BY MARINA VILLENEUVE
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
MAHWAH — The Bergen County-owned archery range at Campgaw Mountain remained closed over the weekend, as Bergen County officials investigate allegations in a power struggle splitting members of one of the oldest archery clubs in North Jersey.
Bergen Bowmen longtime members Joann and Joe Mills of Ridgefield Park say a band of “impostors” has taken over the non-profit club through improper elections in December and that they’re worried about the club’s future and that of the range its members have helped maintain for decades. But those who call themselves the new leaders of the Bergen Bowmen and their supporters argue online that they were fairly elected and that ousted members must turn over club records.
The tension is a notable low point for the 60-year-old storied club, which had a membership of about 70 last year and has drawn newfound interest among fans of the archery-heavy book series “The Hunger Games” and its film versions, as well as “The Avengers” movie. Over the years, the club has been a leader in promoting archery in North Jersey, while also backing state legislation expanding the black bear hunt and allowing hunters to donate venison to soup kitchens.
The county has stopped processing permits needed by the club to access the range until the two sides “completely” resolve the dispute, said a Feb. 5 letter by Deputy County Counsel John Libretti.
Jack Spoto, executive vice president of the United Bowhunters of New Jersey, said his organization isn’t “picking sides,” but called the infighting a “shame.”
“It means a lot of archers aren’t allowed to go to Campgaw and shoot and practice,” he said. “We’re trying to help the county get the archery range up and running until the infighting is over. We’d be willing to allow the county and archers to use our insurance policy.”
The fight over who are the “real” leaders of the club is playing out over competing “official” websites and Facebook pages — all named “Bergen Bowmen.” A key question is: Who has the legal right to obtain the $2 million in general liability insurance that Bergen County requires? The club must have it to be eligible for a $100, one-year club permit allowing members to shoot arrows at the Campgaw range.
The range also has been open to the general public. Typically, it costs a county resident $12 for an annual archery permit for the range, and $60 for a non-resident, who must show proof of homeowner’s or renter’s insurance.
Bergen’s nearby Darlington County Park is one entity handling archery permits. A park employee who answered the phone Friday said the range would “hopefully” reopen soon, but that it was closed over the weekend because “of a problem with archery clubs.”
The two factions are trading allegations of actions amounting to criminal conduct. Libretti, the deputy county counsel, wrote that the Bergen Bowmen members and affiliates can’t access the range “until further notice,” and that the county will “remove and prosecute as trespassers” any members or associates who try to do so.
“Meanwhile, various county departments are conducting investigations in an attempt to sort through the myriad of allegations alleged by all parties,” Libretti wrote to leaders of both factions, Joel Riotto of Demarest and Joann Mills, whom he addressed as secretary of the Bergen Bowmen.
Bergen County spokesman Mike Pagan said that given the investigation, county officials are not allowed to comment on any related matter.
When reached by phone, Riotto declined to discuss the dispute. The bergenbowmen.com website lists him as the 2016 membership data committee chairman and a past Bergen Bowmen president.
“It’s not a lack of a desire to cooperate,” Riotto said, “and again I caution you, do some due diligence before you quote anyone. You may find it’s possible that you’ve been misled.”
https://www.northjersey.com/news/environment/bergen-owned-archery-range-shut-amid-feud-1.1515804
