Many are unaware that the Garden State is home to four National Wild and Scenic Rivers, safeguarded by Congress under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service (NPS).
The Middle Delaware, which flows through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, is managed by the NPS as part of the National Recreation Area. The other three are Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers that wind through privately-owned, municipal, and state lands. These three are the Great Egg Harbor, the Lower Delaware, and the Musconetcong.
Remarkably, until 2022 less than 0.5% of the nation’s rivers had the protections and benefits afforded by the unique Wild and Scenic designation. The Partnership Wild and Scenic River model was created so rivers situated on nonfederal lands could have the same benefits and protections, with the proviso that local communities, in partnership with the NPS, develop and administer the waterway management plan.
These benefits create the potential for increased property values, enhanced competitiveness in grant applications and other processes, eligibility for NPS technical and financial support, community pride, and national recognition.
Located between the Delaware Water Gap and Washington Crossing communities, the Lower Delaware segment received Wild and Scenic protection in 2000. Landowner rights are protected. Eminent domain is not permitted. There are no changes to existing zoning, hunting, and fishing laws.
Partnership rivers receive Congressional appropriations every year to support locally led, public-private river councils, which work to protect and restore their waterways and spur community involvement.
To expand these benefits to more waterways, the Lower Delaware Wild and Scenic River Management Council and our NPS partner are studying Delaware River tributaries in northern New Jersey and identifying those eligible and suitable to share the Wild and Scenic partner designation.
In October, the NJ Chapter of the Sierra Club adopted a resolution endorsing this study.
This action also aligns with the Sierra Club’s ambitious 30 x 30 Conservation Agenda to protect 30% of US land and waters by 2030 to mitigate climate change, protect habitat, and allow space for communities to thrive.
The NJ Chapter of the Sierra Club lent its support after the Paulins Kill Watershed community introduced the tributary expansion study project to the Skylands Group. The Paulins Kill Watershed Initiative is a program of the Foodshed Alliance, a northern New Jersey, grassroots nonprofit devoted to promoting sustainable farming and locally grown, fresh, healthy food. Healthy food and sustainable farming rely on a clean, healthy watershed.
We appreciate the NJ Chapter of the Sierra Club for recognizing the Partnership Wild and Scenic River model as an innovative and inclusive approach that goes beyond traditional conservation methods to achieve preservation and conservation goals. This model has proved to be a durable and collaborative means to effectively bestow protections and benefits upon many miles of New Jersey’s precious private inland waters. The integration of eligible tributaries into existing partnership river designations is a responsible way to extend the benefits upstream and enhance the exceptional and unique values of our rivers.
Partnership Program: https://shorturl.at/ijADE
For more information and updates on the project visit: lowerdelawarewildandscenic.org