Sparta Township in Sussex County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The New Jersey School of Conservation
Photographed by William Honachefsky Jr
1. The New Jersey School of Conservation Marker
The New Jersey School of Conservation opened in 1949 occupying the site of Civilian Conservation Corps Camp S-57 and Camp S-71. To the CCC we owe the existence of Lake Wapalanne, created by the construction of an earthen dam across Springbrook, and many of the buildings that make up the two campuses of NJSOC. Six of Camp S-71s original buildings on the Sequoya campus, as well as the 12 cabins, Kittatinny Hall, Big Timbers, Staff Lodge, the infirmary, and the Main Office on the Wapalanne campusall built by the CCCcontinue to be in use year-round today. In 1981, Governor Brendan T. Byrne signed legislation designating the NJSOC as a school for environmental field study in perpetuity. Updated legislation signed by Governor Phil Murphy in 2022 put the NJSOC under the management of the Friends of the New Jersey School of Conservation. The NJSOC remains true to its CCC legacy as it continues to serve students at all educational levels, educators, researchers, and the general public through its year-round residential environmental education and summer camp programs.
Erected 2026 by The New Jersey School of Conservation.
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Education • Horticulture & Forestry • Parks & Recreational Areas.
Location. 41° 3.856′ N, 74° 35.409′ W. Marker is in Sparta Township, New Jersey, in Sussex County. It is on Hawthorne Lake Road south of Edison Road, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 22 Hawthorne Lake Rd, Sparta NJ 07871, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Jersey and in the New York City Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Works of the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Concentrating Company (approx. one mile away); Old Schoolhouse and Firehouse Museum (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Van Kirk Homestead (approx. 1.3 miles away); Van Kirk Homestead and Museum (approx. 1.3 miles away); The Sterling Mine (approx. 1.6 miles away); Sparta Township Incorporated (approx. 2.7 miles away); Sparta (approx. 2.7 miles away); Sparta War Memorial (approx. 2.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sparta Township.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 9, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2026, by William Honachefsky Jr of Clinton, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 17 times since then. Photo 1. submitted on April 28, 2026, by William Honachefsky Jr of Clinton, New Jersey. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
