Hercules Testimony Never Given at Roxbury Planning Board

My prepared testimony for the open public Roxbury Planning Board hearing on the  Hartz Mountain application to build a warehouse on the Hercules property was never delivered. The application for the 54-acre warehouse was suddenly withdrawn, so no meeting open to the public on the warehouse was held.  Here below is the testimony I didn't give.

My frustration with the planning board meetings is that all public comments after testimony given in the hearings could only relate to the testimony given by the witnesses. The public was able to raise questions or concerns outside of what Hartz Mountain representatives or planning board members presented.

This restriction is understandable and unavoidable for the functioning of the planning board, but it is still very frustrating for the public. I looked forward to an open public planning Board meeting. I wrote my comments to highlight one small example of the larger need for a more scientific environmental study of habitats on the Hercules property. 

Comments by Brian T. Lynch, MSW

Mine Hill, N.J.

May 1, 2024

I am what the Raritan Headwater’s Association (RHA) calls a citizen scientist who volunteers to monitor streams for the organization. This means I have been specially trained by them and certified as a stream monitor by the New Jersey DEP. Since 2018 I have monitored a section of the Black River about 150 yards from where it flows out of the Hercules-Kenvil property. 

I believe the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that Hertz Mountain Corporation prepared as part of their General Site Permit is inadequate for this board’s purposes. The EIS is not sufficiently site-specific to the actual fauna and flora that will be impacted. An adequate habitat inventory and assessment are lacking. My statement here tonight is to provide just one example of why a specific environmental evaluation matters at this site. 

 

A difference of 5 degrees Centigrade, or 9 degrees Fahrenheit, in-stream water doesn’t sound like much. Still, it could be the difference between survival and extinction for the American Brook Lamprey that lives in the Black River between Hercules and Sunset Lake. 

 

American Brook Lamprey are prehistoric freshwater fish that have survived every natural calamity over the past 360 million years. They are essentially unchanged from their earliest fossil records dating back that far. No one knows for how many millennia these “living fossils” have inhabited the Black River in Kenvil, but residents just downstream from Hercules have seen them for the past three years. 

 

This should be good news. The American Brook Lamprey are pollution intolerant. Their presence in the stream is the best proof Ashland Chemical has that an array of toxic chemicals in the soil is staying put rather than migrating into the "Great Spring” in the southern wetlands. These fish are also intolerant of high turbidity, high saltation, manmade barriers such as dams, and water temperatures above 20 degrees Centigrade, or 68 degrees Fahrenheit. 

 

For this reason, the U.S. EPA considers the Brook Lamprey an excellent biological indicator of water quality in our streams.  If the waters flowing from the Great Spring on the Hercules property were tainted with toxins, turbid, salt, or were too warm, the lamprey would not be present at the RHA monitoring site. Some barriers would prevent them from migrating to the monitoring site from below Sunset Lake.

 

I am the New Jersey DEP-certified stream monitor for the Black River site where water exits Hercules. Each year, my volunteer colleagues and I collect samples for laboratory analysis of the macroinvertebrates that live in the stream bed. This section of the stream is not well suited for the HDMI water quality index that is based on the macroinvertebrates analysis because the stream flows over a smooth bed of glacial sand. There are no cobbles or riffles to add oxygen to the water. Because cold water holds more oxygen than warm water, the coolness of this water iscritical for all the aquatic life in this part of the stream. Ialso measure the stream's temperature, volume, and turbidity every year. On the warmest June monitoring day in 2022, after three-quarters of an inch of rain fell 18 hours prior, the water temperature was just at 20 degrees Centigrade (68 degrees F). This is the upper limit beyond which the American Brook Lamprey cannot survive. Also, the water was only slightly turbid after a substantial rainfall that day. 

 

This observation matters because, up until a few weeks ago, I had never seen an unusual amount of turbidity after a rainstorm at the monitoring site. High turbidity after a rain event often signals that an abundance of soil or other sediments is entering the stream. 

 

On April 13, 2024, I observed substantial turbidity at the monitoring site after a significant rainstorm. I photographed the stream and then went to each accessible location where water entered the property. No significant inflow of turbid water was observed at this location. I photographed those sites as well. This suggests that the soil causing this excess turbidity may be coming from the bioremediation area where acres of soil have been excavated and exposed. If so, this raises the possibility of toxins in the soil migrating off-site. For the lamprey, increased turbidity and the possibility of toxins entering the water puts them at risk. 

 

Why Else should the Lamprey’s survival matter?

Among the many good reasons, these ancient survivors have one of the most robust immune systems on the planet. Scientists are convinced that lampreys hold genetic secrets that might someday unlock ways to enhance our immunity from diseases. There is an urgency among scientists to study these fish because their numbers are dwindling. They are already listed as an endangered species in several nearby states. In New Jersey, they will soon be listed as a “species of interest.” This will allow the DEP to study them more carefully and determine if they need to be protected. 

 

My comments here highlight just one example of where the EIS falls short of assessing the potential environmental impacts of the proposed development on the aquatic habitat at Hercules. I would ask this board to take this information into consideration as you make your decision regarding the General Site Plan approval.

POST SCRIPT:  Since I wrote this the NJDEP Fish and Game took an interest in the lamprey in the Upper Black River, conducted a fish survey, and discovered that the stream is also home to first-of-the-year brook trout. The stream categorization will be upgraded to C1-TP which is the highest level of protection. 

A Public Hearing Held on the Thousand-Acre Polluted Hercules-Kenvil Site in New Jersey

by Brian T. Lynch, MSW

Lake Hopatcong News magazine article does a good job of covering the first public hearing on the Hercules-Kenvil environmental status and clean-up efforts. The link below will take you to the magazine. The article starts on page 10.

CLICK THE LINK: ://www.yumpu.com/.../read/68849475/2024-fall-issue

Correction: I am not on the Mine Hill Environmental Commission. Mine Hill Township in NJ does not currently have an Environmental Commission. It was disbanded years ago.

As rain falls around us

by Brian T. Lynch, MSW

• Oceans hold 97% of all Earth's water, which is salty.

• Every drop of rain is freshwater that is distilled and pure, thanks to the rain cycle. 
 • About 3% of the Earth’s water is fresh, two-thirds of which is trapped in ice or permafrost. 
• About half of all rainwater that falls on land returns to the air due to evaporation or transpiration that results from photosynthesis (essentially, plant breath). 
 • Gravity draws most of the other half into river basins and out to sea. 
• Every roadway storm drain is a tributary to a local stream within a river basin. 
• A fraction of all rainfall filters underground to fill aquifers (underground reservoirs). 
• The average rate that rain travels down to the aquifers is 10 feet per year. 
• Under every river or freshwater waterbody is a wider, deeper flow of groundwater heading to the sea: 
   -  When stream banks are full, some water filters into stream banks, which increases groundwater reserves. 
   -  When stream flow is low, groundwater seeps back into the streams, keeping water volume more stable and preserving aquatic habitats. o When air temperature is hot, cool groundwater helps keep stream temperatures cooler. 
  -  When air temperatures are cold, groundwater keeps water temperatures warmer, making streams and rivers more habitable. 
• Riffles (rocky bottom areas) and rapids add oxygen to streams and rivers, • Cooler water holds more essential oxygen than warmer water. 
• Vegetation along streams and riverbanks provides nutrients for aquatic life, keeps the water cooler, and provides essential habitat.  
• The hyporheic, or “liver of the river,” is a subsurface layer where groundwater and surface water meet. It serves an important filtration function: 
   -  A transition zone between two larger ecosystems where species from both zones mingle and unique hyporheic organisms exist. 
   -  It can be dozens of feet thick and many miles wider than the river.     -  Water flows through the hyporheic layer in the same direction as the surface water but at much slower rates. 
   -  The upward flow of groundwater in this zone brings oxygen needed for fish eggs to develop. o In healthy streams, this zone is full of life. Crustaceans, worms, and aquatic insects move between it and the stream bottom. 
   -  Nematodes, copepods, rotifers, and tardigrades burrow throughout the zone, creating pathways that allow groundwater and surface water to mix. 
  -  Microbial life in the zone metabolizes inorganic compounds to create food for other tiny organisms. It functions like our gut bacteria, detoxifying certain harmful chemicals while producing other compounds essential for good health.

HOW PLASTICS HARM HUMANS - TIPS TO AVOID EXPOSURE

New Study Links Microplastics to Serious Health Harms in Humans

A SUMMARY: 

Microplastics have been found all over the world, from Antarctica to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, and even in clouds.

A recent study suggests the presence of microplastics in human carotid arteries may double the risk of stroke or heart attack in people with heart disease.

Scientists are finding microplastics in almost every part of the body, including the lungs and stomach.

Microplastics can be contaminated with toxic chemical additives, which can leach into the body and harm the hormone and reproductive systems.

Similarly, pollutants or microorganisms can also jump on microplastic particles and pose health risks to humans.

Scientists have researched the impact of microplastics on animals. Studies on mice showed exposure to microplastics can disrupt the gut biome, lower sperm quality and testosterone, and impair learning and memory.

Plastic doesn’t decompose. Instead, it breaks down into tinier and tinier pieces. When the size of a piece of plastic is about the width of a small paperclip, the particles are known as microplastic. When they become smaller than a micrometer, they become nanoplastics, which can breach the cell barriers in plants and animals.

Microplastics and nanoplastics have found their way into nearly everything, including animal products, water and even air.

A standard-size water bottle (.5 liter) contained an average of 120,000 plastic particles from seven types of plastics, of which 90% can be nanoplastics according to one new study.

Plastics contain and leach hazardous chemicals, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that threaten human health…EDCs disturb the body’s hormone systems and can cause cancer, diabetes, reproductive disorders, and neurological impairments in developing fetuses and children.

Tips to Reduce Exposure

1. Dust and vacuum regularly. Removing excess dust can help cut down on the amount of microplastic fibers you breathe.
2. Avoid drinking from disposable plastic water bottles. 
3. If you must use them, keep them out of the sun, in a cool, dry environment.
4. Filter your water. Tap water can contain nanoplastics.
5. Home water filters reduce contaminants including micro/nanoplastics.
6. Avoid plastic cutting boards. 
7. Use wood, glass, or steel.
8. Microwave your food in glass containers. Plastic containers can release millions of microplastic particles into your food.
9. Dispose of all plastic safely either by recycling what can be recycled or by trash disposal to a sanitary landfill.
10. Avoid cutting, sanding, or grinding plastics, especially with power tools. If you must do this work, wear an N95 quality mask.

________________________________

Webliography - and original sources for further study

Main Article: https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2024/03/new-study-links-microplastics-serious-health-harms-humans

Antartic Plastic: https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/2127/2022/

Atlantic Ocean Bottom: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/microplastic-pollution-is-found-in-deep-sea

Clouds: https://www.acs.org/pressroom/presspacs/2023/november/microplastics-found-in-clouds-could-affect-the-weather.html

Carotid Arteries Study: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2309822

Human Lungs: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969722020009

Human Stomach: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36182891/

Hormone and Reproductive Systems:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969723062939#:~:text=According%20to%20this%20review%2C%20flame,brain%20development%20and%20kidney%20functions.

Microorganisms and pollutants: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37695231/

Animal - Gut Biome: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653519327328

Animal - Lower Sperm quality/testosterone:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389420314199

Animal - Impaired learning/memory
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389422002199

Animal Products: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749123022352?via%3Dihub

Water: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/wash-documents/microplastics-in-dw-information-sheet190822.pdf

Air: https://www.ciel.org/breathing-plastic-the-health-impacts-of-invisible-plastics-in-the-air/

Water Bottles: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2300582121

Water Bottle Caps: https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2023/10/whats-your-water-bottle-concerns-about-microplastics-caps

PET plastic Water Bottles and UV exposure:
https://www.plasticstoday.com/packaging/how-uv-light-impacts-pet-containers-and-rpet-options

Plastic Leaches hazardous Chemicals: https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2020/plastics-pose-threat-to-human-health

Massive 1940 Hercules Explosion - an Act of Domestic Terrorism?

by Brian T. Lynch, MSW

On September 12, 1940, twenty-five tons of freshly manufactured gunpowder exploded at the Hercules Powder Plant in Kenvil, N.J., leaving a 13-foot-deep crater in the ground. It generated a shock wave felt 90 miles away and leveled nearly one thousand acres of the plant. Fifty-two workers were killed in the blast, and several hundred more were injured. Victims were laid out on the lawn of Dover General Hospital because there were too many to fit inside.

 

The FBI, under Herbert Hoover, was in charge of the investigation. There were local rumors that the explosion was the work of German undercover agents. One contemporary news article reported that the FBI was already investigating these rumors when Hercules blew up. That account said that the FBI already collected information on everyone who worked at the plant before the blast. The article then mentioned that there was a large pro-Nazi, German-American Bund organization operating out of Camp Nordland in Andover, New Jersey. This was true, but was there a connection?



Early into the investigation after the explosion, the FBI informed the press that the explosion was most like the result of an industrial accident. Most newspapers didn’t mention that the FBI already had an open investigation into an alleged plot to blow the Hercules plant. Rumors of German American sabotage remained just that… rumors.

Exactly two months after the huge Hercules explosion, three smaller U.S. military-industrial plants were blown up within twenty minutes of each other. One was in New Jersey and two in Pennsylvania. These plants manufactured torpedoes, signal flares, and ammunition. Sixteen more workers were killed in these apparent attacks.

This did not appear to be a coincidence. The whiff of sabotage now seemed unmistakable. Today, we know that America was under attack, but who was responsible for killing 68 workers at four of our military manufacturing plants? Where are the FBI’s findings? Why was no one brought to justice for these murders?

A fog settled over these questions leaving a memory gap for everyone who lived through it. To this day, if you ask area residents what caused the Hercules explosion, they echo the same response as those who lived through it eighty years ago… It was either an industrial accident or German sabotage. Even as recently as 2015, Roxbury Township, New Jersey, posted a tribute to those who died in the Hercules blast and gave a description of the event. It concludes:

“Still unanswered is the real cause of the fatal 1940 explosion: Industrial Accident or Nazi Spies?”

But, a fresh review of the evidence points to domestic terror as the most likely cause. This makes the Hercules explosion the seventh deadliest domestic terrorist attack in U.S. history. If you search the internet for U.S. domestic terrorist attacks, however, you won’t find Hercules on that list. The fascist extremists who carried out this attack were never publicly identified or brought to justice.

Rachael Maddow reported new details and took a fresh look at the Hercules explosion in Episode 3 of her podcast, Ultra. Her review points convincingly to a terrorist attack by American fascist extremists. The chain of evidence pointing to a domestic attack at Hercules begins in Los Angeles, California, and runs through the United States Congress. Among the principal suspect organizations that planned the attack is the German American Bund in California. 

The German American Bund was originally founded in Buffalo, New York. It was led by Fritz Julius Kuhn. Another suspect organization was the Silver Legion founded by William D. Pelley in Ashland, North Carolina. Both these groups openly aspired to take over the United States government before the United States entered World War II. Both organizations had active branches in California and New Jersey. 

Los Angeles was a hotbed of antisemitic propaganda and pro-Nazi paramilitary groups in the 1930s. These right-wing groups shared a cluster of ideas, values, and actions with the Klu Klux Klan, enough so that political resistance to investigating the Klan helped shield pro-Nazi groups as well. Like the Klan, pro-Nazi groups considered themselves to be true American Patriots as they actively recruited conscripts, raised funds, purchased weapons, trained militia members, and organized military-style marches and demonstrations in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and many other towns and cities across the country. They held large rallies to indoctrinate the public. They coordinated with pro-Nazi organizations in other states to create a large national network determined to overthrow American democracy. 

While they denied it at the time, it was later shown that these right-wing pro-Nazi groups secretly took instructions and money from Hitler’s Germany. By the late 1930s, their violent rhetoric and extreme anti-semitic propaganda became so strident that it alarmed many ordinary citizens.

Leon Lewis was a World War 1 veteran active in the Disabled American Veterans organization. He was a resident of Los Angeles. In 1938 he became alarmed by the violent rhetoric and threats being made by the German American Bund and other pro-Nazi groups in the area. Seeing that law enforcement agencies were reluctant to investigate these groups, he set up his own private spy operation. He recruited four men from Disabled American Veterans and two of their wives to join fascist hate groups, gain the leader's trust, rise up the ranks, and report back to him every day about what these groups were doing. Lewis kept careful logs of what they saw and heard and accumulated detailed records of their plans and operations. It was through Lewis' spy operation that one of his private spies, Neil Ness, learned of plans to target Hercules Powder Company in Kenvil and several other munitions manufacturing plants for an attack.

A year earlier, Martin Dies, was a Democratic Congressman from Texas when he and Samuel Dickstein created the House Committee Investigating Un-American Activities, (HUAC). The Committee was initially called the Dies’ Committee, and Dies was its chairman. The committee was created to root out right-wing and left-wing subversives in the government and other organizations. The committee mainly targeted communist infiltrators and left-wing sympathizers, but also right-wing pro-Nazi organizations. Some members of the Committee were reluctant to investigate the "Klan". When the committee’s Chief Counsel announced that the Dies Committee would not be investigating any KKK activities he said, "The committee has decided that it lacks sufficient data on which to base a probe", to which the ranking Committee member John E. Rankin added: 

"After all, the KKK is an old American institution."

Lewis wrote to Congressman Dies about the trove of information he had collected on the activities of right-wing groups. In 1939, Martin Dies invited Leon Lewis to come to Washington D.C., to testify before his Committee. Lewis accepted the invitation and brought with him Neil Ness who had direct eyewitness information about the plot to sabotage the Hercules and other manufacturing plants.

In October of 1939, Neal Ness testified under oath before the HUAC in Congress. He detailed his involvement and high position in several German American and right-wing pro-Nazi groups in Los Angeles. He provided shocking testimony on how these groups were making plans to blow up military defense plants. He said specifically, “We talked about blowing up the Hercules Powder Plant.” These coordinated attacks were referred to as Der Tag. The phrase "Der Tag" (The Day) was a popular German toast to an imminent military engagement.

Ness’ testimony was so shocking the Committee found it hard to believe. Nevertheless, the Committee made a criminal referral to investigate the reported plot and sent the transcripts to the FBI.  Eleven months later Hercules blew up. 

After the explosion, Congressman Martin Dies, the Chairman of the HUAC, gave a statement to the press in which he said:

"Everyone laughed when a man named Ness testified before our committee a year ago about plans to blow up the Hercules Company. When the plant blew up, it happened the way he said it would.”

While the FBI managed to interrupt many death threats against Jews, Jewish organizations, and other targets of right-wing fascist extremists during this period, its eleven-month lead in the Hercules plot was not enough time to stop it. Nor did an additional two months of investigation foil the three additional attacks. Eighty-four years later there is still no vindication for the victims. We end up today with the same questions people asked from the start. Who was responsible for killing 68 workers at four of our military manufacturing plants? Where are the FBI’s findings? Why was no one brought to justice for these murders?

We have a few additional questions to ask ourselves today. Where did all the fascist extremists go after Pearl Harbor? They seem to have disappeared into the woodwork. What became of the children they were grooming in German American Bund camps to be their movement's future leaders? Is there a link between these fascist youth camps from the past and the dangerous parallels that exist today with this dark history?  Most critically, what lessons from the past can we apply to help understand and navigate the resurgence of fascist extremism today? 

Can Electric Cars Save the Planet?

 

by Brian T. Lynch, MSW*

A discussion with an engineer friend of mine regarding electric vehicles and electric energy production in the United States prompted me to do a brief survey of thermal efficiency rates for various carbon-producing and carbon-free electric power generation options. The results are below.

For me, the whole discussion is animated by the nearly unanimous conclusion of hundreds of climate scientists that we have only six years left to make carbon dioxide reductions sufficient enough to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. We lost a half-century of time to a well-funded disinformation campaign by the fossil fuel industries, whose corporate leaders were the first to discover that their products would eventually lead to a global warming crisis.
Can a rapid transition to electric vehicles save us from global warming?

No! This was never the case. At any rate, it is already too late for half-measures. There are many other major sources of carbon dioxide emissions that need to be brought under control. There are other factors that expedite the problem as well, such as the loss of jungles and forests that capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.  Added to other much-needed actions, however, transitioning to electric vehicles is STILL a necessary step.

RENEWABLE ELECTRIC ENERGY
I confirmed that currently, about 60% of our electricity generation is from fossil fuels—coal, natural gas, petroleum, and other gases. About 18% was from nuclear energy, and about 21% was from renewable energy sources. Our renewable energy sources increase by about 1.5 percentage points per year at this time. So, the current energy mix on our electric grid is about 60% carbon-based and 40% alternative sources. In six years, at the present growth rate of renewable energy sources, it will be about 49% carbon-based and 51% alternative sources. This is still bad news for Earth's climate. It's way too slow to be a determinative factor at this point. 


EV vs. ICE
"Electric vehicles (EVs) are generally 60–73% efficient, depending on the drive cycle. However, when you include the energy recaptured from regenerative braking, EVs can be over 77% efficient. This is because regenerative braking captures energy that would otherwise be lost as heat."

"Modern gasoline engines (ICE) have a maximum thermal efficiency of more than 50%, but most road-legal cars are only about 20% to 40% [efficient] when used to power a car."

CARBON FOOTPRINT OF EV AND ICE VEHICLES:

"The researchers found that, on average, gasoline cars emit more than 350 grams of CO2 per mile driven over their lifetimes. The hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions scored around 260 grams of carbon dioxide per mile, while the fully battery-electric vehicle created just 200 grams. Stats from the U.S. Department of Energy tell a similar story: Using the nationwide average of different energy sources, DOE found that EVs create 3,932 lbs. of CO2 equivalent per year, compared to 5,772 lbs. for plug-in hybrids, 6,258 lbs. for typical hybrids, and 11,435 lbs. for gasoline vehicles."

Thermal Efficiency in Electric Power Generation


ZERO CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS OPTIONS


Wind

What is the ultimate efficiency of wind power generation?

That number is 16/27, or 59.3%. On a practical level with utility-scale wind turbines, the best turbines achieve roughly 75–85% of this 59.3% value, meaning roughly 44–50% efficiency. This is under the most optimal operating conditions.

Solar Thermal

Solar thermal energy is around 70–80% effective at converting solar energy into heat. Solar water heaters are the most common method for converting solar energy into thermal energy. Solar thermal collectors convert solar radiation into heat, which can be used in industrial, residential, and governmental sectors.

Solar Photoelectric

Though most commercial panels have efficiencies from 17% to 20%, researchers have developed PV cells with efficiencies approaching 50%.

Nuclear

New nuclear plants have a thermal efficiency of around 34–36%, while new reactor designs can reach 39%.

Hydro

The efficiency of today's hydroelectric plant is about 90 percent. Hydroelectric plants do not create air pollution, the fuel--falling water--is not consumed, projects have long lives relative to other forms of energy generation, and hydroelectric generators respond quickly to changing system conditions.



CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSION OPTIONS

Coal

New coal-fired plants are about 40% efficient, while CCGT plants can reach 60%.

Natural gas

Natural gas plants can be 39–60% efficient, depending on the type of plant. A simple cycle natural gas power plant is usually 33–43% efficient.

Gas turbine

A simple cycle gas turbine can achieve 20–35% energy conversion efficiency.

Fossil fuel

State-of-the-art fossil fuel plants can reach 46% efficiency.

Combined-cycle systems

Combined-cycle systems can reach higher values, such as over 60% efficiency.

______________________________________

* The main reason I put my degree (MSW) after my name on this blog is because there are so many people named Brian T. Lynch on the internet. 

Duck Pond and a Better Way to Think About Land

by Brian T. Lynch, MSW

Let me introduce you to a 12,000-year-old feature of Roxbury, New Jersey, that has been off limits to the general public for more than 150 years.

This photo, courtesy of Ashland Chemical Corporation, is likely your first peek at the beautiful Duck Pond. It was mine as well. It is a 15-acre, spring-fed pond in the northeastern corner of the 1,000-acre Hercules property in Kenvil. 

Duck Pond appears on the earliest maps of the area. It has no natural inlet or outlet and apparently never did. Spring water vents up into the pond and then infiltrates back into the shallow, unconfined aquifer upon which it sits. This has likely been true since it was created when the Wisconsin Glacier receded thousands of years ago. 

Old historical documents I've read tell us that this whole tract of land was once the summer home of the Leni Lenape natives who undoubtedly fished and swam in this pond. It was these original people who referred to the southern wetland on the property as the Great Spring. They called the Black River, which flows from this wetland, “Alamatong.” The word means “gentle flowing.” It is a reference to the rapid, yet smooth flow of its water over a bed of glacier sand. 

The reason most of us have never seen Duck Pond is that it is situated within a polluted industrial tract of land that has been off-limits to residents and the public for well over one hundred and fifty years. The making of explosives stopped three decades ago, but there are still hot spots of pollution on the land. It isn’t a safe place to freely roam around. 

What motivates me to write this now is a PowerPoint slide presented by Hartz Mountain Corporation during this Wednesday’s Roxbury Planning Board hearing. For those who may not know, Hartz Mountain is seeking to build 54 acres of warehouses on a 200-acre parcel on the property. One of the PowerPoint slides labeled Duck Pond as a drainage area. 

I was struck by this sterile language. I've seen similar language in other Hercules-related documents. Indeed, Duck Pond is a drainage area, as is every freshwater lake in the world. However, the use of the term within the context of clean-up operations conveys how the pond was utilized while explosives were manufactured on the property. It is perhaps how the pond is still viewed by its present owners, their environmental contractors, and the prospective buyers giving the presentation. Duck Pond is yet another place to be dealt with;  A place that has been horribly abused for a century and a half. 

Just as groups of people can be marginalized and robbed of their personhood through word choices, so can it also happen to portions of the biosphere that we call “property.” Property is a lifeless term that allows our consciences to treat a piece of land as something other than habitat. 

My point is that viewing Hercules as a compromised, yet beautifully complex habitat should be the starting place for all considerations that follow. Whether taking active measures to clean up our mess or allowing nature time to renew the land on its own, the language we choose to describe it will influence our decisions and the outcomes that follow. We should always be respectful, even reverent, of biological spaces and how we use land. We should not treat the Hercules property with any less consideration because of its troubled past.

————

An 1887 map of “Suckasunny” showing Duck Pond in the McCainsville District of Roxbury. 

A Word About Self-help Against Disinformation Campaigns

 by Brian T. Lynch, MSW

We have all become targets of professional-grade media influence campaigns of one sort or another, and highly effective disinformation attacks are among these. When we are unaware of, or think we are immune to these cyber campaigns, we are, in fact, most vulnerable to them.

Real, personal inoculation against malicious cyber-influencers begins once we accept that we are all capable of falling under the influence of professional disinformation campaigns. Self-inoculation from cyber disinformation begins when we acknowledge that we are all at risk of manipulation by powerful techniques arrayed against us on social media. The most effective attacks are invisible to us. Our change of opinion feels rational to us. It also helps me to know that a lot of money and planning is behind these malicious "cyber attacks" on our thinking [more accurately, on our endurable mental frameworks that influence how we think about things]. It isn't just me, and it isn't happening by chance or as a natural impact of social media.

To protect myself, I have developed a healthy skepticism of any claims that sound extraordinary, emotionally wrought, or discordant with the things I can observe for myself. When this happens, I take the time to investigate (or research) and validate the information, its source, and its proponents. It is time-consuming, but I find it worth my time (usually). It is how I protect myself. In the process, I have come to view people who express grossly invalidated opinions as casualties of cyberwarfare rather than my opponents, political enemies, conspiracy nuts, uninformed, etc., [pick your choice of judgemental terms.]

Here is an early history lesson: 

Russian use began with a "special disinformation office" in 1923. Disinformation was defined in Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1952) as "false information with the intention to deceive public opinion". From this point on, disinformation became a tactic used in Soviet political warfare called active measures. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_disinformation#:~:text=Russian%20use%20began%20with%20a,political%20warfare%20called%20active%20measures.