OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON PROPOSED AMENDMENT OF LICENSE AGREEMENT

PROPERTY INFORMATION

Hopatcong State Park
260 Lakeside Blvd.
Landing, New Jersey 07850
Block 10504, Lot 14; Block 10602, Lot 1; Block 10801, Lot 1; and Block 10802, Lot 1 – Roxbury Township, Morris County

NJDEP MANAGING PROGRAM:  State Parks, Forests & Historic Sites

NJDEP FACILITY: Hopatcong State Park

PROPOSED ACTION

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“Department”) is proposing to amend License Agreement #LE23-038 (“Agreement”) between the Department and the Lake Hopatcong Foundation (“Licensee”), which authorizes Licensee to conduct guided environmental education class trips (“Class Trips”) and public boat tours (“Public Tours”) at Hopatcong State Park (collectively the Class Trips and Public Tours are referred to as the “License Operation”). The proposed amendment would: 1) expand the period of the License Operation; 2) increase the frequency of the Class Trips during certain times of year; and 3) increase the Licensee’s compensation to the Department as a result of the expanded operations.

SITE HISTORY

Lake Hopatcong was created as part of the Morris Canal, a 90-mile waterway that ran from Newark to Phillipsburg and was the chief means of transporting coal, iron and zinc across New Jersey in the 1860s. The lake was the canal’s major source of water. In 1866, more than 880,000 tons of freight were transported on the canal. However, as the more efficient Morris and Essex Railroad was established, the canal was abandoned. Hopatcong State Park has remained a popular swimming and picnicking destination for families during the summer months. Many boaters and anglers access Lake Hopatcong from the Hopatcong State Park boat launch.

Hopatcong State Park is situated at the junction of Lake Hopatcong and the Musconetcong River; this provides easily accessible points to observe the contrast between lacustrine and riverine ecosystems. With both riparian and upland forest ecosystems also present within the park, the large amount of ecological diversity in a relatively compact space has made Hopatcong State Park a desirable outdoor classroom location for New Jersey school systems and the general public. The boat launch area of Hopatcong State Park provides the opportunity for further access onto the lake for recreational and educational purposes.

LICENSE AGREEMENT HISTORY

On April 3, 2023, the Department issued a request for proposals (“RFP”) to solicit proposals from interested parties to conduct the License Operation at Hopatcong State Park. The Department received one proposal, submitted by Lake Hopatcong Foundation. After finding the proposal to be materially responsive, the Department entered into the Agreement with the Licensee on May 5, 2023.

The Licensee has conducted the License Operation successfully under the Agreement and has complied with the terms and conditions of the Agreement. Demand for the Class Trips offered by the Licensee has grown, such that the Licensee is not able to accommodate all interested school groups within a schedule limited to three (3) days per week. The Licensee has requested authorization to operate the Class Trips up to four (4) days per week during the periods described in the License Agreement Amendment Terms/Objectives section, below.

LICENSE AGREEMENT AMENDMENT TERMS/OBJECTIVES

The Department’s primary objective in amending the Agreement is to expand the availability of high-quality educational programming at Hopatcong State Park to school groups. The Department is unable to offer such programming directly and instead relies on the Licensee to provide the programming. Specifically, the Department’s objective is to allow an expansion of Class Trips during the time periods described in the following paragraph. The Department does not propose to allow an expansion of Public Tours beyond the frequency already allowed under the Agreement.

The Department proposes amending the Agreement to allow the Licensee to conduct the License Operation on an expanded schedule from April 24th through November 15th. The Agreement currently authorizes the Licensee to conduct the License Operation from May 1st through November 1st. The Department is also proposing to allow the Licensee to conduct the Class Trips up to four (4) days per week, Monday through Thursday, from April 24th through June 15th and from the Monday after Labor Day through November 15th to accommodate additional school groups that wish to participate in Class Trips. The Agreement currently authorizes the Licensee to conduct the License Operation three (3) days per week, Monday through Thursday, from May 1st through June 15th and from the Monday after Labor Day through November 1st. The Agreement also authorizes the Licensee to operate on one (1) designated day per week, Monday through Thursday, from June 16th through the Sunday after Labor Day. This latter requirement would remain unchanged under an amended Agreement.

The Licensee will be required to pay the Department additional annual compensation proportional to the proposed expansion of the operating schedule. Said compensation shall be calculated by the Department on a monthly basis or prorated by day in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Agreement. With the exception of the proposed amendment to the operating schedule and required additional compensation, the terms and conditions of the Agreement will remain unchanged.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

License Agreement LE23-038

PUBLIC COMMENT

The Department will not be conducting a formal public hearing on this proposal but is instead offering the opportunity to submit written comment on the proposed amendment to the Agreement.

Written comments on (or questions about) the proposed amendment may be directed to:

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Office of Transactions and Public Land Administration
Public Land Administration Section
401 E State Street
P.O. Box 420, Mail Code 401-07
Trenton, NJ 08625-0420
PublicLandAdministration@deptest.nj.gov

Written public comments on this proposed lease will be accepted until April 16, 2026. Please note that to ensure the Department’s timely receipt of any public comments, submission via email (rather than regular mail) is strongly recommended.

The Department will take all comments into account when making its final decision on this matter. The comment period will remain open until April 16, 2026, after which the Department will post a general Q&A in response to any frequently asked questions. However, the Department will not be responding directly to individual comments received on this matter.