Category: opinion/the_cranbury_press

  • STATE WE’RE IN: Coyotes, New Jersey’s wild dogs

    By Michele Byers You’re in bed when suddenly the nighttime quiet is broken by a clamor of howls and yips. Or maybe you spot what looks like a stray shepherd-mix dog in your yard. They may be Eastern coyotes, wild relatives of domesticated dogs. Coyotes are now regularly seen even in New Jersey’s not-so-wild places.…

  • STATE WE’RE IN: New pump project latest threat

    By Michele Byers Nearly three years after Superstorm Sandy ravaged the New Jersey shore, the state is in the final phase of a massive project to rebuild Route 35, the main artery on the barrier island in northern Ocean County. As part of the project — which was actually in the planning stages prior to…

  • STATE WE’RE IN: Your brain on nature

    By Michele Byers Want to do something nice for your brain? You could eat fish, the reputed “brain food,” or try problem-solving, mend-bending exercises and puzzles. Or you could step into a quiet green space and give your mind a mini-break. A growing body of evidence suggests one of the things you can do for…

  • STATE WE’RE IN: Put brakes on damage to Pine Barrens forest

    By Michele Byers At 125,000 acres, Wharton State Forest in the Pine Barrens is by far the largest state-owned forest in New Jersey. In fact, it’s bigger than the land area of Essex and Hudson counties combined! This sprawling forest in the heart of the Pine Barrens is notable for its diversity of wildlife, including…

  • STATE WE’RE IN: Time to fast-track renewable energy

    By Michele Byers For the first time in four years, New Jersey is updating its Energy Master Plan, a blueprint for how this state we’re in uses and manages electricity. And unless you live “off the grid,” it affects you. This month, the state Board of Public Utilities is holding public hearings and accepting public…

  • STATE WE’RE IN: Kick plastic habit, help marine life

    By Michele Byers During hot summer days at the Jersey Shore, beaches are crowded with folks having fun in the sun. Unfortunately, lots of litter is left behind. All beach trash is bad, but the plastics that wash and blow into the sea are especially harmful. Plastics have become a major threat to marine life…

  • STATE WE’RE IN: Show spotlights New Jersey’s endangered creatures

    By Michele Byers What’s more fun than standing in a chilly downpour at night in March, filming volunteers as they help salamanders cross Shades of Death Road? For Jared Flesher, not much! An independent documentary filmmaker and New Jersey native, Jared revels in being outdoors and telling stories about nature, animals’ struggles for survival and…

  • STATE WE’RE IN: A strong voice urges climate action

    “The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all,” wrote Pope Francis in his recent encyclical or papal letter. The pope’s letter focused international attention on climate change, and he called on developed countries to limit use of non-renewable energy and help poorer nations deal with the impacts of global warming.…

  • STATE WE’RE IN: A.J. Meerwald, New Jersey’s tall ship

    By Michele Byers If you were asked to name a maritime state, New Jersey might not come to mind. But if you’ve cruised on New Jersey’s official state ship — the A. J. Meerwald — you know otherwise! This summer, you might have spotted the 70-feet-high and 85-feet-longoak-on-oak schooner as it sailed along New Jersey’s…