This evening, Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-26) challenged Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 118, but Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald (D-6) moved to table the motion. Executive Order 118, which was signed last week, directed all state parks and forests to close until further notice.

“Jay Webber is trying to keep the state parks open in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak. This is someone who has never been good on the environment and who has never supported state parks. This move is driven more by ideology than by caring about state parks. There could be some places open where people could be allowed to hike, but we don’t have the staff to do that. Where was Jay Webber when state park funding was on the table,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “The Democrats were right to table this motion. Closing the state parks and forests in New Jersey will help limit the spread of coronavirus and keep people safe.”

All park entrances and gates are closed and trail use is prohibited. New Jersey State Park Police will patrol park areas to ensure that the public is obeying the directives to stay at home and limit the spread of COVID-19.

“In spite of the pushback from Jay Webber and others, we believe that closing the parks was an important step in the State’s efforts to handle the public health emergency. The Democrats were right to back up Murphy’s order. Murphy made the order because many of our parks were becoming overcrowded. People were gathering for picnics, playing ball, or climbing on playgrounds instead of practicing proper social distancing. Out-of-state license plates could be seen in packed parking lots,” said Tittel. “Since many local and county parks are closed, more people were going to state parks and adding to the problem. There needs to be consistency and this brings consistency.”

All park entrances and gates are closed and trail use is prohibited. New Jersey State Park Police will patrol park areas to ensure that the public is obeying the directives to stay at home and limit the spread of COVID-19.

“Keeping state parks open puts more people at risk. State parks like Liberty State Park, D&R Canal, Bull’s Island, and Island Beach are large facilities that draw people from all over. Other states like California, Florida, and Texas have already closed all or some of their state parks. Closing state parks will mean that nonessential park staff can stay at home and essential personnel can help the state deal with the coronavirus instead of park problems,” said Tittel. “Our parks were already understaffed and crowded parks meant that they had to deal with vandalism, people getting injured, and lost hikers. Bathroom facilities were closed, which meant that people had to use alternative means – which in itself can cause problems.”

New Jersey is not the first state to close state parks. Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon, and Texas have also closed all of their state parks. Other states, like California, North Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin have closed some of their state parks.

“We are in the middle of trying and unprecedented times. This pandemic is a very serious situation and we need to treat it as such. The federal government has closed or limited access to parks like Sandy Hook. The Sierra Club already canceled all outings and events two weeks ago through June 14th. We are the Nation’s oldest and largest conservation group and we felt that it was important to practice social distancing given the severity of the outbreak. Governor Murphy is taking strong measures to limit coronavirus transmission in New Jersey, and we need to support these efforts. The parks will still be there in a few months,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Not visiting the parks for a few weeks now means that more people will be able to enjoy the treasures of NJ once the health emergency is over.”