Area youth studying oil spill recovery in Alaska

Local sites part of Hands Across the Sand event June 26 protesting offshore drilling

BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer

Jake Calvitti has been lobbying against drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska since the age of 10.

After five years of working with the Alaska Wilderness League, the now 15- year-old freshman at Allentown High School received a scholarship to the Prince William Sound Science Center and the Oil Spill Recovery Institute in Cordova, Alaska, to learn about oil spills and cleanup. He will spend two weeks this summer near the site of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.

“I will be learning about the best techniques, equipment and materials for dealing with oil spills, and also to identify chemical and physical impacts on the environment,” said Calvitti, a resident of the Cream Ridge section of Upper Freehold. “I will also be working with a local marine scientist, taking a four-day kayak expedition and traveling to Valdez to see the effects from the oil spill.”

Calvitti’s interest in oil drilling and spill recovery stems from his continued passion for marine biology since the age of 5. He plans to attend The Peddie School in Hightstown next year and to major in marine biology in college.

“I attribute this passion to all the years I took nature classes, volunteered and interned at the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor [in Cape May County],” he said.

He began working with the Alaska Wilderness League to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats, and traveled to Washington, D.C., on three occasions to lobby against drilling for oil in the Arctic Refuge.

“As of recently, the government stopped Shell’s plans for offshore drilling this year,” Calvitti said. “Shell would be providing the economy with many jobs but at what possible cost to the environment? There are many people living in that region that are hunting whales and providing for their families. Hopefully, Obama’s decision to delay offshore drilling will give us an opportunity to learn from the Gulf spill.”

Calvitti believes the responsibility for the oil spill in the Gulf “lies with BP and ourselves.”

“The regulations should be toughened, but we are a nation that demands great quantities of oil,” he said. “I believe that we need more scientific research that would help us learn to contain the damage from such disasters and prevent them in the first place. We consume so much oil, gasoline and plastic, so we must accept the responsibilities for these environmental disasters. I hope to see more progress in research, conservation and renewable energy.”

He also noted that New Jersey senators and environmental groups are speaking out against the Obama administration’s plans to open up the Atlantic Ocean to oil exploration and offshore drilling. This would include sites along the Virginia coast, near Cape May and in the Delaware Bay.

“This offshore drilling poses the risk of oil spills ruining our beaches, bringing harm to those who live, work and vacation along our coast, as well as harming habitats critical to plants and animals,” Calvitti said.T

hose interested in protesting offshore drilling and/or advocating for clean energy can join Hands Across the Sand on June 26. During the international event, people across the world will join hands on beaches and in parks and cities, united against the dangers that offshore oil drilling present to oceans and marine wildlife, fishing industries and coastal economies, according to Hands Across the Sand.

Hands Across the Sand’s mission is to convince leaders to abandon expanded offshore oil drilling and adopt policies that encourage clean and renewable energy resources.

Those interested in attending are asked to meet at the site at 11 a.m. At noon, participants will form a line and join hands for 15 minutes.

New Jersey sites include the following:

• Pier Village Beach, 1 Chelsea Ave., Long Branch. Contact Emilie Carinha at [email protected].

• Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park, main entrance, Joline Avenue, Long Branch. Meet at picnic tables by snack bar at pavilion. Contact Shawn Torbert at [email protected].

• Brick, Brick Beach I. Group will start at Brick Ocean Beach 1, 310 Route 35 north. Contact John Bernyk at shoreguitarshop@ yahoo.com or at 848-448-7792.

For more information about and additional New Jersey sites set for Hands Across the Sand, visit handsacrossthesand. org.