders.
"Most people just ride down trails that are existing anyway," Jordan said. "If it's a state park or something, they come through and smooth out the trails every so often anyway."
Residents in the area disagree.
"They are responsible for environmental destruction, ruining the tranquillity [and] contributing to flooding," Sapia said.
Groups like the Sierra Club are working to get stricter legislation for ATVs in order to close some of the legal loopholes riders are able to enjoy, the club's Web site states.
Jordan said riders are faced with strict enforcement by police wherever they go, and that law enforcement agencies in parts of central New Jersey have gone as far as using helicopters to track and apprehend them.
"The police are constantly patrolling everywhere," Jordan said. "Unless [they] can see the people unloading out of a truck, there is no way they can catch them.
Although residents like Sapia are still able to enjoy the park to some extent, the damage done has left an indelible mark.
"You kind of wonder how long it's going to last for future generations," Sapia said.
PHOTOSBY JEFF GRANIT staff Above, Joe Sapia, of Monroe, stands in front of an area in Jamesburg Park where a stream has run off onto trails believed to be created by ATVs. Top right, one of the signs posted on trees in the park indicating that motorized vehicles are not permitted. At right, riders work to free an ATV from the mud Sunday. Below, tree roots are exposed due to a combination of damage from riding trails and rain at Jamesburg Park.
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