New Jersey S 1605: Modifies private landowner consent requirements for certain local deer management plans.

Bill Text

SENATE, No. 1605

STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION

Sponsored by:
Senator ANDREW ZWICKER
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
Senator VIN GOPAL
District 11 (Monmouth)

SYNOPSIS
Modifies private landowner consent requirements for certain local deer
management plans.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

S1605 ZWICKER, GOPAL
2

EXPLANATION – Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is
not enacted and is intended to be omitted in the law.

Matter underlined thus is new matter.

AN ACT concerning consent requirements for deer management 1
plans, and amending P.L.2000, c.46. 2
3
BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State 4
of New Jersey: 5
6
1. Section 2 of P.L.2000, c.46 (C.23:4-42.4) is amended to read 7
as follows: 8
2. a. (1) Upon submission of an application pursuant to 9
section 1 of P.L.2000, c.46 (C.23:4-42.3), or at any time thereafter, 10
a county board of agriculture, municipal governing body, owner or 11
operator of an airport, or county governing body may submit to the 12
division, for its approval, a community based deer management 13
plan proposing alternative control methods to reduce the number of 14
deer in an area designated as a special deer management area 15
pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2000, c.46 (C.23:4-42.3). A county 16
board of agriculture, municipal governing body, owner or operator 17
of an airport, or county governing body may submit a community 18
based deer management plan concurrently with an application to the 19
division for designation of a special deer management area. 20
(2) Two or more municipalities may submit a single community 21
based deer management plan for a special deer management area 22
that covers more than one municipality. 23
(3) The county board of agriculture or the division may request 24
the Center for Wildlife Damage Control in the New Jersey 25
Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers, The State University, to 26
coordinate and facilitate the development of a community based 27
deer management plan. 28
b. A community based deer management plan shall: 29
(1) delineate the boundaries of the special deer management 30
area; 31
(2) describe the proposed alternative control methods to reduce 32
the number of deer in the special deer management area, which may 33
include the methods authorized pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2000, 34
c.46 (C.23:4-42.5); 35
(3) identify any organization that will participate in the 36
implementation of the alternative control methods proposed in the 37
plan, and describe its qualifications; 38
(4) describe the methods that will be used to notify the public, 39
including residents located within and adjacent to the special deer 40
management area, of the alternative control methods proposed in 41
the plan and the specific times and the specific places when and 42
where they will be used; 43
(5) describe the precautions that will be taken to ensure the 44
safety of the public; 45

S1605 ZWICKER, GOPAL
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(6) [document the written consent of each affected landowner 1
for access to that person's land if access to private property is 2
necessary to implement the plan] document the written consent of 3
each affected landowner for access to that person's land if access to 4
private property is necessary to implement the plan; 5
(7) attach a resolution, adopted by the governing body of the 6
municipality in which the special deer management area is located, 7
which endorses the community based deer management plan, except 8
that this requirement shall not apply to a community based deer 9
management plan submitted by a county governing body for lands 10
owned by the county; and 11
(8) include such additional information as the division may 12
determine to be necessary to properly review a community based 13
deer management plan. 14
c. The division shall promptly review a community based deer 15
management plan submitted pursuant to P.L.2000, c.46 (C.23:4-16
42.3 et seq.), and either approve the plan, approve the plan subject 17
to modification, or disapprove the plan and return it to the 18
applicant, setting forth in writing the reasons for its decision. If the 19
division approves a community based deer management plan, the 20
division shall submit it to the Fish and Game Council for its review 21
and action pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2000, c.46 (C.23:4-42.5). 22
d. Whenever practicable, a community based deer management 23
plan shall provide for the donation of deer in accordance with the 24
venison donation program established pursuant to section 1 of 25
P.L.1997, c.268 (C.23:4-42.7). 26
e. [For the purposes of] As used in P.L.2000, c.46 (C.23:4-27
42.3 et seq.) [, "alternative] : 28
"Affected landowner" means the owner of any private property 29
where persons, facilities, or equipment for an alternative deer 30
control method will be placed, stationed, or stored. "Affecte