What is it that the South Jersey region signifies with regards to ecological thought?

South Jersey is a representative region in need of ecological thought. This is not to say that individuals and groups in South Jersey do not think ecologically. I am speaking more metaphorically about modern society’s difficulties with uniting on the ecological reality of the human condition. We have not been able to come to terms with our embeddedness in the so-called natural world in a way that categorically and consistently will promote land stewardship.

Perhaps one of the reasons I chose South Jersey is that the imperfect interrelationship between society and nature has created a particular urgency in the region (in relation to issues like land use and loss of fertile soils and open space, among many). This is certainly not unique to the region, but given South Jerseys own demographic and ecological complexities alongside its contested history as pat of the garden state, it makes for an exceptional case study.

What is the message you wish for reader to take from you book?

First, I hope that the book gets people to think more and think more complexly about their own home regions (particularly South Jersey, if they live there, but the analysis is relevant to countless other urban-suburban-rural areas across the nation). Building on this it is the hope of all the authors that this book will generate dialogue not only in academic realms, but more importantly in the general public in all who have a say and a stake in the future of our lands (farmers, environmentalists, business-owners, home-owners, teachers, students, managers, executives, builders, contractors, citizens. The list could go on). It would also hopefully inspire discussion between the often differentiated academic and non-academic worlds.

As the South Jersey region evolves its landscape, do you feel that the natural entities that people may not be as familiar with, such as the Pine Barrens, therefore are going to be lost?

No, I wouldn’t say that the Pine Barrens or other natural entities of South Jersey will be lost. However, I do see that some South Jersey residents fear “loss” of both ecological and cultural resources in New Jersey. The message of the book is more subtle. It calls people to think through the trends that we are witnessing in the region; what do these trends mean in terms of our connections with the land and with each other? If we are losing something, what is it that we are losing, can we agree upon the “loss,” and how might we gain from some sort of negotiated ecological “praxis” (consciousness and action).

I notice that you write with a sense of pride in the region discussed in your book. You discuss the theme of community and regional identity. What have been your experiences with this that suggests having significance with the region?

Yes, I discuss both community and regional identity in South Jersey and I do write (personally and jointly) with a certain “pride” in the region. This is probably so because I derive some sense of belonging from the area. However, I do not pretend that my experience with the region and any feelings that I have about community or regional identity there coincide with how others in South Jersey feel. I write about community and regional identity (broadly) as two very congested categories. As I problematize these categories in the book, it should be obvious that community and regional identity are much more analytical tools than facts and that they are certainly not “givens” of the study area.