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ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS HERALD |
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Dear Editor I always eagerly await Joe Reynolds' weekly column in the Herald. His knowledge of the natural world and especially that of Sandy Hook's ecosystem never ceases to amaze me. HOWEVER, this week's column through no fault of Mr. Reynolds, is not completely accurate and is based on information contained in a recent National Park Service Press Release. The press release issued by the NPS announcing an "open house" for the public on July 13, 2006 for the Endangered Species Management Plan and this week's Joe Reynolds column both cite the link http://parkplanning.nps.gov to go to for submitting comments and assumedly for information. If one visits the aforementioned quoted link and does a search for the said plan. the NPS's website window states that." No results met your search criteria. You can change your search criteria and search again." In fact, unless you actually attended the July 13, 2006 "open house," you would not be able to find any information at the NPS website for the "open house" and/or on the "plan" that the NPS says that they are seeking comments on. When you submit a request for documents/information at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/thankYouRequest.cfm?parkID=237, the following appears. In fact, if it were not for some dedicated followers that have been and are tenaciously concerned with saving the public national parklands at Sandy Hook from private-for-profit take over, email addresses to submit comments to would not be available to the public. Without these committed individuals SNAIL MAIL would have remained the only option for submitting the public' concerns/comments by the July 30, deadline. With no information available on the NPS website and only minimal literature offered at the "open house'' it is hard for the public to know exactly what they are expected/asked to comment on. But if you are among those that fear for the endangered, threatened, native species and complete public access for all at Sandy Hook please forward your statements, comments and concerns to If you would like your Federal/State elected officials to know what you think of the National Park Service's methods for seeking public comment and /or the land use management plans that will determine the forever fate for the Hook's natural resources, please copy and paste your comments in /at the suggested following links http://www.state.nj.us/cgi-bin/governor/govmail/govmail_1.pl The piping plover has been recently publicized as one species that is in harm's way. However, other not so renowned species will suffer as well from the far-reaching private commercialization cumulative impacts that the NPS has planned for the north end of the Hook. Nine Osprey nests will have to be relocated. Soil/sand disturbance, storm water runoff, sewage treatment and infrastructure to serve the employees of the office complexes and year round traffic are only a few of the inevitable results from the NPS planned promoted sprawl at the Hook. Re-assigned/relocated parking for seasonal visitors will be restricted and limited for the sake of private enterprise. The bottom line is that all the Hook's species, animal, vegetable, mineral and human are endangered/threatened by placing public lands in private hands. Carole Balmer
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