Newton, NJ

The Sussex County Young Republicans are opposed to the Sierra Club’s proposal to re-designate the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area into a National Park.

Residents of the area made it clear, nearly 60 years ago, that they did not want a National Park when the federal government came into our area and forced hundreds of people out of their homes, forced them off their farms, and ruined their businesses. At the time, the concern for our area’s environment, strain on our infrastructure and emergency services were at the forefront of people’s minds. Highway widening projects, as well as the use of eminent domain would have become commonplace in our quiet rural community. The project was stopped, and the area remained quietly under the purview of the National Park service.

Today those concerns are largely the same. Mass development in and around the park would ruin our county’s quiet rural lifestyle, and bring the use of eminent domain back into question. New concerns arise as well, such as the future existence of a number of municipalities in the area, as well as the future of the long standing tradition of competitive shooting, hunting, and fishing.

Drafted by Billy Marotta, Vice Chair

Signed, Nick D’Agostino, Chair