42 \ ■ , - . Capital Comments Beaches: 50 Years Left? By HKN. .IAMKN HURLKY Vacatiorwrs npend about 93 billion a ye^r to enjoy the beachea at the New Jemey shore Unless some action is taken and soon, some engineers predict the Garden State's beaches ma)»eorhpletely disappear within the next ’50 year* Inch by inch, every year a little more of our beachesare washed away The torrential rains our area ha* recently expericndW have aggravated the situation Three major coastal atohn* since January have nearly destroyed the sand dunes In Strathmere, washing away 900,000 worth of sand l,ocal officials have still not decided If it is worth the expense to rebuild the dunes only to have them subject to the whims of nature OTHER HKA( HEN have been severely damaged as well The beachfront at Cape May State Park has slowly washed away over the last three year* Many communities would like to restore sand to their damaged beachfronts, but find it is not financially feasible I am sponsoring legislation that will aid municipalities In.protecting their beaches My bill calls for the issuance of 970 million of state bonds to fund projects thol will restore, maintain and protect our beaches New Jersey'.*-growing population, expanding commer cinl developmenl and booming tourist trade all require a shoreline'thdi Is adequately protected from erosion THE BONH IHNCE calls .for 950 million for state shore protection projects and 920 million for loans to municipalities to lake care of their own tieaches Our beaches are not Just beautiful areas to visit They are vital to our state’s economic prosperity and to our own survival When a major hurricane hits, beaches serve ns a natural buffer zone against high wind* and rising water The federal government Is providing some assistance In replenishing our beaches A 912 million program Is cur rently underway at Gateway National Recreation Area in Sandy Hook Hut federal funds and local funds alone are not suffl dent to curb the erosion of our 1.17 miles of coastline We need financial assistance from all levels of government to solve this massive problem •

opinion

‘ Life and Ixive of the Horseshoe Crab, ’ a guided walk to look at this fascinating "living fotfsir and its annual breeding cycle will be conducted by the Wetlands Institute on Saturday. May 28. Join Institute staff members at Hidwell* Ditch at the end of Reed's Beach Rood at 3 p.m to explore the beach for horseshoe crab* and view thousands of migrating shoreblrds which feed on crab eggs Bring binoculars For fee information and to register, call 368-1211

Herald A Lantern 18 May ’83

Lookin' and Listenin'

Ancient Creatures

By DOROTHY D. FREAS Ixwking along the beaches of Delaware Bav at this time of year, the tide mark Is sometimes formed by the bodies or shells of Horseshoe Crabs. They do have a longer name (Llmulus polyphemus) and an even longer ancestry, descending almost unchanged from the Trilobitcs of 300 million years ago. Looking at a live one, you will sec that it ha* a shelly covering, its body quite separate from the horny head. This body section ends In a double pointed edge, with a real spike for a tail that is hinged between the points When this ponderous animal gets flipped over on Its back by a wave reaching up on the sand, it usually can turn itself over by using that sharp tail as a lever. In early Spring, the female, who is larger than the male, digs a small depression In the wet sand and deposits hundreds of cloudy greenish eggs that are less than one-eighth of an Inch In size The tide covers over these eggs with sand, and they develop in about a month Tiny hungry crabs float out on a tide into the bay A* they grow, their shell slits from time to time on the under side, and it floats out. temporarily soft, but larger A* far as we know, the Horseshoe Crab ha* only one use That is as fertilizer — which seems a sad ending for such an ancient creature

Sea Isle Police Praised We wish to thank members of the Sea Isle City police force l.t Barry Grosso, Detective Michael l-arkinand Patrolman Joseph Brennan - for their kindness, con xlderatlon and extreme effort for arresting two persons in our restaurant In the middle of the night When we saw the burned matches all over the floor, we were very upset, thinking about the hard work that went into putting the restaurant together The police were so patient and nice to us JEANNE BLAIR ■BILL DICK The Water's Edge Restaurant Sea Isle City

fyi you hove an opinion on Ihi* sufijec f? WrMr oietfer in the editor, Herofd and l.ahlrrn. P O Box 430. Cope May Court House. N J 0*210

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Lesson From the Pear Tree

By CLARK CAMPBELL IT I’AYH to keep one * eyes wide open I have never t>een one to stare Just at the yellow line when driving down the highway Not loo long ago, we spotted a beautiful pear tree, heavy with fruit, growing In the gravel of the road s shoulder No one planted it there. I’m sure, and obviously no one had cured for it. the weeds were waist deep The only explana lion Is that a tiny, shiny, black seed had been dropped there by a lard or possibly by one of the roadmen, taking a few minutes to eat his lunch Anyway, completely unattended, that tree had flourish ed Some perfect pears still held to their branches, hut many more had ripened and fallen A bonanza' We gathered a couple dozen and I couldn't waif to get home to make spiced pears It 's so easy to do. too f Simply wash, pare, core and cut into quarters, then cook In water to which I added sugar, cinnamon and a few whole cloves When they are very soft. I put them in glass jars and seal There they sit In our panlrv. their peachy pink elegance shining through at me

How good they'll taste when the snow is sifting down and I’m eating my lamb chop < Mint Jelly with lamb’’ Certainly Hut that will go by the board as long as our spiced pears last i THAT HANDMOMK pear tree yielded me a lot more than fruit It seemed to say: Take a goad look at me! /’ve oof been babfed in some wrtl kppt garden, /’ve had na plant food - not even a stoke to keep me ntralght I'vp withstood neglect, drought, gales. Ire. snow ~ the worhir' Yet. an I once overheard someone quote Martin Lather IIF.RF. I STAND I got the message That tree was showing me how to behave I shall visit It again when all its leaves have fallen I'll admire Its almost perpendicular branches Then, come Spring. I’ll go again to see its tiny new leaves and its pearly buds; then the wide-open blossoms Whitman observed that the running blackberry could adorn the parlors of Heaven Absolutely true! I should like to add the alabaster flowers of my pear tree Clare Campbell is a freelance writer and poet

Beware of Redheads and Ceminis County’s Key Problem Solved

By JOE ZKLNIK An innocent remark can cause a lot of trouble when spread out in front of 82,OCX) readers (there are 2.5 of you per household, perusing these pages, aren't there 7 ) Two weeks ago, I reported the undeniable, scientific fact that women who color their hair blonde are twice as expensive as brunettes Result V* Natural blondes were angry because it suggested there was no such thing Artificial blondes were angry because it suggested they were extravagant BRUNETTES were angry because It suggested ihey were not ns valuable as blondes And red-haired women were absolutely furious because it made-no mention at all of them (It even upset gray haired ladies, but fortunately there are few of them nowadays, apparently because of changes in our diet i , I was not surprised, incidentally, that redheads were in censed Everyone knows that all redheads are fiery, irrn tional and,bad tempered You show me a redhead and I'll show you a person with freckles all over his/her body On ly one thing is worse than a redhead — a (female > Gemini That will be interpreted. 1 suppose, as still another In dicatinn of my innate, Inbred, Inane sexism Not really It's Just that I tend to know the astrological sigas of females, but not of males Am I supposed to grab a stool at the “Ugly Mug. look into the eyes of the fellow alongside, wearing cleated shoes and a baseball cap, and ask. “Are you a Libra 7 '' I'd probably get a knuckle sandwich FEMALE RKADERH are still fuming over the “blonde

comment" when, last week, I referred to a bank employe as "a pretty young lady." Would I refer to a male bank employe as a handsome young man? 1 was challenged. They had me I do, in fact, think of women differently than men But I am strongly opposed to discrimination based on sex I think women should be paid the same as men. I also think they should pick up the tab for dinner half the time I have tried to be fair to women. Only last week, for ex ample. In a story I wrote about mosquitoes, 1 purposely avoided pointing out that only females sting WHICH REMINDN ME: I have some advice to reward those of you who read this far My friend and fellow columnist Dorothy Frcas has told me how to solve Cape May County s most serious problem getting rid of mos qultbes without smearing the ceiling Take an old mop or broom handle and cut it flat on the lower end Nail a metal cover of a peanut butter Jar, Or something similar, to the cut end of the handle, forming a flat cup Fold a piece of tissue or paper towel in three or four layers to fit within the bottom of the lid Moisten that with kerosene If the mosquito Is on the ceiling, cup him (or hen with the lid for a second or two and he (or she) will fall Into It, dead If the mosquito is on the wall, just keep the handle parallel to the wall, placing the lid Just below the little devil, and get the same results Keep the tissue kerosene moist of course. I presume this works, but it sounds a bit complicated I might Just settle for pink polka dot walls and ceilings like the rest of you