Behave In New Jersey Forests, Or Else…
BATSTO, N.J. (CBS) - Signs are going up at New Jersey's largest state forest warning people to use the place properly.
The Wharton State Forest attracts some 700,000 people a year, and that number is growing.
The Department of Environmental Protection has been noticing more than a few people going where they're not supposed to and leaving damage in their wake.
"Our principal goal is really to enforce the protection of the natural resources from those that choose to do illegal activities including off road, going off the road, cutting through the forest or going into areas that have environmentally sensitive areas," says Mark Texel -- director of Parks and Forestry for the DEP.
So why all the sudden attention? Texel suggests two reasons: technology and the internet:
"We found that the damage being caused by illegal off road activity in the forest is escalating because of the size of the equipment, and the social media that's spreading the message to people worldwide that this is an area where you can come."
While they don't mind the shout out on the web, they want people to know the rules.
For example, ATV's are illegal, period. Break the law, you get fined several hundred dollars, and state officials have stepped up enforcement in recent months.
Supporters of the forest have volunteered to help erect the several dozen signs at entrances to the forest and near some specifically sensitive areas in a show of support.
