Originally named for the Lebanon Glassworks, which operated in the 1850s and 1860s, it was renamed for Brendan Byrne in 2004.

He championed and signed the Pinelands Protection Act in February 1979 which preserved thousand of acres in southern New Jersey.

The Natural Area protects habitat of the threatened Swamp pink and other endangered plant species.

The Batona Trail, designed for hiking, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing, is almost 50 miles (80 km) in length; it links the Brendan T. Byrne, Wharton, and Bass River State Forests.

The cultivated blueberry, a hybrid of the native Vaccinium caesariense, was developed and commercialized here by Elizabeth Coleman White and Frank Coville.