Deep in a pine forest, a paddler guides his canoe on a pilgrimage. Jason Howell’s destination is the birthplace of his great-great grandfather, a skilled woodsman whose inspiration still resonates.
Howell’s journey unfolds along the winding lengths of the Mullica River, flowing south and east across the New Jersey Pine Barrens toward the Atlantic Ocean. Cedar trees, pitch pines and blackjack oaks line the riverbank. The water is clean but unmistakably the color of tea — pine needles, cedar tannins and iron in the soil have all contributed to this natural phenomenon. Beaver dams and encounters with stinkpot turtles and rare flowers mark the passage of miles.
The great writer John McPhee once called these lands “as incongruous as they are beautiful.” The Mullica River flows unencumbered across the southern half of the nation’s most crowded and developed state. The forest surrounding the river spans 800,000 acres, although many in the region have never visited it. The survival of this place feels surprising, perhaps miraculous.
For more than 50 years, outdoor enthusiasts and conservationists have advocated for the Mullica River to be included in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the 1968 federal law that helped stop the damming of wild rivers across the United States. Today, as many longstanding environmental protections feel uncertain, a new generation of conservationists are again calling for the Mullica to receive our nation’s highest level of preservation. Howell, an active advocate for public lands in New Jersey — and the direct descendant of an old “Piney” family — is one of these voices.
On the water, Howell explains his view that there’s no better way to connect with nature than while floating down a river in a canoe. He has more than three decades of steady experience and memorable stories to share in support of his opinion.
MULLICA is an observant ode to the power of experiencing wild places with a paddle in hand. It’s also a timely reminder that the work of protecting wilderness is never finished, but rather passed down like a wild inheritance.
