New Jersey lawmakers pass Highlands Protection Act

On June 10, the New Jersey Legislature overwhelmingly passed the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act, granting unprecedented and sweeping protection to the beautiful trails, rivers, and mountains of the New Jersey Highlands. Gov. James McGreevey is expected to sign the Highlands Act within the next several weeks.

The Act creates a 395,000-acre “preservation core area” with virtually no new development in the heart of this extremely threatened slice of the Appalachian region and a new Highlands Council to provide regional planning and oversight across the entire 800,000-acre N.J. Highlands. The new legislation is being widely hailed as New Jersey’s most significant environmental measure since the creation of a protected area of almost 1 million acres in the N.J. Pinelands in the 1970s. 

This bold new measure will also protect lands that supply drinking water for 4.5 million state residents, as well as protect the wildlife and recreation areas that make the Highlands the foremost mountain recreation area in the state. The N.J. Highlands are home to the Appalachian Trail, Highlands Trail, and numerous other hiking gems. The region is also renowned for paddling, fishing, and hunting. 

The AMC has worked toward passage of this legislation through its coordinated efforts with the Highlands Coalition, with AMC members and staff. The results included hundreds of letters and phone calls, and even a team of advocates pacing the statehouse corridors alongside those of other hiking organizations, such as the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference and the Sierra Club, on the day of the final vote.  

AMC members should celebrate the landmark protection of this tract of mountainous county that is perhaps the most fragile link in the Appalachian chain.