Cape May County Herald, 3 December 1980 IIIF issue link — Page 3

Decembers, UM

Tlie Her* 1(1 and The Lantern

PegeS

Woodin ’ for Free— (From Page 1) •Check fources far afield. The poorer the area, the lower the price. No need to pinpoint South Jeraey poverty areaa for you-we all know all of them! Be sure to measure the inside of your stove and order It the right length. Would you believe, even at $100 a cord, It's still cheaper than heating with anything elael There's also a deep satisfaction that you are not giving the Arabs more petrodollars to finance their magic carpets to LV and the A. C. casinos. If you insist on paying for your fuel, no one will argue; but why not use time, patience, elbow grease and honest sweat and get your cord for a mere $5? Yes, you get a 4 ft. high, 4 ft. deep and 8 ft. long cord weighing close to 4,000 pounds to make your home a cozy place this winter for a pittance of five bucks and beoucoup elbow Outlook Bright (From Page 1) a dead zone. No fish or shellfish of any importance could be found. But the efforts to clean this area are slowly beginning to pay-off. Populations of blueclaw crabs and littleneck clams are growing again, and Instead of just tearing up salt marshes for industrial growth, the marshes are restored. Areas long abandoned by industry are being reclaimed to their natural state. However, Figley told his audience, much still needs to be done. For example, Manhatten's World Trade Center is still allowed to pump raw sewarage into the Upper Bay of New York. THE NEXT STOPS ON the tour were the port of Belford and the Sandy HookAtlantic Highlands areas. The port of Belford is tlje home of New Jersey's Number One lobster and menhaden fishing fleet. The menhaden fish population was once thought to be inexhaustible; in the 50’s the fleet caught 500 million tons a year. Last year it brought home only 50 million tons. However, the menhaden catch is still the largest in weight caught in the state. • Next was the Manasquan inlet area. Manasquan is the home of New Jersey’s largest recreational boating fleet. On any Saturday or Sunday in the summer the inlet looks more like the New Jersey Turnpike than a waterway, with boats packed bow to stem on their way to the rich fishing grounds off-shore. Manasquan is also the home of the state's newest commercial fishing effort-tilefish-known locally as “the poor man's lobster." The tilefish are found in deep water, 400to 600 feet, and are caught with long lines that trail up to^30 miles behind the boat. ISLAND BEACH AND Long Beach Island were next explored. These areas are important as surf-fishing meccas, and because they shelter Bamegat Bay. The Bay yields the state’s richest amount of littleneck clams, which are found on restaurant menues over the East Coast as cherrystones and steamers. On the opposite side of the Bay is the beginning of 250,000 acres of wetlands found in New Jersey. Most of the state's wetlands are found behind the chain of furrier islands stretching from Brigantine in the north to Wildwood in the south. These wetlands and estuaries are extremely important to the life and economy of the state, for over 70 per cent of the commercial and game fish caught spend part of their lives in these areas. And these fish are the motivation behind 2.5 million visitors to the New Jersey coast. These people spend over $500 million a year on fishing alone. Dump Old Methods (From Page 1) miles off the coast from Maine to Florida. The foreign fleet every year took home millions of tons of fish. NOW ON ANY GIVEN DAY. there are only about 50 foreign boats fishing in U.S. waters. As an example of the reduced catches. Long said that in 1973 foreign boats caught 116,000 tons of whiting and 400,000 tons of Atlantic mackeral; in 1978 the foreign whiting catch was 16,000 tons and the mackeral catch was only 330 tons. Foreign vessels are prohibited from catching the more valuable species of fish such as cod. haddock or flounder. This prohibition has resulted in the almost complete disappearance of Eastern Bloc countries such as the Soviet Union. Poland and East Germany from U.S. waters. The countries that still purchase licenses to fish within the 200mile limit are Spain. Portqgal and Italy, who fish mainly for squidT whiting and mackerel.

grease. A FULL CORD OF JERSEY oak for the price bf two six-packs of beer? What’s the catch? The catch is that you have to cut it and may have to stay up most of the night to get your permit. For the last half-dpzen years, the state Bureau of Parts has offered a do-k-yourself program that has to be the best firewood deal going. The Cordwood Pibgram allows state residents, under certain strictures, to take two cords of hardwood a year out of selected stole forests. Permit holders have three consecutive days in which to fill their allotment and cutting is allowed on weekends, including Sundays, but must be done during the hours that the forests are open. A WELL-SCHOOLED TEAM of experienced woodcutters using the right equipment can take a cord in one day. Novice lumberjacks will need more time, perhpos up to the three day limit specified on the cordwood permit. It takes eight Volkswagen loads to make up one cord. Many folks underestimate the work involved and consequently return to the forestry offices angrily demanding their money back after felling a couple of trees and running out of wind. Others spy a stock of cut wood left unattended while the cutters are off to lunch or buy a six-pack. Somehow they figure this is in the public domain and it is missing when the lunch goers return. SOME WOULD-BE. half-hearted lumberjacks get too close to their work. They actually pull their vehicle up next to the tree they are working on, figuring to drop it alongside the car, section and opo the pieces into the trunk with a minimum of carrying. But they miscalculate the fall of the tree and it comes down on the car and flattens the roof instead. This is hardly a cost saver!

Here is information about the four state forests in our section. It’s a good idea to call first. BELLEPLAIN STATE FOREST on Cape May County Route 550, about two miles east of Woodbine and two miles west of Belleplain. Hours 9a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week. Daily permits 20. However, the forest was only scheduled for 800 cords of wood so you better call 861-2404. 1 BASS RIVER STATE FOREST between Tuckerton and New Gretna, on Stage Road, about two miles north of Route 9. Hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week. Daily permits 4, Cost $5. Call 296-1114. lebanon state forest on Route 72, one mile east of the Four-Mile Circle (junction of Routes72and70). HoursSa.m. to4p.m.,. Monday thru Saturday. Daily permits 6. Cost $5. Call 726-1191. WHARTON STATE FOREST. The ranger station is at Atsion, which is reached by going eight miles south on Route 203 from the Red Lion Circle ) junction of Routes 70 and 206). The station is on the left. Hours are 8 a m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week. Daily permits 10. Cost $5. Call 288-0444 or 561-0024. Wherever you go or whatever you do, be prepared to work. The wood is not going to Jump into your truck. The rangers have their hands full with novice lumberjacks-to-be. Some get their saws stuck in a tree and the rangers have to go out and wedge them open. Others come in with their chains on backwwrd. » They come in maybe with gasoline but no oil mixed with it (chain saws are twocycle engines and require a gasoline-oil mixture in the tank). Some put diesel fuel in the gas tank. IT IS NOT LOGICALLYsound to try to lay in your own firewood with just a handsaw or an ax, unless you really crave a visit to the emergency cardiac wards

where in the midst of your pain, you will have to try to bridge language barriers with f the foreign doctors and over-age grumpy nurses now flooding area hospitals. If you don’t own a chain saw, a decision must be made. Buy or rent. Neither is cheap. Purchase prices and rental costs vary greatly. You can rent a 17-inch chain saw for as little as $25 for four hours. Most rental places require a substantial deposit from $75 to $100. Some furnish you with a can of gas and oil, others don't. You may need to reserve in advance. Shop around. Prices vary. Look in the Yellow Pages under "rental." CHAIN SAWS ARE ALWAYS going on sale somewhere. Be wary of prices that sound too good. They may mean flimsy construction. $149.99 isn’t a bad price for a gasoline-powered model. Electrics are nice if jfcu can find an extension cord long enough to reach the nearest outlet in the boondocks (highly unlikely.) You will also need a can for gasoline, some oil for mixing with two-stroke engines, some "bar" oil (to lubricate the chain, not for the engine), the necessary tools to take off the chain or adjust it, gloves, tight-fitting clothing, ear muffs (the sound can make your ears ring for hours) and, if possible, a helper to feed the wood to you. IF Ydu CAN MANAGE IT. have someone give you a short course in the operation of the saw. Far too many persons have committed unwilling amputations because of unfamiliarity or carelessness — although with this type of injury you stand a better chance of establishing communication with the foreigh doctors. But most of all, you need lots of old fashioned elbow grease. Good luck, good cutting and - - tim-m-m-ber! And Arabs get lost!!

WESHOW

Gas©

IN YOUR NOW ACCOUNTS STARTING JANUARY 1

5%

ON CONVENIENT CHECKING ACCOUNTS (NOW ACCOUNTS)

Open your account today. Be ready for the new higher rate. STOP IN AT ANY OFFICE , CAPE /IMY COUNTY SWINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION Serving All Cape May County

MAIN OFFICE

7 North Main St

466-5186

Capa May Court House

DRIVE-IN

219 N. Main St.

Capa May Court House

3301 Atlantic Ava.

522-2447

Wildwood

1899 Baythora Rd.

886-2773

Villas

517 Washington St.

884-6435

Capa May

40 South Shore Rd.

396-4500

Marmora