Splashback Neuse, continued… In the last issue of Waterkeeper, Rick Dove reported the historical battle to overcome the consequences of pollution from hogs. “We have come full circle and the Neuse is in grave jeopardy once again,” Rick said. We agree, but we will not let the Neuse take one step backward. Make no mistake about it, as Riverkeepers we are on the offensive. Last month, American Rivers named the Neuse the 8th most endangered river in America. Following that, Senator Kerry highlighted hog pollution on the Neuse in his book, This Moment on Earth and on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. This one-two punch has brought needed attention to the plight of the Neuse. On May 2, Neuse River supporters traveled to Raleigh to meet with lawmakers. It was an overwhelming success. The state legislator is now considering a number of bills that will permanently ban new construction of hog lagoons and sprayfields, set a definite date when waste lagoons will no longer be allowed, and provide money to help hog producers make the transition to cleaner waste technologies. But the story of the Neuse doesn’t end with hogs. The other main reason the Neuse made the most endangered list is unchecked development. We are currently mounting a grassroots effort to monitor and document the uncontrolled development going on in the watershed. And it all goes back to the same issue. The State of North Carolina is scared to stand up to the development community. There is too much money and too much political influence coming from the wrong people. But we are seeing a change in the attitudes of the people who live here. They want their government to put people — and the health of our river — first. This is the kind of response that makes the Waterkeeper movement so successful — the ability to mobilize those who are being affected and hold our elected officials, and polluters, accountable. No question about it, we have gained the upper hand. We won’t quit. Losing is not an option. Mortarboards On June 25, 65 future Waterkeepers graduate from New York Harbor School, the pioneering maritime high school in New York City featured in the fall 2006 issue. In 2003, the Harbor School was placed in Bushwick High School, which was being closed due to decades of failure, including a 20 percent graduation rate and one of the city’s worst violent incidence rates. The Harbor School has improved the graduation rate to 70 percent. Janette Medel had been in the United States for six months after immigrating from Mexico when she entered the freshman class. Janette has received a full ride to study Marine Science at SUNY Maritime. Hassan Barksdale grew up in land-locked Bedford Stuyvesant and had never been on a boat before the Harbor School. After an internship with the Staten Island Ferry, Hassan has been accepted to attend SUNY Maritime to study Marine Transportation. Jimmy Sanchez and Wilfredo Garcia are employed in the Engineering Department at New York Water Taxi and are both going to Kingsborough Community College to study Marine Technology. Victor Torres traveled over an hour every morning and afternoon to Harbor School from Far Rockaway, Queens. Victor will study physics at Cornell University on a full scholarship. Jenny Rodriguez came to Harbor School from the Dominican Republic during her sophomore year. Jenny will enter the Naval Architecture program at SUNY Maritime with a full scholarship. Juana Garcia was a coxswain on the Harbor School’s Open Water Rowing Team and is now going on to Kingsborough Community College’s Maritime Technology program. Ali Akbar grew up in Pakistan and learned Spanish from the other students in the English as Second Language classes before learning English. He will study Maritime Transportation at Kingsborough Community College. |
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