“Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world
”
The Pinelands or Pine Barrens are 1.1 million acres of the Pinelands National Reserve, which ranges from northern Ocean County south to Atlantic County and as far west to parts of Camden County. The Pinelands, occupying 22% of New Jersey's land area is the largest body of open space on the Mid-Atlantic seaboard between Richmond and Boston. According to the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, the Pinelands are home to a host of rare plants and wildlife. In the early 1900's there were 550 known plants that only were found in the Pinelands including an array of wild orchids. Today that list is down to 386. As stewards of this land it is our responsibility to protect our natural areas for future generations.
The Pinelands are now coming under attack from utility companies who want to run natural gas pipelines across the preserve to the coast for export. To help raise awareness about the protection of this natural treasure I am working on photographing the Pinelands to exhibit to the public what wonderful resources this area has to offer. To show respect to the history or the area I will be doing most of the photography with a medium format film camera in black and white and Digital format.
Follow me on Instagram (@adampolingerphotography) to get regular updates about the project.