THOUSANDS of marchers are expected to join in the unprecedented protest, “Dump No More-March for the Shore.” All coastal towns will be involved. Citizens urged to “walk a little or walk a lot.”
In response to the failure of the Clinton/Gore Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers to stop dumping toxin-laden muck off the Jersey Shore, a coalition of groups from throughout New Jersey have launched a seven-day march along the shore to protest the dumping.
“We are ready for action, it’s time to do something remarkable,” said Jack Charlton, Monmouth County Friends of Clearwater.
The march will begin at Cape May Point on Friday, and will end at Sandy Hook on September 1, the anniversary of the 1997 promise to end dumping of contaminated dredged materials.
The march is in response to the latest ocean dumping action by the Corps of Engineers – the approval of nearly 750,000 tons of muck dumping from federal channels and the acceleration of that dumping by the agencies. “Citizens have sent over 150,000 signed petitions to the [Gore] and the response is not only more dumping, but an acceleration of dumping off the Jersey Shore during the summer tourism season,” said Cindy Zipf, Executive Director of Clean Ocean Action. “They are not paying attention and we must make our voices heard, and a march is an exciting and public way to build solidarity to demand action.”
“This administration has ignored the clear voices of the citizens who care about the ocean,” said D.W. Bennett, Executive Director of the American Littoral Society. “I guess the only way to get this administration’s attention is to hit them over the head with a two-by-four,” he said.
Along the way, an Ocean Life Line will be created. The March is urging towns through out New Jersey to unite and support the march by joining the marchers and donating a municipal, organization, or family flag, T-shirts, pennants, emblems, or decorations. The flags will be sewn together to create a “life-line” for the ocean. The sea scrolls will be unfurled at Sandy Hook on Sept. 1 as a symbolic rescue for the ocean from ocean dumping. The ocean lifeline will be taken to Trenton, and Washington, D.C.
The march itinerary is as follows: Friday, August 25: Cape May to North Wildwood; Saturday, August 26: Stone Harbor to Ocean City; Sunday, August 27: Longport to Brigantine; Monday, August 28: Long Beach Island; Tuesday, August 29: Island Beach to Point Pleasant; Wednesday, August 30: Sea Girt to Deal Lake; Thursday, August 31: Deal to Monmouth Beach; Friday, September 1: Monmouth Beach to Sandy Hook; September 1 Rally: Sandy Hook to recognize the anniversary of the promise to end ocean dumping off our shore.
To join in support of the march or for updated schedules and information call Clean Ocean Action 732-872-0111 or visit the website http://www.cleanoceanaction.org.
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New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner John P. Cahill today reminded landowners that the deadline for Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) applications is Friday, September 1, 2000. DMAP allows qualified New York State residents to reduce deer populations during the hunting season on lands they own or control.
The program, now in its second year, provides landowners additional deer tags they can use or give to hunters to control deer. Each tag allows a hunter to take one anterless deer (deer without antlers or having antlers measuring less than three inches in length) from the landowner’s property. DMAP permits supplement, not replace, deer management permits or permits issued throughout the year to destroy nuisance deer.
To qualify for DMAP permits, an applicant must own or control lands that meet one or more of the following criteria:
Land where agricultural damage has been documented or can be documented by a DEC representative. Land within a municipality that has a documented deer problem and a deer management plan approved by DEC in place. Land where deer damage to rare or endangered plants or plant communities has been documented or can be documented by DEC. Land totaling 200 or more acres where forest regeneration is being impacted by deer. This impact must be identified in an existing forest management plan for the land. And land totaling 1,000 or more acres that is being actively managed for improving deer herd characteristics such as Quality Deer Management, under an existing deer management plan.
To apply, landowners should contact their nearest DEC wildlife office immediately and request a DMAP application. To be considered for permits valid during this fall’s hunting seasons, applications must be postmarked by September 1. Two or more landowners sharing contiguous boundaries may cooperate to meet the acreage requirements.
