Herald & lantern 19 August 81

27

Sea Pact Signing Urged

WASHINGTON. D.C. - ’ The National Wildlife ■ Federation has asked President Reagan to push for the conclusion of thfe “urgently needed” international Law of the Sea (LOS) treaty "as rapidly as possible." Calling the agreement involving some 150 nations the only solution to protecting the oceans from "unwise and indiscriminate exploitation.’' Dr.. Jay D. Hair, executive vice president of the NWF, said'in a letter to the President that he was “dismayed" that the agreement may be "scuttled for the possible benefit of the short-term economic interests of a small section of society.’’ AFTER SEVEN yeais of twice-yearly meetings^ the treaty was expected to be signpd late in 1981. I^st April, however, the Reagan Administration announced that it would delay final action on the treaty until next year. A few mining conglomerates sought to delay the treaty, which is design-

* ed to regulate fishing and mining of strategic minerals from the ocean bottom, as well as covering environmental, military, and legal aspects of the sea. According to Hair, the treaty would mean that U.S. fishing areas would be protected and that all nations would maintain or restore populations of harvested fish and marine mammals. In addition, the treaty would guarantee that marine pollution from land and air sources as well. as ocean dumping be internationally curtailed and' that all marine vessels would have to comply with strict pollution standards. Rare and fragile ocean ecosystems and animal species would also be protected. IN HIS LETTER to Reagan, Hair pointed out that the LOS pact would eliminate any "unfair economic advantage gained by other nations which would otherwise • use unseaworthy vessels or technologies and methods

Insurance Guide For Seniors

TRENTON - Senior citizens Spend millions of dollars each year for private health insurance to supplement Medicare. Very often, however, they buy too much or too little insurance for tffeir needs. To help seniors buy and use a supplemental health insurance policy, the New ( Jersey Department of Insurance this week published a new consumer guide, "Adding to Medicare: Health Insurance for Senior citizens.” •MEDICARE IS an excellent starting point for planning a comprehensive program of health insurance coveragej” Insurance Commissioner James J. Sheeran said. "There are, however, substantial gaps in Medicare coverage. Senior citizens face the possibility of depleting their savings or spending highVportions of their income for fyedical bills if they do not have some private heahh insurance to supplement Medicare.-" Medicare pays for less than 50 percent of all senior citizens' health care ex penses, according to

R N E R by Leslie Steysoi

Shelley Also Known As Shirley By Shelley Winters This book is somewhat of a surprise. Whether Miss Winters had help in writing it or not, most of it is her style. Unlike some biographies, it is well-, organized and can be read as easily as those fie* tional sagas of women who reach their goals despite all odds against them. She includes huntan glimpses of many who have been famous, usually with good humor. Even those with whom she doesn’t get along, she presents fairly. She has a great deal of insighf Into why her marriages failed; she doesn’t condemn her exhusbands, but writes with understanding of their points of view. It is quite a lot of fun to read of her romances with the superstars of the stage and screen. She handles them very well; telling us just enough to pique our interest, without getting into the intimate details. Born Shirley Schrift, she took her mother’s maiden name — Winter, which an s was later added — and Shelley from her favorite poet. "There are millions of Shirley's all over Brooklyn, all named after Shirley Temple.' She replied when asked if she likes the name Shirley. Most of her life has been iipent acting, and her two Oscars demonstrate she has done well at her profession. I think you will like this lady. Leslie Steyson is the psuedonym for a very real area bookstore proprietor.

for resource exploitation that would be less expensive, but dangerous and polluting." If the U.S. does not accept the treaty. Hair said, other nations could interpret this as a "betrayal of the trust placed in us by the scores of other nations which have seen the United States foster and support this idea" since. Its incej>tion. While some wording changes may be warranted, the treaty as it now stands would "enhance national security, and guarantee the U.S, with internationally agreed, upon rights to exploit strategic minerals." he emphasized. Should the U.S. back down now or attempt to extract major new concessions - from other nations, he concluded, the result couldwell be the "Shattering of the fragile global LOS consensus."

Terns Get New, Safe Homesite

BRIGANTINE-Thanks to a cooperative effort among a developer, a municipality, an environmental consultant, and the State of New Jersey, a significant least lern nesting colony is gettinga new lease on life. The least tern is one of New Jersey’s endangered species and a major colony of them, on Peter's Beach

residential and townhouse

project

THE, NESTING SITE Consisted of about seventenths of an acre on Gull Cove which up to 150 birds have occupied for several years, and which is in danger of being destroyed by the proposed development by Brigantine Cove Associates. However, under formal

Sheeran. Included in this figure are Medicare’s annual deductibles and copayments as well as the cost of health care services Medicare doesn’t cover at all. "ADDING Ttt MEDICARE" is a complete revision of an earlier deportment guide for senior citizens. The new ^.gtiide outlines Medicare bemefits, desefibes the types of insurance policies that supplement Medicare and lists 10 rules for buying and‘using private insurance. The guidii also explains the state^e new minimum standaros. for health insurance and thg type of policies and policy provisions permitted under these new regulations. Insurance companies must provide free copies of the guide to senior citizens who apply for a policy to supplement Medicare. Copies wilj also be available fro£ of charge from the County Offices on Aging. Individual copies are available from tbe New Jersey Department of Insurance, 201, E State St., CN-325, Trenton, 08625

at Gull Cove here, wasv agreement- with the standing in the way of a developer, the city and the State Division of Fish,. Game atid Wildlife and the Division of ’ Coastal o Resources, a new nesting habitat has been established about a half-mile away, on a portion of the cityowned beachfront THE NEW SITE consists of three-tenths of a acre of ’’improved habitat", plus a kurroundirtg buffer area to nisure that the birds won't btKdisturbed. The least terms nesting habits are fraught* with potential dangers The birds nest on tlje b^af-hes and are partiebjar about their habitat They prefer^areas with a plentiful supply of broken

shells.

These birds, because of

their nesting requirements, are jn constant danger from flood tides, human disturbances from beach goers, and .dephadation v from dogs. .cats, and various forms of wildlife w UNDER TERMS of agf?emef\t. the new nesting area has been im proved by the clearing of vegetation and the addition of six inches of broken shells In addition, a fence has been installed to protect the site, and, beginning with the terns nesting time ' n«^tt year (mid May trtroMgh September), a warden will he hirerf for five months to patrol the site to protect the birds and educate the public as to the habits of the .birds. Funds * for this project, amounting •to $1,800 annually, will be paid fiy the developer Ms. Joan GaHi, nongame biologist for the Division of Fish, (Janie and Wildlife, stiid jhe agreement was a perfect example of how*, through sincere cooperation. wildlife can Im* pro tdeted and enhanced without having to halt all development.

Pineland Landfill Ht •arings

"Stand Firm, Men! It's A Bluff!"

NEW LISBON The New Jersey Pinelands Commission will hqld three public hearings late- this

Diseases Helping Bug Bugs

WASHINGTON, D C. - Insects can be real pests. They bite and sting us, often passing on serious diseases, destroy our crops, and as <California’s Mediterranean fruit fly epidemic demonstrate, they can threaten an entire state’s economy. But ac- • cordirig to the current issue of Ranger Rick’s Nature Magazine, farmers and gardeners are fighting back without using harmful pesticides by "trying to gi^e diseases to insCcLs." ,

"K

ofs s re\ n ill \fc

Many growers use a sort of "germ warfare" to rid their crops and gardens of harmful insects. Their weapons are various micro-organisnfs such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi. The environmental advantage to these micro-'organisms is that they afe "species specific," meaning they do their dirty work on only one

insect species Unlike pesticides* they don’t wipe out all the bugs in their path, some of which may be beneficial to the

gardeniyy

THE * NATIONAL Wildlife Federation mon thly publication for young people notes that a strain ol bacteria called milky spore disease is often used to kill Japanese beetles, a com mon garden pest Cotton growers also use germ warfare to fight what is probably the most commercially damaging insect, the cotton bollworm The insects' larvae are buried deep inside the cotton boll, where pesticides can’t reach. So nematodes, tiny wormlike organisms usually regarded as pests themselves, are applied to the cotton crop. Carrying with them a bacteria that kills the i bollworm larvae, the nematodes consume the dead embryo, leaving

the ..plant intact Certain bacteria-carrying rjeniatodes are also responsible for leveling such inkedts.as corn borers, cab bagewoym larvae, and tobacco buflworm larvae. UNFORTUNATELY, some strains (»f microorganisms can harm beneficial insects, for as Ranger Rick points out.' "just like people, insects can be infected with different kinds of bacteria, viruses, and fungi " While we don’t usually notice a bug with a buu the honeybee can be struck by two serious diseases feared

by beekeepers

"One of the worst diseases bee lavae can.get is called foulbrood," says Ranger Rick The disease is caused by a type of bacterium which kills the honeybee larvae, leaving behind a bad-smelling hive No cure has been found

The SOVEREIGN StATE ol AFFAIRS

summer to hear public testimony on the en vironmental impact of municipal and private landfills. Tile .purpose will be to prm rl- suggestions to the coin III i >ion from state and loe;il •tlltcials. represen tativo pi the landfill indusir . and the general publ,'- gaAling future ac lions e 'he commission . may i ke m regulation of solid u.istc facilities. THE HEARINGS, in •South: •p -m Township and ..n Township in fOcean .unity and Egg Harbor Township in AtrarK fie County, were scheduled' at the >:i|uest of South Jersey '--icnts who have expressi Concern over the ' health thre.i- posed by area landfills I'melands Commission Executive Director Ter rence Moore noted that groundwater degradation occurs when local landfills acchpt sludge or septage Given the Pinelands' soil and hydrologic structure., any type* of solid or liquid waste spill will affect local water quality to some degree. , The times and places for th. public hearings are p.esdntly being worked out Moore s|ated DAVID BOYD