The Dismal Swamp, an unfortunately named 660-acre nature and wildlife preserve tucked inside a heavily populated part of Middlesex County, has been the butt of jokes for years. It’s a swamp? In the suburbs? Called what? Only in Jersey!
Well, the state may have just solved that problem — and honored a notable official from the area at the same time.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law Tuesday renaming the swamp — which spans parts of suburban Edison, Metuchen, and South Plainfield — as the Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preserve.
“Talk about an upgrade in the name of something,” Murphy said before signing the bill (A5822) during a ceremony in the Edison section of the preserve.
Barnes is a former state lawmaker and state Superior Court judge who died in February at age 64. The lifelong Edison resident was a township council president before representing the area for nearly a decade in Trenton, first in the state Assembly and then the Senate.
He also helped form the Dismal Swamp Preservation Commission to help save the swamp, which includes freshwater wetlands, forested uplands, and meadows and is home to more than 175 bird species and dozens of other animals. The state said it’s one of the last remaining wetland ecosystems in a densely developed region of New Jersey.
(Historians believe the swamp got its original name from nearby Dismal Brook.)
Murphy said Dismal Swamp “may not exist” anymore without Barnes.
“Serving his community wasn’t for Pete just a deeply held value. It was part of his identity,” the governor said of Barnes, a fellow Democrat. “The existence of this protected land is a perfect example of the legacy Pete has left behind.”
Jack Barnes, the late official’s son, called Dismal Swamp “the crown jewel of their accomplishments and determination” of his father and other local officials who were dedicated to saving it.
Assembly Robert Karabinchak, D-Middlesex, said he met Barnes more than 50 years ago when they were classmates at J.P. Stevens High School in Edison.
“His dedication to helping people was unsurmountable,” Karabinchak said. “With the renaming of this preserve, for me personally, this is an honor to even be here speaking for Peter. I miss him every day.”
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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @johnsb01.