Opponents of dredged material dumping in Sea Bright on Jan. 23, 2000 (Michael Goldfinger/Staff Photographer)
Today is my last day at the Asbury Park Press – my home away from home for 30 years – and the memories are myriad.
I have worked with hundreds of talented reporters, editors, photographers, videographers, graphic artists, designers, librarians, clerks and other staffers. We often put in long hours to produce a high-quality daily newspaper, and it’s been a rewarding team effort.
I have talked with vast numbers of people, including citizens, environmental activists, scientists, engineers, health experts, business people and public officials. The vast majority of folks were friendly and helpful, but some may still be mad at me.
Is this the beginning of the end for the Pinelands?
Over the decades, I have written about scores, perhaps hundreds, of environmental issues. They include ocean dumping, toxic waste dumps, sea level rise, indoor radon, ground-level ozone, beach and dune erosion, childhood lead poisoning, piping plovers, box jellyfish, hurricanes, nanoparticles, offshore wind power and nuclear leaks.
My reporting experience was almost always enlightening and, very rarely, risky. I have visited the environs of the former 106-mile sewage sludge dump site. I have worn a personal monitor to record my exposure to volatile organic chemicals. I’ve been sprayed with hydraulic fluid on a boat. And I have seen juvenile bald eagles up-close.
$50M taken from NJ child protection lead fund
All told, I have posted more than 1,100 EnviroGuy blogs since 2009 and typed thousands of stories since Earth Day ’85, when I joined the Press. Needless to say, it’s been an amazing journey.
Thanks very much for reading my work and that of my colleagues. I hope it’s been compelling and useful.
Finally, here’s a selection of headlines on my stories since the early days (some of the dates may be off, but they’re what I found in our archives):
– Nov. 26, 1985: Study says `urban’ anglers ignore tips on seafood
– Jan. 10, 1986: Army says six waste cleanup reports closed to public
– May 28, 1987: Lavallette dunes called showcase
– Oct. 9, 1988: Radon among serious known health threats
– Nov. 8, 1989: Incinerator site may be rejected for Millstone
– Oct. 30, 1990: 1993 deadline looms in bill before Bush on sea wood-burning
– Jan. 20, 1991: Today the Asbury Park Press begins a periodic series entitled “Green Line,” a public service in which the Press will answer readers’ environmental questions. Todd B. Bates, the Press’ environmental writer since August 1985, will answer questions submitted through the Press’ electronic information system, PRESSTO…
– June 28, 1992: Last of the sludge barges sets sail
– Nov. 5, 1993: Survey shows landslides at ocean dump site
– Feb. 24, 1994: Whitman gives planning staffers a stay of execution
– Aug. 25, 1995: Scientists keeping eye on brown tides
– March 26, 1996: Stakes high in suit over Ciba-Geigy cleanup bills
– June 6, 1997: An Imperial mess
– July 23, 1998: Waves of jellyfish plague beaches
– May 30, 1999: Trailer park’s water system often rated unacceptable
– May 19, 2000: Blueprint for the Manasquan
– Dec. 17, 2000: Pollution bounty hunters are MIA
– June 2, 2001: A gusher of dissent for at-sea drilling
– Jan. 20, 2002: TAKING THE MEASURE OF NOR’EASTERS
– Aug. 28, 2003: Wash-ups not from dumping
– Nov. 21, 2004: Tainted plume spreading from airport site in Wall
– Aug. 25, 2005: Cleanup, transfer of property take time
– Dec. 17, 2006: Recent storms cause unusually high waves
– Sept. 5, 2007: Official: Beach wash-up was “disgusting”
– May 26, 2008: Ocean water cleaner, but problems remain
– April 1, 2009: Disposing of litter bugs
– Aug. 23, 2010: Our raging Earth: A year of extreme weather, natural disasters in NJ
– Jan. 23, 2011: Nanoparticles: Boon or bane to our health?
– June 3, 2012: Weaker DEP oversight lets polluters avoid fines
– Aug. 27, 2013: Virus is likely killer of dolphins
– Nov. 8, 2014: Number of piping plovers in N.J. falls to record low
– Jan. 4, 2015: $50 million taken from NJ child protection fund
Take care, dear readers. Stay safe!
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