CU Reporter Fall 2000

Sue Fenili’s Costa Rica Experience – The speaker for our November meeting will be Sue Fenili, a dynamite individual who was a contributor to CU’s award-winning “Down Jersey Celebrating Our Sense of Place” teachers’ curriculum. One of Millville’s most beloved educators, she teaches third grade at Silver Run School. Sue was one of only two New Jersey teachers awarded a grant from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation this summer to conduct research on Costa Rica’s Caterpillars with an Earth Watch team. At our next meeting she will present slides and describe her experiences in the Rainforest, highlighting her close encounters with caterpillars and other challenges of the trip. We expect a great turnout for this fascinating lady!

Pinelands Preservation Alliance Presentation- At our last meeting Rich Bizub was a resounding success. His presentation included a slide show on the history, plants, wildlife, natural resources, and culture of the Pines. He also provided attendees with the compelling rationale for protecting and preserving this magnificent tract of land. He discussed current and future threats to the region and PPA’s approach to solving these issues. It was nice of him to take the time to share what other grassroots organizations are doing as stewards of our resources.

Rivers 2000 – On September 29 Citizens United Participated in a ?Pass the Paddle? event. This nationwide celebration of America’s rivers is intended to heighten awareness of our river’s resources, recreational value and revitalization. We asked the City of Millville to join us in receiving the Paddle from member Cheryl Fox of Al and Sam’s Canoe, Kayak and Boat Rentals. Citizens United honored the City for their revitalization projects on the downtown waterfront and their participation in the Wild and Scenic Rivers designation citing Millville for its recognition of both

the urban and wild settings. Mayor Quinn accepted the paddle on behalf of the City at the base of the Captain Buck statue on the Riverwalk. We asked members Marianne Lods, Gladis McGraw and Richard Jones to attend, representing the Arts District and the Neighborhood and Downtown Revitalization projects. We invited Kim Warker for her work as City Planner and for the development of the River Conservation Zone. Since April the paddle has been part of a flotilla of paddles that have been signed at river events all over the country. Eventually the paddles will be signed by the President and housed in the Smithsonian. After the Millville ceremonial signing the paddle was passed to the Bayshore Discovery Project.

Canoeing the Cohansey – On October 4, CU President Jane Morton Galetto and Trustee Leslie M. Ficcaglia participated in an Estuary and NJ DEP – sponsored event kicking off the DEP’s Watershed Management Approach. They canoed the river with County officials and DEP commissioner Robert Shinn. The finale of the trip was held on the Bridgeton waterfront when Cumberland County received a check for $400,000 in grants to be used for various watershed projects. Leslie shared in the program as vice chair of the County Planning Board, and assisted in receiving the ceremonial check on their behalf. CU plans to be an active participant in the watershed management program.
At this event the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and the NJ DEP also unveiled their publication “Exploring the Cohansey Watershed.” The staff of these organizations was kind enough to provide us with copies for our members.

New Brochure – “Maurice National Scenic and Recreational River, New Jersey,” a new brochure by the National Park Service/ US Department of the Interior, is hot off the presses. Mary Vavra, our representative in the regional office, has happily supplied us with copies for all our members. We had advocated for some time the importance of developing this piece. When this brochure was in development we were asked for our input. We think you will be pleased with the end result. If you need more copies just let us know.

Nextel Communication Tower – As of October 4, 2000 Nextel is pursuing an application to the Commercial Township Land Use Board for the construction of a communications tower within the Wild and Scenic area of the Maurice River watershed. CU’s policy is to oppose this type of commercial construction within the River Conservation Zones of the participating municipalities. The next possible meeting for the applicant to make a presentation is Wednesday, November 1, 2000 at 7 p. m. Commercial Township Hall. Please call the township hall closer to the date to determine if the applicant ion is scheduled- 785-3100, (ex. 20 – Leslie Kraus, secretary for the Land Use Board). We encourage people to let their objections be known in a concise and polite manner. Citizens United will also be represented by legal council.

www.cumauriceriver.org – Our website continues to be updated. Newsletters and other action items are sent to our e-mail hotline members. If you want to be included let us know, write [email protected]. Look for this newsletter with photos on the website. If you have ideas for slide show topics don’t be shy. The Purple Martin slide show is continuing to get good reviews and lots of visitors.

Please share this website with a friend, and invite them to join our ranks.