Swartswood Lake History

N.J. Division of Fish & Wildlife The fish at Swartswood Lake are stocked by the Hackettstown Fish Hatchery. In the spring of 2007 Hackettstown Fish Hatchery set up nets at Neldon Brook which leads into Swartswood Lake. “The Hackettstown crew began their walleye broodstock collection season on April 2nd when they set one Pennsylvania and two South Dakota-style trap nets in Swartswood Lake near the mouth of Neldon Brook” (Lemon). Walleye fishing is very popular in New Jersey and are introduced in an environment to increase fish diversity. The nets at the mouth of the river collected a “record of 352 adult walleye were captured surpassing the old record of 320 captured in 2004” (Lemon). “According to the Division of Fish and Wildlife website,

The bald eagle is the national symbol of the United States and was on the endangered list due to eggshell thinning which was caused by DDT. “DDE and its parent pesticide DDT were used to control mosquitoes and other insects. The chemical was linked to egg shell thinning in bald eagles. It was banned in 1972” (Murray). In 1995 the bald eagle was moved to the threatened species list and was removed from the list in 2007. “A 20-year monitoring plan was developed in 2009. While the birds are no longer protected under the federal endangered species act, they continue to be protected under other federal laws.” (Murray). Many people see that bald eagle as a majestic bird which is why seeing one a Swartswood Lake is very eventful for most people. “Swartswood is known for its great fishing and peaceful surroundings. Whether you are on land or water, there is always a chance you will catch a glimpse of the spectacular wildlife, including bald eagles” (Swartswood Lake). The bald eagle is well suited in its home of Swartswood Lake due to the high abundance of fish. The bald eagle has even made a nest on little Swartswood lake so in the future there will probably be many more bald eagles in this area. “The population growth of eagles in New Jersey — 14 new pairs were found last year (2013), six of them in northern New Jersey — is a long way from the decade of the 1970s when there was just one active nest

Many people were against this proposal due to the fact it would ruin the natural beauty of the area and would barely benefit the community. “A leader of ‘No Swartswood Tower’ said the tower would destroy the aesthetic beauty of the 2,472-acre park, which includes two pristine lakes, Swartswood Lake and Little Swartswood Lake. The park was established in 1914 as New Jersey’s first state park and attracted nearly 50,000 visitors last summer” (Moszczynski). This shows that many people would be able to see the 150 foot tower that would be disguised as a flag pole. This tower would benefit people who use Sprint Nextel. “The 150-foot tower — disguised as a flag pole — would upgrade the Sprint Nextel network to give work crews from First Energy Corp., the parent company of Jersey Central Power & Light, access to Sprint Nextel’s "push-to-talk" network, a walkie-talkie feature found on the telephone company’s cell phones. It would also eliminate "dead spots" for people who use Sprint Nextel’s cell phone network in the mountainous rural region” (Moszczynski). Sprint Nextel is not used by residents of Sussex County but it could benefit tourists from New York that use this service. “In March 2011, the 150-foot tower was proposed by Nextel wireless of New York to be built on Swartswood Volunteer Fire Department property off Swartswood Road”