Residents concerned over Sparta Mountain plan

Editor's Note: This article has been updated from a previous version to make it more accurate.

By Vera Olinski
OGDENSBURG — For more than an hour, seven concerned residents spoke with the Ogdensburg Council at its Feb. 22 meeting regarding the 10-year New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Sparta Mountain Stewardship plan.

Since the last Ogdensburg meeting, the N.J. DEP contacted Mayor Steve Ciasullo and Councilman Robert McGuire to meet and discuss the plan.

Residents expressed concern regarding inconsistencies and problems with the plan.

The plan was formed to protect the Golden Winged Warbler, but Sparta Mountain is below the Warbler's habitat elevation. At the same time, critics said the extensive logging of almost 700 acres — 75 have already been logged — destroys the natural habitats of an estimated 40 to 50 endangered species residing on the mountain.

Finally, the plan is 10 years of a 60-year perspective and includes other areas such as 14,000 acres of the Newark Watershed, possibly setting a precedent unwanted by residents.

In addition, concerns were voiced about soil erosion, water quality suffering from logging and proposed herbicides, a cost benefit analysis was never completed, and home property values may be negatively affected. Also, with big swaths of the forest interior being removed, critics said it will invite invasive species such as cow birds.

Blaine Rothauser, wetland scientist, and conservation biologist, said the DEP is already married to the N.J. Audubon plan, which “will be hard to kill.” He also added the N.J Audubon is a non-profit organization, acting like a profit-driven consulting company. N.J. Audubon has three foresters on its team because they are selling forest management plans to towns and work with the DEP as consultants. Rothauser concluded, Audubon gets 15 to 20 percent of the back end logging sales.

Mayor Steve Ciasullo said the council and residents were extremely concerned and interested in hearing both sides of the story. He also said he has experienced one side of the DEP where he had to follow their rules, including buffers and permits.