Sponsored by:
Senator STEVEN V. OROHO
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
Senator BOB ANDRZEJCZAK
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Van Drew
SYNOPSIS
Commemorates NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife for 125 years of fish and wildlife conservation.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution commemorating the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife for 125 years of fish and wildlife conservation.
Whereas, The Division of Fish and Wildlife, within the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, is a professional organization dedicated to the management and conservation of the fish and wildlife resources of the State; and
Whereas, The division has a rich heritage dating back to 1892 when the first salaried “Fish and Game Protector” was hired; and
Whereas, The division’s mission is to protect and manage the State’s fish and wildlife resources to maximize their long-term biological, recreational, and economic values for all New Jerseyans; and
Whereas, In pursuing this mission, the division is guided by three overarching goals: (1) to maintain New Jersey’s rich variety of fish and wildlife species at stable, healthy levels and to protect and enhance the many habitats on which they depend; (2) to educate New Jerseyans on the values and needs of fish and wildlife and to foster a positive co-existence between humans and wildlife; and (3) to maximize the recreational use and economic potential of New Jersey’s fish and wildlife for both present and future generations; and
Whereas, Division staff work to protect and manage the State’s diverse fish and wildlife species, including threatened and endangered species, the habitats they depend upon, and the variety of recreational opportunities associated with New Jersey’s great outdoors; and
Whereas, Fostering positive relationships between people and wildlife is a challenge in a State as densely populated and diverse as New Jersey, and success depends on the division’s biologists and conservation officers educating those who live, work, and spend time in the State on both the advantages and special considerations needed to successfully co-exist with wildlife; and
Whereas, New Jersey's Wildlife Management Area System, administered by the division, provides countless outdoor recreational opportunities for New Jersey residents and out-of-State visitors, with areas ranging in size from the 0.68-acre Delaware River Fishing Access Site at the Pennsauken Wildlife Management Area to the 32,000-acre Greenwood Forest Tract in Burlington and Ocean counties, and preserves a diversity of natural habitat from the Delaware Bay coastal marshes to the Kittatinny Ridge mountain tops; and
Whereas, Presently there are more than 349,000 acres in 122 wildlife management areas, with new properties and additions to existing properties continually being added, representing more than 44 percent of New Jersey's State-owned public open space; and
Whereas, The division is aided in its efforts to protect and preserve the State’s fish and wildlife resources by six councils and committees that each serve a unique role in the management of the State’s fish and wildlife resources, including helping to create and finalize each year's hunting and fishing regulations and enabling the professional and scientific management of these resources; and
Whereas, In addition to managing the State’s fish and wildlife resources, the division is involved in numerous education programs, including Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs, often referred to as “HOFNOD,” a unique, nationally recognized program designed to encourage school-aged children to avoid tobacco, drug, and alcohol usage by providing alternative activities that involve learning to fish, appreciating aquatic and environmental resources, and developing positive life skills; and
Whereas, The year 2017 marked 125 years of service by the Division of Fish and Wildlife to the State; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):
1. The Legislature recognizes and commemorates the Division of Fish and Wildlife, in the Department of Environmental Protection, for its 125 years of service and the invaluable contributions to fish and wildlife conservation that the division has made to the State over that time period.
2. The Legislature calls upon the public officials and citizens of this State to recognize and celebrate the Division of Fish and Wildlife for its 125 years of service.
3. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to the Governor, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, and the Director of the Division of Fish and Wildlife.
STATEMENT
This resolution recognizes and commemorates the Division of Fish and Wildlife, in the Department of Environmental Protection, for 125 years of fish and wildlife conservation.