Over 100 cooperators and staff met for the annual Pine Barrens luncheon meeting. To learn more about what they presented and talked about, read what I have compiled as a summary of their resolutions for 2010.

Photography: Raymond P. Corwin

What's In The Works For 2010

1) Find a better way to deal with development. What's also being talked about is the need for developers to buy credits when they want to do something more than the zoning allows. Complete plan amendments related to conservation subdivision design.

2) Protect the Carmans River Watershed, that's near Warbler Woods, Prosser Pines and Cathedral Pines County Park in Middle Island, down County Route 21. There's been several land acquisitions and growing support for a regional open space management and protection, including taking action on illegal ATV abuses.

3) Protected Lands Council wants to complete the ATV and Dumping Mitigation Project Evaluation.  Also the PLC will be planning future projects, now decided upon by the Commission. Newly reorganized, anyone who participates can make suggestions about future projects.

4) Make illegal ATV riding a misdemeanor as a first offense. This allows law enforcement officials to follow up leads based on probable cause, and frees them up from actually witnessing the illegal act.

5) Increase attendance for the next Pine Barrens Discovery Day (June 12th). It's a great chance to meet local naturalists and learn about how to get more involved in the Pine Barrens and it's stewardship.

6) Administer enforcement of development regulations. Thus when the Commission's staff sees a violation, they would then be able to issue a stop work, a ticket and or take the offender to court. Currently, the Pine Barrens staff has no enforcement powers, and exclusively relies on coordination with other agencies.

7) Complete plans for future nature center to complement the new nature center for the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge.  Funds for the USFWS nature center came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  Personally, weatherizing older park buildings, used for office and living spaces, is a good idea too.

8) Build a fire tower, as a cultural restoration of days gone by, when firefighters used towers to locate brush fires.   The fire tower would be used for interpretation, and the Commission supports this. A fire tower will let you see the vast expanse of the Pine Barrens and gain a better appreciation for Long Island's coastal forest.

9) Exchange ideas, compare best practices, and offer support to park and protected areas from Long Island to Italy (the twinned park of the Pine Barrens), and beyond. Keep ideas fresh and information flowing.

10) Continue recognition of everyone involved, realizing that the natural resource protection can't happen unless there's cooperators leveraging limited resource in tough economic times.

If you think I have missed something, do make a comment.