Driving home from Out East, I decided to take a look at a Pine Barrens Commission project in the Dwarf Pine Plains.  At Sunrise Highway, exit 63, I headed south and found the Water Authority parking lot a short distance south on the east side of CR31.  The beginning of the Dwarf Pitch Pine Interpretive Trail is on the southern edge of the parking lot.  This short loop trail is in the planning stage, so it is marked with surveyor’s ribbon and wooden stakes.  I had fun guessing where the interpretive signs will be and what they will say.

Across CR 31, on the west side, there is a parking area surrounded by a wooden fence.  At the northern corner of the parking area are several kiosks describing the fire of 1995 and the Pine Barrens fire-dependent ecology.  There is a trail that can be accessed on this side of CR 31, but it does not open to the parking lot.  It is accessible north of the adjacent hot dog stand.  This is not a well-designed hiking trail, and the trail tread is chopped up by ATVs. 

A field enforcement sweep took place here last week; a large number of ATVs were impounded and many tickets written for illegal ATV operation.  For now, the trail is recovering.  The Pine Barrens Law Enforcement Council (LEC), an “arm” of the Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning and Policy Commission (CPBC), conducted the enforcement sweep.  For more information visit http://pb.state.ny.us.  

The LEC was established by the CPBC in 1994 to develop and implement a comprehensive law enforcement plan to patrol and protect the 100,000 acres of Pine Barrens in Central Suffolk County.  This Council includes 25 law enforcement and emergency response agencies.  Last year the LEC seized and impounded almost 500 ATVs and wrote 600 tickets for illegal ATV operation.  Redemption fees paid to the County and towns by ATV owners for the return of impounded ATVs was in excess of $90,000.

The cooperative nature of the LEC has made it a very effective mechanism for controlling illegal ATV use, dumping, and other unpermitted uses.  Every year the LEC is becoming more effective.  It is the public’s responsibility to help them.  If you see someone abusing the public lands, call 911.  In a non-emergency situation report patterns of illegal activity by calling 1-877-BARRENS.