Showing posts with label conservation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conservation. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
VOX: How To Talk To A Conservative About Climate Change
Debbie Dooley, one of the founders of the Tea Party movement and a Donald Trump supporter, has some advice for talking to conservatives about climate change.
Read More at VOX
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Betsy's Kindergarten Adventures: Happy Earth Day
Earth Day 2015 is celebrated this week on Wednesday, April 22nd. Here is a great little cartoon to show your little ones that explains the history behind Earth Day and the concept of conservation and recycling.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Feds DENY New Jersey’s Right to Review Rutgers Ocean Blasting off Coast; Use Technicality to Thwart State’s Concerns
For Immediate Release:
June 25, 2014
Seismic Ship Heads North toward New Jersey - Emergency Meeting on LBI on Wednesday, July 2nd at 5pm
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has denied New Jersey’s request to review the Rutgers University led seismic study off Barnegat Inlet for agreement with state regulations. Under the Coastal Zone Management Act, the study could be stopped if the state’s consistency review found foreseeable impacts on state resources. Although the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) submitted strong comments for its right to this review, which detailed threats to coastal resources and the economy, NOAA’s denial argued the “timeliness” of the request and ignored the state’s concerns. NOAA’s response appears baseless given that the NJDEP contacted NOAA on several occasions while evaluating the proposal and was clearly concerned with the potential for harm to coastal resources.
"It is a lame technicality; we were all blindsided by this proposal and the state acted quickly once they were altered to the study. We trust Governor Christie and the NJDEP will use all legal and state means available to stop this study," said Cindy Zipf, Executive Director of Clean Ocean Action. "The clock is ticking and this study must not go forward—especially now."
Captain Kevin Wark, from the commercial vessel Dana Christine, said, "No one has given us assurances that this testing isn't going to hurt commercial fishing; there have been no hearings or studies that tell us that this won't be harmful. I also find it hard to understand why there's no accountability about the possibility of damage to marine mammals when the commercial fishing industry is held to such high standards with regard to the health and safety of marine mammals.”
In its correspondence with NOAA, the NJDEP stated, “Based on previous studies examining seismic surveys and fisheries disturbances, it is reasonably foreseeable that the proposed surveys will have an impact from fisheries distribution, movement, migration and spawning perspectives that will lead to direct and indirect negative consequences to NJ’s fishing industries.”
Clean Ocean Action has been tracking the Marcus G. Langseth, the vessel that will be conducting the seismic blasting, by checking its location twice a day on the website marinetraffic.com. Until around Midnight on June 23rd, it was docked in Charleston, SC. Now it is on the move and heading north.
The study will be conducted off Barnegat Light to examine 60 million-year-old sediments for historical sea level changes; however, despite Rutgers’ claims, the study is being conducted during peak migration and/or breeding of whales, dolphins, turtles, fish, and shellfish. Divers are also at risk.
“The study would send seismic blasts of up to 250 decibels into the water every 5 seconds, 24 hours a day for 30 days, interfering with marine animal communication and movement. By way of comparison, impairment of human hearing begins after 30 seconds of exposure at 115 decibels. Marine animals are much more sensitive to sound than people are,” said Cassandra Ornell, Staff Scientist at Clean Ocean Action.
The imminent blasting of the ocean has commercial and recreational fishing leaders, divers, elected officials, marine mammal protectors and citizens who care about the health of New Jersey marine life very concerned. Governor Christie has been invited to attend an emergency town hall meeting at 5pm on Wednesday July 2nd at the Barnegat Light Fire Company on Long Beach Island.
Marine life at risk includes:
- 26 marine mammal species, including 6 endangered whale species and other whales, dolphins, and seals, may be located in or moving through the study area. Seismic blasting can interfere with marine mammal movement, breathing, communication, and feeding, and can even cause hearing damage.
- Nine of the 16 most important offshore commercial fisheries are at their peaks in the summer months. Seismic blasts can cause fish and squid to scatter and impact catch rates.
- New Jersey offshore waters are host to five threatened or endangered sea turtle species. Sea turtles exposed to much lower sound levels than proposed in this study have shown significant behavioral impacts.
****
Clean Ocean Action is a non-profit, broad-based coalition of 135 conservation, environmental, fishing, boating, diving, student, surfing, women’s, business, service, and community groups, with a mission to improve the degraded water quality of the marine waters off the New Jersey/New York coast. COA has a decades-long history of science- and law-based advocacy for a clean, industry-free Atlantic Ocean.
June 25, 2014
Seismic Ship Heads North toward New Jersey - Emergency Meeting on LBI on Wednesday, July 2nd at 5pm
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has denied New Jersey’s request to review the Rutgers University led seismic study off Barnegat Inlet for agreement with state regulations. Under the Coastal Zone Management Act, the study could be stopped if the state’s consistency review found foreseeable impacts on state resources. Although the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) submitted strong comments for its right to this review, which detailed threats to coastal resources and the economy, NOAA’s denial argued the “timeliness” of the request and ignored the state’s concerns. NOAA’s response appears baseless given that the NJDEP contacted NOAA on several occasions while evaluating the proposal and was clearly concerned with the potential for harm to coastal resources.
"It is a lame technicality; we were all blindsided by this proposal and the state acted quickly once they were altered to the study. We trust Governor Christie and the NJDEP will use all legal and state means available to stop this study," said Cindy Zipf, Executive Director of Clean Ocean Action. "The clock is ticking and this study must not go forward—especially now."
Captain Kevin Wark, from the commercial vessel Dana Christine, said, "No one has given us assurances that this testing isn't going to hurt commercial fishing; there have been no hearings or studies that tell us that this won't be harmful. I also find it hard to understand why there's no accountability about the possibility of damage to marine mammals when the commercial fishing industry is held to such high standards with regard to the health and safety of marine mammals.”
In its correspondence with NOAA, the NJDEP stated, “Based on previous studies examining seismic surveys and fisheries disturbances, it is reasonably foreseeable that the proposed surveys will have an impact from fisheries distribution, movement, migration and spawning perspectives that will lead to direct and indirect negative consequences to NJ’s fishing industries.”
Clean Ocean Action has been tracking the Marcus G. Langseth, the vessel that will be conducting the seismic blasting, by checking its location twice a day on the website marinetraffic.com. Until around Midnight on June 23rd, it was docked in Charleston, SC. Now it is on the move and heading north.
The study will be conducted off Barnegat Light to examine 60 million-year-old sediments for historical sea level changes; however, despite Rutgers’ claims, the study is being conducted during peak migration and/or breeding of whales, dolphins, turtles, fish, and shellfish. Divers are also at risk.
“The study would send seismic blasts of up to 250 decibels into the water every 5 seconds, 24 hours a day for 30 days, interfering with marine animal communication and movement. By way of comparison, impairment of human hearing begins after 30 seconds of exposure at 115 decibels. Marine animals are much more sensitive to sound than people are,” said Cassandra Ornell, Staff Scientist at Clean Ocean Action.
The imminent blasting of the ocean has commercial and recreational fishing leaders, divers, elected officials, marine mammal protectors and citizens who care about the health of New Jersey marine life very concerned. Governor Christie has been invited to attend an emergency town hall meeting at 5pm on Wednesday July 2nd at the Barnegat Light Fire Company on Long Beach Island.
Marine life at risk includes:
- 26 marine mammal species, including 6 endangered whale species and other whales, dolphins, and seals, may be located in or moving through the study area. Seismic blasting can interfere with marine mammal movement, breathing, communication, and feeding, and can even cause hearing damage.
- Nine of the 16 most important offshore commercial fisheries are at their peaks in the summer months. Seismic blasts can cause fish and squid to scatter and impact catch rates.
- New Jersey offshore waters are host to five threatened or endangered sea turtle species. Sea turtles exposed to much lower sound levels than proposed in this study have shown significant behavioral impacts.
****
Clean Ocean Action is a non-profit, broad-based coalition of 135 conservation, environmental, fishing, boating, diving, student, surfing, women’s, business, service, and community groups, with a mission to improve the degraded water quality of the marine waters off the New Jersey/New York coast. COA has a decades-long history of science- and law-based advocacy for a clean, industry-free Atlantic Ocean.
Friday, January 9, 2009
DURING FIRST WEEK OF NEW CONGRESS, HOLT REINTRODUCES ONLINE JOB TRAINING AND BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION BILLS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Washington, D.C.) – On the first day of the 111th Congress, U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) reintroduced the Online Job Training Act and the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act.
The Online Job Training Act (H.R. 145) would provide grants to states to establish or improve workforce training programs on the Internet. The bill would make job training more accessible and convenient for prospective workers. The legislation is based on a successful online learning pilot program run by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development and Rutgers University.
“In 2009, our first priority must be jobs, jobs, and jobs,” Holt said. “We need innovative programs that help get people back to work, and online job training is one such program that merits our support.”
Under the bill, each state would be eligible for $100,000 in federal funding to implement or enhance online courses as part of their workforce investment programs. The bill would also authorize $1 million for the creation of a national center for excellence in online job training to coordinate with state and local workforce investment boards as they develop technology-driven methods for education and job training.
The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development pilot program has demonstrated the value and effectiveness of online courses in providing skills training and education to low waged workers. This program, developed by Dr. Mary Gatta, Director of Workforce Policy and Research at Rutgers University’s Center for Women and Work, provided 128 women with a computer, Internet connection and access to online courses. Nearly all the women completed the program, and participants experienced a 14 percent annual wage increase.
One New Jersey woman took a course at night, while working in a residential group home. Because she was gaining certificates and job training in Excel and Access, her employer gave her a promotion to digitize and then manage the bookkeeping/database. In fact, she competed with another employee with more seniority for the promotion, and received the promotion specifically because of her job training. With the money from the promotion, she was able to start saving to send her daughter to college.
“Congressman’s Holt’s bill demonstrates the importance of using technology to better deliver education and training to all Americans,” Gatta said. “Over the years, many other states have implemented similar online learning programs for marginalized groups, and this bill represents a significant next step in scaling these programs up nationwide.”
The Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act (H.R. 146) would establish a federal grant program specifically for preserving and protecting battle sites associated with the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Urbanization, suburban sprawl, and unplanned commercial and residential development have encroached on many of the significant battlefields of the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. According to a 2007 National Parks Service (NPS) report, 170 of 677 nationally significant sites associated with the two wars are in danger of being destroyed in the next 10 years, including sites in Trenton and Princeton. At least 33 states could benefit if the bill becomes law. The bill passed the House in the 110th Congress but did not receive a vote in the Senate.
“The battlefields of the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 provide a unique opportunity for Americans to experience where and how the epic struggle for our nation’s independence took place,” Holt said. “Preserving these American historic treasures is essential in remembering the sacrifices that our forefathers made to secure our freedom and independence, and in educating future generations about our rich cultural history.”
Enactment of Holt’s legislation would set aside funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the preservation and protection of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battlefields and related historical sites, as is currently done for Civil War sites. The bill would allow officials at the American Battlefield Protection Program to collaborate with state and local governments and non profit organizations to preserve and protect the most endangered historical sites and to provide up to 50 percent of the costs of purchasing battlefield land threatened by sprawl and commercial development.
In addition to the 170 sites in danger of being destroyed within the next 10 years, the NPS “Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the United States” found that 99 have already been lost forever and 234 are in poor condition.
Contact: Zach Goldberg
202-225-5801 (office)
(Washington, D.C.) – On the first day of the 111th Congress, U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) reintroduced the Online Job Training Act and the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act.
The Online Job Training Act (H.R. 145) would provide grants to states to establish or improve workforce training programs on the Internet. The bill would make job training more accessible and convenient for prospective workers. The legislation is based on a successful online learning pilot program run by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development and Rutgers University.
“In 2009, our first priority must be jobs, jobs, and jobs,” Holt said. “We need innovative programs that help get people back to work, and online job training is one such program that merits our support.”
Under the bill, each state would be eligible for $100,000 in federal funding to implement or enhance online courses as part of their workforce investment programs. The bill would also authorize $1 million for the creation of a national center for excellence in online job training to coordinate with state and local workforce investment boards as they develop technology-driven methods for education and job training.
The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development pilot program has demonstrated the value and effectiveness of online courses in providing skills training and education to low waged workers. This program, developed by Dr. Mary Gatta, Director of Workforce Policy and Research at Rutgers University’s Center for Women and Work, provided 128 women with a computer, Internet connection and access to online courses. Nearly all the women completed the program, and participants experienced a 14 percent annual wage increase.
One New Jersey woman took a course at night, while working in a residential group home. Because she was gaining certificates and job training in Excel and Access, her employer gave her a promotion to digitize and then manage the bookkeeping/database. In fact, she competed with another employee with more seniority for the promotion, and received the promotion specifically because of her job training. With the money from the promotion, she was able to start saving to send her daughter to college.
“Congressman’s Holt’s bill demonstrates the importance of using technology to better deliver education and training to all Americans,” Gatta said. “Over the years, many other states have implemented similar online learning programs for marginalized groups, and this bill represents a significant next step in scaling these programs up nationwide.”
The Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act (H.R. 146) would establish a federal grant program specifically for preserving and protecting battle sites associated with the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Urbanization, suburban sprawl, and unplanned commercial and residential development have encroached on many of the significant battlefields of the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. According to a 2007 National Parks Service (NPS) report, 170 of 677 nationally significant sites associated with the two wars are in danger of being destroyed in the next 10 years, including sites in Trenton and Princeton. At least 33 states could benefit if the bill becomes law. The bill passed the House in the 110th Congress but did not receive a vote in the Senate.
“The battlefields of the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 provide a unique opportunity for Americans to experience where and how the epic struggle for our nation’s independence took place,” Holt said. “Preserving these American historic treasures is essential in remembering the sacrifices that our forefathers made to secure our freedom and independence, and in educating future generations about our rich cultural history.”
Enactment of Holt’s legislation would set aside funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the preservation and protection of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battlefields and related historical sites, as is currently done for Civil War sites. The bill would allow officials at the American Battlefield Protection Program to collaborate with state and local governments and non profit organizations to preserve and protect the most endangered historical sites and to provide up to 50 percent of the costs of purchasing battlefield land threatened by sprawl and commercial development.
In addition to the 170 sites in danger of being destroyed within the next 10 years, the NPS “Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the United States” found that 99 have already been lost forever and 234 are in poor condition.
Contact: Zach Goldberg
202-225-5801 (office)
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