STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2018 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator STEVEN V. OROHO
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
Senator TROY SINGLETON
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Designates High Point State Park as High Point Veterans’ State Park.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act designating High Point State Park as High Point Veterans’ State Park and amending and supplementing P.L.1983, c.324.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. (New section) The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. In 1918, the New Jersey Department of Conservation and Development proposed the creation “on the Kittatinny Mountains in Sussex and Warren counties a great forest park for the benefit of the whole people.”
b. In 1920, Director Alfred Gaskil of the Division of Parks and Forestry suggested “that the park be established as the State’s memorial to its sons who had made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War.”
c. In fulfillment of this plan, Colonel Anthony Kuser deeded his mountaintop summer estate at High Point to the State in 1923 for a public park and avian sanctuary.
d. In November 1927, Colonel Kuser further donated $500,000 to erect a granite-clad obelisk on New Jersey’s highest peak to honor the veterans of all wars.
e. The High Point Veterans’ Monument was dedicated to the “Glory and Honor and Eternal Memory of New Jersey’s heroes by land, sea, and air, in all wars of our Country” in June 1930.
f. Although the High Point Veterans’ Monument is one of the most visible and best known landmarks in the State, and is a symbol of the State’s parks and forests, the purpose for which it was built has receded from memory, and the surrounding park is now only known by the name High Point State Park.
g. It is therefore appropriate to rename the entire park to emphasize the original purpose to which it was dedicated and to respect the men and women who have given their lives to protect this country.
2. (New section) a. High Point State Park is designated as High Point Veterans’ State Park.
b. The Department of Environmental Protection, through its Division of Parks and Forestry, shall alter its official publications to reflect this designation, and shall make expeditious efforts to replace any existing signs, advertisements, or any other public indicators of the park’s name to reflect this designation.
3. Section 11 of P.L.1983, c.324 (C.13:1L-11) is amended to read as follows:
11. a. In specific regard to High Point Veterans’ State Park, the department shall not allow the shooting or trapping of birds on park grounds, other than that of vermin, and then only by authorized representatives of the State.
b. As Island Beach State Park is a unique recreational resource and is highly valued for its topography, flora and fauna, it shall be preserved, maintained and improved in such a manner as the department determines will best perpetuate the present physical state.
(cf: P.L.1983, c.324, s.11)
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would designate High Point State Park as High Point Veterans’ State Park.
In 1920 Director Alfred Gaskil of the Division of Forestry and Parks suggested that the State establish a park at High Point as the State’s memorial to its citizens who had made the supreme sacrifice in World War I. In fulfillment of this plan, Colonel Anthony Kuser deeded his mountaintop summer estate at High Point to the State in 1923 for a public park and avian sanctuary. In November 1927, Colonel Kuser further donated $500,000 to erect a granite-clad obelisk on New Jersey’s highest peak to honor the veterans of all wars. The High Point Veterans’ Monument was dedicated in June 1930.
Although the High Point Monument is one of the most visible and best known landmarks in the State, and is a symbol of the State’s parks and forests, the purpose for which it was built has receded from memory. It is therefore appropriate to rename the park to emphasize the original purpose to which it is dedicated and to respect the men and women who have given their lives to protect this country.