Thr Herald and The Lantern

Wednesday, March 18, 1981

Pasr :m

On Caring About the Ocean & the Shore

We are in the midst of National Wildlife Week whose theme this year is We Core About Oceans Our hope is that the message and meaning of this year s observation will continue beyond the end of the week. The picture and story in the Herald a couple week's ago of the oily birds coming ashore are proof that pollution of our watery frontyard continues and that we have a long way to go before we can call ourselves responsible human beings Oil-soaked sea birds aren t, of course, the only example of man’s unconcern. For some 20 years, much of the Jersey Cape s backbay and offshore waters have been closed * in shellfishing because the waters are polluted British Seagull '367

— not to a noticeable degree, mind you, but nonetheless there and capable of inflicting disease on those who might eat shellfish from or swirfi in waters into which a sewage treatment plant recently by-pafted untreated or incompletely treated waste water). THE THREAT OF POLLUTED waters will . for the most part be alleviated when the regionalized sewage treatment plants of the county MUA become operational. They are for the most part several years away from coming on line. And even when they do, one wonders whether in stemming pollution we will be unleashing some other problem in some other area. For instance, will the advent

Beach Tag for Birds?

by Ima Byrd •Worry bird paced the beach anxiously waiting for the mwtmg to hpgm Ills leathers, touched with an oily tinge, drooped on the sand and his beady eyes looked lurtively up and down the wide, empty beach 1 waned as several gulls seltled down on the stone jetty and then I spread my wings and swooped into my favorite spot A car pulled up to the bulkhead, its radio blasting "Bridge Over Troubled Waters "I watched in ancient wonder as the water eroded the sands with every splashing wave and every beat Irom the song ''An appropriate^ong," I said to my brother. Eager who was perched, wings taut, waiting for the meeting to start eager IGNORED MY COMMENT as he watched Worry foot up to the head of the rocks •Fellow birds." he said nervously. "I called this emergency meeting because I've just received word from Watch and there is talk in city hall of issuing beach tags • for birds !' r ' . The gulls moved quickly from one foot to the other setting up an angry protest of belch-laden songs. Then they looked at each other in astonishment "Beach tags for birds’’" repeated Eager in dismay Tm afraid it’s true." Worry said, "it seems they couldn't pass beach tags for people in Wildwood and some weirdo got the bright idea to issue tags for birds The idea picked up stream all along the coast Politicins see it as a great way to bolster lagging revenues." ' JUST ONE MINUTE.” I said wisely. "Y,ou re forgetting one important thing ,birds don't have any money!" •That's rirfht. that’s right," my friends cried happily. Worry shook his head sadly "The politicians seem to have that all worked out. They intend to hire bird watchers whose sole job will be to chase birds off the beaches. S If a person happens to like a particular bird, then he or she will pay five dollars to have the bird tagged. That bird will have full use of the beach for the summer. After that, who cares? said Worry. "That's outrageous!” I screamed. "No one is going to

put a beach tag on me." I added angrily. "And I’ll be darned if I’ll butter up to thsoe two-footed varmints just so they will support my beach habits. I PUFFED UP MY FEATHERS and then went into what I consider one of my finest moments. "You can't sell rights to beaches, it's immoral! Beaches should be free, they belong to the spirits which are outside this mortal shelf. To put a price tag on the use of the beach is to put a price tag on love, humanity ... on life itself. The politicians can go hang. No one is going to do that to us. We belong here, riding the waves, flying free over the waters and sands this is our land, our country. If you let the\ people tag you. you’ve lost your rights to breathe, to be whole and enjoy the God-given gifts of nature. If you sell your soul for a beach tag. you’ll lose your basic rights to fly free!” Thousands of birds, hearing my dissertation, gathered on the rocks, listening carefully to my speech. • WHAT CAN WE IK)? What can we do?" they shouted at me. •. •Til tell you what we ll do. we'll protest like some people protest. No birds will appear on the beach from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. We'll stay in the water far away from the people and their beach tags We’ll beat them at their own game. We'll feed early and avoid the crush. We’ll feed late and watch the sunsets. We’ll teach these people creatures a lesson they won't forget. They’ll beg us to come back to the beaches, " I cried. The other gulls agreed and promised to follow my directions. I watched my brothers and sisters as they flew silently off to their secret places. "What if that doesn't work," asked Worry. , "Don’t worry. Worry. I’ve got another approach. Something I learned from my good friend Alfred Hitchcock when I starred in one of his films. The birds have more power than they ever dreamed they had,” I chuckled. Next week: TMI Tony '

of millions of gallons of new treatment capacity spur blanket development on the Cape>providing clean water at last, but with it new social problems from over-population? The county MUA is seeking the help of the Reagan administration to put an end to what the MUA perceives as unnecessary federal regulation (the strings attached to the millions of federal dollars necessary to bring the treatment systems on line here). While a lot of time and money can be saved by cutting thru the red tape, so too a great deal of damage can be incurred if the MUA, or any other government agency, is permitted to install trunk lines in low-lying and/or environmentally sensitive areas. The lines themselves won’t hurt the natural environment that much, but the development they spur would be devastating. THE WATERS OF THE Jersey Cape, in particular the Atlantic Ocean, have always been great attractions. Hundreds of years ago, the Indians used to come across the back bays to enjoy the refreshing sea breezes and cooling

wa ters.

It wasn’t long before the advancing White Man discovered the benefits of seaside proximity. Unlike the Indians - who always realized they were but /part of nature — the more civilized settlers attempted to have their cake and eat it too by cutting down native oaks, and pines and hollies; carving out a niche in the majestic dunes for home, then community... As so often happens, the attraction has become endangered. The Jersey Cape, and this iriost certainly includes the ocean, needs all the protection it can get. Until man beqpmes as mindful of his environment as he is with his money, we must be on guard. Money talks; all too often concerned in-

dividuals don’t. i

LET US TAKE THIS special week as a time to pledge to ourselves that we will be more active and vocal in our concern for our ocean environment; to help educate those we come in contact with about the need to protect the sea and the estuaries that feed it; to be alert and opposed to any persoi\ and all things which threaten our waters; to be cognizant that our enviable lifestyle by the sea may certainly be

shared but never consumer. We Care About Oceans.

Do we really? * If we here on the Cape don’t, can we expect others to be mindful in our stead? Why don’t we set a good example — then insist that

others follow suit?

Another Sign of the Times Resentment Aimed at the Elderly

Someting is taking place currently in our society which has cause me and many of my colleagues considerable concern, and that is the emergence of a shrill and aggressive hostility of young people toward the elderly. It has only been a short while, perhaps only the past 30 yeArs or so. that the helping professions, government and society as* whole have recognized the special problems and the special needs of the elderly, and have responded to these needs. IN THE MEDICAL, psychiatric, nursing and social work professions, there has been specialization in the management of the physical and psychological problems attendant on old age. The Federal Government, and state and local governments have responded with programs of financial, medical, psychological and social aid. Schools

and community centers have developed “Golden Age” and "Senior Citizens Programs. " We in the professions had thought that now, at last, society had finally begun to discharge its obligation toghis vulnerable group of people — aged, lonely people cut off from their families; enfeebled by the ailments of old age; pushed out of the mainstream of social and community life because they could no longer keep up the pace; many

psychological. We are already beginning to hear barbed "jokes" directed at the elderly. Disdain, contempt and hostility toward the aged is being openly expressed - once again, by young people. Should this become pervasive in the attitudes of young people toward old people, as a group, it will ultimately be reflected in the hostility of young people toward old people in their own families - toward their grandparents, and

At the bottom of this reaction is a financial reality which we cannot ignore.

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of them sick and incapacitated; many of them barely able to pay for the bare necessities of life. BUT NOW. IT SEEMS, the pendulum is beginning to swing in the opposite direction. At the bottom of this reaction is a financial reality which we cannot ignore. At the present time, therf are 3.2 working adults for every adult who is retired. By 2010 the ratio is expected to be 2 to 1. Naturally, it is the people who are working who have to bear the financial burden, taxwise, for supporting the financial, medical and social programs for those who have retired and who are in need of this kind of help. Year after year, the burden becomes heavier, and those who are working and whose tax burden becomes greater, are beginning to be quite vocal in their opposition and resentment.

THE POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL aspects of this problem is outside the scope of psychiatry. The psychological problem is not. The reaction and resistance are being expressed most sharply by people in their 20s and 30s. While the resistance is basically financial, it can easily become — and is already becoming — social ar)d

even toward their parents. ALREADY VULNERABLE, isolated, and stigmatized, the elderly will become more so. And there will, of curse, be a cunter-reaction. In the past few decades, many of the aged have regained, fortunately, a sense of .dignity and importance They have regained the power of their voices and wiilnot hesitate to exercise them. But most of what will come out of this for the aged, will be intensified anxiety, added to the stresses they already have to endure. As a result, we can expect an increase in all the psychological and physical ailments which bring aged people to the offices of the psychiatrist and physician, and to the hospitals as well. We air this concern now, so that those who have it in their powei to do something about this in their personal lives, and in their roles in the community and government, will begin to attend to this emerging problem while it is still in its early stages. Dr. George Wilton wrote this column for The Carrier Foundation, a psychiatric facility In Belle Meade, N.l.