The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will host an open house on the draft Wharton State Forest Visiting Vehicle Use Map on Wednesday, Jan. 24, from noon to 7 p.m. at the Batsto Visitor Center. The open house will allow stakeholders to view, ask questions and comment on the draft Wharton Visiting Vehicle Use Map, along with several other maps that aided in the development of the map. There will be no formal speaking presentation during the open house. Interested stakeholders can stop in at any time during the event. DEP staff will be on hand to answer questions and participants will have the opportunity to leave written comments.

Meeting Location

The Batsto Visitor Center is located at 31 Batsto Road in Hammonton. Due to the building’s capacity limit, there may be a wait to enter the open house.

Public Comment

In addition to the in-person open house, those interested in reviewing and commenting on the Wharton Visiting Vehicle Use Map and associated materials will also be able to view and submit comments online. An online public comment period will be available for 45 days, from Jan. 24 until Mar. 9, for those who are unable to attend in person.

Visiting Vehicle Use Map Overview

The Visiting Vehicle Use Map clearly delineates safe, legal routes through Wharton State Forest, on which a licensed driver can drive their street legal, registered and insured vehicle. Preexisting motor vehicle regulations will remain unchanged with ATVs, side-by-sides, non-street-legal enduros and other illegal off-road vehicles restricted from all areas of the forest.

Data

Data to create the Visiting Vehicle Use Map was gathered through an extensive stakeholdering process, during which more than 1,600 people submitted surveys, noting areas of interest and routes that were important to them. Additionally, DEP data on endangered, threatened and of conservation concern plant and animal species; wetlands; historic and cultural resources; and Natural Areas and Natural Heritage Priority Sites were taken into consideration during the Visiting Vehicle Use Map’s development.