New commission to watch over Dismal Swamp

Abill creating the Dismal Swamp Preservation Commission was signed into law by Gov. Jon Corzine last week in Edison.

PHOTO COURTESY EDISON WETLANDS ASSOCIATION The Dismal Swamp is a 1,240-acre land mass that takes up pats of Edison, Metuchen and South Plainfield. The state-funded commission was designed to preserve the 1,240-acre area, which borders Edison, Metuchen and South Plainfield.

Besides the support of the governor, the commission also has the backing of state Assemblyman Peter Barnes and the Edison Wetlands Association, a nonprofit environmental organization.

"The commission will help this area a lot, I think," Barnes said. "I've been in this area nearly 50 years, and so I am familiar with this area, and it really is a very unusual ecosystem. This can only help the area and protect it."

Barnes said the commission will have one member from the Edison Wetlands Association, two each from Edison, Metuchen and South Plainfield, and two from Middlesex County.

"These towns have allowed encroachment over the past four decades or so," Barnes explained. "Now, if there's any developer that wants to come into this region, the Dismal Swamp Preservation Commission will have the right to look into it. It's the right thing to have a commission that can investigate these things."

PHOTOS COURTESY EDISON WETLANDS ASSOCIATION Edison Wetlands Association Executive Director Robert Spiegel (r) speaks at the signing of the Dismal Swamp Preservation Commission Bill, while Gov. Jon Corzine (c) and Kelly Mooij (l) of the New Jersey Audubon Society look on. The swamp is home to approximately 200 different species of birds as well as many different mammals and reptiles. It is home to the largest wildlife refuge in the northern portion of the county.

Robert Spiegel of the EdisonWetlandsAssociation said the budget for the first year will be around $95,000.

"Our organization has been working for about 20 years on the preservation of the Dismal Swamp," said Spiegel. "For the first time, the state is recognizing this very important regional resource. The goal is to preserve this area, and having a state commission to be in charge of this really is the right move."

Spiegel added that he is appreciative of Barnes' efforts concerning this project.

"The two most important things when it comes to a project of this magnitude is funding and people," Spiegel explained. "We have our budget for the first year, and we have each of the towns and county represented, and we also have one member of the commission that is from the Edison WetlandsAssociation. To me, this is a huge step in the right direction."