In the 40 years that Scott Chesney has used a wheelchair, he’s seen nature sites and trails around New Jersey become much more accessible.

“We as people with disabilities have to take advantage of it,” he says. “Part of my mission in terms of not only spreading the word to those who are able-bodied is spreading it to people with disabilities because we have comfort zones, we have security, blankets and all these reasons not to come out.”

Chesney, who also works as a motivational speaker, is a consultant for the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, which started a website listing wheelchair-accessible outdoor sites around New Jersey.

“We’re trying to find trails that have certain widths to them — so five-foot-wide widths for the trail surface or for the trail surfacing as well,” said Sean Holland, an Access Nature disability advocate for the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. “We do want to look for natural surfacing, but it’s got to be nicely compacted, kind of removed of any barriers like large stones.”

At historic Batso Village in Wharton State Forest, an all-terrain wheelchair has made some outdoor trails more accessible.

“I have had the most positive feedback of my career because of this chair,” said Rob Auermuller, a regional superintendent with the New Jersey State Park Service. “We’ve had people with disabilities, cerebral palsy and other disabilities. But we’ve also had elderly guests in their nineties who just want to go see Batsto Village one more time.”

The wheelchair, which retails for more than $20,000, was paid for by a grant from Ford’s Bronco Wild Fund. New Jersey was selected for the grant by the National Association of State Park Directors.