Bass River State Forest
Encyclopedia
Bass River State Forest is a 23,563-acre (94 km²) state park
in Burlington County
, New Jersey
, United States
. The park, named for the Bass River (New Jersey)
which crosses through it, shelters a portion of the environmentally sensitive Pine Barrens
but also provides a variety of recreational resources to vistiors. The park is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
.
in 1905 for public recreation, water conservation, and wildlife and timber management. The lands were once occupied by the Absegami
, a branch of the Lenape
tribe of Native Americans in the United States
.
s and magnolia
s.
, a globally rare stunted forest ecosystem consisting of pine and oak trees that reach a canopy height of as little as four feet at maturity. The forest supports the endangered broom crowberry
and twelve rare species of moth
.
passes through the park, as well as nearby Wharton
and Brendan T. Byrne State Forest
s.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
in Burlington County
Burlington County, New Jersey
There were 154,371 households out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The park, named for the Bass River (New Jersey)
Bass River (New Jersey)
The Bass River is a tributary of the Mullica River in southeastern New Jersey in the United States.It rises in the Pinelands of southeastern Burlington County and flows generally south, through Bass River State Forest, and joins the Mullica from the north approximately upstream from its mouth on...
which crosses through it, shelters a portion of the environmentally sensitive Pine Barrens
Pine Barrens (New Jersey)
The Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands, is a heavily forested area of coastal plain stretching across southern New Jersey. The name "pine barrens" refers to the area's sandy, acidic, nutrient-poor soil, to which the crops originally imported by European settlers didn't take well...
but also provides a variety of recreational resources to vistiors. The park is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
The New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry is responsible for the management and operation of New Jersey's 42 parks, 11 forests and 3 recreation areas, as well as for the more than 50 historic sites and districts...
.
History
The first of New Jersey's state forests, Bass River State Forest was acquired by the New Jersey LegislatureNew Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
in 1905 for public recreation, water conservation, and wildlife and timber management. The lands were once occupied by the Absegami
Absegami
Absegami may refer to:*Absegami Indians, part of the Lenape tribe; they lived in modern southern New Jersey.*Absegami High School, a high school in Galloway Township, New Jersey.*USS Absegami , a United States Navy ship during World War I....
, a branch of the Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
tribe of Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
.
Lake Absegami
Sixty-seven-acre (27 ha) Lake Absegami, created in the 1930s, provides swimming, boating and canoeing.Absegami Natural Area
A trail through the 128-acre (51 ha) Absegami Natural Area provides access to a pine/oak woods and a small Atlantic white cedar bog, also containing red mapleRed Maple
Acer rubrum , is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern North America. It ranges from the Lake of the Woods on the border between Ontario and Minnesota, east to Newfoundland, south to near Miami, Florida, and southwest to east Texas...
s and magnolia
Magnolia
Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
s.
West Pine Plains Natural Area
The 3,830-acre (15 km²) West Pine Plains Natural Area preserves a pygmy forestPygmy forest
A pygmy forest is a forest which, for pedological and geological reasons, contains only miniature trees. Pygmy forests may occur over various world locations with notable occurrences being noted in the literature of the: California coastal terraces and inner coastal mountains of Northern...
, a globally rare stunted forest ecosystem consisting of pine and oak trees that reach a canopy height of as little as four feet at maturity. The forest supports the endangered broom crowberry
Crowberry
Crowberry is a small genus of dwarf evergreen shrubs that bear edible fruit. They are commonly found in the northern hemisphere, from temperate to subarctic climates, and also in the Southern Andes of South America and on the South Atlantic islands of South Georgia, the Falklands and Tristan da...
and twelve rare species of moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
.
Batona Trail
The fifty-mile (80 km) Batona TrailBatona Trail
The Batona Trail is a hiking trail through New Jersey's Pine Barrens. The trail is the fourth longest in the state behind the Delaware and Raritan Canal Trail, the section of the Appalachian Trail within the state, and the completed section of the Highlands Trail in the state. The trail begins...
passes through the park, as well as nearby Wharton
Wharton State Forest
Wharton State Forest is a state park in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The largest single tract of land in the state park system of New Jersey, it encompasses approximately of the Pinelands northwest of Hammonton, in Burlington, Camden, and Atlantic counties. The entire park is located within ...
and Brendan T. Byrne State Forest
Brendan T. Byrne State Forest
The Brendan T. Byrne State Forest is a 34,725 acre area in the New Jersey Pine Barrens in Burlington and Ocean Counties, New Jersey.-Description:...
s.