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Sunday, June 23, 1996 By Jill Schensul The topic today: ecotourism in New Jersey. Really. You're laughing, or smirking, or maybe just slightly incredulous, right? I know, because I've already seen many New Jerseyans react to the concept. Residents and out-of-staters alike still see New Jersey as one great long swath of machinery crisscrossed by asphalt. People are too busy rushing to other ends of the Earth, where they can experience nature and vacation with macaws and monkeys and whales, to seek out the nature just an energy-efficient drive from their homes. Ecotourism, or nature-based vacationing, has grown at a rate of nearly 30 percent annually over the last five years. It is the fastest-growing segment of the travel industry. Everyone, it seems, wants to get back in touch with nature. A statewide campaign is on to capitalize on this trend -- to focus at least some of those expensive binoculars on the nature that is literally out our back door. New Jersey may not have monkeys and macaws, but it does have bald eagles and rare tree frogs and endangered lady-slipper plants -- as well as whales and dolphins. "As governor, one of the greatest parts of my job is that I routinely travel throughout our state,'' Christie Whitman said in a recent interview. ''A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to canoe in the Delaware Water Gap, one of our state's most beautiful areas. The following weekend I went mountain biking on the trails of Allaire State Park, and was once again impressed by its natural beauty.'' She noted that last year, nearly 8 million visitors came to New Jersey to enjoy the great outdoors, ''and that's a number that I fully expect to increase,'' she said. State funding for parks and recreation has been cut; the administration is encouraging funding from new sources. ''I believe that it comes down to a public-private effort and partnership -- as it does with so many of our initiatives,'' said Linda Mysliwy Conlin, director of the N.J. Division of Travel and Tourism. ''It is in the interest of the state to create and expand partnerships with the private sector, and with local and county officials and regional operations, who all have a stake in developing this special aspect of tourism. ''The entire state will benefit,'' she said. In March, many of those with an interest in the environment came together for a legislative hearing on ecotourism, convened by Sen. Joe Kyrillos of the Senate Natural Resources and Economic Development Committee. On hand were heavy-hitter environmental organizations, such as the N.J. Audubon Society, Sierra Club, and New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, along with state officials, county representatives, and tourism leaders. The consensus was that promoting the state's environment would have an overall beneficial effect, for New Jersey's economy as well as its natural resources. ''Not only can it help us expand tourism for the State of New Jersey,'' Conlin said, ''but it is generating revenues that can go back to enhancing and preserving these natural resources. Bed-and-breakfasts, often located in less urban settings, would benefit too, she added. Exactly what ecotourism is depends on your point of view. The word has been invoked with ever-increasing frequency since it was coined in the Eighties, as environmental awareness, the aging of the baby boomers, and increased accessibility to nature have made this kind of travel extremely popular. Ecotourism today is a massive global commercial enterprise. Now it's easy to be ''green.'' Ecotourism can mean anything from a rugged, unmotorized journey through a remote area of Nepal to a motor-coach tour past the national parks of Utah. The Ecotourism Society in Bennington, Vt., one of the more respected players in the field, defines ecotourism as ''responsible travel that conserves the natural environment and sustains the well-being of local people.'' New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees 550,000 acres of the state's total 765,000 acres of protected open space, supports that definition. ''Our view is that ecotourism in New Jersey is travel and recreation activities that are directly linked to experiencing and understanding the natural world,'' said Jim Hall, assistant commissioner for natural and historic resources for the DEP.
From the mountains and lush valleys of the Highlands, through the unique pinelands ecosystem to the Atlantic Coast and Delaware Bay region that serves as a major stop along the migratory paths of many bird species, the state offers a variety of habitats. New Jersey itself is situated where northern ecosystems reach their southern limit, and where southern ecosystems reach their northern limit. ''New Jersey has the best of both ecological worlds,'' said James Sciasia, a zoologist with the DEP's Division of Fish, Game, and Wildlife Endangered and Nongame Species Program. ''This small state supports a diversity of wildlife unequaled by most of the other East Coast states. We have just an incredible treasury here.'' Broadcasting that phenomenon can help attract new business to the state as well, Conlin said. ''Clearly, it is another way to show 'What a difference a state makes,''' she said, invoking the trademark tourism slogan of this administration. Even without a major campaign touting its natural resources, New Jersey's state parks receive more than 12 million visits a year. In 1994, 6.5 million day trips were centered on natural areas, and nearly 1 million overnight trips were outdoors-related. The overall impact from nature-related tourism in the state is estimated at several billion dollars annually; $10 million is spent by the 100,000 birders alone in Cape May County. ''That gives you an idea of the contribution'' ecotourism makes, Conlin said. ''Statewide, we are going to be refining our research to be able to isolate the contribution that nature-based tourism makes to the State of New Jersey.'' The push is on. The division of tourism has co-sponsored ecotourism workshops from Cape May to the Skylands. A program on the Pinelands is being developed by the division in conjunction with NJN cable television. A major component in the ecotourism plan is New Jersey's participation in the national Watchable Wildlife Project coordinated by Defenders of Wildlife. New Jersey is coupling the project with Wildlife Diversity Tours, a feature unique to the state. Through the project, New Jersey will soon have its own Wildlife Viewing Guide, bringing together 90 wildlife sites, including descriptions, directions, viewing opportunities, and the regional Wildlife Diversity Tours. The latter are two-day itineraries that will link significant ecosystem sites in the region, and underline the relationship between wildlife and people. The guide should be out by early 1997. Throughout the Garden State, there already are many signs of greening. The work-in-progress Coastal Heritage Trail, for instance, brings together natural and cultural assets of the New Jersey coastline, with visitor centers, signs, guides, and trails. As the Coastal Heritage Trail points out, ecotourism often has simply to do with packaging and marketing. Cape May County is widely known as a premier site in the country for birding; it has good facilities, good signs, good trails and maps, and aggressive marketing. And officials there recently held a conference on ecotourism, to boot. Cumberland County, inspired by the successes of its Cape May neighbor, has just adopted an ecotourism plan of its own, noting that it's got just as much as Cape May, but simply isn't pushing it as well. Stephen Kehs, director of Cumberland County Planning and Development, cited the rich diversity of birds, the portions of the Maurice River that are part of the National Wild and Scenic River System, and the historic Delaware Bay Schooner Project as ecotourism treasures to be more fully marketed. There is talk of opening 20 wildlife-management areas to the general public. These areas are currently used solely by hunters. The passage in 1995 of a $340 million Green Acres bond is enabling more land to be set aside for recreation. Green space is something New Jerseyans seem to cherish: Over the last 34 years, New Jersey voters have approved nine Green Acres bond issues totaling $1.4 billion. Of course, who is against nature, really? But ecotourism does have its downsides. As the soft-and-fuzzy concept spreads, its meaning is diluted by those who simply hope to cash in on the phenomenon. Hotels touting environmentally friendly rooms, with energy-saving light bulbs and water-saving (low-pressure) showerheads, stock them with plastic or Styrofoam cups. Operators offering ecotours to view whales may chase them or even hit them in their efforts to provide passengers with a good shot of the action. The mere act of opening a site to ecotourism or encouraging more people to enjoy it can have detrimental effects, if rules are not established and followed. ''It is the task of county planners and local planning boards to make every effort to ensure that revenues generated through the promotion of ecotourism return to the community to maintain and protect these assets,'' Conlin said. ''Otherwise you'll be killing the goose that laid the golden egg.'' The DEP's Hall agreed. ''We must all bear in mind how fragile and how vulnerable our natural resources are. Without careful planning and control, the appropriate use and enjoyment of the natural world can turn quickly to exploitation and degradation. One uninformed and careless visitor can do more destruction to a sensitive site than thousands of well-managed and planned-for visits. ''It is not the scale of the visitation that is critical; it is the impact,'' he added, noting that one of the DEP's most important responsibilities is ''to develop ways of visiting and experiencing the natural world without compromising its integrity.'' Copyright © 1996 Bergen
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Despite the
dubious distinction of being the most densely
populated state in the country, New Jersey also manages
to have a phenomenal amount of nature.
Deer Hunting
Forsythe Wildlife Refuge
Natural
& Cultural Sites: