Title 13, Title 13: CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT--PARKS AND RESERVATIONS

13:1B-15.12a. Short title This act shall be known as, and may be cited as, the "Natural Areas System Act." L.1975, c. 363, s. 1, eff. March 3, 1976.

13:1B-15.12a1. Natural areas system; standards for inclusion of area For inclusion in the system, it is not necessary that an area be wholly unmarked by man, but that the impact of man be not permanent, not seriously destructive of the area's potential for developing natural valu…

13:1B-15.12a10. Permitted activities and obligation of users Swimming, canoeing, rowboating, fishing and hunting may be permitted in designated sections of the system at the discretion of the department, but only at levels of activity that will not have serious or long-term effec…

13:1B-15.12a2. Review and update of planning for natural areas The Department of Environmental Protection shall within 2 years of the effective date of this act review and update the planning for natural areas as part of the New Jersey Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation P…

13:1B-15.12a3. Establishment of system; inclusion of additional areas The department shall have the authority to establish the system initially by declaring those areas designated as natural areas as of January 1, 1975 and, after suitable studies and public hearings, up to 5,000 …

13:1B-15.12a4. Inclusion of other additional state lands; study; public hearings; periodic recommendations The department shall as rapidly as possible study all remaining State lands that may have the required potential for natural values, and after a public hearing as to each su…

13:1B-15.12a5. Study of private lands for inclusion The department shall also, as rapidly as possible study lands that are not State-owned lands to determine their natural values and potential for inclusion with the system. L.1975, c. 363, s. 6, eff. March 3, 1976.

13:1B-15.12a6. Registry of lands suitable for inclusion The department shall, in keeping with the findings of the studies conducted pursuant to sections 5 and 6 of this act, maintain a registry of all lands, public and private, which are suitable for inclusion within the system u…

13:1B-15.12a7. Limitations on use of land in system No land in the system may be leased, sold or exchanged or be taken by any corporation, public or private, nor shall the timber thereon be sold, removed or destroyed, nor minerals extracted, except by authorizing special legislat…

13:1B-15.12a8. Acquisition of land by purchase, gift or otherwise The department is authorized to acquire by purchase, gift, or otherwise any land or any interest therein that will serve to further the purposes of this act and the act to which this act is a supplement. L.1975, c.…

13:1B-15.12a9. Designation and regulation of classifications and uses of land within system The department shall designate and regulate those classifications and uses of lands within the system as it shall deem proper to effectuate the purposes of this act and the act to which th…

13:1B-15.130. State aid No State funds shall be expended for, or in aid of, acquisition, preservation, restoration or maintenance as a historic place or site of any area, site, structure or object unless and until the same shall be approved for inclusion in the Register of Histor…

13:1B-15.131. Encroachment upon or damage to historic place; authorization; public hearing The State, a county, municipality or an agency or instrumentality of any thereof shall not undertake any project which will encroach upon, damage or destroy any area, site, structure or obj…

13:1B-15.131a Preservation of certain Civil War monuments. 1. a. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Historic Sites Council, shall use volunteer services of appropriate historical organizations and the resources of the department to conduct, and…

13:1B-15.132. Appropriation There is appropriated to the Department of Environmental Protection for the purpose of establishing and maintaining the New Jersey Register of Historic Places such sums as shall be included in any annual or supplemental appropriation act. L.1970, c. 26…

13:1B-15.133. Short title This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Open Lands Management Act." L.1983, c. 560, s. 1, eff. Jan. 17, 1984.

13:1B-15.134. Definitions As used in this act: a. "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Environmental Protection; b. "Department" means the Department of Environmental Protection; c. "Program" means the Open Lands Management Program. L.1983, c. 560, s. 2, eff. Jan. 17, 1984.

13:1B-15.135. Legislative findings and declarations The Legislature finds and declares that opportunities for access to recreational open space are rapidly diminishing and that, in an effort to explore alternative techniques to provide that access, the State should aid private la…

13:1B-15.136. Open lands management program; establishment; purpose There is established in the Division of Parks and Forestry in the Department of Environmental Protection the Open Lands Management Program. The purpose of this program shall be to provide financial assistance and…

13:1B-15.137. Rules and regulations The commissioner is authorized to adopt and enforce, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L. 1968, c. 410 (C. 52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this act. L.1983, c. 560, s. 5, eff. Ja…

13:1B-15.138. Public meetings The department shall undertake an informational and educational effort to acquaint landowners with the basic objectives and details of the program by conducting public meetings in the various geographical regions of the State. L.1983, c. 560, s. 6, e…

13:1B-15.139. Projects by private landowners a. Voluntary offers to undertake certain projects shall be solicited by the department from private landowners. The department may provide a landowner with any appropriate assistance and guidance in the development of recreational oppo…

13:1B-15.140. Eligible projects Projects eligible for consideration by the commissioner shall include but not necessarily be limited to: a. Installation, repair or replacement of existing protective structures, such as fencing, water bars, berms or stiles; b. Installation, repair…

13:1B-15.141. Liability of owner, lessee or occupant a. An owner, lessee or occupant of land for which an access covenant has been entered into and who is participating in the program and thereby guarantees access pursuant to subsection c. of section 7 of this act does not thereb…

13:1B-15.142. Assessment and taxation The access covenant for recreational purposes shall not affect the assessment and taxation of agricultural land which is taxed pursuant to the "Farmland Assessment Act of 1964," P.L. 1964, c. 48 (C. 54:4-23.1 et seq.), nor shall it affect the…

13:1B-15.143 Appointment of officers, employees; qualifications. 11. Subject to the provisions of Title 11A of the New Jersey Statutes, and within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available, the commissioner may appoint any officer or employee to the department …

13:1B-15.144. Report The commissioner shall submit a written report to the Governor and to the Legislature within one year of the effective date of this act. The report shall detail the effectiveness of the Open Lands Management Program in increasing recreational opportunities an…

13:1B-15.145. Application, acceptance and expenditure of funds The department may apply for, accept and expend funds from any public or private source for the purposes of planning and implementing the program in accordance with the provisions of this act. L.1983, c. 560, s. 13, e…

13:1B-15.146. Findings, declarations The Legislature finds and declares that this State has a rich natural heritage which is in danger of disappearing as the State continues to experience economic and industrial growth; that a program to conduct an inventory of rare plants, anima…

13:1B-15.147. Natural Heritage Program There is established in the Division of Parks and Forestry, Department of Environmental Protection, a Natural Heritage Program. The purpose of the program is to identify the most critically important natural areas in the State and provide de…

13:1B-15.148. Functions The functions of the program shall include, but need not be limited to: a. Maintaining and updating, through data collection and field work, a partially computerized data base which includes lists of rare and endangered species, and natural communities ran…

13:1B-15.149. Fees The Commissioner of Environmental Protection is authorized to charge and collect fees in an amount sufficient to cover the costs of any services performed pursuant to this act. Such fees shall be in addition to any appropriation received by the department for t…

13:1B-15.150. Administration With the approval of the Governor, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection may cooperate with and receive money from the federal government, or any county or municipal government or from private sources for the purposes of this act and to supplem…

13:1B-15.151. Short title This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Endangered Plant Species List Act." L.1989, c.56, s.1.

13:1B-15.152. Findings, declarations The Legislature finds and declares that plant species have medicinal, genetic, ecological, educational and aesthetic value to the citizens of New Jersey; that the perpetuation of many plant species native to New Jersey or the United States is …

13:1B-15.153. Definitions As used in this act: "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection; "Department" means the Department of Environmental Protection; "Endangered species" means any native plant species whose survival in the State or th…

13:1B-15.154. Endangered plant species list Within one year of the effective date of this act, the Division of Parks and Forestry in the Department of Environmental Protection shall, on the basis of research and investigations and other available scientific data on plant species,…

13:1B-15.155. Research to determine eligibility Within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the department for this purpose, the commissioner shall direct research and investigations relating to historical records, populations, distribution, critical ha…

13:1B-15.156. Moneys The commissioner may cooperate with, and accept moneys from, the federal government, or any county or municipal government, or from any other State or private source to carry out this act. The commissioner may establish a separate fund from these contribution…

13:1B-15.157. Educational, informational programs Within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the department for this purpose, the commissioner shall develop and implement any educational or informational programs deemed necessary to inform the public a…

13:1B-15.158. Rules, regulations The department shall, within 90 days of the effective date of this act and pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," propose rules and regulation governing the formulation, and any revision, of the endangered plant species list to be adopted…

13:1B-15.159 Establishment of natural resources inventory. 1. The Department of Environmental Protection, in cooperation with the Division of Travel and Tourism in the Department of State, in consultation with the Pinelands Commission as it affects the pinelands area designated p…

13:1B-15.160. Pamphlet of information published 2. Within one year of the effective date of this act, the Department of Environmental Protection shall publish and make available to the public at all State offices a pamphlet which shall contain , to the greatest extent possible, i…

13:1B-15.161. Information on public computer network 3. Within one year of the publication of the pamphlet completed pursuant to section 2 of this act, the Department of Environmental Protection shall make the information contained in the pamphlet available to the public through …

13:1B-15.162 Short title. 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Adopt a Monarch Butterfly Waystation Act." L.2017, c.250, s.1.

13:1B-15.163 Findings, declarations relative to monarch butterfly waystations. 2. The Legislature finds and declares that: a. Every autumn, millions of monarch butterflies migrate south from Canada and the United States to Mexico, stopping at sites along the way, like New Jersey,…