News:
IDEAS ON PROTECTING COAST, OCEAN OFFERED AT HEARING
By Todd B. Bates, Asbury Park Press Environmental Writer, 4/27/04
West Long Branch - Inform citizens about how to reduce pollution. Expand public access to the coast. Protect horseshoe crabs in Raritan Bay.
Speakers made those and other suggestions and comments at a crowded public hearing on coastal and ocean protection initiatives at Monmouth University last night.
Jeff Lounsberry of Point Pleasant, who suggested that citizens get pamphlets on how they can "make changes in their own lives," also said "offshore oil or any kind of energy development (off the New Jersey coast) doesn't make sense."
John Weber of Belmar, chairman of the Jersey Shore Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, had several concerns. Among them: Beach restoration projects seem to be "encouraging even more reckless development," he said.
Last night's meeting, co-hosted by state Environmental Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell and Rep. Frank J. Pallone Jr., D-NJ, centered on options state officials are considering to bolster coastal and ocean protections and on a federal ocean commission's preliminary report with recommendations for upgrading safeguards. More than 100 people attended the meeting, and many lined up to air comments.
This month, the state Department of Environmental Protection released a list of options for upgrading protection of coastal habitat, coastal water quality, marine fisheries and shellfisheries through state or federal actions and ensuring public access to the coast.
The DEP options were developed in response to a 2003 Pew Oceans Commission report and in anticipation of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy report, according to the DEP. Public comments on the options will help inform Gov. McGreevey's comments on the federal report, which was released last week.
The federal ocean panel recommends doubling spending on ocean research, enhancing ocean education, setting measurable goals for reducing water pollution and strengthening tools to reach those goals, among numerous other suggestions.
The commission also recommended that the National Marine Fisheries Service, working with states and interstate fisheries commissions, require all saltwater anglers to purchase licenses to improve data on recreational fishing.
Monmouth University President Paul G. Gaffney II served on the commission with Lillian Borrone of Avon, a retired assistant executive director for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The pair gave a presentation on the preliminary report last night.
Pallone said he doesn't like the idea of a saltwater fishing license and is concerned about several other issues. But "overall, this is a very good report," he said.
Chris Reidemeister of Rumson, who has been on an anti-littering crusade for years, said police are "under orders not to enforce" littering laws, and he doesn't see any anti-littering signs.
Campbell said he's unaware of any such orders but added that strengthening the penalties for littering is "something we should consider."
In a letter and comments at the hearing, Assemblyman Steven J. Corodemus, R-Monmouth, warned of "a collapse in the very near future exacerbating" all the problems in lakes and rivers if investments in infrastructure are not made soon.
Joe Reynolds of Atlantic Highlands, co-chairman of the Bayshore Regional Watershed Council, said, "We'd like to see more education and more protection for the horseshoe crabs in Raritan Bay."
The council also would like to see Sandy Hook Bay be designated a Category One waterway, he said. Category One, the highest level of protection, prevents any measurable deterioration in water quality, according to the state.
Ed Sirchio, of Citizens Right to Access Beaches, Point Pleasant Beach, said, "Education is the key element."
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Todd B. Bates: (732) 643-4237 or tbates@app.com
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