New Jersey: Beacon of Hope

Drove over to the Lamington River in Bedminster for another photo shoot of the Burnt Mills Remnant Dam, slated for removal in 2018 by Trout Scapes River Restoration LLC. Since I need photos for a couple of articles I hope to get published, I haven't posted most of what I shot.

Anticipate new holes for stocked trout and smallmouth bass, since Trout Scapes will do more work than just take out the dam. Dams come down; rivers and streams receive restoration work true to natural dynamics yet creating new possibilities within the larger context of a stream's general course.

It's all happening where the industrial revolution originated to greatest degree. If New Jersey will reach its ideal as The Garden State, then everywhere else on the planet will see a beacon of hope to look up to. After all, we're only the most populated state in the nation, the most built-up and industrialized with dozens of Superfund environmental clean-up sites to boast.   

Another Ice Blip

By the weather report, some safe ice in the New Jersey Highlands by Sunday and Monday at the latest will once again become sketchy with a return of milder weather. The bass pond near my house has featured open water for days on end. That was a nice early start to the ice season, and now I hope it gets cold and stays cold.

Otherwise, I just might take my fly rod and cast nymphs. 

Lake Hopatcong: Oppose the Measure to Limit Anchoring

Anchored 40 yards from Raccoon Island, Matt would be scratching his head, if he heard the news this past August about the proposal.

I just got word from NJ Fishing.com that legislation is proposed to outlaw anchoring 200 feet or closer to shore on Lake Hopatcong between May 15th and September 15th each year. Some people don't like the partying on boats in Byram Cove, and we all know what nefarious political solutions  can arise when power gets involved; power that doesn't care about the rest of us, if we don't care for ourselves. If enough of us write to oppose this measure, they'll listen. Someone on NJ.com has suggested that in writing a protest letter, we ask for an exception clause for fishermen. I further add that if the politicians learn of who and how they would deprive, they will feel less inclined to do this. Tell them why you value fishing on the lake, why it matters to anchor in close. Tell them why fishing the lake matters to you, make a connection in the email you send.

This is the language on page two of the New Jersey State Police website: "At the request of citizens who own property along the shores of Lake Hopatcong, particularly in Byram Cove, and after consultation with State Police Marine Services Bureau, the BRC proposes new N.J.A.C.
13:82-3.11(l) to prohibit certain activities on the lake between May 15 and September 15 of each year. These restrictions will alleviate crowding and dangerous behavior during the height of the boating season when the lake is most crowded. Specifically, the BRC proposes to prohibit vessel from anchoring closer than 200 feet from the shoreline. The BRC also proposes to prohibit the tethering of a raft or tube more than 20 feet from an anchored vessel and prohibit more than
10 vessels from anchoring together (commonly known as rafting)"

Here's who to write:             

                

Edward Harrison Jr., acting Chair Boat Regulation Commission, c/o Marine Services Bureau, Div of State Police, POB 7068, West Trenton NJ 08628 . His email is  LPPMSB@gw.njsp.org           

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