At the Science Monday talk at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft were, from left, George Moffatt and Dennis Anderson, both of the Jersey Shore Sierra Club Group; science student Charlotte McGuire; guest speaker Rik van Hemmen, and biology professor Patricia Dillon.
Story and photo by Rick Geffken
LINCROFT – Rik van Hemmen loves the Navesink River area. Not only for its abundant scenic beauty and recreational opportunities, but also because its impact is inseparable from the lives of hundreds of generations of the people who have lived and prospered on its banks.
Long before Europeans arrived at its verdant shores 352 years ago and met the original inhabitants of the Lenape tribal band called “Neversincks,” this unique estuary had been supporting humans.
But whether or not today’s Monmouth County residents can sustain a similar dependence on the river system is an open question, according to van Hemmen.
Van Hemmen said that a warning bell was struck by a coalition of groups started last summer by Clean Ocean Action, called Rally For the Navesink, in response to a downgrade of over 500 acres of shell fishing area.
The talk was co-sponsored by the Jersey Shore Sierra Club Group and the Environmental Club at BCC’s Warner Student Life Center. This is the eleventh year the college has sponsored “Science Monday” speakers, held on the fourth Monday of each month on its Lincroft campus. Typically about 100 people fill the room to hear a wide range of speakers talk on local environmental concerns. BCC biology professor Patricia Dillon said, “These sessions have a lot of value. We’re very grateful to the speakers who appear for nothing, donating their time.”
Rik van Hemmen is an engineer and president of Martin, Ottaway, van Hemmen and Dolan, Inc. in Red Bank. As a leader of the NMHA, he generated some controversy last year with his proposal to establish a National Marine Sanctuary. Mainly due to opposition from recreational and commercial fisherman who feared governmental overregulation and the formation of the Rally for the Navesink movement, he has since shelved the project.
Audience members asked van Hemmen a number of questions about solving the issues he identified. He was careful to emphasize that blame is not a winning strategy. Rather, he suggested, “We need to recognize that the Navesink River is a special place with limited resources. We all have to engage in conversations about sharing it to optimize its very real limits.”