Because some folks continually ignore posted speed limits, the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike will close until further notice. Also, due to concern for summer visitors who disregard warning signs and swim along unguarded beaches after hours, all beaches at the Jersey Shore will hereby be closed this summer.
No, of course this is not actually happening. Seriously, can you imagine? No one would consider closing down banks to protect against bank robberies, or prohibiting drive-thru coffee shops because someone spilled hot java on their lap. But in my opinion, that’s exactly the line of thinking applied by the Murphy administration towards Wildlife Management Areas in the Garden State.
To protect public safety and natural resources, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) will once again close areas within five Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) in New Jersey. In a direct quote from NJDEP, “These areas have attracted large crowds and unauthorized activities – including swimming and off-road vehicle use – creating an unsafe environment.”
“Some areas that have been seasonally closed in previous years will remain open this year with zero tolerance for illegal swimming, illegal parking, and any other violation of WMA regulations,” the NJDEP release stated, noting that signs will be posted in the closed areas and New Jersey Conservation Police Officers will be enforcing the closures.
“NJDEP Fish & Wildlife regrets having to close these areas and understands the frustration of law-abiding users of the Wildlife Management Area system and has worked hard to address these concerns and adapted this year’s seasonal closures accordingly,” the agency stated with regard to the WMA closures effective May 22 and continuing through September 1.
The areas affected by summer closures are as follows.
Cedar Lake WMA: Sand Plant Area
Greenwood Forest WMA: Parkers Pit Area and Clay Holes Area
Menantico Ponds WMA: Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3
Wildcat Ridge WMA: Area in Splitrock Reservoir known as “The Cliffs”
Winslow WMA: Winslow East (Hot Mix) Area
It should be noted that the closed areas for Menantico Ponds WMA have changed from previous years. I would also add the New Jersey state record largemouth bass (10 pounds, 14 ounces) was caught from the Menantico Sand Wash Pond by Bob Eisele back on June 7, 1980 on a homemade bucktail with a yellow Mr. Twister. If you plan on going record hunting in Menantico this season you’ll have to wait until September 2.
I’ve covered this topic here in The Fisherman ever since the state first began shutting down WMA sites due to the inability to enforce rules and regulations. As I noted back in 2024, the NJDEP’s Division of Fish & Wildlife has acknowledged, quote, “WMAs are maintained and supported with funding from hunting and fishing license sales, the Federal Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program and the Wildlife Habitat Supporter Program.”
In an Editor’s Log I’d written 3 years ago, WMAs are protected areas of the Garden State set aside for wildlife conservation and recreational activities, purchased in part through hunting and fishing license sales. Yes, hunters and anglers have paid for the WMA locations in New Jersey, and we continue to pay to play for those hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands in the state of New Jersey. Yet because scofflaws and cheats can’t be controlled during the summer months, hunters and anglers will suffer, with NJDEP reserving the right to close all or part of any WMA “to ensure public safety and resource protection.”
If you prefer to look at the glass as half-full, there are plenty of other WMA options in New Jersey to choose from if you care to scroll through the options. Just don’t spill your coffee while you’re driving out there; we’re only one scalded crotch away from losing everything!
