GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS 020402
mai...@gsenet.org
GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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{*} NEW JERSEY'S WILDLIFE ARE DYING OF THIRST
{*} DROUGHT COULD PUT AQUIFER AT RISK
{*} NORTHEAST COAST GETS LOW GRADE FROM EPA
{*} MEADOWLANDS REDUCES GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
{*} FORESTS THREATENED BY BOTH ENERGY AND FARM BILLS
{*} HUDSON RIVER REMOVED FROM GROUP'S ENDANGERED LIST
{*} DAMS AND OTHER PROJECTS BLAMED FOR ENDANGERING RIVERS
{*} INTERIOR SECRETARY ASKS TEAMSTERS TO PUSH ARCTIC DRILLING
{*} SALT MARSHES SURROUNDING JKF AIRPORT ARE RAPIDLY VANISHING
{*} MOBILIZING THE REGION #359
{*} UPCOMING MEETINGS ON CANADA GEESE MANAGEMENT OPTIONS
{*} EWING RESIDENTS AGAINST COLLEGE EXPANSION
{*} PRESERVE LAND AND WATER IN THE HIGHLANDS - APR 13
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NEW JERSEY'S WILDLIFE ARE DYING OF THIRST
Date: 2 Apr 2002
From: "Eric Stiles" {est...@njaudubon.org}
RESIDENTS URGED TO HELP EASE DROUGHT THREAT TO WILDLIFE
New Jersey Audubon Society today announced in March 2002 that New
Jersey's wildlife populations are dying from lack of water, and urged
residents to become part of the solution.
Eric Stiles, the Society's Vice President of Conservation and
Stewardship, said a drought this time of the year has a heavy impact
on wildlife, from wood frogs and spotted turtles to the state
endangered blue-spotted salamander.
"Humans aren't the only ones to be impacted by the drought," Stiles
said. "There is no water in vernal pools, those areas of water created
in spring that are essential for these species to reproduce and
survive. In turn, their loss of habitat impacts other wildlife in the
food chain, such as raccoons, who feed on these species."
Many vernal pool breeding amphibians have short life expectancies.
Stiles noted that wood frogs rarely live to be four years old.
Prolonged severe droughts have the potential to decimate entire
populations.
"We're facing our second silent spring," said Stiles. "The drought is
sure to silence breeding choruses of frogs and toads; some local
populations may be gone forever."
He added trees also are dangerously affected. "During a drought trees
stop producing chemicals that keeps gypsy moths and other insects from
eating their leaves and destroying them," he said. "They can also
become diseased. This, coupled with the severe increase in the
potential for forest fires, severely imperils our woods.
"We have to face it: we're in the dustbowl of droughts."
Drought is sure to affect the Noah's Ark of wildlife. Less water
means fewer fruits, berries and nuts on trees and shrubs - which
ripples up the food chain. Also, less water available to ponds,
streams and freshwater wetlands means higher, potentially harmful
concentrations of nutrients.
"It's also time to re-visit the 'chemical cocktail' lawn," Stiles
said. "As the water level drops, there is less available to dilute
pollutant run-off. Subsequently, wetlands lose their quality to host
wildlife." Residents should consider greatly reducing the amount of
lawn by landscaping for wildlife and the quantity of fertilizer and
pesticides. Workshops on landscaping are offered through the New
Jersey Audubon Society's Center for Research and Education, or you can
purchase Pat Sutton's book on beneficial landscaping from any New
Jersey Audubon center.
To help curb the drought's impact, Stiles urged residents to take the
following simple, conservation measures:
- Work with town planning boards and environmental commissions to
produce ordinances safeguarding wetlands and wildlife. You can get
more information on municipal planning through the NJ Association
of Environmental Commissions - http://www.anjec.org.
- Help map the location of vernal pools statewide through the NJ
Vernal Pool project. More information can be obtained from the
following website: http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/vpoolart.htm
- Reduce or eliminate your use of lawn chemicals. People should
convert lawn into "wildlife gardens". These gardens provide endless
hours of wildlife entertainment, as you can watch wintering birds,
hummingbirds, butterflies and other wildlife in your backyard. In
addition, wildlife landscapes require less chemicals and long-term
maintenance. These areas also help feed our water supply by
allowing for water percolation. Sod lawns are almost as impermeable
as concrete and are a wasteland for most wildlife!
- Reduce your personal consumption of water through better
technologies (e.g. low flow toilets and shower heads and alternate
day showers). For ideas on reducing water consumption, visit the
Department of Environmental Protection's site -
http://www.njdrought.org/ideas.html
- - -
Anyone who would like more information on conservation practices
should call New Jersey Audubon Society at 908-766-5787.
Founded in 1897, the New Jersey Audubon Society
(http://www.njaudubon.org) is one of the oldest, independent Audubon
societies in the United States. The not-for-profit organization
fosters environmental awareness and a conservation ethic among New
Jersey's citizens, protects New Jersey's wildlife, and promotes
preservation of New Jersey's valuable natural habitats. New Jersey
Audubon maintains stewardship of over 30 sanctuaries and conducts its
programs through nine staffed facilities throughout the state. It is
not affiliated with the National Audubon Society.
* * *
Contact:
Eric Stiles or Don Freiday
908-766-5787
est...@njaudubon.org
d...@njaudubon.org
New Jersey Audubon Society
Conservation Department
11 Hardscrabble Road
PO Box 693
Bernardsville, NJ 07924
Phone: 908.766.5787 ext 13
Fax: 908.766.7775
e-mail: est...@njaudubon.org
website: http://www.njaudubon.org
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DROUGHT COULD PUT AQUIFER AT RISK
Date: 020402
From: http://phillyburbs.com/
By Paul Leakan, ple...@phillyBurbs.com
Burlington County Times, April 2, 2002
In light of a months-long drought that has depleted state reservoirs,
some environmentalists fear there will be increased pressure to tap
into the vast groundwater supplies in the Pinelands.
Environmentalists say there likely will be another push to meet the
state's demand for potable water by drawing more water from the
shallow Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer, which is the largest source of
unspoiled water in the northeast.
Landscapers are among those who have made that suggestion in recent
weeks, said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey chapter of the
Sierra Club.
Landscapers have said that they could take a big economic hit this
year because of the state's mandatory water-use restrictions, which
ban the watering of lawns.
Tittel said that pumping more water from the Kirkwood-Cohansey could
cause enormous harm to the Pinelands' fragile ecosystem.
"The Pinelands in itself has water problems," he said. "You have an
ecosystem that is so dependent on wetlands and sandy soils. Any
overpumping or diversions of water could have disastrous implications
on the Pinelands."
Richard G. Bizub of the nonprofit Pinelands Preservation Alliance
echoed many of the same concerns.
"Loss of surface and groundwater is not only harmful to wildlife," he
said, "but also to traditional Pinelands industries that depend on
these waters, such as cranberry and blueberry farming, recreation and
even the shellfish industries that rely on abundant Pinelands waters."
State Pinelands Commission officials have acknowledged that because
of the drought conditions, some people might "take aim" at Pinelands
water supplies.
Last month, commission chairman Jerrold Jacobs said it was the right
time to take a closer look at the state's existing laws and policies
regarding Pinelands water resources, and to ensure that the reserves
are protected.
A commission subcommittee will hold a general discussion tonight
regarding Pinelands water supplies. The meeting is set for 7 at the
commission's headquarters in Pemberton Township.
Plans to tap into the Pinelands' water supplies certainly aren't
novel.
In the late 1800s, industrialist Joseph Wharton bought more than
100,000 acres of land in the Batsto Village area in hopes of
channeling water to his hometown of Philadelphia. Lawmakers put a stop
to Wharton's plans by banning the export of Pinelands water from New
Jersey.
In the late 1980s, several communities in Camden, Gloucester and
Cumberland counties proposed the export of water from the Kirkwood-
Cohansey to support their expanding growth.
The Kirkwood-Cohansey contains an estimated 17 trillion gallons of
water located under nine counties.
In 1981, the state Legislature prohibited the export of water to more
than 10 miles outside of the boundaries of the 1.1 million-acre
national Pinelands preserve.
* * *
(c) Copyright 2002 Calkins Media Inc., Burlington Times Inc.
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NORTHEAST COAST GETS LOW GRADE FROM EPA
Date: 020402
From: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/
By Jack Kaskey, Staff Writer, (609) 272-7213, JKa...@pressofac.com
Press of Atlantic City, April 2, 2002
The coastal waters of the Northeast are in poor condition and getting
worse, according to the federal government's first-ever report card on
national coastal conditions.
Examining data on everything from water clarity to contaminants in
fish tissue, the National Coastal Condition Report characterizes the
nation's coastal and estuarine waters as fair to poor.
The Northeast received top marks for water clarity and dissolved
oxygen, but received an overall grade of "borderline poor." Only the
Gulf of Mexico fared worse.
Problems in the region include increasing levels of contaminated
fish, increasing degradation of bottom habitats, and increasing levels
of dissolved nutrients. The region also received low marks for the
historic loss of coastal wetlands (39 percent in New Jersey) and high
levels of contaminated sediments.
The report, based on data from 1990 to 1997, was released late Friday
afternoon by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"It's a sobering reminder that we have a long way to go in terms of
water quality," EPA spokeswoman Mary Mears said Monday. "The pollution
problems we are facing did not happen overnight. They happened over
the past 100 years in many cases, and we have made much progress in
the past decade."
For instance, federally sponsored plans to reduce nutrients in
treated sewage being pumped into the Delaware River helped increase
dissolved oxygen levels in Delaware Bay and reopen 9,000 acres of
shellfish beds, Mears said.
EPA and the states have largely stopped industrial pollution of
coastal waters, but a lot of contamination remains in the sediment,
she said.
Now the EPA is grappling with how to reduce runoff from farms, lawns
and streets. New Jersey's approach is unique, allowing each watershed
area to devise its own solutions for reducing polluted runoff.
"Runoff is a problem that each and every person has to take some
responsibility for, and that's what makes it such a difficult problem
to tackle," Mears said.
Fertilizers from farms and developments are pouring into estuaries in
the Mid-Atlantic at ever increasing rates, causing excessive algae
growth that can lead to more serious problems, according to the new
coastal report.
Although it's a problem all along New Jersey's coast, nutrient- rich
runoff is impacting Barnegat Bay in Ocean County particularly hard,
according to the report.
The rising nutrient level along the Mid-Atlantic coast "is cause for
concern because the situation may eventually threaten both the
economic and aesthetic value of the region," the report warns.
In addition to stormwater runoff, another major source of high
nutrient levels in the ocean is treated sewage water from coastal
communities that is pumped offshore, said Dery Bennett, executive
director of the American Littoral Society based in Sandy Hook.
Coastal treatment plants are not required to remove most nutrients.
Researchers have found that dirty Midwest power plants also
contribute to excess nutrients found in coastal waters, Bennett noted.
The emissions from these coal-fired plants are carried by prevailing
winds to the east.
The prevalence of contaminated sediment in the region isn't
particularly surprising, given the industrial history of New Jersey,
Philadelphia and New York. But Bennett said many people might be
surprised that sediment contamination is increasingly found around the
state's barrier islands.
For instance, sediments from three of nine boat basins recently
dredged in Stone Harbor had contaminant levels too high to be used for
an environmental restoration protect, he noted.
Declining bottom habitat detailed in the report is caused in part by
coastal development and poor land management that fails to stop silt
from washing into streams, and ultimately into the ocean.
"In a lot of areas where there used to be sand, there is now silt,"
Bennett said.
That affects the number and type of marine worms, clams, shrimp,
crabs, mussels and other bottom organisms that can survive, which
affects the whole food chain, he said.
For the section on fish contamination, the report analyzed the
tissues of 13,000 white perch, weakfish, catfish, and Atlantic croaker
caught in the Northeast. Thirty percent had toxic levels of
contamination, including 21 percent with elevated concentrations of
arsenic, according to the report.
However, almost all arsenic ingested by fish is converted to a
nontoxic form, so actually 9 percent of fish contained elevated levels
of contaminants, mostly metals, the report says.
Collaborating with the EPA on the report were the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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MEADOWLANDS REDUCES GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
Date: 020402
From: bshe...@meadowlands.state.nj.us
NEW JERSEY MEADOWLANDS COMMISSION APPLAUDED FOR ITS
EFFORTS TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
April 2, 2002
The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission has received recognition from
the United Stares Department of Energy and the Energy information
Administration for its landfill gas collection program and energy use
efforts at several landfills within the Meadowlands District.
The Commission was cited for demonstrating a commitment to
environmental protection through actions taken to reduce or capture
emissions of greenhouse gases," said Susan Bass Levin, Chairman of the
Meadowlands Commission. "We are involved in a number of programs to
reduce air and water pollution that are part of our overall
environmental stewardship mission; we are glad these initiatives are
being acknowledged at the federal level."
Methane and other greenhouse gases absorb infrared energy radiated
from the Earth's surface and prevent it from leaving the atmosphere.
These naturally occurring gases in the atmosphere warm the planet's
surface, making it hospitable to life. During the last century,
though, activities including the burning of fossil fuels have
increased the atmospheric levels of these gases. The effects of these
increased concentrations are uncertain, but many scientists believe
they will result in unpredictable and negative changes to the Earth's
climate.
Methane is generated from a variety of sources, including the
decomposition of solid waste (garbage) from landfills. Recognizing
that the gases were an environmental concern, and also that they can
be harnessed for energy recovery, the Meadowlands Commission has been
collecting the gas from Commission-owned landfills for 13 years.
"The gas we recover from two sites is used to generate electricity,"
said Robert R. Ceberio, Acting Executive Director of the New Jersey
Meadowlands Commission. "From three other sites it is piped directly
into natural gas supply lines. The collected gas provides for the
energy needs of more than 20,000 households."
Since operations began in 1989, the Commission has recovered more
than 24 billion cubic feet of landfill gas that otherwise would have
been emitted into the atmosphere.
* * *
Bonnie Sheppard
Office of Public Information
New Jersey Meadowlands Commission
1 Dekorte Park Plaza
Lyndhurst NJ 07071
Tel: 201-460-8898
Email: bshe...@meadowlands.state.nj.us
Web: http://www.meadowlands.state.nj.us
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FORESTS THREATENED BY BOTH ENERGY AND FARM BILLS
Date: 1 Apr 2002
From: de...@americanlands.org
OVERCUT FORESTS FACE NEW THREAT FROM BIOMASS AND STEWARDSHIP LOGGING!
WE MAY ONLY HAVE A WEEK TO GET OUR OPINIONS KNOWN TO THE SENATE.
April 1, 2002
When Congress returns on April 9, we expect action to immediately
resume on both the Senate Energy bill and the Farm Bill conference
committee. Both bills contain harmful biomass provisions that could
encourage increased logging on National Forest and BLM managed lands.
The Farm bill also contains an extremely dangerous provision to allow
the Forest Service to give an unlimited amount of trees to pay for
projects until 2007.
We know the timber industry is going all out to build support for
these provisions. So, we need Congress to hear from us right away that
we are opposed to giving away forests under the "goods for services"
provision. They also need to know that we are opposed to using our
forests for energy production and that we are particularly against the
idea of counting forest biomass as a renewable source of energy, which
would allow for forest devastation to take place in the name of
environmental protection.
The Senate Energy bill contains a provision that would allow forest
biomass to be counted as a renewable source of energy. This idea
obviously ignores the fact that forests are already being
unsustainable managed. We hope to see an amendment offered to strike
this provision from the bill. We have prepared a factsheet about the
potential threat of increased biomass presents for our forests at
http://www.americanlands.org/biomass_threatens_forests.htm
The Energy bill is also rapidly turning into an anti-environmental
Christmas tree with no strong pro-environmental provisions. Anna
Aurilio, legislative director of the U.S. Public Interest Research
Group, said the Senate legislation "started as a promising bill. But
it's getting hijacked...by the polluters." We anticipate more bad
amendments including streamlining of NEPA to curtail and undercut
environmental review, more power to the states concerning management
of federal lands, expedited drilling for oil and gas on public lands,
and rollbacks of fish, wildlife, sacred site, and other safeguards.
The Farm bill contains two serious problems, a $50 million subsidy
for forest biomass, and a provision in the House bill to allow for
unlimited trading of National Forest trees to pay for services until
2007. In the hands of Mark Rey and the Forest Service under Chief Dale
Bosworth, this "goods for services" provision would both encourage and
pay for a massive increase in logging on the National Forests. The
Senate bill caps the number of new "goods for services" projects,
preventing the agency from gaining this new unlimited authority. This
difference makes the Senate version of the bill much preferable to the
House bill.
Please contact your Senators at 202/224-3121 and urge them to:
1. Oppose counting biomass using forests as a renewable source of
energy under the Energy bill.
2. Oppose the $50 million in subsidies for forest biomass included in
the Farm bill.
3. Oppose extending the Forest Service unlimited "goods for services"
authority in stewardship contracting as part of the Farm bill.
4. Remind them that stewardship contracting is still a pilot program,
and that almost none of the projects have yet been completed,
monitored or analyzed.
Please contact your Representative at 202/224-3121 and urge him/her
to:
1. Oppose extending the Forest Service unlimited "goods for services"
authority in stewardship contracting as part of the Farm bill
2. Remind them that stewardship contracting is still a pilot program,
and that almost none of the projects have yet been completed,
monitored or analyzed.
3. Oppose the $50 million in subsidies for forest biomass included in
the Farm bill.
Biomass using forests is based on the flawed premise that we can
sustainably log our forests. Also please send any information you have
about unsustainable logging practices or reports about sustainable
logging in your region to your Rep. and Senators. Due to continuing
problems with the mail in DC, please consider faxing or emailing this
information.
For additional information on "goods for services" please see a
factsheet at http://www.americanlands.org/forestweb/pilot_projects.htm
which details four stewardship pilots. If you have additional
information about pilot projects in your area, please contact me.
* * *
Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
202/547-9105
202/547-9213 fax
mailto:waf...@americanlands.org
http://www.americanlands.org
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HUDSON RIVER REMOVED FROM GROUP'S ENDANGERED LIST
Date: 020402
From: http://www.newsday.com
HUDSON RIVER REMOVED FROM CONSERVATION GROUP'S ENDANGERED LIST
By Shannon Mccaffrey, Associated Press, April 2, 2002
Washington - New York's Hudson River was removed from a conservation
group's list of the nation's most endangered rivers now that federal
environmental officials have ordered a cleanup.
Last year, the Hudson ranked number four on American Rivers' list.
This year it was removed because federal environmental officials are
proceeding with a Clinton administration plan to dredge tons of
poisonous PCBs from the river bed north of Albany, N.Y. General
Electric must foot the roughly $500 million bill to remove the PCBs it
dumped into the Hudson.
Some 1.3 million pounds of the PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls,
were released by two GE plants into the river between 1946 and 1977,
the year the federal government banned the substance used as
insulating material.
"We put it on the list last year because of the threat that GE could
get of the hook for its cleanup responsibilities," American Rivers'
spokesman Eric Eckl said Tuesday.
"We're very happy the EPA decided to go ahead with the cleanup and we
could take it off," Eckl said.
Some of the waterways on American Rivers' list are polluted. Others
are pristine but face threats from dangers like encroaching
development or too much river water being siphoned off for growing
metropolitan areas.
In February, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman signed the final
record of decision for the Hudson River cleanup, making official the
plan to dredge PCBs along a 40-mile stretch of the river.
A 197-mile section of the river has since been declared a Superfund
site. The PCBs buried in river sediment are classified as a probable
carcinogen and deemed a risk to people who eat fish from the Hudson.
GE has until April 8 to respond to the EPA's plan. If it fails to
hand in a "good faith" proposal by then, the EPA could order it to
perform the cleanup and slap the company with stiff penalties.
GE did not return a phone call Tuesday seeking comment. The cleanup
is expected to begin in 2005 after a three-year design stage.
- - -
On The Net:
American Rivers: http://www.americanrivers.org/
General Electric: http://www/ge.com/ EPA: http://www.epa.gov/
* * *
Copyright (c) 2002, The Associated Press
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DAMS AND OTHER PROJECTS BLAMED FOR ENDANGERING RIVERS
Date: 020402
From: http://www.newsday.com
DAMS, LEVEES AND IRRIGATION PROJECTS BLAMED FOR ENDANGERING RIVERS
By Christopher Thorne, Associated Press, April 2, 2002
Washington - A conservation group says billions of federal dollars
slated for dams, irrigation projects and river dredging are the
largest threats facing the nation's waterways.
American Rivers, a Washington nonprofit that represents about 4,000
local river and watershed conservation groups, released a report
Tuesday that detailed dangers they say the nation's waterways are
facing.
Among the most significant threats, according to the unscientific
analysis of the environmental group, was the federal government
itself, through the work of the Army Corps of Engineers to alter the
natural paths, levels and tide of rivers.
That "hydrologic alteration," as it is known, is one of the top
threats to the overall health of rivers, and to river wildlife in
particular, said Rebecca Wodder, president of American Rivers.
"Hydrologic alteration is what the Corps of Engineers does. It's
changing the way rivers flow," Wodder said.
The report included a list of 11 rivers that the group ranked as
"most endangered," using criteria such as media attention, public
awareness and public policy analysis - but not necessarily scientific
study. The Missouri River was No. 1 on the American Rivers list for
the second year in a row, because of a controversial plan by the corps
to manipulate the river's tide to improve barge traffic.
With projects to straighten, widen and raise or lower water levels,
the corps' river projects are intended to make rivers more navigable
for shipping barges, supply drinking water to growing cities, and
irrigate farm fields.
But Wodder, as well as some members of Congress, say the plans of the
civilian-run federal agency are larded with "pork" projects written by
lawmakers who champion federal spending in their home districts.
And the increasing popularity of corps projects, pushed into the
corps budget by members of Congress, means more river bottoms are
gouged free of vital grass, and more riverbanks are buried under
concrete, Wodder said.
There are 776 active corps projects, which will cost an estimated
$43.1 billion when completed, according to corps officials. But Wodder
said there are a total of nearly 1,400 corps projects, including those
that have not yet begun work.
Later this year, Congress will be able to add more projects to the
list when it takes up its annual Water Resources Development Act. Last
year, Congress added 195 projects to the corps' budget through the
act.
Homer Perkins, spokesman for the corps headquarters in Washington,
said all corps projects are analyzed for environmental impact before
approval - and said all corps spending must be approved both by the
White House and Congress.
"We don't get a big pot of money every year. What we get is a line-
item budget," Perkins said. "We don't determine what that money is
going to be spent for. The Congress and the administration determine
that."
Further, Perkins said, about $1 billion of the corps' $5 billion
annual budget goes toward environmental ends: analysis, mitigation and
restoration.
The nation's longest waterway, the Missouri River, is at the center
of a massive debate that has pitted environmentalists and upstream
states, such as South Dakota and Montana, against the shipping
industry and downstream states, such as Missouri.
At stake is the future of a plan to manage the river and the six dams
along it.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recommended higher flows
during the spring, which is intended to mimic the river's natural
conditions.
Missouri regulators and lawmakers, aligned with barge and farm
interests, have opposed those changes, saying they would not protect
wildlife as promised while allowing states upstream to divert water
needed in Missouri.
Wodder said the corps has let the Missouri's health deteriorate
"thanks to a management scheme that prioritizes a handful of barges
over the river's health and its growing recreation and tourist
industry."
"Most people may not appreciate the grip that the Corps of Engineers
has on our nation's rivers," Wodder said.
"There is a role for public works that protect communities from
flooding and provide transportation," she said. "The problem is the
corps has been allowed to build countless projects that don't meet the
test of common sense."
- - -
On the Net:
American Rivers: http://www.american rivers.org/
Army Corps of Engineers: http://www.usace.army.mil/
* * *
Copyright (c) 2002, The Associated Press
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INTERIOR SECRETARY ASKS TEAMSTERS TO PUSH ARCTIC DRILLING
Date: 020402
From: http://www.newsday.com/
By Michael Virtanen, Associated Press, April 2, 2002
Albany, N.Y. - Interior Secretary Gale Norton told upstate Teamsters
Tuesday to push their U.S. senators to support more oil drilling in
Alaska, saying it would create jobs and help stave off another energy
crisis.
A House-passed measure, opposed by environmental groups, would let
companies pump oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It was
backed by the Teamsters nationally last year, and unionists in Albany
were asked to contact their two Democratic senators, Hillary Rodham
Clinton and Charles Schumer, and urge them not to block the
legislation.
"In the short term, we know we need additional sources of energy,"
Norton said.
She warned that an Iraqi ruling party politician is now calling for
another Arab oil embargo, and in the energy crisis of the '70s only
about one-third of U.S. consumption was foreign oil. "Today 57 percent
of our energy comes from outside the United States," she said.
About 50 members of Teamsters' Local 294, plus representatives of the
VFW and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, applauded Norton at a union hall.
She delivered a similar message last month to farmers and others in
Arkansas, Missouri and Indiana, but tailored it Tuesday to her New
York audience.
"It would create 700,000 jobs for union members in this country,"
Norton said. The overall jobs number comes from a 12-year-old study
done for the Petroleum Institute. A separate study for the Energy
Department estimated that expanded drilling would create about one-
third as many jobs. Environmentalists said it's closer to 50,000.
Local 294 President John Bulgaro cited a Teamster estimate that the
Coastal Plain development in Alaska could create 46,000 jobs in New
York, including facility and equipment engineering and design.
Some Democrats in Congress and environmentalists have accused the
Republican Bush administration of exploiting terrorist fears to allow
drilling in an area where oil won't actually be pumped for a decade,
and even then not enough to offset American reliance on imports.
"The energy bill that Secretary Norton is touting will mean more acid
rain and less beaches for New Yorkers," said John Stouffer,
legislative director of the Sierra Club's Atlantic Chapter. He said it
would continue "the dangerous expansion of coal-burning power plants
increasing global warming gasses and acid rain gasses."
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., has pledged to lead a filibuster to block
Senate passage and has said he expects Clinton to join him.
"She believes it's bad environmental policy and bad energy policy,"
said Clinton spokesman Jim Kennedy. "She believes that through better
use of alternative energy, including fuel cells, which New York
companies are involved in making, as well as conservation, we can
achieve greater energy independence."
Schumer remains opposed to drilling in the wildlife refuge, a
spokesman said.
World oil production is about 77 million barrels a day. The 12-year-
old study assumed the new Alaskan drilling would produce 1.9 million
barrels a day in a market with world production of up to 55 million
barrels.
* * *
Copyright (c) 2002, The Associated Press
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SALT MARSHES SURROUNDING JKF AIRPORT ARE RAPIDLY VANISHING
Date: 020402
From: http://www.newsday.com/
By Katherine Roth, Associated Press, April 2, 2002
New York - The salt marshes near John F. Kennedy Airport are
vanishing at an increasing rate and may disappear entirely in the
coming decades, a study says. The wetlands are an important nesting
place for migratory birds and help protect neighboring residential
areas from flooding during storm surges.
"It's a very drastic change," said Vivian Gornitz, a geologist at
Columbia University and NASA who conducted a study of the marshes in
the city's Jamaica Bay with ecologist Ellen Hartig, now at the Federal
Emergency Management Agency.
The study, conducted over several years and completed in 2000, was
published in the current issue of Wetlands, the Journal of the Society
of Wetland Scientists.
Using historical aerial photographs of some of the larger marsh
islands, it found that 51 percent of the marshes had disappeared
between 1924 and 1999, with 38 percent of that loss occurring since
1974. Some of the smaller islands have lost up to 78 percent of their
vegetation since 1974, it said.
The marshes are literally "drowning in place" from sediment
starvation, according to Hartig, the lead author. But researchers held
out hope that, if begun soon, restorative efforts may stabilize the
marshes.
Efforts to stop the trend would likely include the placement of thin
layers of sediment on the marsh surface, Hartig said.
"These efforts have had success in other wetlands," she said.
Hartig urged the National Park Service to adopt a hands-on approach
in managing the wetlands. In the past, she said, the thinking was that
simply leaving the wetlands alone would be sufficient to ensure that
they would thrive.
Although the study did not set out to examine the cause of the
accelerated marsh loss, researchers said the major cause of vanishing
wetlands in Queens is the disruption of the flow of water and the
spread of sediment upon which marsh grasses depend.
They suspect that the problem is partly due to dredging of the bay
for shipping channels and to provide landfill for the expansion of JFK
airport, which was built on wetlands before laws were put in place to
protect them. The dredged channels act as a trap for sediment,
preventing it from washing into the bay after storms, they said.
Researchers said that urban development closing off stream channels
around the bay, waves from recreational boat traffic and heavy grazing
by waterfowl are also contributing to the erosion.
"Further research is urgently needed to establish the causes of marsh
loss," Gornitz said.
Billy G. Garrett, superintendent of the Gateway National Recreation
Area's Jamaica Bay Unit, said Tuesday that since the study came out,
the Park Service has taken a three-pronged approach to the situation.
"We're trying to identify the causes that may be contributing to the
loss of wetlands, we're trying to protect and stabilize existing
wetlands area and, third, to help establish new areas of wetlands,"
Garrett said. "We're going to do a study of all the different
variables before we take any action in terms of preservation or
attempt restoration. ... It's not at all clear that we would be able
to address the cause."
He said sea level changes may be to blame, as could the possibility
of toxic materials in the bay, bird behavior or mussel growth.
"I would hope within a year, if the money is there and we can get the
environmental clearances, that we would be able to step up the
preservation work," he said.
Although shrinking, the Jamaica Bay wetlands remain one of the
largest coastal ecosystems in the state. Since 1972, the remaining
marsh islands and Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge have been under federal
protection as part of the Gateway National Recreation Area,
administered by the National Park Service.
Along with the Atlantic flyway for migratory birds, the salt marshes
are prime nesting and feeding sites for many shorebirds, including
ducks and geese.
- - -
On the Net:
Wetlands journal: http://www.sws.org/wetlands Gateway
National Recreation Area: http://www.nps.gov/gate
* * *
Copyright (c) 2002, The Associated Press
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MOBILIZING THE REGION #359
Date: 02 Apr 2002
From: Tri-State Transportation Campaign {ts...@tstc.org}
[Excerpt: Full text at http://www.gsenet.org/newsstnd/mtr.htm]
April 1, 2002
- - -
THIS WEEK'S NEWS
. . .
MUCH OF MIDDLESEX FIRM AGAINST ROUTE 92
With the draft environmental impact statement for Route 92 due from
the U.S. Army Corps this spring, a group of seven central New Jersey
officials have organized to voice continued opposition to the highway.
http://www.tstc.org/bulletin/20020401/mtr35902.htm
. . .
TOLL AGENCY MERGER TO SAVE PARKWAY?
As expected, New Jersey Governor James McGreevey announced last week
he will consider merging the state's three toll-collecting agencies.
http://www.tstc.org/bulletin/20020401/mtr35909.htm
- - -
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
April 11, 11:45am, Transportation Research Forum, "The Rise and Fall
of Local Suburban Transportation in Northern New Jersey" - William
Fahey, Esq. New York School Bus Contractors Association. 212-435-4226
or pges...@panynj.gov
April 19, Earth Day, Trenton Bike to Work Day sponsored by the Trenton
Cycling Revolution. 609-394-8018
Upcoming Conferences {http://www.tstc.org/calendar.html}
TransAction 2002
Waterfront Conference
Public Transit Spring Conference
Congress for the New Urbanism
* * *
MTR#359
Contributing: Janine Bauer
Editors: Jon Orcutt, Lisa Peterson
Executive Director: Janine Bauer
Tri-State Transportation Campaign
240 West 35th Street #801
New York NY 10001
tel. 212-268-7474
fax 212-268-7333
ts...@tstc.org
http://www.tstc.org
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
UPCOMING MEETINGS ON CANADA GEESE MANAGEMENT OPTIONS
Date: 2 Apr 2002
From: Deborah Newcomb {dnew...@raritanbasin.org}
Please note that all meetings are open to the public. If you cannot
attend the meeting that is scheduled for your county, feel free to
attend any of the other meetings. There has not been a meeting date
scheduled specifically for Morris County, but representatives from the
County can attend any of the other scheduled meetings.
Thanks,
Debbie
# # #
DO YOU HAVE A GOOSE PROBLEM?
RESIDENT CANADA GEESE MANAGEMENT OPTIONS
Rutgers Cooperative Extension, in cooperation with USDA-APHIS-
Wildlife Services, will hold an informational meeting to discuss the
issue of resident Canada geese in New Jersey. Topics to be discussed
will include:
- Why the population of resident Canada geese is so large in New
Jersey
- Who is responsible for the management of Canada geese in New Jersey
- All available management options for Canada geese within New Jersey
Who should attend? Anyone who has a problem or concern with Canada
Geese.
- Homeowners
- Golf courses
- Corporate park grounds officers
- Municipal Officials
- Park and Recreation Managers
- The Agricultural Community
Meetings:
- Ocean and Burlington Counties: April 4th, 6-8 pm, Whiting Fire
House
- Mercer and Hunterdon Counties: April 16th, 7-9 pm, South Hunterdon
High School
- Passaic and Bergen Counties: April 18th, 7-9 pm, Stephen Fong
Technical Center
- Cape May and Atlantic Counties: April 23rd, 6-8 pm, Flanders
Banquet and Conference Center
- Monmouth and Middlesex Counties: April 25th, 7-9pm, Freehold
Gardens Hotel
- Somerset and Union Counties: May 1st, 7-9 pm, Union Vo-Tech
- Warren and Sussex Counties: May 2nd, 7-9 pm, Hackettstown High
School
- Cumberland and Salem Counties: May 6th, 7-9 pm, Elmer Grange Hall
- Essex and Hudson Counties: May 15th, 6-8 pm, Robison Center,
Rutgers-Newark
- Camden and Gloucester Counties: To be announced
For questions or more information on the programs please contact your
local Rutgers Cooperative Extension office or David Drake, Extension
Wildlife Specialist, 732-932-1509 x 10.
Funding for this program is provided by the New Jersey Agricultural
Experiment Station's Millennium Viability Initiative. The New Jersey
Agricultural Experiment Station created this initiative to enhance the
economic viability of agriculture and the quality of life for New
Jersey's citizens.
# # #
Debbie Newcomb
Watershed Protection Specialist
NJ Water Supply Authority
POB 287
So. Bound Brook, NJ 08880
dnew...@raritanbasin.org
732.356.9344 x24
732.356.9461 (Fax)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
EWING RESIDENTS AGAINST COLLEGE EXPANSION
Date: 2 Apr 2002
From: {con...@ewingerace.org}
Are you aware of the parking garages that The College of New Jersey
is planning to build near Pennington Road (Rt. 31).?
TCNJ did not have the courtesy to provide proper notice to the Ewing
residents whose life and property values would be impacted.
TCNJ also made no presentation to the Ewing Township Planning Board
about this long planned construction of 5 massive parking garages.
Therefore many township residents have organized to stop TCNJ's
expansion at the expense of Ewing residents throughout the township.
TCNJ's activities are not limited to the portions of Ewing adjacent
to the college. In fact many Hopewell Township residents are concerned
about TCNJ's expansion.
Do you realize that when TCNJ buys property in Ewing, the township no
longer receives any tax revenue from that property and its
improvements, because TCNJ is tax exempt.
Guess who makes up for the taxes that TCNJ does not pay. YOU!!
In response to TCNJ's lack of concern for Ewing residents and
taxpayers a group of citizens has formed ERACE, Ewing Residents
Against College Expansion.
If you want to know more about these issues, please visit the ERACE
web site at: http://www.ewingerace.org/
Please come to the Ewing Township Planning Board Meeting at which the
TCNJ parking garage issue will be discussed on
Thursday 4-4-02 8:00 PM
Ewing Township Municipal Building
Council Room
2 Garzio Drive
Ewing, New Jersey 08628
Sincerely,
Ewing Residents Against College Expansion
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
PRESERVE LAND AND WATER IN THE HIGHLANDS - APR 13
Date: 2 Apr 2002
From: AN...@aol.com
A Free Workshop
LESSONS LEARNED:
LOCAL STRATEGIES TO PRESERVE LAND AND WATER IN THE HIGHLANDS
April 13th
The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) is
offering a workshop, "Lessons Learned: Local Strategies to Preserve
Land and Water in the Highlands", on Saturday, April 13th, from 9am to
1pm at the Mount Olive Municipal Complex.
The Highlands is an environmentally unique and economically important
area that provides clean drinking water, critical wildlife habitat and
recreational resources for millions of users. The US Congress has
directed the USDA Forest Service to update the 1992 New York and New
Jersey Highlands Regional Study.
This workshop focuses on the lessons learned in four Land
Conservation Projects and the Forest Service Regional Study Update to
be completed in June. The Regional Study Update includes assessing
watershed conditions, forest fragmentation, biological diversity and
public and private options for managing natural resources. The Land
Conservation Projects include local approaches to water quality
protection, ecologically-based land-use planning, and septic system
carrying capacity modeling. The Honorable Margaret Nordstrom, Morris
County Freeholder and State Planning Commission Member is the keynote
speaker.
Who should attend?
Anyone interested in preserving the land and water resources of the
Highlands.county and municipal officials, landowners, environmental
commission members, open space committees, planning boards, nonprofit
groups, land trusts, watershed management groups, chambers of
commerce, consultants and engineers, historic groups and concerned
citizens.
For more information and registration, please call ANJEC at
973-539-7547 or e-mail an...@aol.com.
Directions:
To get to the Mount Olive Municipal Complex, in Mount Olive take
Route 46 to Wolfe Road located on the south side of Route 46. Take
Wolfe Road to a "T" intersection. Turn left at "T" onto Flanders-
Drakestown Road. Make first right into Municipal Complex driveway.
Park behind the Municipal Building and follow signs to workshop in
Senior Center on the far side of the parking lot.
- - -
ANJEC, founded in 1969, is a statewide non-profit organization that
works with citizens and local officials to promote the public interest
in long-term natural resource protection, reclamation and sustainable
development. Through seminars, publications and a unique environmental
library and referral service, ANJEC brings together citizens, land
trusts, watershed associations and local officials to protect open
space, wetlands and environmental quality.
* * *
Contact: Kim Ball Kaiser, ANJEC, 973-539-7547
Association of NJ Environmental Commissions (ANJEC)
POB 157
300 Mendham Rd.
Mendham NJ 07945
Tel: 973-539-7547, 609-737-7263
Fax: 973-539-7713
Email: an...@aol.com
Web: http://www.anjec.org
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Complete Calendar Listings at: http://www.gsenet.org/calendar.htm
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Back issues of the Garden State EnviroNews are available at
http://www.gsenet.org/library/11gsn/11gsn.htm
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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Tel: 973-394-1313 - Fax: 973-394-9513
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