Many people agree the plan worked. About half of the Pinelands is permanently conserved. But some still want to build, conflicting with the mandate to preserve; and some believe the Pinelands should be better monitored and protected.

John Stokes, executive director of the Pinelands Commission, said only 100 homes have been built since 1981, and 90 percent of the land is preserved.

Buena Vista Township Mayor Chuck Chiarello praised the preservation laws, and said that without them, southern New Jersey probably would have been "one giant suburban area from Camden to Atlantic City."

He said 10 years ago, "more people (were) angry not being able to get the value of their land. Before the Pinelands came into existence in 1979, the (development) rules were much more open," Chiarello said, noting how many landowners were initially upset, but criticism declined over the years as more people got used to the new laws.

The designated growth areas, such as Galloway, Hamilton and Egg Harbor townships, grew rapidly to protect the forested sections, but Chiarello said building restrictions still make it difficult for his rural community and other towns to draw new businesses. He is concerned that the Pineland Commission's new proposals - to change zoning laws so homes must be built on larger plots of land or in clusters - would make development more difficult.

Keeping the Pine Barrens "a living, breathing landscape" is a testament of the good job the Pinelands Commission has done with managing growth, Stokes said. He noted that the commission has closed 43 landfills and brought in about $15 million to upgrade sewers and other infrastructure.

But there is still work to be done.

Stokes said the commission is updating its management plan and the research staff is doing a long-term aquifer study. The commission also plans to update its public-education programs, which should better explain the region's importance.

"I would say most people like the concept of the Pinelands, as long as it doesn't hit too close to home," Chiarello said.

Pinelands vs. growth

Carleton Montgomery, director of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, and Fred Akers, of the Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association, said they appreciate the Pinelands regulations, saying it they work well to protect the forested sections - but at the expense of growth zones.

The Pinelands' development regulations promoted sprawl at the edges, Montgomery said, where land turns into shopping malls and business parks without much planning.

"It's not how can we grow better, it's how can we stop growth and put it somewhere else," he said.

Developable plots can also border protected areas, Montgomery said, which can cause problems when endangered and threatened animals, such as snakes, migrate.

"(The Pinelands) protects the core area more than the growth area, but also threatened and endangered species are there, too," he said. "How do you address that?"

Furthermore, Akers said it is unknown whether development affects soil erosion and the Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer. Akers and Jamie Cromartie, an environmental studies professor at Richard Stockton College, said the growth areas drain into the same watershed as the protected sections, which could be contaminating the groundwater.

Akers and Cromartie also are concerned about how well development is being monitored. Akers said planning has become more complex, yet the Pinelands Commission is limited in its enforcement abilities; and the majority of the work would be up to municipal governments, some of which might be reluctant to go after violators.

"If performance was flawless, and everyone did exactly what they were supposed to do, it would be great. But that's not what's happened," Akers said. "So, how do we fix that going forward?"

Stokes said some communities handled the development regulations well, while others struggled. In retrospect, Stokes said, he wished state law gave the commission more abilities to help the municipalities. Stokes added that he understands the enforcement concerns, but environmental violations within the Pinelands are not a widespread problem.

'A different New Jersey'

If the Pinelands were open without regulations during the 1980s and 1990s building boom, Florio said, "It would have covered over, and you'd have all kinds of developments taking place there in the pristine forest area, the water source polluted. You'd have a different New Jersey."

Gov. Brendan T. Byrne, who signed the state protections into law in 1979, said the program has been successful. However, he cautioned that conservation is a constant fight: "Are we home free? No. You've got inroads all the time."

New problems, such as cell-phone towers, crop up and construction continues within the Pinelands and on the borders, Byrne said, creating "little encroachments nibbling away at the corners."

"They're fragile Pinelands," Byrne said. "It's something you can only lose once, and there's no recapturing (it)."

E-mail Michelle Lee:

MLee@pressofac.com