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Swartswood State Park is a protected area located in the Swartswood section of Stillwater and Hampton townships in Sussex County, New Jersey, in the United States. Established in 1915 by the state's Forest Park Reservation Commission, it was the first state park established by the state of New Jersey for the purposes of recreation at the state's third-largest freshwater lake. Today, Swartswood State Park is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry. The park's main feature is Swartswood Lake, a glacial lake located in northwestern New Jersey's Kittatinny Valley—part of New Jersey's Ridge and Valley physiographic province. Both Swartswood Lake and the smaller Little Swartswood Lake are remnants of the retreat glaciers from the Wisconsin glaciation which began roughly 20,000 years ago. Both lakes have been the focus of water-quality improvement efforts by the state, including invasive aquatic-weed control and watershed protection in association with a local non-profit organization. The park is open all year, with many recreational activities available, including hiking, birdwatching, cross-country skiing, swimming, boating, and camping. Fishing and hunting are also permitted within the park. ==History== In 1905, Governor Edward C. Stokes established the Forest Park Reservation Commission to began acquiring and setting aside lands within the state of New Jersey as parks and forest reserves.〔P.L. 1905, ch. 47; State of New Jersey, "Session Laws", ''Acts of the Legislature of the State of New Jersey''.〕 The first acquisitions were forest lands with an aim toward protecting their commercial value. According to the commission's first annual report, "the forests are 'the great savings banks of nature' from which we have been taking the interest and reducing the capital".〔First Annual Report of the Forest Park Reservation Commission of New Jersey for the Year ending October 31st, 1905, p. 17.〕 However, in 1908, the state forester, Alfred Gaskill (1861–1950), proposed the creation of parks for recreation, writing that "the aesthetic part of forestry must be dominant here because a large proportion of the people live in towns and cities and consider the forests as their playgrounds".〔Alfred Gaskill, "Report of the Forester", ''Fourth Annual Report of the Forest Park reservation Commission of New Jersey, 1908'', (Paterson: The News Printing Company, 1909), 17〕 From his acquisition of the lake in 1888 until his death in 1905, Newark-based rubber and harness manufacturer Andrew Albright, Sr. (1830–1905), sought to prevent free public access to the lake for fishing and strenuously fought state efforts to exercise its legislative and eminent domain powers to compel such access.〔Andrew Albright, "A Lake Owner’s View of a Lake Owner’s Rights", ''The Sussex Independent'', November 13, 1903; Unknown author, "Notes by a Rambler", ''The Sussex Independent'', February 19, 1904.〕〔Robert W. Reynolds, "The Free Fishing Controversy of Sussex County, New Jersey", in Neil M. Maher (editor), ''(New Jersey's Environments: Past, Present, and Future )'' (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2006), 97–110.〕 In August 1914, his children and heirs Andrew Albright, Jr. (1874–1930), and Elizabeth Spurr (1869–1934) sold which included the waters of Swartswood Lake, to the commission for $30,000.〔"May Get Swartswood Lake", ''The Sussex Independent'', May 29, 1914; "Swartswood Now a State Park", ''The Sussex Independent'', April 9, 1915; "Swartswood Lake to Be Free", ''The New Jersey Herald'', December 10, 1914.〕 The transaction was finalized with deeds filed on June 30, 1915. This included the lake and approximately of land to provide nine boat launching and landing sites as well as picnic and recreation grounds. The commissioners reported that they "intended to make Swartswood a public playground. Boat liveries and picnic shelters to be maintained under proper control will make it available to a large number of people" and to stock the lake with fish.〔Reports of the Forest Park Reservation Commission of New Jersey: Tenth Annual Report for the Year Ending October 31st 1914 (Paterson: The News Printing Company, 1915).〕 Because of its focus on recreational activities, Swartswood is considered New Jersey's first state park. The park was expanded from two tracts obtained from the farm of Stillwater resident George Emmons, in 1916 and in 1941. A June 1962 park pamphlet described the park as "704 acres including the entire water body of Swartswood Lake. The land area consists of 185 acres with about one mile of lake frontage".〔State Park Service, New Jersey Department of Conservation and Economic Development, (352.123 5M–6.62 Swartswood State Park (pamphlet) ) (June 1962); published on the (Rutgers Cartography Services ) website for (Historical New Jersey State Forest & State Park Maps ). Retrieved October 13, 2015.〕 Since 1961, open space preservation and acquisition funds from the state's Green Acres Program have aided the expansion of state's protected areas, including Swartswood State Park.〔New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Green Acres Program, (State Land Acquisition Program ). Retrieved October 16, 2015.〕 Recent purchases have connected the park with the Trout Brook Wildlife Management Area and provided protected habitat for wildlife including the bobcat and black bear.〔New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Green Acres Program, ("Green Acres Success Stories: Harte Stillwater LLC, Stillwater Township, Sussex County, 350 Acres" ). Retrieved October 16, 2015.〕 In 1992, the Swartswood Lakes and Watershed Association was established by local residents to "protect the water quality of Swartswood and Little Swartswood Lakes and preserve the lakes for recreational use".〔Swartswood Lakes and Watershed Association, (Membership Application ). Retrieved October 20, 2015. QUOTE: "The Swartswood Lakes Association was formed in 1992 when a group of concerned citizens banded together to preserve Swartswood Lake."〕〔New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, State Park Service, (Parks: Swartswood State Park ). Retrieved October 16, 2015.〕〔Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, ("Swartswood Lake and Watershed Association" ), ''New Jersey Environmental Digital Library''. Retrieved October 20, 2015.〕 The association has partnered with the State Park Service, Rutgers University, and the United States Geological Survey in watershed management and conservation efforts.〔〔United States Geological Survey, (New Jersey Water Science Center Project Swartswood Lake (#2454BEL) ). Retrieved October 20, 2015.〕 However, association members have criticized the New Jersey Division of Environmental Protection for failing to address the identification or harvesting of invasive species from the lake.〔Bruce Scruton, ("Group wants state to help clean up Swartswood Lake" ), ''The New Jersey Herald'', August 23, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2015.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Swartswood State Park」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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