Pinelands Preservation Alliance Story Map

The  Pinelands Preservation Alliance  (PPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the Pinelands (also known as the Pine Barrens) ecosystem while promoting public understanding and participation in the protection of and sustainable recreational use of the area.  In addition to promoting education and public understanding of conservation, the PPA works to protect the Pine Barrens from the treats of potential urban development and fights against any destructive activities that may affect the unique ecological and recreational features of the area.

Hopeworks in partnership with Pinelands Preservation Alliance has come together to create a Story of the Pinelands. With a focus on demographics, economics and land use to improve accessibility and help underserved communities.

The area known as the pinelands in New Jersey is an example of a unique coastal plain ecosystem that exists in only a few places on the planet. Studies of the pinelands have identified hundreds of plant and animal species, many of which are threatened or endangered. The area contains over one thousand prehistoric archeological sites, as well as remnants of early iron and glass industries, and historic and unique cultural sites. In addition to unique habitat for plants and animals, the region’s aquifers contain an estimated 17 trillion gallons of potable water. The roughly one-million-acre area is recognized by federal and state government as a major ecological asset, that requires protection from urban development and suburban sprawl related to the Pinelands location between two major metropolitan areas of New York and Philadelphia. Much of the area known as the pinelands of New Jersey is protected by federal and state regulations that control development especially in environmentally sensitive areas.

The pine barrens of New Jersey are considered one of the few remaining examples of the eastern coastal plain ecosystems that has been recognized by the United Nations as a single-site Biosphere Region worthy of protection. In addition to unique habitat for plants and animals, the region’s aquifers contain an estimated 17 trillion gallons of potable water. The roughly one-million-acre area is recognized by federal and state government as a major ecological asset that serves as habitat for animal and plant species and provides for recreational uses in state forestland and state parks.  The location of the pinelands near two major metropolitan areas of New York and Philadelphia means that the area is under threat of urban development and suburban sprawl. For example, in the 1960s the area was identified as a possible location for a supersonic jetport and city of 250,000 people. More recently, plans for natural gas pipelines crossing the protected pinelands territory have been proposed.

Much of the area known as the pinelands of New Jersey is protected by federal and state regulations that control development especially in environmentally sensitive areas. Many credit the success of preservation efforts to the publication of essays by John McPhee in the New Yorker magazine, and eventual publication of his book, The Pine Barrens, in 1967. (Video with Rosalynn Carter)

In 1978 the National Parks and Recreation Act established the Pinelands National Reserve as a way of preserving a large portion of the pinelands.  The state of New Jersey established a Pinelands Commission in 1979 with the aim of creating a comprehensive management plan for oversight and control of development in the region with goals of preservation, conservation, while fostering recreational uses and controlling urban encroachment.

The Pinelands Management plan was adopted by New Jersey 1981. The plan established land use management areas, each with permitted land uses and development thresholds. The Pinelands Land Use Capability Map delineates these management areas, and the plan calls for cooperation with local zoning and land use regulations to achieve development goals. As the Land Use Capability Map shows, there is provision for preservation, forest and agricultural zones in addition to areas designated for certain types of development and growth areas.  The municipalities in the area are required to manage their zoning in coordination with the Management plan, overseen by the New Jersey Pinelands Commission.

Large areas of the pinelands are preserved as state and federally owned park and forestlands in the Pinelands region include Brendan Byrne State Forest, Double Trouble State Park, Wharton State Forest, the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge as well as a number of designated wildlife management areas. In addition to preservation, these areas provide numerous recreational opportunities. Additional mapping by the Pinelands Commission details areas that are permanently protected, and the program through which protection is assured.

The Pinelands is home to many different people. Over the years pinelands has developed its own communities based around culture. Some of the key communities in the Pinelands are Baymen, African Americans, Germans, Italians, Jewish, Puerto Ricans and Russians. These cultures shaped the beginning of the Pinelands and are still present today. Chesilburst is home to Pinelands' oldest black community, originating before the Civil War. German settlements started in the Pinelands with the most noteworthy one being Egg Harbor City. Italian American families settled in Hammonton and Williamstown to work in agriculture. Jewish communities in Woodbine date back to the 1880’s. Migrant workers from Puerto Rico have been working in the Pinelands since World War 2. Most recently they have begun to permanently settle here mostly in Atlantic and Camden Counties.

The dashboard above is fully interactive. You can click around to sort and filter. While also comparing the years by clicking through each graph set. Don't forget to check out the map, there you can see the data table.