I feel a special connection with the Pine Barrens of South Jersey (also known as the Pinelands). This isn't surprising--I've lived practically my whole life on the outskirts of this unique natural area. Its special status is recognized at the state, federal, and international level. New Jersey has placed major restrictions on development in the area, which puts my family (and many other property owners) in the region on the horns of a dilemma. We don't want to see the Pine Barrens blacktopped, or turned into one big suburb of Philadelphia. But with the restrictions on what we can do with our land, the property values are depressed--we bear a heavy brunt of the economic burden of preserving the Pine Barrens. These are not easy times for the small farmer under the best of circumstances. With the added economic burden of these property restrictions, it is quite conceivable that one day, we will be forced to abandon the homestead that has been farmed by my family for generations. And with that, I'll get off my soapbox and offer the following sites on the Pine Barrens.
New Jersey's Pine Barrens is a brief introduction of the area which also names other UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve areas. Treefrog & Other Friends sounds like a PBS kids show, but it's actually a site for all ages with many good pictures. Plants of the New Jersey Pinelands, the fine site of Dr. Michael F. Gross of Georgian Court College, contains a photo gallery of 45 Pinelands plants, along with information on each. Wondrous Barrens gives a good overview of the region, touching on its biology, geology, recent history, and attractions in the area. The Pinelands Recreation Guide will help you find places to visit and things to do in the Pinelands.
The Pine Barrens, and South Jersey as a whole, has its fair share of folklore and history. While the story of the Jersey Devil is the most well-known folk tale of the area, there are many other stories you can learn about at the South Jersey Folklore website. Using the old folk tradition of relating stories in rhyme, Pineylore, created by Lilli Lopez and now maintained by her daughters, is an endearing source of local folklore, history, and reminiscences of what it was like to grow up in the Pine Barrens.
As for history, the South Jersey History page gives a brief overview of the history of each South Jersey county, as well as places like Ong's Hat and a favorite spot of mine, Batsto. Bruce Scull's Southern New Jersey History contains notes on some of the very early days of European settlement in South Jersey (including ancestors of Mr. Scull.) An alternate historical perspective can be found at the site of the Lenni Lenape Historical Society. (The Lenape were the original inhabitants of South Jersey.)
"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness."
--John Muir
[Agriculture]
[Chess]
[HTML]
[Main]
[Nautilus]
[Pine Barrens]
[Search]
[Site Map]
[Sports]
[Television]
[Travel]
{Attribution page--Pine Barrens}
{Batsto}
Copyright © 1998-9 John Abrams.
All rights reserved.
/Heartland/Acres/5076/pine.html
Last modified on March 30, 1999
