WHEREAS, Brendan
T. Byrne distinguished his tenure during two terms as Governor of the
State of New Jersey from 1974 through 1982 through bold leadership, political
courage, keen vision and an unwavering commitment to the protection of
New Jersey's natural resources in the face of debate and controversy;
and
WHEREAS, Governor
Byrne's initiatives for the protection of New Jersey's natural resources
included Executive Order 56 (1977) which created the Pinelands Review
Committee and Executive Order 71 (1979) which created the Pinelands Planning
Commission; and
WHEREAS, Governor
Byrne subsequently signed into law, amidst debate and controversy, the
Pinelands Protection Act (L. 1979, c. 111, Sec. 1, eff. June 28, 1979)
which, in conjunction with federal legislation, established the New Jersey
Pinelands and the 1 million acre Pinelands National Reserve (National
Parks and Recreation Act of 1978, Pub.L. 95-625, Sec. 502); and
WHEREAS, the New
Jersey Pinelands and the Pinelands National Reserve, this country's first
National Reserve, were created through the leadership of Governor Byrne
to protect this area through land acquisition and land use controls developed
through a cooperative program involving federal, state and local governments;
and
WHEREAS, the Pinelands
Commission prepared a comprehensive management plan for the New Jersey
Pinelands which adopted policies and regulations for land use management
in coordination with local, state and federal programs and governments;
and
WHEREAS, Governor
Byrne's bold steps of over two decades ago have served to protect and
preserve the vast pine-oak forests, cedar swamps, and the extensive surface
and ground water resources of New Jersey's Pinelands, which lie within
the most densely populated state in the nation; and
WHEREAS, New Jersey's
Pinelands continue to provide a unique habitat for a wide diversity of
rare, threatened and endangered plant and animal species and many other
significant and unique natural, agricultural, scenic, cultural and recreational
resources in an area surrounded by burgeoning residential, commercial
and industrial development; and
WHEREAS, the Pinelands
National Reserve is recognized as the largest body of open space on the
Mid-Atlantic seaboard between Richmond and Boston and has achieved worldwide
recognition as a Biosphere Reserve by the U.S. Man and the Biosphere Program
and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO); and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate
to recognize Governor Byrne as one of the major forces behind the permanent
protection of New Jersey's Pinelands; and
WHEREAS, a fitting
tribute to Governor Byrne's vision and commitment would be the designation
of an area which exemplifies the natural resources which have been protected
and preserved as the "Brendan T. Byrne State Forest"; and
WHEREAS, Lebanon
State Forest, located in the center of New Jersey's Pinelands, comprises
over 34,000 acres of forest, Atlantic white cedar swamps and iron-rich
streams and recreational facilities which are exemplary of the many natural
and recreational resources identified for protection and preservation;
NOW, THEREFORE, I,
JAMES E. McGREEVEY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of
the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of
this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:
-
Lebanon State
Forest in its entirety shall henceforth be officially known, recognized
and referred to as "Brendan T. Byrne State Forest."
-
The Department
of Environmental Protection and the Department of Transportation shall
implement this change in name in a manner best determined to notify
the public of the designation of Brendan T. Byrne State Forest and
shall take all reasonable efforts to include such designation in all
literature, brochures, books, documents and maps to be published or
distributed on or subsequent to the effective date of this Executive
Order.
-
The Department
of Transportation shall delineate the New Jersey Pinelands boundary
on the New Jersey 2002 Transportation Map and all subsequent maps.
-
All State departments
and agencies shall take actions consistent with the intent, goals
and objectives of this Executive Order.
-
All municipalities
and counties within the New Jersey Pinelands are requested and encouraged
to take actions consistent with the intent, goals and objectives of
this Executive Order.
-
This order shall
take effect immediately.
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GIVEN, under
my hand and seal this 24th day of July in the Year of Our Lord,
Two Thousand and Two, and of the Independence of the United States,
the Two Hundred and Twenty-Seventh.
/s/ James
E. McGreevey
Governor
[seal]
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Attest:
/s/ Paul A. Levinsohn
Chief Counsel to the Governor