New Jersey Outdoor Alliance Report

(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association November 2010 Newsletter)

On behalf of the JCAA, I attended a September 27th meeting of the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance (NJOA) and the following issues were discussed.

Mr. Henri Aymonier gave a presentation on how the NJOA can have a fundraiser by having its membership enroll with an energy supplier called Viridian. Due to deregulation in the electrical industry, users can choose energy suppliers like Viridian instead of regular suppliers like JCP&L or PSE&G for their electrical needs and lower their monthly bills. Organizations like the NJOA can receive money ($2) for each member that signs on with Viridian. No decisions were made to go with Viridian. NJOA staff will review the merits of this type of program.

Mr. Jonathan Sauers, Show Director of ASA/ Eastern Fishing & Outdoor Exposition, LLC talked about the various hunting and fishing shows that are coming up next year that will be of interest to all hunters and anglers. He also indicated that he wants to work with the NJOA to get the word out to sportsmen on critical issues facing us like the banning of lead for use in sinkers in saltwater fisheries. We need to know these type of threats that we face so that we can be better prepared to overcome them.

NJOA Chairman, Anthony Mauro, reported that it was hard in the past to get the ears of the prior administration in Trenton on important issues. This situation has now changed with the present administration in power. The NJOA is now asked for its advice on hunting, fishing and forestry issues. In essence, the NJOA had to work from the bottom up and now it is working from the top down with the administration in Trenton. Much of this change is due to the NJOA’s reaching out to numerous legislators to explain its position on various hunting and fishing issues. NJOA’s representative Tom Connors is organizing a Legislative Caucus on October 18th for this purpose.

The NJOA is working with our state DEP to work out the details of forming future artificial reefs. The U.S.S. Radford, a 563 foot destroyer, is being prepared to be sunk to form the biggest artificial reef on the east coast. It is now docked in Philadelphia and its former crewmembers were recently invited to see it before it gets towed out to sea and sunk. Three states, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey, shared in the cost to prepare the Radford to be used as an artificial reef and its new location will be readily accessible to anglers from all three states. Kudos go to Mr. Bill Figley who first brought the availability of the Radford to the attention of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association and the JCAA petitioned our state’s former EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson, to pursue the US Navy in obtaining the decommissioned USS Radford for use as an artificial reef. Bill Figley is largely responsible for NJ’s artificial reef program.

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