update: December
16th, 2009
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Stafford
Township
Passes
Precedent-Setting
Environmental
Ordinance!
ALO members testify in support!
Ship Bottom,
N.J. December 16, 2009- The Alliance for a Living Ocean (ALO), whose mission it
is to promote and maintain a healthy coastal environment, provided comments at
the Stafford Township Council meeting, last evening, December 15, 2009 regarding ordinance 2009-50
“Fertilizer Application Requirements”.
ALO supported this ordinance “as a good first step, of hopefully many, towards
a healthier bay” said ALO President, Tom Beaty. The ordinance passed
unanimously and will prohibit fertilizer applicators from applying fertilizer
to an impervious surface
(such as roads or sidewalks) and from applying fertilizer between December 15
and February 15 or if the ground is frozen. Also prohibited is the depositing
of grass clippings into water bodies or storm drains and the application of phosphorous
fertilizer unless the soil is tested and shown to be phosphorus deficient.
These measures will limit the amount of fertilizer that leaves lawns when it
gets washed off in runoff from rain and into streams or storm drains, which
eventually empty into the bay. Once in the bay, the excess nutrients in the
fertilizer allow nuisance organisms such as sea nettles and algae to grow out of control,
known as eutrophication. The conditions of the bay experiencing eutrophication
also prevent sensitive species such as clams, scallops, eelgrass, or fish such
as gar and blowfish from thriving. “The local economy depends on a healthy bay”
said ALO Issues & Education Committee Chair, Kelly Quinlan. “We have a
responsibility to what we can where we are able, and it started with Stafford
Township.”
ALO Executive Director, Elizabeth Burke commented, “The passing of this
ordinance shows Stafford Township’s commitment to improving & protecting water quality. This
is a precedent set locally and we hope it will be taken up by other towns of
Ocean County and eventually at the State level.”
ALO Vice President, Kellie Karolkiewicz, added, “our ‘Green Room’ shop and headquarters is ready to
help the public learn more about how to landscape in an responsibly in lieu of
this ordinance passing. It is important for people to understand the
alternatives and we are here to help them”.
ALO comments presented to the Council included suggestions to address nitrogen
and organic/natural fertilizer in amendments. Although phosphorous is also a
problem nutrient in the bay, nitrogen is the biggest offender. ALO suggests
fertilizer should contain at least 30% slow-release (insoluble) nitrogen
content.
update: August 20th,
2009 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LBI
Longboard Classic and Beach Concert
RE-SCHEDULED
for AUGUST 29th
A benefit for ALO
Get details at www.WOODENJETTY.com
update: July 15th,
2009 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In
Memory of Wendell Morrow Green
Use the PAYPAL form below for your
Memoriam
update: June 30th,
2009
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CaSEAno
Night!
and Texas Hold ‘em Tournament
Thursday August 6, 2009
7pm to 11pm
Beach Haven Fire Department
Sign up HERE and NOW with the PAYPAL
form below
and SAVE 10%!
update: June 6th,
2009
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Eat
for the Environment!
Join us at these local restaurants:
July 22nd at Uncle Will’s
A portion of their entire sales for the
day
Will be given to ALO.
Just show up and eat!
Uncle Will’s is located at:
3 S. Bay Ave
Beach Haven NJ 08008
(609) 492-2514
July 28th at Calloways
Bring a Copy of this internet
advertisement
And 20% of your dinner tab
Will be given to ALO
Calloways is located at:
597 Route 9
Staffordsville NJ
(609) 978-0220
August 3rd at Scojo’s
A portion of their entire sales for the
day
Will be given to ALO.
Just show up and eat!
Scojo’s is located at:
307 Long Beach Blvd
Surf City NJ 08008
(609) 494-8661
update: June 2nd,
2009
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ONLINE SHOPPERS
HELP ALO
Do your online shopping through
iGive.com
And ALO benefits!
Register Alliance for a Living Ocean as
your Charity
And ALO receives donations per item.
It’s that easy, and cost NO EXTRA for
you !
update: May 30, 2009
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BECOME A
BARNEGAT BAY BUDDY!
Collect Points for each Bay Buddy
Action you do,
and be rewarded with a
Bay Buddy Certificate
update: April 20th,
2009
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ALO CLEANS
UP!
258 VOLUNTEERS GATHER OVER 1000 LBS OF
GARBAGE
AND 769 PLASTIC CAPS IN HONOR OF
ALO’S 16TH ANNUAL EARTH DAY
CLEAN UP!
part of the Holgate Cleanup crew.
SHIP BOTTOM, N.J. (April 20, 2009) – In honor of Earth Day, the Alliance for a
Living Ocean (ALO), recorded that 258 people volunteered for the 16th
Annual Clean Up Event. Sponsored by The Long Beach Island Garden Club, JETTY,
and Inkgredient, we were able to extend this effort to six LBI sites for the
first time ever. Locals and tourists alike seemed pleased to be able to pitch
in and help out in their area of choice. Together everyone collected an
estimated 1018 lbs of trash between the hours of 10 am and 1 pm this past Sat.
April 18th.
ALO would like to give special thanks
to all the concerned citizens who came out for a beautiful day of Beach, Bay and
Bonnet Island clean up. Judy Wyckoff of the AARP, chapter 3728 brought 9 people
out to Bonnet Island and they got busy cleaning up well before the start time
of 10am! The Holy Trinity Youth Group of Beach Haven took over Holgate and
collected about 125 lbs of trash including 215 cigarette butts. The Boy Scouts
worked on Beach Haven and Brownie Troup 498 with19 people scoured Barnegat
Light lugging 28 bags of debris. Surf City collected 1134 cigarette butts.
Aside from the top ten debris items we also found a bag of dead mice, an enema
bottle, a steak knife, a syringe.
Volunteers happily separated the
plastic bottle caps from other trash. This process is just the beginning of
ALO’s effort to raise awareness that this rigid plastic does not ever biodegrade
and most likely will not get recycled. These water bottle and sports drink caps
end up in our ocean and bay killing marine creatures that mistake them for
food. A single use piece of plastic can easily result in the death of an
innocent bird or fish, which cannot digest this plastic and starve to death.
Important news: for those people who
weren’t able to join us for this important effort, we are proud to offer our
“Adopt-a-Beach” program which is available year round. Just choose your
favorite part of LBI and keep it clean and receive an ALO certificate of
appreciation. For more details call ALO @ 609.494.7800 or visit our office @202
W. 27 Street in Ship Bottom.
Alliance for a Living Ocean is a member
supported grassroots non-profit organization now based in Ship Bottom, NJ. Our
mission is to promote and maintain clean water and a healthy coastal
environment through education, research and active participation. We recognize
the need to manage our watershed, bay and ocean holistically since all water flows
from the raindrop to the ocean.
PHOTOS available on request. For more
information, call Alliance for a Living Ocean at 609-494-7800 or email:
alolbi@verizon.net.
ALO's Earth Day Cleanup Statistics
April 18th, 2009
6 locations
258 participants
1018 pounds of trash (estimated)
769 plastic caps
2238 cigarette butts
860 plastic bags
866 food wrappers/containers
495 plastic bottles
166 paper bags
351 straws/stirrers
233 cups/plates/forks/knives/spoons
296 glass bottles
375 aluminum cans
other items include:
one hypodermic syringe
one enema bag
five dead mice in a bag
fishing line
cigarette lighters
shot gun shells
flip flops
shoes
balloons
golf balls
construction debris
styrofoam
basketball
roof shingles
bicycle fender
769 Bottle Caps collected during the cleanup
update: April 6th,
2009
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ALO
SPEAKS OUT!
Department of the Interior Outer
Continental Shelf Energy Hearing
Atlantic City Convention Center
April 6, 2009
ALO Member Attendees: Maureen
Salvestrini, Dave Salvestrini, Tom Beaty, Kelly Quinlan, Derrick Kappler
NJ elected official attendees: Governor
Jon Corzine, Senator Menendez, Representative Lobando, Congressman Pallone,
Summary of East Coast Hearing:
After Secretary of the Interior Salazar
made opening statements, representatives from both USGS (US Geological Survey)
and MMS (Minerals Management Service) gave a summary of the Survey of Available
Data. Robert LaBelle and Brenda Pierce explained the mid-Atlantic region off
the coast of NJ was a prime area for wind energy and that although small in
comparison to other regions, there is recoverable oil and natural gas off the
NJ coast in the outer continental shelf. They noted the environmental impacts
of outer continental shelf energy production, including the negative impacts to
migratory birds, existing fisheries, and harm to marine mammals from seismic
testing.
Then the present elected officials were
invited to speak in a panel discussion. NJ Governor Jon Corzine was strongly
opposed to oil and gas drilling off the NJ coast, and strongly supported moving
forward to take advantage of the winds off our coast. Senator Menendez shared
Gov Corzine's views against offshore oil and gas drilling, citing the $38
billion NJ tourism industry and $4.5 billion fishing industry. If a spill were
to occur, both these vital industries as well as property values would be at
stake. He reminded those citing minimal environmental risk from drilling
technology of the millions of gallons of oil spilled when extensive damage was
done to oil platforms during Hurricane Katrina. Representative Lobando cited an
excess of $38 billion tourism industry in NJ, as compared to the estimated less
than $1 billion to be made per year if the entire Atlantic coast was developed
for oil and gas drilling. It was clear that the small benefits did not outweigh
the environmental risk.
President of ALO Tom Beaty (see his testimony here) as well as ALO member Kelly
Quinlan (see her testimony here) provided statements
when comments were opened to the public. The focus of the statements were that
clean beaches and clean water are the basis for our local economy and the
damage that can be done to marine life from seismic testing. Opposition to oil
and gas exploration and drilling was expressed, as well as support for offshore
wind energy.
Further statements were heard from
organizations representing surfers, commercial and recreational fishermen, wind
farm industry, as well as oil and gas drilling. Citizens spoke about the need
to reduce US dependence on foreign oil and develop clean, renewable energy
sources.
Three more hearings are scheduled for
April, in New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Alaska. Check back to the ALO website
for updates on the outer continental shelf energy program!.
update: March 27,
2009
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6th Location Added to 16th
Annual Earth Day Clean Up
Date: Saturday, April 18, 2009
Time: 10am – 1pm
Meet at your choice of 6 locations
Bonnet
Island, Route 72 Eastbound
Beach Haven, Center Street Ocean Beach
Ship Bottom Public Dock and Boat Ramp
Surf City, 16th street Bay Beach
Barnegat Light, at the end of Broadway
Holgate,
parking lot at the end of Long Beach Blvd.
update: March 26,
2009
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Off
Shore Drilling: Don’t Gamble with Our Coast!
SHIP
BOTTOM, N.J. (March 26, 2009) – Secretary of the Interior
Ken Salazar will host four regional public meetings in April to present the
Department of the Interior’s finding on Outer Continental Shelf energy
resources. Alliance for a Living Ocean will attend the Eastern Regional Meeting
on Energy Development of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf at the Atlantic City
Convention Center April 6, 2009. Public comments open at approximately 9AM.
After
opening remarks by Secretary Salazar, there will be a presentation of a
Department report concerning offshore energy resources. The rest of the meeting
will be devoted to hearing from elected officials as well as public and private
interests.
ALO
will attend to support the use of renewable energy development, such as solar
and wind power, as well as to express opposition to the use of the outer
continental shelf for oil and gas exploration or drilling. Don’t gamble with
our coast! This is the time to invest in clean, renewable energy to attain
energy independence. See our website for details on regional meeting or how to
submit your comments. See http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031109a.html
for details about the meeting.
update: March 26,
2009
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Dredging of
Mill Creek May Harm Spawning Fish
SHIP
BOTTOM, N.J. (March 26, 2009) – This year when the
American eel, white perch and blueback herring will make their annual migration
up Mill Creek to spawn, they will have an even greater challenge: they will
have to find their way through a dredging operation at the mouth of the creek
where the creek enters the lagoon. Some clear cutting of the nearby deposit
area has already taken place and it is expected that dredging of the Mill Creek
lagoon will begin soon… at a time when these anadromous fish are making their
trip up the creek to spawn. Since these fish spawn only once a year at the same
location as their predecessors, the populations of these fish could be greatly
affected by a season of poor breeding. Stafford Township put a time restriction
of “not in the summer” so as not to interfere with human resident enjoyment of
the lagoon; no time restriction around the resident fish was issued.
The
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued permits for the
dredging to take place, but with no restriction of dredging during the
spawning. Nor did the Stafford Environmental Commission offer any time
restrictions. With the entire off-season to conduct the dredging, why is it so
critical that it be done now, during the fish spawning weeks? Stafford Township
Administrator Paul Shives says this has been a two year project to collect
bids, request permits, etc and the work must be completed before the end of the
contract, as the town could be penalized if the work is not allowed to begin on
schedule. In addition Administrator Shives claims it was the responsibility of
NJDEP to identify sensitive receptors such as the spawning fish, not that of
Stafford Township, although local fishermen were able to identify this as soon
as they learned the work was to be coming up.
Since
permits have already been distributed for the work, it seems likely it will not
be stopped or delayed – indeed they will have a rough trip this year. Check
back at the ALO website for updates.
update: March 9,
2009 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.
ALO’s 16th Annual Earth Day Clean Up
Date: Saturday, April 18, 2009 Time: 10am – 1pm
Meet at your choice of 5 locations
Bonnet Island, Route 72 Eastbound
Beach Haven, Center Street Ocean Beach
Ship Bottom Public Dock and Boat Ramp
Surf City, 16th street Bay Beach
Barnegat Light, at the end of Broadway
The Alliance for a
Living Ocean is celebrating Earth Day by sponsoring a spring cleanup of Bonnet
Island, part of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge and the LBI
ocean beaches. The Edwin B. Forsythe
National Wildlife Refuge includes more than 43,000 acres of southern New Jersey
coastal habitats. These habitats are actively protected and managed for
migratory birds. The main part of the refuge is located in Oceanville just
south of Smithville. It is a great place to visit during the spring and fall
migrations. The refuge extends north to cover shoreline properties in Stafford
and beyond. One treasured area in the refuge is Bonnet Island. It is a
favorite spot for local birds and stopover point for migrating birds. ALO has
been sponsoring this cleanup for over 15 years. So once again let’s get out
there and help keep it clean in time for the spring migration. Join all those
people worldwide that participate in Earth Day events by coming and giving 2
hours of your time in the cleanup effort.
If you come and join ALO that day, be sure that you take the following advice. Last year because we had very warm weather, people wore shorts and tees. The result was that several people ran in to poison ivy plants. With proper protection, this situation can be avoided.
1. Wear gloves, long
pants and shirts. Light colors will keep you cooler.
2. Always wear closed
shoes (like sneakers and boots, not sandals)
3. Tuck your pants into
your socks and spray clothes with bug spray
4. Don’t forget the sun
block. Use lots of it!
5. As a precaution, take
a shower when you get home.
6. Children must be
accompanied by a parent. If you have young children, ALO asks that you choose
to pick up trash on the beach instead of Bonnet Island.
The only way out of the trash
mess is to Recycle, Recycle, Recycle. To stop plastic trash from becoming a
scourge on the oceans, it must be recovered and used again and again. In the US
only about 20 to 25% of plastic bottles and bags ever get recycled. Worldwide, that number is about 5%. We must
do better!!
update: February 11,
2009 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALO's New Office and
Environmental Gift Shop
202 West 27th and Central Ave
Ship Bottom, New Jersey 08008
Telephone: 609-494-7800
Fax: 609-494-7899
New email: alolbi@verizon.net
ALO's new office is located on Central Avenue near 27th Street
in Ship Bottom. ALO is working full tilt on preparing an exciting 2009 season.
The great news is that so many people responded to ALO’s request for support
that our board now has a total on 19 members plus a new Executive Director.
Have a look at the credentials of all our board members on the Trustee Page. You can see
why ALO has such high hopes for a successful future. Stay tuned for more
information on ALO as our committees get in to high gear.
update: January 30,
2009
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Action
Update – Stop Liquefied Natural Gas Development
There was a remarkable turnout at the Insanity Island public hearing in
Eatontown, NJ on January 27th, held by the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Maritime
Administration! Well over 500 friends of the ocean attended the hearing to
blast the proposal to build a massive island that would bring us an unwanted,
unneeded, foreign fossil fuel…Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Everyone
spread the word far and wide, and proved, once again, that grassroots
organizing and the power of the people rule!
ALO
President Makes Statement at LNG Public Meeting
"My Name is Tom
Beaty and I am the President of the Alliance for a Living Ocean. The Alliance
for a Living Ocean is a 20 year old grassroots not-for-profit environmental
organization located on Long Beach Island. Our mission is to promote and
maintain clean water and a healthy coastal environment. The Alliance for a
Living Ocean would like to go on record as opposing this LNG Deepwater Port
License Application. Besides destroying the seafloor and sea life habitat by
building this island, LNG is a polluting, climate altering fossil fuel that
produces deadly greenhouse gasses. We need to develop clean domestic sources
such as wind and solar power, not dirty fuel sources such as imported LNG.
Thank you."
Background
information on LNG Issues
Two industrial port facilities for liquefied natural
gas (LNG), a polluting, climate-changing,
expensive, foreign fossil fuel, are proposed just
off the New Jersey shore and the south shore of Long Island, New York,
threatening our beaches, marine life, and economy. LNG is grossly more
polluting than domestic natural gas. It increases our use and dependence on
foreign fossil fuels, steers us in the wrong direction away from existing
conservation, efficiency, and renewable energy technologies & options, and opens
the door to offshore oil & gas drilling.
More importantly, LNG facilities
devastate important fish habitat, and impact endangered and threatened
species, damage seafloor habitat, destroy vast quantities of marine
life, and create navigational hazards leading to accidents & spills.
Please help! Sign the
online petition to oppose the offshore LNG ports at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/689151878.
Help us reach and exceed our goal of 25,000 signatures!
or
E-mail Governor Corzine—tell him: NO LNG: Keep Us Free from LNG! Click this link: http://www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html