GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS 040317
GSENet
GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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{*} ASSEMBLY PASSES FIRST SMART-GROWTH MEASURE
{*} NJPIRG ASKS YOU TO HELP PROTECT OUR LAST WILD FORESTS
{*} NATIONAL PARKS AIR POLLUTION PROTECTIONS SHREDDED
{*} ENDANGERED RANGERS
{*} LEGISLATORS PUT NORTH HIGHLANDS PLAN ON SPEEDY PATH
{*} ASK GARRETT TO SUPPORT WATER INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING
{*} JEFFERSON TAKES STEPS TO FULFILL STORMWATER REGULATION
{*} TESTS SHOW POLLUTION IN 11% PERCENT OF HUNTERDON WELLS
{*} SOURCE WATER PROTECTION - GROUNDWATER VS. SURFACE WATER
{*} MENENDEZ PROPOSES $7 BILLION 'LIBERTY CORRIDOR'
{*} 1,000 DEMAND FUNDS FOR CAMDEN HOUSING
{*} CELEBRATE SPRING - APRIL PROGRAMS AT PEQUEST
{*} `JOURNEY TO PLANET EARTH' RETURNS TO PBS
{*} AT PEMBERTON LIBRARY - WILDLIFE ARTIST LEE HIGH - MAR 27
{*} SIERRA CLUB LOANTAKA GROUP MEETING - APR 14
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ASSEMBLY PASSES FIRST SMART-GROWTH MEASURE
Date: 040316
From: http://www.philly.com/
THE BILL, BASED ON A BURLCO PROGRAM, LETS TOWNS PROTECT THEIR
OPEN SPACE AND CHANNEL GROWTH TO ALREADY DEVELOPED AREAS
By Kaitlin Gurney, Philadelphia Inquirer Trenton Bureau, Mar. 16, 2004
Trenton - More than a year after Gov. McGreevey declared war on
sprawl, the Assembly passed the first piece of smart-growth
legislation granting municipalities greater power to steer
development.
The so-called transfer of development rights bill, approved yesterday
in a 65-10 vote, allows towns to channel growth to areas that have
prepared for it by building roads, sewers and schools.
The concept is based on a decade-old Burlington County program that
has preserved more than 10,000 acres of open space and farmland in
Chesterfield and Lumberton by shifting developers' right to build
houses from one area of town to another. Under the program, builders
forfeit their right to build in an undeveloped area of town in return
for permission to build more densely in sections designated for
growth.
"What's intriguing about transferring development rights is that you
reduce sprawl and save farmland at no cost to the taxpayer," said
Burlington County Freeholder William Haines, who praised the
Assembly's action yesterday. "It's a great tool for governments in
addition to purchasing land for open space."
Chesterfield Mayor Brian Kelly cautioned municipal officials that
establishing a successful program for transferring of development
rights required careful planning and research.
"Towns can't rush into this just because a vehicle is now available -
if you don't lay the foundation and plan appropriately, it isn't going
to work," Kelly said. "This allows us to plan for the next generation,
and that's a big, big concept to get your arms around."
McGreevey and Susan Bass Levin, commissioner of the Department of
Community Affairs, lauded the Assembly's action. The legislation now
goes to the Senate for a vote as early as next week.
McGreevey has blamed the slow progress that his anti-sprawl proposals
have encountered in the Legislature on builders groups' lobbying.
Another of his smart-growth measures, which would give towns the right
to charge residential developers so-called impact fees to help offset
the hidden costs of development, has yet to be heard by a Senate or
Assembly committee.
But New Jersey builders have supported the transfer-of-development-
rights legislation because it attempts to manage, rather than stop,
growth, said Rick Van Osten, executive vice president of the Builders
League of South Jersey.
"These programs still give us opportunities to build, but they
preserve the rural character of towns," Van Osten said. "People think
builders just want to pave over towns. But who would want to live in a
place like that? This is a smarter use of the land."
Under the legislation, towns interested in establishing a transfer-
of-development-rights program would have to pass local ordinances and
receive approval of their master plans from the State Planning
Commission.
More than 20 states have such programs.
The New Jersey Pinelands Commission has used the concept for some
time, allowing builders who buy the development rights of protected
Pine Barrens land to build more densely in the commission's regional
growth areas. The smart-growth group New Jersey Future credits the
Pinelands program with saving more than 37,000 acres.
"This is the essence of the smart growth the governor has been
talking about," said former Gov. Jim Florio, who now serves as
chairman of the Pinelands Commission. "But its workability outside the
Pinelands depends on areas being willing to take on enhanced growth in
exchange for preservation elsewhere."
* * *
Contact staff writer Kaitlin Gurney at 609-989-7373 or
kgu...@phillynews.com.
Copyright 1996-2003 Knight Ridder. All Rights Reserved.
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NJPIRG ASKS YOU TO HELP PROTECT OUR LAST WILD FORESTS
Date: 16 Mar 2004
From: "Dena Mottola, NJPIRG Executive Director" {De...@njpirg.org}
Dear NJPIRG supporter,
The Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which protects 58.5 million
acres of forests nationwide, faces another attack from the Bush
administration. Bush administration officials now want to weaken our
forests protections by allowing governors to seek exemptions from the
Roadless Rule for forests in their states.
BACKGROUND
On December 23, 2003, at the behest of powerful timber companies and
other interests, the Bush administration exempted our largest national
forest, Alaska's 15-million-acre Tongass Rainforest, from the Roadless
Rule. Approximately fifty timber sales can now move forward in
pristine areas of the Tongass that should be protected by the Roadless
Rule. These timber sales could be devastating to the grizzlies, salmon
and other wildlife that live there.
Next, Bush administration officials plan to weaken protections for
forests in the Lower 48 states by allowing governors to seek
exemptions from the rule for forests in their states. Not only is it
inappropriate to give governors so much power over federal lands owned
by all Americans, it could lead to the destruction of some of our most
special places.
We need the governor to help protect our last wild forests by urging
the Bush administration to keep the Roadless Rule intact in the Lower
48 states and to reinstate the rule in the Tongass.
Please take a moment to ask the governor to help protect our forests.
Then ask your family and friends to help as well by forwarding this
email to them.
To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=11&id4=ES
* * *
Dena Mottola
NJPIRG Executive Director
De...@njpirg.org
http://www.NJPIRG.org
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NATIONAL PARKS AIR POLLUTION PROTECTIONS SHREDDED
Date: 040316
From: http://www.peer.org/
POLITICAL APPOINTEES OVERRULING SCIENTISTS
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, March 16, 2004
Washington, DC - In a series of recent actions, political appointees
of the Bush Administration have undermined the law that protects air
quality in the nation's parks, according to Public Employees for
Environmental Responsibility (PEER). As a result, the special
safeguards for visibility and breathability of the air in our National
Parks have been quietly gutted without public involvement or
Congressional approval.
In the 1977 Clean Air Act Amendments, Congress designated nearly all
National Parks as areas where existing air quality conditions may not
be allowed to deteriorate in a significant way. The law allows only
small increases in particulates and sulfur dioxide (SO2), called
"increments." To implement this law, National Park Service (NPS)
scientists establish the baseline concentrations of SO2 and
particulates at any given park. The scientists then scrutinize each
proposal for a new major emitting facility (such as a power plant) to
determine if the emissions will increase pollutants in that park.
Using sophisticated models, the scientists conclude whether the added
pollutant load will exceed the allowable "increment." If so, NPS
recommends that the Secretary of Interior notify the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (or the State if it has an EPA-
approved program) to deny the permit.
In three recent episodes, the Bush Administration has nullified NPS
scientists' findings:
- In December 2002 NPS scientists concluded that the nearly 4,000
tons of annual sulfur dioxide emissions from a new coal-burning
power plant in Roundup, Montana would adversely affect air quality
and visibility at America's flagship National Park - Yellowstone,
located 112 miles away. Rejecting the science, on January 10, 2003
Assistant Secretary of the Interior Craig Manson wrote to the State
of Montana and withdrew the NPS' adverse impact determination,
clearing the way for the new plant. Manson and his deputy Paul
Hoffman determined that the NPS scientists had erred in their
forecast. (Manson has no scientific training; Hoffman was formerly
director of the Cody, Wyoming Chamber of Commerce);
- In February 2003 NPS scientists modeled the impact of the proposed
new coal-fired Thoroughbred Generating Station in Kentucky and
concluded that it would adversely impact Mammoth Cave National Park
located 50 miles away. In the fall of 2003 Manson and Hoffman
withdrew the adverse impact determination made by NPS scientists,
making this the first time in the 25-year history of the 1977 Clean
Air Act Amendments that a political appointee has directly
overruled an NPS science based determination;
- NPS scientists have long concluded that the allowable increment in
pollutants had already been reached at Theodore Roosevelt National
Park in western North Dakota. Thus, emissions from two new proposed
coal-fired power plants would automatically be disallowed. On
February 13, 2004, EPA announced that it would allow the State of
North Dakota to recalculate the pollution concentrations in the
area around the Park so that the increment will not have been
exceeded, even with the added pollution from the two new power
plants.
"National Parks are places where the public expects the best of
America, and that includes clean air and distant vistas," stated PEER
Board Member Frank Buono, a former long-time National Park Service
manager. "It is ironic that the Bush Administration is acting to
degrade a place so beloved by the great conservation President,
Theodore Roosevelt."
Perhaps the most damaging Bush Administration offensive against
National Parks air quality is contained within the President's "Clear
Skies" Initiative. Under that plan, NPS review would be limited to
proposed new major air polluters that are located within 31 miles of a
National Park. The 1977 Clean Air Act Amendments empower the NPS to
review all proposed new major facilities that may increase pollutant
levels in a National Park no matter how far away. Under Clear Skies,
neither the Thoroughbred nor the Roundup power plants would have been
subject to NPS review.
"Pollutants travel much farther than 30 miles but under the Bush
plan, a belching power plant 32 miles from the Grand Canyon would not
even appear on the regulatory radar screen," stated Buono. "Despite
its rhetorical devotion to `science based decisions,' in practice the
Bush Administration ignores and overrules the scientific analyses of
NPS career scientists. Even worse, Bush's proposal seeks to restrict
NPS scientists so that their work will never again surface as a
bulwark against the pollution impacts of power plants, refineries and
smelters on America's pristine places."
* * *
Contact: Chas Offutt (202) 265-7337
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) is a national
alliance of local, state and federal resource professionals, working
to protect the environment.
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ENDANGERED RANGERS
Date: 040316
From: http://www.npca.org/
A STUDY OF THE SEVERE STAFFING SHORTAGES
CRIPPLING AMERICA'S NATIONAL PARKS
National Parks Conservation Association, March 16, 2004
This summer, millions of Americans will pack the family car for a
once-in-a-lifetime trip to some of the nation's most spectacular and
significant places: Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Martin Luther King,
Jr.'s home, Great Smoky Mountains, Yosemite, Mesa Verde, or
Gettysburg. All conjure images of grandeur and of our shared history.
But the experiences that some visitors will have this summer in our
national parks may not live up to expectations. If a family is
traveling to Olympic National Park in Washington or to the C&O Canal
National Historical Park in Maryland, the visitor center may be closed
because the parks don't have sufficient staff to keep them open. If a
family makes a trip to Valley Forge National Historical Park to teach
the children about the Revolutionary War, some of the buildings dating
to Gen. George Washington's encampment will be locked.
The reason? Chronic underfunding and increasing park
responsibilities that do not come with additional funding, such as
protecting the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, Independence Hall,
and the Washington Monument from the possibility of terrorist attack.
Decades of financial neglect have taken a toll on the 387 sites within
the National Park System. As cited in this groundbreaking report, the
National Park Service's operating budget, adjusted for current
dollars, has dropped about 20 percent in the past 25 years. Research
demonstrates that the national parks operate on average with only two-
thirds of the needed funding - a systemwide shortfall that translates
to more than $600 million annually. Since permanent park staff are
hired and paid from the Park Service's operating budget, this $600
million funding shortfall directly reduces the Park Service's ability
to maintain the staff necessary to preserve the parks, and
consequently compromises the agency's mission to preserve our parks
"unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."
An issue raised by the Association of National Park Rangers more than
ten years ago, limited staffing is crippling parks across the system.
Science suffers at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington, where
the Park Service does not have the staff or money to monitor several
endangered species. Priceless museum collections are piled up in
offices at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana and
boxed up and stored in a basement at Acadia National Park in Maine.
School groups are turned away from various parks, including
Yellowstone, and some parks are so understaffed that a lottery system
decides which children will hear the stories of the parks-our nation's
living classrooms.
Elsewhere, the problems are even more critical. American Indian
artifacts are plundered from Chaco Culture National Historical Park in
New Mexico, black bears killed for profit at Shenandoah National Park
in Virginia, and rare plants stolen from Great Smoky Mountains
National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina. Illegal drugs are
trafficked through Coronado National Memorial in Arizona and
cultivated at Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks in California. Many
of these problems are caused or exacerbated by a woeful shortage of
staff. In some parks, hundreds of positions go unfilled.
Despite the limited resources available, the employees of the Park
Service, from rangers to maintenance workers, continue to be
personally committed to protecting our heritage - doing the best job
possible. For many who work in America's national parks, it is more
than a job; it is a calling. Vice President Dick Cheney recognized that
value in 2001, when he noted, "People expect rangers to know just
about everything, and they usually do. The typical park ranger works
as a historian, resource manager, law enforcement officer, curator,
teacher-and sometimes paramedic and rescuer."
Yet, despite the best efforts of dedicated park staff, the public can
now feel and see the effects of under funding and insufficient
staffing. There simply are not enough of them to meet the significant,
evolving challenges facing our national parks. The Park Service is
facing a critical shortage of field personnel-a shortage that has
grown over the past few years and is likely to worsen. Like the well-
publicized backlog of park maintenance projects, the "human resources
backlog," as the Association of National Park Rangers calls it, is
overwhelming.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) recommends several
actions to immediately address dire staffing needs in the national
parks. These include:
* Congress and the administration must increase annual funding by at
least $600 million.
* Congress and the administration must provide homeland security
funding to offset costs that have been incurred since 9/11/01.
* The National Park Service must make available the tools and
training needed to maximize the effectiveness of park managers.
As former Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Michael Finley
once said, "We must commit ourselves to correct the deficiencies and
honor our obligation to future generations." The artifacts, places,
and colorful stories of our shared history and culture depend upon it.
- - -
Endangered Rangers at a Glance:
* The operating budget of the National Park Service, adjusted for
current dollars, has dropped about 20 percent in the past 25 years.
* The Park Service has approximately one interpreter per 100,000 park
visitors.
* Parks across the country this summer are closing visitor centers
and cutting ranger-led educational programs because of insufficient
staffing and funding.
* * *
Founded in 1919, the National Parks Conservation Association is
America's only private, nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated
solely to protecting, preserving, and enhancing the National Park
System. Today, NPCA has more than 300,000 members.
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LEGISLATORS PUT NORTH HIGHLANDS PLAN ON SPEEDY PATH
Date: 040316
From: http://www.nj.com/statehouse/ledger/
MCGREEVEY BUILDS COALITION TO SAFEGUARD A CRITICAL WATER SUPPLY
By Steve Chambers, Star-Ledger Staff, March 16, 2004
A fast-track schedule for preserving the northern Highlands was
announced yesterday by the chairmen of the Senate and Assembly
environment committees who will oversee a series of five public
hearings and pledged to hand bills to the full Legislature next month.
Gov. James E. McGreevey has called for sweeping protections in the
region - which supplies drinking water to more than half the state -
including the creation of a regional council with veto power over
development on 350,000 watershed acres.
By carefully negotiating key sticking points over the past six
months, McGreevey appears to have built a powerful coalition of
elected officials, environmentalists and residents to wage the
anticipated battle with builders and landowners.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us, but that work is absolutely
necessary to ensure clean drinking water for generations of New Jersey
residents to come," said Sen. Bob Smith, (D-Middlesex), who chairs the
Senate Environment Committee.
Smith was joined by Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex), who chairs the
Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee and said action is
needed in the Highlands to avert an "ecological disaster."
McGreevey and environmentalists say there is an urgent need for
legislation because development pressures in the region are great. A
2002 study by the U.S. Forest Service reported that 5,000 acres a year
is being lost to development in the New Jersey and New York Highlands.
About half the 750,000-acre Highlands region - an eastern reach of
the Appalachian mountains that touches seven northwestern counties -
will lie outside the mandatory jurisdiction of the regional council.
Smith and McKeon stressed that they believe the effort will win
bipartisan support, noting that 28 of 40 legislative districts get at
least some water from the Highlands. Draft bills creating the council
and spelling out broad environmental regulations for the area will be
unveiled next Friday, they said.
The state will stress both new regulation and land purchases - at
prices that reflect values prior to regulatory changes - to preserve
the core. Smith predicted the 120,000 remaining acres of privately
owned, undeveloped land in the core could be protected for somewhere
between $200 million and $300 million.
Smith said one thing to drive down costs would be an aggressive
Transfer of Development Rights, or TDR, program, that allows
developers to buy their way into growth areas by paying landowners
prevented from developing their land. The Assembly passed a TDR bill
(A2480) yesterday that would allow towns to set up such sending and
receiving areas.
Highlands Task Force member Joe Riggs, president of K. Hovnanian
Companies, the state's largest residential builder, said neither TDR
nor preservation efforts in the Highlands will work unless the state
mandates growth areas.
There is too much market pressure in the region not to set up a
safety valve, he said.
Jeff Tittel, president of the state Sierra Club chapter, said
mandating growth areas would kill the effort because Highlands towns
inside and outside the core are fed up with overdevelopment.
McGreevey said in an interview Friday he is hopeful that once the
council draws up a regional plan for the Highlands, some places will
see the wisdom of accepting good, planned growth.
"It was important to develop consensus and part of that process was
to listen and listen well to municipal officials, as well as
environmentalists and the business community," McGreevey said. "The
overwhelming need is to provide for a strong, clear preservation
effort."
Sen. William Gormley (R-Atlantic) said after the news conference he
would not stand in the way of Highlands protection, but he said the
administration or the Legislature must provide much-needed assistance
to Pinelands growth areas.
In Sussex County, where officials were initially hostile to the
notion of more preservation edicts coming down from the state,
negotiation apparently resolved things. John Eskilson, deputy Sussex
County administrator and a member of the state Planning Commission,
said county officials were able to provide input on the boundaries of
the 350,000-acre "core" of environmentally sensitive lands.
Although Eskilson had seen a draft of the core map, an administration
source said a final version won't be ready for several weeks, possibly
April 22 at the latest.
"If they can deliver this plan in the Legislature, we can support
it," Eskilson said.
The joint hearings will begin Monday in Trenton at 10 a.m. The next
three will be located in the Highlands: 7 p.m. on March 30 at Skylands
Manor in Ringwood; 7 p.m. on April 12 at Frelinghuysen Arboretum in
Morris Township; and 7 p.m. on April 15 at Voorhees High School in
Lebanon. A final hearing will be 10 a.m. on April 22 in Trenton.
* * *
Steve Chambers covers land-use issues. He can be reached at
scha...@stgarledger.com or (973) 392-1674.
Copyright 2004 The Star-Ledger.
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ASK GARRETT TO SUPPORT WATER INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING
Date: 16 Mar 2004
From: "Klein, Josh" {jkl...@nrdc.org}
TELL REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT GARRETT TO SUPPORT AN
INCREASE IN FEDERAL WATER INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING
Take action today! Your voice is needed to provide critical funding
for water infrastructure to keep sewage and stormwater pollution out
of our waterways and to ensure that our drinking water is safe. You
are receiving this message because Representative Scott Garrett sits
on the House Budget Committee. This Committee is likely to vote this
week on whether to accept an increase of funding for clean water. The
Senate has already adopted an amendment that would provide $5.2
billion in clean water and safe drinking water funding, more than
double the amount currently in the House Budget. If Rep. Garrett is
your member in congress please call him today and tell him to support
increasing the available funds for the Clean Water and Safe Drinking
Water Revolving Fund to the same level already approved by the Senate.
Now is the time to speak up and secure funding to improve outdated
sewage treatment systems and to upgrade drinking water treatment
facilities to remove lead and other contaminants that threaten public
health. Increased funding for the State Revolving Fund will help
communities maintain and enhance their critical water infrastructure
and create thousands of new jobs.
WHAT TO SAY ON THE PHONE:
1. Please support increasing the available funds for the Clean Water
and Safe Drinking Water Revolving Fund to the same level already
approved by the Senate - $5.2 billion.
2. The EPA in 2002 released a study showing that insufficient funding
is available for communities to meet their clean water needs; at the
current rate of expenditures, the gap in funding for clean water and
safe drinking water infrastructure would be a trillion dollars by
2019.
3. Relate a personal story on how dilapidated sewer systems,
contaminated drinking water quality, or polluted runoff is threatening
your quality of life.
* * *
Joshua R. Klein
Grassroots Advocacy Coordinator
Clean Water Network
1200 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20005
202-289-2421
jkl...@nrdc.org
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JEFFERSON TAKES STEPS TO FULFILL STORMWATER REGULATION
Date: 15 Mar 2004
From: http://www.aimactionnews.com
JEFFERSON TAKES FIRST STEPS TO FULFILL NEW STORMWATER REGULATION
By Karen Maurer, AIM Action News, 15 Mar 2004
In an effort to understand the broad new stormwater management
regulations recently adopted by the state and their implications on
individual communities, township leaders invited representatives from
Hatch Mott MacDonald, the engineering firm retained by the township,
to give an overview at last week's council meeting.
Leo Coakley, an associate with the engineering firm, offered a
detailed list of actions each town must undertake, highlighting the
degree of difficulty for some and the differing deadlines for
compliance. Basically, the regulations fall into two categories: the
first addresses measures to prevent pollution from washing into area
streams and waterbodies and the second further protects the most
fragile and valuable water systems by mandating a 300-foot buffer
between construction and specific waterways.
While typical homeowners in New Jersey communities may not be overly
concerned with these stormwater controls and stream corridor buffer
issues, many will come to realize the cost of these measures to
individual towns may be staggering and could eventually cause local
taxes throughout the state to escalate. Complicating the issue,
communities have been unable to determine how much the initiatives
will cost because of the sweeping nature of the mandates.
For example, the township must:
- Adopt a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan addressing all
elements of the state requirements within twelve months;
- Adopt a new stormwater management plan, map all stormwater routes
including inflows and outflows, label all municipal storm drain
inlets, and ensure local ordinances regulating new development and
changes to existing development comply with the new state mandates
within 12 months;
- Adopt at least six ordinances addressing such issues as waste
disposal, littering, yard waste and pet waste disposal within 18
months;
- Retrofit storm drain inlets during road repair and repaving to
begin in 12 months;
- Develop and implement a stormwater facility maintenance program
that includes yearly catch basin cleaning to begin in 12 months;
- Develop and implement a roadside erosion control maintenance
program;
- Conduct monthly street sweeping of commercial areas with curbed
streets and a speed limit of 35 mph or less to begin in 12 months;
- Develop and implement an employee training program that covers
required topics to begin in 12 months;
- Distribute educational literature annually and conduct a yearly
education event to begin in 12 month.
- Complete many more requirements.
In addition, the township will be responsible for implementing a
record-keeping system to ensure all mandates are met, inspections are
conducted and scheduled cleanings are completed. These reports must be
certified by local public officials and forwarded annually to the
state Department of Environmental Protection. Noncompliance with the
mandates, including failing DEP tests for pollution at stormwater
outfalls, will result in substantial fines.
Because the stormwater regulation program was initiated by the
federal government, and only modified and enforced at the state level,
the state government is not obligated to pay for implementing any part
of the mandates. Some predict compliance with the regulations could
cost each local community hundreds of thousands or even millions of
taxpayer dollars.
Township attorney Larry Cohen commented that the new regulations will
likely result in numerous lawsuits against the state. He and council
members expressed their belief that New Jersey's mandates are much
more stringent than the federal requirements and should therefore be
funded by the state.
When the new regulations were first released earlier this year, local
officials expressed relief that at least one of the more challenging
mandates will have little impact on Jefferson. The directive to sweep
streets monthly in commercial areas with curbed streets will affect
few areas within the community. In some New Jersey towns where curbed
streets and sprawling commercial areas are the norm, the effort to
sweep these areas monthly could be enormous.
Councilman Mike Sanchelli noted that Jefferson also fares better than
some other communities because the township does not have a massive
stormwater system. It will be difficult enough to map stormwater
infalls and outfalls in the township's 44-square-mile area, with many
of the drains constructed years ago and not accurately mapped.
After the presentation by Hatch Mott MacDonald, Council President
Yocum asked the governing body to form a council committee to meet on
a quarterly basis with the administration, as well as representatives
from relevant municipal groups, to discuss progress toward compliance.
Council Vice President Bob Birmingham and Councilman Brooke Hardy
volunteered to represent the council on this committee.
* * *
Copyright (c) 2004 AIM Action News
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TESTS SHOW POLLUTION IN 11% PERCENT OF HUNTERDON WELLS
Date: 040316
From: http://www.nj.com/news/hunterdon/
TESTS TURN UP POLLUTION IN 11 PERCENT OF RESIDENTIAL WELLS
By Gene Robbins, Hunterdon County Democrat, March 11, 2004
Almost 11 percent of Hunterdon private wells tested in a six-month
period in 2002-03 showed some level of pollution, according to a state
report released last week.
The wells were at 574 private properties sold in the county between
September 2002 and March 2003. They were the first to be required to
test for such pollutants as arsenic, mercury, fecal coliform and high
level of nitrates. County health department director John Beckley is
wary, but believes that more data are needed to determine the severity
of the problem.
Of the 63 county wells showing levels above state-defined maximum
contaminant levels, 36 were found to be tainted with arsenic, an
element that occurs naturally in the earth but could cause health
problems and even death at high concentrations. Most high arsenic
readings were in the Piedmont geologic region, which lies across a
swath of the county from the northeast to the southwest. Twelve of the
arsenic failures were found in the 108 well tests in Raritan Township,
and seven among 34 East Amwell sites.
Beckley said the initial results should not be overanalyzed as proof
of any trend. "We have to be careful how much we extrapolate from the
first set of data," he said. "It's beginning to tell the story of
ground water quality in the county. I think it's like a Polaroid
picture just beginning to develop and each year data will give us more
and more detail of the picture."
He said his department will map the sites of failing tests, and maybe
the passing ones as well, to pinpoint clusters as they develop.
The Private Well Testing Act requires that wells be tested when
properties are sold, Beckley said, and the results must be shared with
seller and buyer. There is no law requiring that the water be treated,
but remediation usually becomes an item of negotiation between buyer
and seller, he said. Most banks won't give a mortgage to a property
without potable water.
Beckley speculated that eight county wells that failed for high
levels of nitrates could be evidence of former heavily fertilized farm
fields that had been converted to subdivisions. He also said his
instinct was that most of the wells with high fecal coliform counts
might be connected to former farming operations or failing septic
systems in the area.
However, Peter Demicco, a hydrogeologist and Franklin Township
Planning Board member, said he was alarmed at the 19 cases of fecal
coli form contamination in the county. He said this might indicate
that septic fields might be leaching through fractured bedrock and
into underground water supplies. This might indicate that more soil,
sand and clay be added below septic fields when they are designed, he
said.
Of the arsenic contamination, Beckley said the state chose to use the
stricter federal standard for arsenic in anticipation of the lower
threshold that takes effect in January 2006.
The state will add the requirement to test for evidence of
radioactivity in water, starting next week in Hunterdon, he said.
There are relatively inexpensive technologies to treat water that
fails tests, he said. The first step is knowing there is a problem, he
said, and he encouraged private homeowners to test their water
periodically.
The state didn't report the number of wells showing high levels of
lead because the data may be suspect, Beckley said. That's because
samples were collected inside houses after being carried through
plumbing fixtures. Samplers will try to retrieve water from the
basements upstream of any treatment systems and pressure valves, he
said.
He said Hunterdon data showed that 15 percent of wells had
unhealthful levels of lead, higher than the 12 percent across the
state.
Hunterdon's sample of 574 wells was 11 percent of the state's 5,179
tests triggered by real estate sales. Most built-up areas in the state
and county are served by utilities that treat water to ensure purity.
To read the state report and see numbers broken down by municipality,
go to: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/pwta
* * *
Copyright 2004 The Hunterdon County Democrat
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SOURCE WATER PROTECTION - GROUNDWATER VS. SURFACE WATER
Date: 040316
From: http://www.frost.com/
"IS TOILET TO TAP CONCEPT THE ONLY FUTURE
SOLUTION FOR BETTER WATER MANAGEMENT?"
By Usha Srinivasan, Consulting Analyst - Environmental Technologies
15 Mar 2004
Source water protection, irrespective of it being groundwater or
surface water, has been a concern for sometime. In June of 2003,
federal and state regulators and businesses alike participated in the
"National Source Water Protection Conference", that identified the
concern areas and an approach combining the efforts of both the
drinking water and clean water divisions to meet the country's goals
and needs.
More than half of America, about 140 million residents, and almost
95% of rural America depends on groundwater as their main source water
for household needs. It also contributes to about 40% of the Nation's
public water supply and 50 billion gallons per day in support of the
Nation's agricultural economy. In the last 5 years the public has been
more concerned than ever about the contamination of their groundwater.
As the groundwater supply is highly variable from state to state it is
very much the responsibility of individual communities to monitor and
take steps to reduce contamination. This has led to groundwater
protection programs at federal, state and local levels.
There is also increased concern with surface water contamination, as
they are in most parts interconnected with groundwater sources and are
also the source water for public water systems in many regions. The
different regulating groups within the EPA like the CWA (Clean water
Act) Program is promoting better regulation of wastewater effluents,
which in turn should support the Safe Drinking water regulations.
Protecting the existing sources of water is even more important at a
time when a large portion of the country is experiencing water
shortages.
GROUNDWATER DEPLETION RATES AND STATES
Groundwater depletion is a term used to define the long-term water
level declines caused by over use/pumping of our groundwater
resources. This is a key issue in many of the states in the country
and is actively being addressed by federal and regional authorities.
In general, when the groundwater recharge and discharge are equal the
groundwater level is in equilibrium. When the groundwater source is
pumped this equilibrium does shift but there is generally a balance in
the input and output. However with drought conditions in some states,
increasing economic development and construction reducing the green
space (which is an important element in groundwater recharge) and a
growing population and increased consumption, there is no longer
equilibrium.
Groundwater depletion has been a concern in the Southwest and High
plains for many years but the recent increase in demands for
groundwater resources has overstressed the aquifers in many other
parts of the country. Notable regions experiencing problems include,
the Atlantic coastal plain, West Central Florida, Gulf coastal plain,
high plains, Chicago-Milwaukee area, Pacific Northwest, and the Desert
Southwest.
Chart 1 [omitted] below shows the water level decline in locations in
the basin of southern California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New
Mexico, where a substantial decline in water levels has been noted.
[Omitted: Chart 1 - Water level decline in Semi-arid States of the
United States (in feet)]
The USGS has determined that the current level of monitoring at many
of the groundwater aquifers is not sufficient to keep abreast of the
changes occurring in the resource levels available at the national and
state levels.
SOLUTIONS TO CONSERVE GROUNDWATER RESOURCES
1. Promote Brownfield development to Green Space - "Save not Pave" is
a very popular saying used by Environmentalists passionate about
conserving more of the country's green space. Every acre of reclaimed
Brownfield saves 4.5 acres of green space, and every green space
created, on average, has doubled the value of surrounding properties.
This green space acts like a sponge that draws rainwater and
precipitation to recharge the groundwater aquifers of the region.
Brownfields are abandoned, idled or under-used industrial and
commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated
by real or perceived environmental contamination. Since 1993, EPA has
provided nearly $700 million in Brownfields funding to empower states,
communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work
together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely cleanup, and
reuse Brownfields. EPA is reopening the competition for the 2004
National Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup
Grants, and is now accepting proposals through March 9, 2004.
2. Diverting storm water to supplement water use needs - In many
cities the wastewater and storm water lines are interconnected, which
is a problem during heavy rain fall and flood conditions increasing
the wastewater flow in the plants. With majority of these sewer system
reaching conditions of deterioration more so than the treatment
plants, this is an ideal time to add extra lines to divert some of the
storm water or agricultural runoffs to expand the advanced water
treatment capabilities of a treatment plant. Although few states are
currently involved in water recycling activities, mainly California,
Florida and some of the semi-arid states, this trend is likely to
become a necessity in many states with water scarcity.
3. Ground Water Recharge (GWR) programs - The state of California has
taken the idea of water reuse a step further by proposing to divert
treated wastewater into the ground as a recharge of their existing
resource. In Orange County, Water factory 21 that has been online
since 1975 was considered one of the pioneering sewer treatment
facilities in the country and produced effluents that would be even
cleaner than drinking water. This plant is however going to be
demolished and replaced with an even more highly technologically
capable treatment plant to be completed by 2007.
Another element of this project is the "Groundwater replenishing
system" that could perhaps serve as a model for future water
management practices around the world. The Groundwater Replenishment
System will take highly treated sewer water and purify it to levels
that meet state and federal drinking water standards - as pure as
bottled water. It will use a three-step process that includes reverse
osmosis, which is used by manufacturers of bottled water, as well as
microfiltration and ultraviolet light & hydrogen peroxide advanced
oxidation treatment.
The water of near-distilled quality will then be used to keep the
ocean out of the groundwater basin or be percolated into deep
aquifers, where it will eventually become part of the natural drinking
water supply in some of the most drought prone parts of Orange County.
This new water will exceed all federal and state drinking water
standards. The underground basin provides most of the water used by
north and central Orange County.
The Groundwater Replenishment System is being built at an estimated
capital cost of $450 million. The new GWR System will ultimately
provide enough water - 72,000 acre-feet per year - to meet the annual
needs of 140,000 families.
This is not a novel concept for California or for the rest of the US.
For the past twenty years, Californians have been drinking some
reclaimed water that has been blended into our natural sources of
drinking water supplies, whether it's Colorado River water, Northern
California water, or groundwater. In areas of Los Angeles County, as
well as many areas throughout the country and the world, reclaimed
water has been used to recharge groundwater basins for decades.
However, the Orange county GWR initiative is one of largest projects
of its kind to be undertaken.
4. Desalination of groundwater - Desalination is generally associated
with using sea and ocean water as a source to generate freshwater but
the technology is also applicable to saline or brackish groundwater.
The potential importance of desalination is exemplified, for example,
by New Mexico where approximately 75 percent of ground water is too
saline for most uses without treatment. Very little is known about the
properties and hydrogeology of saline groundwater simply because at
the present time the majority of source water comes from freshwater
aquifers. Chart 2 [omitted] shows the depth of the saline groundwater
in all the states, the semi-arid regions, that cannot make use of
coastal water sources for desalination and are experiencing
groundwater depletion, and may consider use of saline groundwater as a
possible source for drinking water treatment. The degree of salinity
in saline groundwater is lower than in ocean water, which may be
minimize the technology capabilities and cost in spite of the energy
expenditure needed for pumping the former as source water. The
majority of times the freshwater and saline groundwater aquifers may
be related hydraulically and not enough is understood about how they
may be interconnected.
[Omitted: Chart 2: Depth to saline ground water in the United States]
5. Other sources of treatable Groundwater - This may seem a little
far-fetched, but other sources of groundwater that could be treated
include water that is co-produced with oil and conventional natural
gas, and water co-produced with coal-bed methane. Many oil- and gas-
producing formations have associated water that is only slightly
saline (less than 10,000 mg/L), notably in the intermountain basins of
the western United States. Coal-bed methane water in the Powder River
Basin of Wyoming is generally less than 3,000 mg/L TDS (Total
dissolved solids). Research of technologies that would be able to
treat such water sources is in its beginning stages and the likely
presence of organic compounds in this water complicates treatment.
OTHER WATER REUSE PROJECTS AROUND THE COUNTRY
Many cities around the US have utilized this method of replenishing
their groundwater source with treated wastewater, and some more recent
noteworthy projects include:
* Los Angeles, California: Montebello Forebay Natural Groundwater
Recharge Project
* Fairfax, Virginia: Upper Occoquan Sewage Authority (UOSA), Millard
H. Robbins, Jr. Water Reclamation Plant
* El Paso, Texas: Hueco Bolson Recharge Project
* Scottsdale, Arizona: City of Scottsdale Water Campus
* Los Angeles County-Area, California: West Basin Water Recycling
Project
* San Bernardino County, California: Chino Valley Basin
* Other Indirect Potable (Drinking) Water Reuse Projects in Georgia,
Texas and California
CURRENT AND FUTURE MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
Almost all types of companies involved in the water & wastewater
treatment markets can benefit from the project initiatives discussed
above. It may be the more sophisticated technologies such as reverse
osmosis, other membrane applications or merely the larger equipment
needs such as pumps, pipes etc that are required for any of these
projects. The trend for water reuse/recycling and groundwater recharge
is only bound to increase in the coming years and will open up niche
markets for companies with specialized technologies to meet the
continued treatment challenges of the municipalities.
In the not too distant future we may see increased interest in the
idea of promoting decentralized wastewater treatment within the home,
and reducing the burden of the municipal plants by recycling the water
for domestic use and even as a source for drinking water.
We cannot create new water, all water is recycled; we can only use
what we have more efficiently.
* * *
For more details contact Mike Valko at mva...@frost.com
(c) Frost & Sullivan
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MENENDEZ PROPOSES $7 BILLION 'LIBERTY CORRIDOR'
Date: 040316
From: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/union/
PROJECT SEEKS TO EASE SHIPMENT OF FREIGHT, HELP TOWNS
By Jennifer Golson, Star-Ledger Staff, March 16, 2004
Rep. Robert Menendez yesterday unveiled a proposal for the Liberty
Corridor, a concept that would allow the development, manufacture and
shipment of products from one central region in New Jersey.
The $7.2 billion proposal capitalizes on the ports in Union, Essex
and Hudson counties, and focuses on transportation and development
projects that would make it easier to move freight, while lessening
the burden on surrounding communities.
It would use a rail distribution network, as well as the
establishment of a barge service to small regional ports and road
improvements to speed truck movement.
Menendez (D-13th) outlined the proposal yesterday during a news
conference at East Coast Warehouse, a distribution company in Port
Elizabeth.
"The Liberty Corridor is more than a collection of highways and rail
lines," Menendez said. "Research and development, manufacturing and
export facilities will co- exist next to one another along one
corridor. The corridor will provide the incentive to come to New
Jersey to achieve ideas to market reality."
The project would also capitalize on the 1,000 acres of former
industrial parcels located within 25 miles of the port. Those
brownfields could be redeveloped as freight and manufacturing
villages, Menendez said.
Having all of the resources in one region would allow someone with an
idea for a product to bring it to fruition, he said. They could tap
into research facilities such as the New Jersey Institute of
Technology, build it in the newly created manufacturing village and
ship it through the port, Menendez said.
In most other places, "they would have a place to do research and
development, but they couldn't manufacture it," Menendez said after
the news conference.
Yesterday's announcement incorporates ideas developed years ago as
part of an international intermodal transportation corridor, with
components between the Hudson County waterfront to Camden, said Peter
Palmer, chairman of the North Jersey Transportation Planning
Authority.
"This announcement today will coordinate all of these projects and
put an overall price tag on them," Palmer said. "It's about having a
cohesive vision. "He's also proposing changes in how we move goods, in
terms of the extension of (gate and warehouse) hours that were never
on the table before."
The congressman also talked about the projected growth of cargo
containers coming through the port. "If we're going to have that kind
of growth in containers, we're going to need a substantial increase in
the amount of landside facilities once they get here," Palmer said.
"In order for us to do that, we need to be sure the land is available
for these facilities when they're needed."
The corridor would create new jobs in the area, put contaminated
sites back to use and reduce congestion on the roads by coming up with
a better way to move products, said Menendez, who is the senior New
Jersey member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee.
"These improved transportation links will permit a more efficient
movement of cargo to and from existing distribution center clusters,
thereby reducing congestion leading into these clusters," Menendez
said.
Federal, state and regional entities already have contributed more
than $4.5 billion toward these projects, Menendez said.
Projects under way that would benefit the concept include channel
dredging by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Port Authority's
ongoing improvement of marine terminals.
"Over the next 10 years, federal, state and regional entities will
have to commit $2.7 billion," he said.
That includes funding more road improvements, including exits along
the New Jersey Turnpike, as well as water transportation and freight
projects.
The number of containers coming through the port is expected only to
grow over the years.
"Without a comprehensive, effective transportation system, that cargo
isn't going anywhere," said Frank McDonough, president of the New York
Shipping Association Inc.
Most of the money for the corridor would need to come from the
federal government, particularly the pending transportation bill, as
well as matching funds from the state transportation fund.
Other funds could come from the Port Authority of New York and New
Jersey, or some of the counties contributing some of their
transportation funds, as well as private entities.
* * *
Jennifer Golson works in the Union County bureau. She can be reached
at jgo...@starledger.com or (908) 302-1508.
Copyright 2004 The Star-Ledger.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
1,000 DEMAND FUNDS FOR CAMDEN HOUSING
Date: 16 Mar 2004
From: "Peter Montague" {Pe...@rachel.org}
By Dwight Ott and Troy Graham
Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writers, Mar. 16, 2004
In a major showdown over the city's $175 million state-funded
revitalization plan, Camden's chief operating officer, Melvin R.
"Randy" Primas, refused last night to agree to demands that he restore
funding to the blighted Waterfront South community.
Primas told more than 1,000 people that he would not allow state
funds to pay for new housing until the area's severe environmental
problems could be fixed or until the area was shown to be safe enough
for habitation.
Residents there, already concerned about the effects of the
neighborhood's heavy industry, have feared that they would be moved
out in favor of more industry, and they have felt left out of the
city's planning.
More than 1,000 members of Camden Churches Organized for People
gathered last night at Antioch Baptist Church to pepper Primas with
questions and present him with their demands.
The evening started with a march from Sacred Heart Church, where the
Rev. Michael Doyle has served as pastor and has been an anchor of the
community for 29 years.
"We're in a time of tyranny," Doyle said last night. "We are here
tonight to challenge a high-powered vehicle...it needs...the voice of
the people."
At the two-hour meeting, Primas agreed to meet with CCOP members to
discuss making Camden's recovery plan a more democratic process. And
he acquiesced to eight of the residents' 10 demands, including
rerouting diesel trucks from neighborhood streets, urging enforcement
of pollution regulations for companies operating there, and placing a
moratorium on new heavy industry in Waterfront South.
"We believe in community participation," Primas said. "We're meeting
with a variety of groups across the city. Every neighborhood has a
process."
He did not give in on one of the main issues: to stop blocking
housing funds for the neighborhood. He has said it would be
irresponsible to allow housing funds to pour into a contaminated
neighborhood, at least until a state environmental study is completed.
Waterfront South is home to the county trash incinerator, the county
sewage-treatment plant, and 20 sites on the DEP's list of known
contaminated areas, including two designated for federal Superfund
cleanup.
One of the Superfund sites, a defunct gas mantle factory, is
contaminated with radioactive thorium that has turned up in area homes
and backyards.
The city has asked the state Department of Environmental Protection
to determine whether the community is too polluted for people to live
there.
CCOP members urged Primas last night to restore funding so that
housing could be renovated and built concurrently with remediation of
environmental problems.
Primas also refused to guarantee that the section of vacant land west
of Broadway, between Jackson Street and Atlantic Avenue, would not be
developed for industrial use. Residents said they feel industry there
would cut them off from the rest of the city.
He denied there is any plan to relocate the entire community and
replace it with industrial parks, as some residents have feared. But
he added that the community's location did lend itself more to
industrial rather than residential development.
Lula Williams, 72, said she has to keep her windows closed because of
dust from local industries. She wasn't optimistic about housing
funding being restored for the neighborhood.
"We got enough people together to let him know we're trying," she
said. "But this is not going to stop them."
Increasingly, Primas has had to address growing worries of residents
about the five-year, $175 million state-funded revitalization plan
rumbling through Camden, and the threat that it will wipe out or
rearrange large sections of the nine-square-mile city.
Last night marked the first major battle between residents and city
leaders since the state funding plan cleared several court challenges.
Today, Primas is to meet with residents during a town meeting in
Cramer Hill to allay their concerns about relocation and the overall
redevelopment plan.
Other Camden communities have begun to sprout new plans and
development with funds flowing in from the state's revitalization
plan. Waterfront South, residents say, has been condemned, as Doyle
put it, to "a slow, painful death."
* * *
Contact Dwight Ott at 856-779-3844 or do...@phillynews.com.
# # #
Rachel's Environment & Health News
Environmental Research Foundation
POB 160
New Brunswick NJ 08903-0160
T: 732-828-9995
F: 732-791-4603
E: e...@rachel.org
W: http://www.rachel.org
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CELEBRATE SPRING - APRIL PROGRAMS AT PEQUEST
Date: 16 Mar 2004
From: "FWLISTS FWLISTS" {FWL...@dep.state.nj.us}
PUBLIC PROGRAMS AT THE PEQUEST TROUT HATCHERY & NATURAL
RESOURCE EDUCATION CENTER IN OXFORD FOR APRIL
Programs requiring registration are marked with an asterisk (*).
Registration opens two weeks prior to program date. To register call
908-637-4125. For updates, visit us at
http://www.njfishandwildlife.com
COLDWATER PLAN FEEDBACK: TALK TO THE PROS. - Saturday, April 3 from 10
a.m. to 2 p.m. Stop in and talk one-on-one to Division fisheries
biologists about our Coldwater Fisheries Management Plan. Give us your
suggestions on how we might improve on this plan for the future.
GEARING UP FOR TROUT SEASON - Saturday, April 3 at 2:30 p.m. Agust
Gudmundsson of Central Jersey Trout Unlimited will do a slide
presentation entitled "A Tour of New Jersey's Streams."
GET STARTED IN FISHING - Sunday, April 4 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Members of the Central Jersey Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be at
Pequest to let you try your hand casting different fishing outfits.
This is an excellent opportunity to ask questions about getting
started in this great sport.
Trout Season Opens -Saturday, April 10 at 8 a.m. Take a break from
fishing and visit Pequest to see where all those beautiful trout are
raised.
*FLY FISHING with STREAMERS - Saturday, April 17 at 10 a.m. Wildlife
Conservation Corps members Jim Flatley and Pierre Benoist will conduct
a seminar for fly fishers with some experience. Topics include reading
a trout stream, how to fish streamers and a review of different
streamer patterns. Equipment and registration required.
*LIVING IN VENOMOUS SNAKE COUNTRY - Wednesday Evening, April 21 at 7
p.m. Learn how to identify venomous snakes. Join Senior Zoologist Kris
Schantz from the Endangered and Nongame Species Program who will
discuss the biology, behavior and research being conducted on the
endangered timber rattlesnake. Kris will also teach you how to
properly identify species that are often mistaken for venomous snakes.
For ages 8 and up and not recommended for the very young. Registration
is required.
PLANT a TREE for WILDLIFE - Weekend of April 24. Mark Earth Day and
Arbor Day by planting a tree for wildlife. Visitors to Pequest will
receive a seedling grown in the NJ Bureau of Forest Management's
nursery while supplies last.
*EARTH DAY PROGRAM - PEQUEST TREE HIKE - Saturday, April 24 at 1 p.m.
Hit the trail with Pequest staff and learn how to identify some common
trees of the Pequest W.M.A. This program will also include a
discussion of how we use this valuable natural resource. Make sure you
wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. For ages 8 and up.
Registration is required.
*FLY FISHING for BEGINNERS - Sunday, April 25 at 10 a.m. Wildlife
Conservation Corps members of the East Jersey Chapter of Trout
Unlimited return for another five-hour fly fishing workshop. Topics
include equipment, knot tying, entomology, stream tactics and casting
techniques. For ages 12 and up. Registration required.
Coming in May - Open House/Fish Festival - May 22 & 23 from 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. each day. Kids' activities, casting, conservation groups,
research and management tools demonstrations, wildlife artists and
taxidermists, fish cleaning and cooking. Save the date! More details
to come.
The Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center is
located on Rt. 46 nine miles west of Hackettstown in scenic Warren
County. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and admission is free.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
`JOURNEY TO PLANET EARTH' RETURNS TO PBS
Date: 16 Mar 2004
From: "Karen E. Weiner" {karen...@earthlink.net}
"Journey To Planet Earth" returns to PBS on Thursday, April 8, 2004,
10:00 to 11:00 p.m. ET (check local listings). The PBS series explores
the delicate balance between people and the world they inhabit and is
the only primetime television series that deals exclusively with the
most critical environmental, political, economic and social issues of
the 21st century. The concluding two episodes of the series will air
on April 15 and 22, also from 10:00 to 11:00 p.m. ET. (check local
listings)
Academy Award winner Matt Damon is the on-air host and narrator of
the series. He is also featured on the series PBS website, introducing
a variety of special features for students, teachers, community
groups, museum educators, and parents.
The first episode, "On the Brink" (4/8), investigates a growing
national security threat throughout the world: how environmental
pressures can lead to terrorism and regional conflict. This episode
was filmed in the politically unstable areas of Haiti, South Africa,
Bangladesh, India, Peru and along the United States/Mexico border.
The second episode, "Seas of Grass" (4/15), examines the devastating
environmental, political and economic effects of the degradation of
the world's grasslands, which make up 30 percent of Earth's land
surface. The program was filmed on the pampas in Argentina, the
steppes of Mongolia, the savannas of Kenya, the plains of South Africa
and the prairies of North America.
The third episode, "Hot Zones" (4/22), rounds out the series by
examining how recent trends in globalization and the altering of
ecosystems have led to dramatic increases in the spread of infectious
diseases. The program was shot in Kenya, Peru, Bangladesh, New York
City and along Maryland's Chesapeake Bay, where changing climates,
uncontrolled development and loss of natural habitat have led to an
upsurge of infectious diseases.
For more information visit:
http://www.pbs.org/journeytoplanetearth/index.html
* * *
Karen Weiner
Screenscope, Inc.
4330 Yuma Street, NW
Washington, DC 20016
202.364.0055 (tel)
202.364.0058 (fax)
kwe...@screenscope.com
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
AT PEMBERTON LIBRARY - WILDLIFE ARTIST LEE HIGH - MAR 27
Date: 16 Mar 2004
From: "kevinjd.1" {kevi...@juno.com}
National Women's Month events at Pemberton Library:
ONE-WOMAN EXHIBIT BY WILDLIFE ARTIST LEE HIGH
with display on Elizabeth White, Blueberry Queen
Opening Reception, all welcome, 2 - 4 p.m. Saturday March 27
"Animals (some wild) - Drawings by Lee High"
March 27 - May 14
Pemberton Community Library
16 Broadway, Browns Mills (Pemberton Township, Burlington County, NJ)
Hours Monday -Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday 1 - 5 p.m.
Library Phone: 609 893 8262
Art for Pemberton Phone: 609 735 1609 mulberr...@msn.com
Art for Pemberton, a non-profit volunteer effort devoted to
showcasing regional artists, celebrates National Women's Month at
Pemberton Community Library with a one-woman exhibit, "Animals (some
wild) - Drawings by Lee High". The public is invited to meet the
artist at a reception open free to all, 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday March 27.
Refreshments will be served. Also on display is "Elizabeth C. White,
the Blueberry Queen" a special presentation by Whitesbog Preservation
Trust. Both exhibits run through May 14.
Well-known wildlife artist Lee High reveals her personal affection
for cats and dogs in this major display of her recent work. Evocative
charcoal and pastel drawings of Persians, Siamese and Labradors
complement her portraits of gorillas, wolves, panthers and a menagerie
of exotic primates and big cats.
This Willingboro, NJ artist demonstrates a deep love and sensitivity
for wildlife of all kinds. Her remarkably detailed drawings reflect a
growth and maturity that few artists achieve. All her animals - found
in their jungle habitat or living as companions for humans - are
portrayed with warmth, passion and enthusiasm. Their eyes look back at
us with an intensity that is surprising and entrancing.
Ms. High's artworks hang in many private collections. Nearly all of
the 34 works in this exhibit are available to be purchased. She has
exhibited throughout Burlington County, at the annual Rittenhouse
Square Fine Art Show in Philadelphia, the Camden Renaissance Art Show
and the Providence, Rhode Island Wildlife Show.
Her work has also been shown at Smithville Mansion, Heritage Fine Art
Gallery, Burlington Fine Art Gallery, Pavilion Gallery, Burlington
County College and numerous other spaces.
Also featured in this celebration of National Women's Month is the
exhibit "Elizabeth C. White, the Blueberry Queen" a special
presentation by Whitesbog Preservation Trust. In the early 1900s,
Elizabeth C. White began a quest to cultivate the first commercially
viable blueberry. She helped organize the NJ Blueberry Cooperative
Association, was the first female member of the American Cranberry
Association and became the first woman to receive the NJ Department of
Agriculture citation. In addition, Miss White was a noted humanitarian
and known as the "moving spirit" of the cranberry growers business
association. Find out more about the life and achievements of this
remarkable woman - visit the Whitesbog Preservation Trust's Pemberton
Library Display for National Women's Month honoring Elizabeth C. White
- the undeniable Blueberry Queen.
In addition, continuing on display throughout the library are the 19
major artworks of the library's permanent collection. These paintings
and drawings by local artists have been donated to the library over
the last 35 years. They have recently been remounted and reframed
using archival materials that will preserve and protect the artworks
and ensure their survival, to enrich the lives of viewers for
generations to come. This conservation project, undertaken by Art for
Pemberton in association with Friends of the Library, was completed
last fall, when the entire collection was exhibited together for the
first time.
* * *
Art for Pemberton
POB 1441
Browns Mills NJ 08015
Phone & Fax: 609 735 1609
mulberr...@msn.com
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SIERRA CLUB LOANTAKA GROUP MEETING - APR 14
Date: 16 Mar 2004
From: Wynn Johanson {joha...@comcast.net}
SIERRA CLUB LOANTAKA GROUP MEETING
WHEN: Wednesday, April 14, 2004, From 7:30PM - 9PM
WHERE: Library of the Chathams
214 Main Street
Chatham
SPEAKER: Jim Burchell, Director of Peaceworks
TOPIC: Environmental work in Nicaragua
ADMISSION: FREE AND THE PUBLIC IS CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND
The Sierra Club presents Jim Burchell, Director of Peaceworks, a
small nonprofit organization working with communities in Nicaragua. He
will provide an overview of his work emphasizing the promotion of fair
trade coffee, the fight for control of water resources, and the impact
of poverty on the environment. He will also provide a glimpse of some
of the wonderful ecological projects in the region, like the Mombacho
cloud forest preserve.
For more information, email us at Loan...@NJSierra.org call
908-277-3499 or visit our website at http://Loantaka.NJSierra.org
* * *
Ms. Wynn Johanson
Publicity Chair
Sierra Club Loantaka Group
908 464-0442
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Many thanks to our Volunteers:
Tricia Aspinwall, Michele Cooklin, Jerry Cullins, Peter
Montague, Paul Neuman, Mary Paist, Penny Pollock-Barnes,
Phil Reynolds, Pat Rolston, and to all you folks out there
who contribute in so many ways. If you have a couple hours
a week, and would like to help out, please email us at:
mai...@gsenet.org
George-Therese Dickenson - Editor - dick...@gsenet.org
Ivan Kossak - Executive Director - kos...@gsenet.org
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Back issues of the Garden State EnviroNews are available at
http://www.gsenet.org/library/11gsn/11gsn.php
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Garden State EnviroNet, Inc.
19 Boonton Ave, Boonton NJ 07005
Tel: 973-394-1313 - Fax: 973-394-9513
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