Where is the Smith Conservation Area at the lake park?
Page 4 • Wednesday, April 8, 2015 • The Hammonton Gazette
SMITH, from Page 1
“if you’re on the shore of the lake and
you look across and you see all those
woods, there that is it. the access is right
off egg Harbor road. the best thing to do
is to park in the lake park and take that
walk along egg Harbor road there and that
protected bicycle area. You can walk in
through there,” Hammonton first councilman and member of the Hammonton Green
Committee Dan Bachalis said.
according to reitmeyer, the Smith Conservation area land was donated to the
State prior to the existence of the Green
acres program.
the Hammonton environmental Commission applied for the aNJeC Open Space
Grant in 2013, and received money to aid
in the installation of several signs through
the Hammonton Lake Park and part of the
Smith area. Since the signs were installed
it has given the public a better understanding of what is in the conservation area that
consists of pitch pine forests and cedar
swamps. it is a typical characteristic of the
New Jersey Pine Barrens.
“i believe it helped by identifying the
property first as public open space, and second, by indentifying boundaries and access
points,” reitmeyer said.
Bachalis added to why the four signs,
which include a map of the conservation
area next to the Hammonton Lake Park and
three interpretive signs, are beneficial for
the public.
“the signs show what does it mean to
live in the Pine Barrens? What
sorts of things go on [in the area]?
What sorts of [animal species] live
here? the Girl Scout project is a tie
in between the lake park trails and
the Smith Conservation area trails,
so that really ties it all together
very, very well. the two projects
are really what we have been looking for in terms of having a map
that shows the actual trails that
people can take. it also will have
signage that tells people what’s living here and what is important
about it.
“it isn’t just telling people what
is there, but it is also explaining
why it is important. the signage
that is going up is going to help
speak to that. Why should we care
about this natural area? What
makes it so special? this is something we really tried to do for the
last three, four years and it has really come together this year,”
Bachalis said.
Christina tomasello, a member
of the local Girls Scout troop. and
her father, Bill, aided in the efforts
started by the Hammonton environmental Commission.
“What Bill and Christina did was
allow the commission to maximize
the grant money. Because they
were able to secure donations to
construct the lake map kiosk and
the trail markers we were able to
purchase the four signs. the trail
markers were something we
wanted to do, but was beyond our
scope entirely. Without this partnership, the grant would likely
have provided funding for only the
map sign and two interpretive
signs,”
reitmeyer said.
the full project was completed
late in the summer of 2014. the
Smith Conservation area map
helps people that are going on nature-type journeys see what is out
there.
“again, for people that want to
have a quiet spot to get away for a
little time, for parents to teach their
kids about the natural aspects of
living in the Pine Barrens, this is
what it is for. eventually, we will
get signs up right there at the entrance. the project that we have
going is going to move us towards
that so people can find it more easily,” Bachalis said.
the Smith Conservation area, as
of now, belongs to the Hammonton
Creek Wildlife Management area,
according to Bachalis. though it is
owned by the state, the state
doesn’t get involved in maintaining
it. it remains in good condition, overall.
“We have a nice piece of land there that
remains in a relatively-pristine state,”
Bachalis said.
Local high school cross-country teams
(Hammonton and St. Joseph High School)
use a portion of the tract to run their home
meets. the public can access it to walk and
run as well.
“i know people walk their dogs through
there all the time and other people just take
walks and have a nice, relatively quiet
place to go to commune with nature,”
Bachalis said.
the Smith Conservation area is preserved and the Canoe Club, located at the
Hammonton Lake Park next to the lake
shore, organizes activities along the tract,
according to Bachalis.
“the Canoe Club organizes a couple of
nature walks through there and it is a continuing idea to have regular nature walks
either focusing on birds, or in general,
when you get in there and you can’t help
but focus on just one thing or another. it is
a great spot to have a natural learning laboratory to educate people about what are
real Pinelands conditions because it is so
well preserved, and you get a lot of things
that only grow in the Pinelands and that is
a great opportunity for people to go and
learn about those sorts of things,” he said.
Bachalis believes the undeveloped land
is an essential part to the town.
“it is a great, quiet, little natural nook in
the middle of our town, which along with
the Hammonton Lake Park and the lake itself, make it a real jewel to have available
in an undeveloped area … to have a place
like the lake park, the lake and the Smith
Conservation area right in the middle is a
real boon for the people that want a little
quiet place to get away and walk around. it
is not a place to have a picnic because all it
is a few trails, but it is a great place to have
a relatively short walk and get away from
things for a while. You can then come back
pretty refreshed,” Bachalis said.
the William Smith Conservation area
will remain as it is now, an undeveloped
90-acre land area, designated for recreational usage and wildlife viewing.
“it will remain protected in the future as
a wildlife management area and being adjacent to our park, it will stay undeveloped,” Bachalis said.