News Flash !!!
www.cleanoceanaction.org
During our December 15th Board meeting it was unanimously decided to add Clean Ocean Action (COA), a NJ non-profit environmental group to our website. COA has a wealth of information regarding arguably our most important assets as a taxpayer in Brant Beach, our ocean and its beaches.
Cindy Zipf, the Executive Director of COA spoke to our membership several years ago about the role they played in getting our beaches back open during the mid 1980’’s. For those who were not here those summers, all types of medical waste, including syringes and needles, was washing up on our shores resulting in both beaches and the ocean being closed for days and weeks at a time. It was through the efforts of COA that the source of the dumping off both NY and NJ was discovered, and they prevailed in having it stopped, with the beaches restored.
Below is an excerpt from their website. We recommend you review COA’s activities and subscribe to their notifications. We believe you will become a more informed taxpayer on who’s watching our ocean and the creatures within it.
John Fiore
President
Brant Beach Taxpayers Association
COA Mission Statement
“Our goal is to improve the degraded water quality of the marine waters off the New Jersey/New York coast.”
COA uses research, education, and citizen action to unite and empower people to protect the ocean.
Clean Ocean Action is a 501(c)3 tax exempt nonprofit organization.
Clean Ocean Action is a leading national and regional voice working to protect waterways using science, law, research, education, and citizen action.
Our successful campaigns:
- Improve programs and laws that protect public health at swimming beaches.
- Reduce plastics and litter that pollute waterways, spoil beautiful beaches, and harm or kill marine life including turtles, whales, seals, birds, and fish.
- Protect coasts from oil and gas drilling in the ocean, including Maine to Florida.
- Establish the nation’s first Clean Ocean Zone to start a national chain reaction for all coasts.
- Reduce toxins in waterways to ensure fish and shellfish are free of pollution and safe to eat.
- Educate and motivate citizens from the small to the tall.
Clean Ocean Action (COA) is a broad-based coalition of 125 active boating, business, community, conservation, diving, environmental, fishing, religious, service, student, surfing, and women’s groups. These “Ocean Wavemakers” work to clean up and protect the waters of the New York Bight. The groups came together in 1984 to investigate sources, effects, and solutions of ocean pollution. What follows is a description of the network.
Under the guidance of COA’s Board of Trustees, COA’s staff researches pollution issues affecting the marine environment, then formulates policy and campaigns to eliminate each pollution source. The staff then coordinates and organizes the Ocean Wavemakers (Participating Organizations, Concerned Businesses, Educators for a Clean Ocean, and Concerned Citizens) to use their individual experience and expertise to help. Press events, rallies, writing letters, making phone calls, testifying at public hearings, and distributing literature are just some of the ways members of the coalition become involved.
With eight ocean dumpsites closed, powerful new clean water laws on the books, and a greater public awareness of the ocean and its improved health, it’s clear the system works.
Read About COA’s 30 Years of Making Waves in the True Blue Book.