Herald & Lantern 17 June 81

To The Class of ’81: ‘Godspeed’

viewpoint Riparian Rip Off

bv Jane Ann Cunningham

While Atlantic City was deteriorating into alshabby.

troubled and suffering ghost town, the state-wrtto North Jersey controlling the legislature, courts and agencies—ignored it. South Jersey's inadequate representation in a legislature where the members of both hmfces are determined by population made it impossible for its elected officials to have much influence on laws and

regulations directly affecting the area.

The South seemed only to exist in order to send tax revenues derived from its primary industry, tourism, into the insatiable jaws of the treasury. Money needed to advertise this industry, to help local fishermen, to protect , beaches, to dredge waterways or for almost any purpose

was given minimally or grudgingly—if at all.

WHEN CASINO GAMBLING was permitted in Atlantic City, and the whole coastal area of South Jersey began experiencing increased land values, suddenly the state became interested. Not by caring what happened to the people who couldn't find'reasonable priced housing ...not by any planned program to replenish and protect beaches...not be dredging waterways for South Jersey fishermen and pleasure boaters ..and not by preserving valuable water-edged land from overdevelopment. Trenton suddenly saw a way to get its greedy tentacles into a new deep pocket of money, which, of cou1*se, South Jersey would give but not receive. (Where does all the sales4ax. income tax, lottery money, casino money, etc.

go?)

A LITTLE KNOWN AND LITTLE enforced section of the N.J. Constitution was dug up stating that any land which has EVER been covered by tidal waters belongs to The State We're In

the state and must be bought back to today's fair market value. This affeck. not just Atlantic City, but all the coastal areas—where land costs are probably the highest in the state. Maps from 1852 are now being scrutinized by the state dept, of Environmental Protection. A proposed constitutional amendment would prevent the state from making a riparian claim against land that hasn’t been covered by tidal waters for 40 years... In Cape May County, most of the development has occurred in the last 30 years. Portions of the barrier beach islands have been covered by tidal waters at one time or another since then, and depending on how the laws are interpreted, a substantial amount of land valued in the many millions would be affected. WE CAN AGREE THAT riparian lands are a precious natural resource and should b^Jong to all the people. The dictionary defines riparian as on 4he bank of a na'ural water course or body of water. But where was the state’s concern when irreplaceable dunes were being bulldozed on barrier beach islands? Where were they when marshes and meadowland were filled for development? Where were they when land bordering those now precious waterways was being lined with condominiums and townhouses? THIS has all happened in the last 40 years, too. If the state has failed to enforce its own laws on riparian land and was negligent in permitting such land to be developed, it should not penalize those who bought it in good faith. Landowners should not be obligated to repurchase their properties at today's inflated prices. But in Trenton—who cares? After all. it mostly affects South Jersey and other coastal areas with low voting populations—and they don't really count for much. Jane Ann Cunningham is former publisher of^ihe

Herald.

J

Administration Should Take , Solar EnergyTHore Seriously

British Seagull 387 Good Kids by Ima Byrd I was hanging around the Stone Harbor laundromat over on (Kean Drive looking for a handout one Sunday night and humped Into a really nice young man. Now I know the world is full of violence, and I once read a report in a newspaper (that was wrapped around some (Mi heads i that newspapers only report the bad things kids do Well, that might be true for those mortal folk, but we birds have a very definite rode of respect for young humans who are above average in diligence, sensitivity, intelligence, honesty and Integrity. . _ ' , u ELI.. I GOT TO talking lo this guy Chuck Richardson, who was doing the wash for his family and helping his litHe brother with his homework the whole time Now. in pd dition to that young man doing a fine job™ the laurTdfy. hr certainly exhibited a heap of patience That brother Mike must of asked him a million questions and never once did Chuck yell, “Shad up’ “Hold It a minute, you dummy or "Let me alone, you beat'" No sir. that kid stopped what he was doing and looked over the problem Then he offered his help NOW THIS WHOLE incident might not appear too amazing to sortie folk, but to this old bird, it was a joy to behold Not oniv that, but that Richardson kid was most respectful to me He alsotalked respectful about his mom. his teachers at Middle Township High School, vice principal Robert Penkcthman everyone He seemed to have a real positive attitude <* Now I tan tell you this There aren't too many young folk who pay m* h attention to us old critters. If they do. why most of the time we d be better off if they didn’t. EVE HAD STONES thrown at me, old sneaks, clam shells and either debris And sometimes young-uns pretend they have food for us and when we swoop down we find it's just a crumpled up paper Then those kids laugh and carry on So you can well understand how I felt meeting that Richardson kid. Then just the other day I was over watching the Arrows Soccer Team in Middle Township. Those youngsters haven't won a game yet and it looks like they probably won t. But l lliell you this. I never in all my bird days tyve seen i more sportsmanlike group of youngsters Those hoys and girls really understand what it Is to lose yet they continue to play like ^heir champions - and my book they are. \()W I’VE SEEN some of those winning teams spit on their fingers when they shake hands at the end of the gamef but I never once saw an Arrow kid do that And I've seen coaches scream and yell at the kids when they lose, but that coach Larry Howell is a true blue sporTsman. He just keeps helping the kids and never gets dowiwwi them The parents of those kids are also aomething to behold. Eve seen kids games where the parents act like crazy monkeys or a drunk, yelling and screafhing at the coach and their kids and almost running onto the field when the referee calls a shot they don't like But I can tell you this, I watched those Arrow kids lose game after game and still play their hearts out and not once, not once did tho«! parents act in an unmannerly fashion IT MIGHT GO down in the books that the Arrows were losers, hut to us birds who know what sports are all about they are WINNERS through and through Now what Em telling you isn't world-shaking news. It isn’t going to make headlines or set the world on fire, but kids like Chuck Richardson and that bunch of youngsters on the Arrow Soccer Team sure make this world a better place for everyone ( i And those-kids have>certainly revived the spirit of this old bird and'erttmtfraged my belief that maybe, just maybe with enough kids like that - people and birds will survive j ,-NE£T WEEK Darh forces

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By David F. Moore The use of solar power to help offset our country’s energy dependence on foreign sources has been, in effect, the target of administration sneers lately down in Washington. But our warming weather reminds me all over again that energy beams d«n on us every day. There are plenty of ways to capture that energy, especially when we realize that wind and "biomass” (vegetative material) are also forms of solar energy. The downgrade of solar energy as a viable boost for American energy supplies appears to stem from electric utilities, nuclear interests and many industries which aren’t geared to make a profit from solar energy. THERE HAVE BEEN a number of projections on American power needs, and energy sources for the year 2000. Only one takes solar energy seriously enough to predict it’s providing 25 percent of the energy budget at the start of the next century. Not surprisingly, that scenario comes from the National Audubon Society, which has blended realism and environmental constraints in an interesting fashion Audubon predicates its 25 percent solar source mainly on biomass, generally careful utilization of wood directly as fuel or as the source of alcohol fuels. It projects rises in both coal and nuclear power, but nothing like wAat’s anticipated by the U.S. Dept, of Energy and vanln industries. In all, Audubon lumps together biomass, hydropower, heat collectors, wind power and photovoltaic electricity as its category of "solar renewable" energy sources. AUDUBON'S PROJECTION for nuclear power is based on no more construction permits for nuke plants, and completion of only two-thirds of those already authorized. Its

petroleum projection for the year 2000 pegs 15.7 percent of the energy budget on domestic oil supplies and only 3.8 percent on imported oil, which it deems available from nearby countries and not subject to international predicaments like the present Arab strangehold on our economy. Perhaps the next most important aspect of the Audubon budget is that it allows for a 3 percent annual growth in the economy without increasing energy consumption. The bottom line, of course, is improving the efficiency of how energy is used. To put it another way, Audubon's plan predicts a 50 to 80 percent increase in the ratio of gross national product to energy consumption. AUDUBON’S REPORT regards this as "hardly extreme” in view of the fact that better ratios are found right now in European countries. Those countries can be expected to make improvements, too. "If the United States cannot achieve comparable energy efficiencies, we will have increasing difficulties competing in the world market,” is Audubon’s prophetic statement. The Audubon Energy Plan: Technical Report is available from the National Audubon Society, 950 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10022. One of its key architects is Dr. Glenn Paulson, now Audubon's vice president for science, and formerly New Jersey’s assistant commissioner of environmental protection for science. I think it’s a realistic approach to necessary answers to the key question, "How can we, as a nation, survive in our usual comfort without depending on foreign oil and still demonstrate economic growth without further environmental losses?’* David Moore la executive director ofthe N.J. Conservation Foundation.