Skylands Group to discuss Sparta Mountain plan

NEWTON — On Tuesday, April 12, from 7-9 p.m., Skylands Sierra Club Group will host a discussion about the proposed Sparta Mountain Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Forest Stewardship Plan.
Susan Williams, the Skylands Group Chair, and Skylands Group Conservation Chair Greg Gorman have been leading opponents of the plan prepared by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Fish and Wildlife and the New Jersey Audubon Society.
"This so-called stewardship plan is actually a 'green-washed' logging plan," Williams said. "The plan fails to present a viable road map to achieve a balanced succession forest."
Williams will give a brief presentation contrasting the logging plan, being called the "Young Forest Initiative," and the New Jersey Highlands Coalition's recommended "closed canopy" approach. She'll also discuss the overarching issue of why the initiative is occurring on protected land.
Follow-up discussion will explore ideas for action steps to protect the public's land and water on Sparta Mountain and elsewhere throughout the state.
The meeting will be held at the Unitarian Fellowship, 1 West Nelson St., Newton. The public is welcome to attend free of charge. Light refreshments will be served.
For more information, contact Susan Williams at SkylandsGroup@gmail.com or (973) 222-0274.