NJ state legislators introduce resolution opposing national park in Delaware Water Gap

Three state legislators in New Jersey have introduced a resolution opposing the redesignation of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area as a national park and preserve.

This move by state Sen. Steve Oroho and Assemblymen Parker Space and Hal Wirths, all Republicans from the 24th District, comes one week after U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat from New Jersey's 5th District, announced that he was against the proposal, citing a lack of “the necessary local support to move forward.”

Warren and Sussex county commissioners have passed resolutions against changes to park designation and many municipal governing bodies along the river have done likewise. Citizens have also been organizing in opposition to the change.

Of interest:Advocates make case for Delaware Water Gap to be PA's 1st national park

The resolutions put forward in the Senate and Assembly rare similar to resolutions put before the Legislature in past sessions by the three Republicans, whose 24th District includes the entire section of the recreation area which lies in New Jersey. (The legislative boundaries will be adjusted for the 2023 state elections and the southern part of the current 24th District, which includes Warren County municipalities, will shift to the 23rd District.)

The local legislators' resolution echoes sentiments of other arguments against the current redesignation effort, chiefly that it does not contain enough information. The lawmakers cite concerns about eminent domain and restrictions on hunting, and question about how the change would impact various aspects of the recreation area, such as leased farmland.

“The specifics and scope of the Redesignation Project, and the environmental, economic, and agricultural impact of the project remain unknown, including if, and how, fees will be collected, and how the project will be funded,” the resolution says.

"We have heard from many area residents and local officials opposing this change in designation and we support them," Oroho said in a news release about the resolutions. "This idea surfaced roughly seven years ago, and we opposed it then; now it is back, and we will continue to fight it."

The senator's statement references a locally-proposed National Park Service plan called "Vision 2030: A Vision for a Sustainable Future," which also sought to change the designation of the recreation area to a national park and preserve.

At that time, John Donahue was superintendent of the recreation area and supported the "vision" plan. Donahue, who retired in 2017 after more than 38 years with the NPS, has been the public face behind this latest effort at redesignation.

"There are fears this redesignation project would disregard the rights of local property owners, and eminent domain will be used by the federal government to acquire private and State property adjacent to the Delaware Water Gap," said Wirths. Adjacent to, or near the NPS lands in New Jersey, are High Point State Park, Stokes State Forest in the northern area and Worthington State Forest on the southern end of the park near the Delaware Water Gap.

Donahue has said that additional land would only be acquired from willing sellers. This has not proved reassuring to some area residents who remember land being seized for the Tocks Island Dam, which was never built.

Related:Outdoor sporting group opposes Delaware Water Gap as national park

More coverage:National Park Service nixes plan for new entrance fee at Delaware Water Gap

Pro-park advocates plan to release a map "in the very near future,” Donahue said after Gottheimer’s statement came out. This will show the proposed boundaries of the park portion, where hunting would not be allowed, and the preserve, where it would be permitted.

His vision for the redesignation does not include new fees. Fees are determined by the National Park Service and could be added or changed regardless of Delaware Water Gap’s designation; the NPS decided in 2020 not to charge a park-wide entrance fee due to public comments against the idea. The park already charges seasonal fees at some of the improved river access points and at three public beaches along the river.

Currently, Routes 209 and 739 on the Pennsylvania side of the river and Sussex County Route 560 are major commuter routes. However, there are more than 50 entry points into the 40-mile long park, making entry-fee collection nearly impossible.

Donahue and others in favor of the change — including the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Sierra Clubs — say it would raise Delaware Water Gap's profile, and they are hopeful that more federal funding could follow. Their proposed name is Delaware River National Park and Lenape Preserve, for the Lenape nation which inhabited much of the Delaware River Valley before Europeans arrived.

The designation of a National Park Service unit can only be changed by Congress, so the New Jersey resolution, if passed, would signal opposition but would not prevent the change, if Congress wants to make it.

Congress redesignated West Virginia’s New River Gorge National Park and Preserve (previously a national river) in 2020, leaving about 90% of the acreage open to hunting. That legislation was part of an omnibus spending bill. No legislation regarding Delaware Water Gap’s designation has been introduced in Congress.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: NJ's Oroho, Space, Wirths oppose change to Delaware Water Gap rec area