HCTA January 2012 Update (emailed to members)

Happy New Year HCTA Members!

The HCTA Board will be meeting this month to work on a number of items. The following highlights some of the key items.

BLVD Safety – We continue to pursue the safer BLVD design for Harvey Cedars and along with the Borough we are developing strategies that might cause the County and neighboring towns to grant us the safer road. We have also reached out to the Tri-State Transportation Campaign to see how they might be able to help us with BLVD. TSTC is a non profit organization that works to create more sustainable, equitable and transit friendly communities in New Jersey and other states. They conduct advocacy, education, coalition building and legislative work that results in safer roads, livable communities, and more attractive walking, biking, and transit routes. That being said- The BLVD Safety issue also made the Sandpaper in December. Though Hurricane Irene targeting the Shore was the BIG news of 2011. What was number 4 on the Sandpaper 2011 Countdown of Newsworthy Items? The HCTA/Harvey Cedars fight for a safer BLVD. To quote the Sandpaper: Responding to complaints from resident and visitors, Harvey Cedars officials wanted to turn the four lane Long Beach BLVD in to a 2 lane roadway with a center turning lane and wider shoulders to more safely accommodate pedestrians and cyclists. Barnegat Light officials worried the configuration would impede evacuation and first aid responders and turn shoppers away from the northern end of the Island. Perhaps no other issue resulted in as many Letters to the Editor in the Sandpaper- ALL year long. In the end there was no change made to the roadway, which is controlled by Ocean County, but the issue is yet to be resolved. WE NEED TO KEEP THIS ISSUE IN THE PAPER! And, we need to stagger these letters and keep the flow steady. Please, even if you have already written a letter, take 5 minutes to sit down and email another letter to the Sandpaper. OR- mark your calendar to write a letter to the editor next week or next month. The point is, if we want to see change for a safer BLVD, we have to keep this issue out there and we need all the help we can get! The Sandpaper letters/editor email address is: letters@thesandpaper.net. Thank you. New Trustees – If you are interested in serving our community as a HCTA Trustee, please contact me through our website (or by replying to this email). We would like to have new Trustees in place by this Spring. Annual HCTA Garage Sale – Mark you calendars and start cleaning out your closets our Town Wide Yard Sale is coming in May! It will take place on Saturday, May 26th, Memorial Day weekend. This year the HCTA is making arrangements with Goodwill Industries of South New Jersey and Philadelphia to provide a drop off site where “left over items” can be donated. We will be coordinating this effort with the Borough and will let you know the drop off location once it is determined. If you would like to help us with the garage sale please contact us by responding to this email. Finally, we would like to let you know about the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences (LBIF) 2012 Science Saturdays series of presentations designed to enlighten and entertain. This is a great community service, we hope our members can take advantage of this opportunity. Presented in a relaxed, social setting, the presentations are free to all and cover a wide range of environmental issues. Best of all, they are presented in an easy-to-understand, layman-focused manner. The series begins Saturday, January 21st and continues through Saturday April 7th. Sessions are held at the Foundation in Loveladies from 11:00 until noon. Coffee will be served, so please join your friends and neighbors for these informative sessions, the first of which, on January 21st deals with “The Energy Independence Project: 20/20 by 20202.” Presented by John Petralia, this session will attempt to answer the question: Can LBI become energy-independent by the year 2020? Please the the schedule below. On behalf of our Board of Trustees, have a good month and please let us know if you would like to volunteer or have suggestions! Sincerely, Phil Kunz, President January 21st: The Energy Independence Project. Speaker: John Petralia Also given at the Surf City Library at 1:30. January 28th: Perspective on Gov. Christie’s 10 Point Plan for Banegat Bay: Speaker: Gef Flimlin February 4th: History and Ecology of Barnegat Bay: Speaker: Marc LaBella February 11th: Defenders of Wildlife: Speaker: Frank Zalvino February 18th: The Coast Guard on LBI: Speaker: Mark DeBonis, CPO USCG Febraury 25th:Understanding of EStuarine Ecosystems: Speaker: Roland K. Hagan March 3rd: Overview of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge: Speaker: Virginia Rettig. Also given at the Maritime Museum in Beach Haven at 1:30 March 10th: Birding 101: Speaker: Susan Puder and Linda Gangi March 17th: The NJ Osprey Project: Speaker: Ben Wurst March 24th: Magnificent Monarchs: Speaker: Mary Lenahan March 31st: Beneath the Garden State; Exploring Aquatic NJ. Speaker: Herb Segars Also given at the Maritime Museum in Beach Haven at 1:30 April 7th: Turtles and terrapins: No Place to Rest. Speaker: John Wnek All sessions begin at 11:00. Please note that several presentations will also be repeated at the above noted locations. For More Information, call the LBIF at 609-494-1241