Burleigh Residents Honored by Environmental Group

CAPE MAY — The county’s two favorite environmental commandos were honored over the weekend for their constant defense of this area’s natural resources. The American Littoral Society presented Ralph and Lois Shuman with Citizen Advocate Awards for their efforts to protect the environment in their community.
According to a society release, the Shuman’s have been working to protect what remains of that natural beauty by advocating against a plan to convert a tract of environmentally sensitive land in the Indian Trail Swamp into a sand and gravel mine.
The release is referring to Albrecht and Heun’s ongoing application before the Middle Township Zoning Board to clear a large portion of a 265-acre lot off Indian Trail Road for a gravel pit and recycling facility.
The society noted the importance of the Indian Trail area as a stopover point for migratory birds, the headwater of Green Creek as well as its proximity to the Nature Conservancy property it adjoins.
The couple has become a fixture at municipal meetings, wrote letters to numerous governmental leaders and founded a group called Friends of Indian Trail, which opposes the mining application.
“They’re just regular everyday people who care about what happens in their community,” said Matt Blake, the society’s Delaware Bay project manager. “The Shumans have gone above and beyond the call of duty and have become a galvanizing force to protect the environment, the Cape May Wildlife Refuge, and the quality of life in their community.”
He said their efforts have brought others into the movement creating a unified group fighting for the quality of life they enjoy.
“We’re glad to recognize that type of grassroots activism.”
When asked how he and his wife felt about the award, Shuman said he was blown away by the ceremony, but really just wanted to remind residents to get out to the Zoning Board meeting on Nov. 8 when the Indian Trail application will be revisited.
“Because the refuge is for all Americans, the Shuman’s work will reach far beyond the boundaries of Middle Township,” Blake said.
The ceremony in which the Shumans were recognized was held at the Lobster House on Oct. 20, but the local couple’s award wasn’t the only thing on the agenda.
The American Littoral Society is a national coastal conservation organization with a regional core in the New Jersey and New York area that works to protect the coast from harm and empower others to do the same.
Around 150 society members attended the group’s annual meeting, which focused on the Cape May Wildlife Refuge.
The members spent a few days touring the refuge and meeting staff members before the awards dinner.
“We discussed threats to the refuge such as over development in local municipalities, suburban sprawl and the national funding crisis for open space funding,” Blake said.
He described Cape May, which has lost two thirds of its staffing over recent years, as the poster child for the government’s failure in funding the refuge program.
“Not maintaining the refuge is a disservice to the taxpayers who paid for it,” he said.
In addition to its work with the refuge and the gravel pit project in Burleigh, the Littoral Society is also involved in other “inappropriate” local projects such as the proposed concrete plant in Dennis Township, Blake said.
He said he backed residents there when they banded together to pressure officials into banning asphalt plants and will continue to support them against the concrete plant.
“We’re not against development,” Blake said. “We just don’t think it’s a good idea to put these types of industrial uses near world class habit and sensitive surface and ground water resources.”
Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com