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Franklin Parker Preserve
In the heart of the Pinelands, you'll find the 9,400 acre Franklin Parker Preserve which, thanks to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, will always be a protected ecological treasure and habitat for numerous species.
Entrance
From interesection Tabernacle Chatswort Road & Route 563, travel south on route 563 for 2.7 miles. Entrance will be on left side. Parking is just south of entrance on the right.
When the owner of the former cranberry farm decided to make sure the land would never be turned into a McMansion farm, the New Jersey Conservation Foundation stepped up and purchased the land that is now known as the Franklin Parker Preserve. And a good thing too, because this tract of wetlands and forest is just too important to lose.
Within its 14 square miles are dozens and dozens of species of animals and plants that are endangered or close to it. Bring your binoculars and no matter where you venture throughout the 5,000 acres of wetlands and 4,000 acres of upland pine oak forest, you’ll find bobcats, bald eagles, barred owls, the northern Pine Snake and the you’ll-only-find-it-here Pine Barrens Tree Frog.
Look closely and you’ll also spot 29 rare species of plants that have sent botanists into raptures over their discovery here in the Preserve – Pine Barrens Gentian, Bog Asphodel, Yellow-fringed Orchids, and Curly Ferns.
Birders are equally ecstatic over the preservation effort because the Preserve has been designated as an Important Birding Area. State-endangered Pied-billed Grebes and Northern Harriers are breeding here and Purple martins and dozens of other species of migrating birds rest here during their annual migrations.
BRING THE FAMILY
Open to the public for hiking, bicycling, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, bird watching, picnicking and other passive recreation, this is just the place for a family outing.
COME PREPARED
Don't forget the sunscreen and insect repellent! There's no snack bar or concessions, so remember to pack your own food and drinks.
WHO KNEW
Pine Barrens Tree Frogs are tiny -- only about 1 1/2" when fully grown. To find them, head to the wetlands on a warm, rainy spring night and then listen. When you hear about 15 to 20 rapid nasal "quanks," you know you've found the right spot.
JERSEY DEVIL SIGHTINGS
Chatsworth, the town where the Franklin Parker Preserve is located, is one of the J.D.'s favorite haunts. He has shown up there fairly frequently -- 1974, 1978, 1984 and most recently, in the winter of 1992, when a group of off-roaders reported a very strange creature dashed across their path.
VOLUNTEER
To become a volunteer -- and they can use your help, call (908) 234-1225, ext. 126. They'll be sure to put you to work.
SUPPORT
New Jersey Conservation Foundation offers a variety of ways to support their preservation work. Memberships levels start at $35 and go up to $5,000 or more. They also offer gift certificates, planned giving programs, memorial donations, corporate sponsorship and other plans. For further details, log onto www.njconservation.org/html/give.htm to learn about their numerous tax-deductible giving plans.
TAKE PUBLIC TRANSIT
No stops withing walking distance of location.
LEAVE NO TRACE
Whatever you carry in, be sure you carry it out with you. If you see wildlife or a nest or a bit of foliage that captures your attention, please don't disturb it. Leave everything as you found it.
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