With our prior knowledge of the Pine Barrens, today, we took a guided hike with John Volpa, the education director of Pinelands Adventures. Throughout the five mile hike, he described the ten necessities of hiking, went in depth about the ecological and historical background of the Pine Barrens, justified the name behind the “Pineys,” picked out plants that are specifically located only in the Pine Barrens, and explained the process that people went through in order to protect the land. We decided to take the green trail to the yellow trail in order to stop at the scenic view of the Quaker Bridge, dedicated to the the Quakers who created the bridge after a few had drown in the nearby river, for lunch. After lunch, we went on the purple trail to make our way back to the bus, where we were able to see one of the few wild animals this week, a turkey!!
Overall, today was a very rewarding experience, as we began to really understand and appreciate this beautiful land that could very much be located in our backyards. We went in depth about preserving this special environment, due to the fact that it has so much purified water (17 trillion gallons to be exact) and wonderful plants and animals that are only located in the Pine Barrens. Unfortunately, we saw the impact that humans have on nature, since there were helium balloons stuck in the bushes and off road vehicles destroying the land. Lucky, there are ways that we can continue to save and appreciate the Pine Barrens, by physically working your body such as walking, kayaking, canoeing, or biking. In conclusion, we were able to explore New Jersey’s Pine Barrens with Pinelands Adventures, and were able to really admire this precious ecosystem.