Closing of ATV park in Burlington Co. leaves riders stalled

New Jersey's largest biker gang says more of their riders will be breaking the law come Labor Day when their backwoods hideout is shut down for good.

The "gang" consists of hundreds of thousands of off-road vehicle owners in New Jersey who own legal machines that are illegal to ride almost everywhere unless you have permission on private property.

Their favorite hideout, the New Jersey Off-Road Vehicle Park in Chatsworth, Burlington County, is considered the best of a handful of legal riding venues in the state and the only one suitable for families.

The park will be shut down on Labor Day, though, and without a comparable place to ride legally, off-road enthusiasts say that more riders will be zipping through private property and carving up state-owned trails.

"If I were ever going to be a law-breaker, this would be the one," said Collingswood Police Chief Thomas Garrity, an off-road enthusiast who travels up and down the East Coast with his son to stay legal.

Many riders think that Chatsworth will be just as crowded once it's closed, but without employees to maintain tracks, enforce rules and administer first aid, it will be dangerous, particularly for younger riders.

"I'll still be riding here," said P.J. Foray, a 29-year-old operating engineer from Brick Township, N.J. "As long as your bike is registered, you only get a ticket. They can't impound it."

Prior to becoming an off-road park, the 265-acre sand mine was home to illegal parties, dumping and off-road riding.

The nonprofit New Jersey Conservation Foundation purchased the land in 1978 and floated the idea of an organized off-road park in the mid-'90s to curb illegal riding.

"It was like a Wild West show out there, with guns and burned-out trucks," said Dennis Farmer, president of the New Jersey Off-Road Vehicle Park. "We took all the rowdies and got rid of them. We've done a great job, and they've even said we've done a great job."

Nestled in the middle of New Jersey's Pine Barrens, the park sits in one of the most environmentally sensitive and regulated areas in the country.

The New Jersey Conservation Foundation says that the state Pinelands Commission granted a 10-year exemption for the off-road park, but it was always meant to be temporary.

"We believe off-road vehicle riders should have a safe and legal place to enjoy their sport, but it can no longer be on property owned by our organization," said Tim Morris, the foundation's Director of Stewardship.

Off-road enthusiasts lobbied the state to find a permanent home, and in 2002 then-Department of Environmental Protection commissioner Brad Campbell promised to open two new parks.

So far, the DEP has found only one, the former Sahara Sands mine further south in Monroe Township, Gloucester County.

"It's not really easy to be able to find a location for an ATV park in the most densely populated state in the nation," said DEP spokeswoman Karen Hershey.

The state purchased the 224-acre site in 2005 for $1.2 million and is currently issuing requests for proposals for anyone interested in running the park.

The site isn't as secluded as Chatsworth, however, and area residents from several municipalities have signed petitions to stop the project.

Along with noise and air pollution from the vehicles, opponents claim that the mine is full of endangered and protected animals that could be harmed by an ATV park.

"There's many issues that haven't been resolved," said Buena Vista Township Mayor Chuck Chiarello, whose municipality borders Sahara Sands.

"We're already overrun by illegal ATV use. There's been property damage, people killed and children run over, and that's all before we become an ATV mecca."

Monroe Township Mayor Michael Gabbianelli could not be reached for comment.

With all the issues in Monroe Township, riders in Chatsworth can't understand why no one has focused on keeping their park open.

"Why ruin a good thing?" said Bill Klaus, who traveled down from White Plains, N.Y., with his son to ride for the day. "I just don't understand it. It's a never-ending battle to find somewhere to ride."

According to the Pinelands Commission, neither the New Jersey Conservation Foundation nor the DEP have approached them to discuss renewing the lease or to ask for more time while the Monroe site is worked out.

In the meantime, Collingswood Police Chief Thomas Garrity said that many riders who would prefer to be legal will simply keep riding.

"I won't do it because of my job and it's just too dangerous," he said. "But they're going to be turning a lot of riders into criminals." *