JeffD said:
The NJ Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan says that agricultural development in the Pine Barrens doesn't come under the commission's review. " Agriculture - Agriculture is not only a valuable industry in the Pinelands -- it contributes significantly to the unique character of the region. The blueberry and cranberry industry's dependence on large quantities of pure water has greatly contributed to the ecological stability of the region. Agricultural-related development is generally exempt from Pinelands Commission review."
Agricultural Experiment Station must be followed where appropriate. In designated Agricultural Production Areas of the Pinelands, farming operations are exempted from "nuisance" ordinances which inhibit efficient crop production."
Like many of the cases against cranberry growers, DeMarco may not have realized he needed a permit. Interferring with a man's business is alot worse than throwing a little dirt on a pond.
So now we are getting really specific Jeff. Good, we are getting somewhere. Finally I have something to address.
You have chosen to champion the cause of Garfeild DeMarco, who got caught filling in 22 acres of wetlands without a permit in order to develop more cranberry bogs. Jeff, it is baffling to me why you chose to ardently defend a man who is a millionaire several times over. You have this insane feeling he is justified in what he did, that the “environmental whackos†were the cause of his troubles, and that if you do not stand up for him and his kind, that the entire cranberry industry will wither and die, along with the South Jersey economy in that area.
For the record, I was really upset with him when he converted those wetlands into cranberry bogs. I also greatly admire him for selling his land to the conservation foundation. These two acts are mutually exclusive and should be treated as such. Unlike you Jeff, I give credit where credit is due. You lump people such as avid environmentalists into one big bag and continually piss on them, as if any individuals in the bag no longer have any value.
Now lets get some of your facts straightened out. You seem to think filling in wetlands is okay under the comprehensive management plan because a) if one follows agricultural management practices…..and b) the area is exempted from “nuisance ordinancesâ€.
Jeff, read this loud and clear; the practice of permitting for and the actual filling in of sensitive wetlands (or any wetlands) is covered under existing federal and state laws, it is not covered under agricultural management practices. And those nuisance ordinances in the plan you would have them hide beneath only pertains to local municipal ordinances such as controlling farming dust and odors. It does not mean that Federal and State wetland laws can be disregarded.
You say you think DeMarco may not have realized he needed a permit? Did you realize that the cranberry grower community (of which he is a very influential member of) lobbied the state for the right to fill in 300 acres of wetlands. If they knew they had to ask, why did Demarco do it without permission? He knew he was wrong. He knew it and not only paid the ridiculously low initial fine, but he relinquished his rights to develop other property he owned. He did that as part of the deal to avoid a heavier fine.
You are also seriously uniformed about the value of wetlands, or since the information regarding their value can be found in articles mixed in with words such as “nature†and “environmentâ€, you choose to ignore the information. The value of wetlands in filtering water, providing nesting sites and structure for wildlife habitat, and in providing habitat for endangered and threatened species is indisputable. And although some would argue a cranberry bog is a wetland, it is not a premium and prime wetland, such as a cedar or hardwood swamp. How can you honestly classify what he did in turning prime wetland into a cranberry bog as “throwing a little dirt on a pondâ€. For all we know Jeff, when he did that, he buried threatened plants as Helonias Bullata, Schizaea Pusilla, Narthecium Americanum, and Tolfieldia racemosa. And did you know Jeff, that the NJ Department of Fish and Wildlife were the ones to nab him via arial photography, and that they were absolutely livid with anger at him and his cronies in Trenton for treating him lightly? It was not the environmentalists you so greatly trounce and demean.
People who destroy wetlands in New Jersey (DeMarco is not the only man to do so) do it because land is at premium in NJ, they want that land, and they think they can get away with it. Does that make it right?
Now consider that there is a cranberry glut in the market. Did you know that cranberries are being vigorously promoted in Asia by Ocean Spray? I don’t know about you Jeff, but I could care less if the Japanese ever eat Pine Barren grown cranberries, and I’ll be damned if I want to see the farmers over here expand their cranberry operations (legally or illegally) just so some factory worker in Beijing can pack a pouch of them in his lunch.
