Christie OKs bill allowing oyster colonies in polluted water New Jersey Herald, 1/20/2016 Gov. Chris Christie has signed a bill permitting researchers to grow oyster colonies in polluted waterways to try to improve water quality. The Republican presidential candidate on Tuesday signed a measure letting groups establish experimental oyster colonies in tainted waters like Raritan Bay, as long as the colonies are not visible to, or easily accessible by the public. Features photo of Beth Ravit, Rutgers University researcher. South Jersey Shore Braces For Weekend Storm CBS Philly, 1/21/2016 As the region braces for the potential of a major winter storm this weekend, towns down the shore could be particularly hard hit. It'll be a nor'easter, which is bad enough. But add a full moon, and New Jersey state climatologist Dave Robinson at Rutgers suggests high tides will be 3 feet above the norm. Investment in neighborhood parks may curb obesity rates, save costs Medical Xpress, 1/21/2016 It may sound simple, but adding a neighborhood park or playground can lower children's obesity rates and improve their physical fitness, says new research from Ball State University. And parks might reap immediate and long-term savings in health care."Neighborhood parks and playgrounds provide physical locations for children to engage in outdoor physical activity and to develop physically active lifestyles," said Maoyong Fan, a Ball State economics professor who conducted the study with Yanhong Jin, a Rutgers University professor. "These parks simply make children more fit. The children get to play outdoors and enjoy life much more than those who don't have access to such facilities." Bridgewater students learn about weather from Rutgers student nj.com, 1/21/2016 The students in Terry Tunkel's class at Hillside Intermediate School in Bridgewater recently enjoyed a visit from special guest, Joe Fogarty, a graduate of Bridgewater-Raritan High School who currently attends Rutgers University while majoring in meteorology. The fifth grade students first became excited about meteorology during their unit on Thinking Like a Scientist. Students learned about computer models, and tracked the path of Hurricane Joaquin. The students watched a video of Fogarty on RU-TV Weather Watcher as he forecast the hurricane's impact. Vietnam's Sacred Turtle Dies at an Awkward, Some Say Ominous, Time The New York Times, 1/22/2016 A giant turtle, a mythic symbol of Vietnamese independence and longevity that had quietly paddled around Hanoi's central lake for decades - some say centuries - has died, official state news media reported. Of the four animals that many Vietnamese consider sacred, including the dragon, phoenix and unicorn, the turtle is the only one that exists in real life, said Pamela McElwee, a Vietnam expert and a professor of human ecology at Rutgers University. As a result, she added, Hanoi's giant turtle was seen as an important link between "the here and now, the earthly world and the spiritual world." Tall timing: Why it's wise to look far ahead when planting new trees on a golf course. Golf Course Industry, 1/22/2016 Trees are an important part of the infrastructure at many golf facilities. They frame holes and dictate the line of play while providing golfers with much-desired shade. It's no secret that trees can become problematic on a golf course, but they are undoubtedly an asset when properly maintained. As golf courses, and other facilities for that matter, look to plant new trees, however, they must look ahead to when those trees mature, a half-century or more from now. Dr. Jason Grabosky of Rutgers University says it's important to look into the future and have an understanding of what the climate will be like in the final third of the 21st century. Ocean County homeowners resist NJ eminent domain for dune project newsworks, 1/22/2016 A group of homeowners in coastal Ocean County is fighting back against the use of eminent domain by the state of New Jersey to build a series of protective sand dunes. Seventeen homeowners in Point Pleasant, Brick, and Mantoloking argue that the state is abusing its power by taking parts of their land in an unnecessary bid to build the dunes. "Superstorm Sandy certainly showed that dunes were a very good first defense for flooding and storm surge coming in on the ocean side," said Lisa Auermuller, the watershed coordinator for the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve in Tuckerton, which is operated by Rutgers University. Did monster blizzard smash N.J. records? Well, that's complicated nj.com, 1/23/2016 With the blizzard of 2016 potentially dropping three feet of snow in parts of New Jersey before ending Sunday morning, here's the question: Was that the highest snowfall ever recorded? Well, that's complicated. New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson at Rutgers University, said the statewide record is 34 inches, set in 1899 in Cape May. Final N.J. snowfall totals from monster blizzard of 2016 nj.com, 1/24/2016 With just a little more snow, four communities in northern New Jersey could have made history by topping an elusive record that has stood for 117 years. Bernards Township, Long Valley, Succasunna and Wharton were each blanketed with 30 inches of snow during the historic East Coast blizzard that battered New Jersey and other states along the Atlantic coast this weekend. But if these numbers hold up, all those massive piles of snow on the streets of Morris and Somerset counties would still be several inches short of the state's all-time snowfall record - 34 inches, which fell in the resort city of Cape May way back in 1899, according to records compiled by New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson at Rutgers University. Why (almost) no one predicted monster blizzard's big surprise nj.com, 1/24/2016 It was the blizzard that was, and nearly wasn't. A massive winter storm dropped more than two feet of snow across much of New Jersey Saturday, inundated the coast with record flooding and cut power to more than 100,000 people. "This (was) an awesome show of nature," said David Robinson, the state climatologist at Rutgers University. "When you get something like this in terms of magnitude, considering the amount of snow over a widespread area and then the wind and coastal flooding. The expanse of nature involved in a storm like this is just awe-inspiring." New Brunswick smashes old snowfall record nj.com, 1/25/2016 The powerful East Coast blizzard this past weekend turned out to be the biggest snowstorm on record in the city of New Brunswick, which was pounded with 26.9 inches of snow from Friday night to Saturday night. That snowfall total smashed the city's previous record by more than 4 inches and also gave New Brunswick more snow than it usually gets in an entire year - 26.7 inches, according to New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson, at Rutgers University. Storm crashes otherwise mild El Niño winter NorthJersey.com, 1/25/2016 Until last weekend's near-record snowfall, one of the strongest El Niño weather patterns on record had been very kind to New Jersey - delivering a hurricane-free summer, a parka-free December and a snowfree winter. What remains to be seen is whether El Niño's already waning influence can continue through the rest of this winter or if we're in for much more snow. There is no clear pattern for New Jersey snowfall among the previous seven strong El Niño events over the past 60 years, said David Robinson, state climatologist and a Rutgers professor. Sen Comm Releases Bill to Protect Barnegat Bay PolitickerNJ, 1/25/2016 Today the Senate Environment and Energy released a bill to help curb pollution going into the Barnegat Bat. S765 (Smith) requires the DEP to do a study and then adopt total maximum daily loads for Barnegat Bay ecosystem. As a result of increased pollution in the Bay, it has experienced loss of eel grass, fish kills, and other ecological indicators that are getting worse. Allowing the Bay to be polluted will jeopardize the $3.3 billion a year coastal tourism industry and $100 billion in ratables around the Bay. We need policies and actions like this bill that will protect the Bay now. New Jersey has continuously ignored science about the health of the Bay... In 2013, Dr. Mike Kennish authored a report by the Rutgers Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences on the deteriorating health of Barnegat Bay. The report shows that pollution is worse in the Bay than previously thought as a result of nitrate and phosphorus pollution and eutrophication. With the Rutgers report there is enough data to declare the Bay impaired and to implement a TMDL for the Bay. In April, Commissioner Martin defended the Administration’s policies and refuted the Rutgers study calling the Bay impaired. The surprising truth about the 'food movement' The Washington Post, 1/26/2016 Let me ask you a question: When it comes to our food supply, what do you care about? Think about it for a second. Make a mental list. Now, let me ask you another question: Do you care about farmworker exposure to pesticides? I sure do, and I'm betting you do, too. But was it on your list? I'm betting it wasn't...That 7 percent study was done by William Hallman, professor and chairman of the Department of Human Ecology at Rutgers University, who points out that "most of the research that is out there that has tried to gauge how much people care about such things [has] asked people to react to lists of foods that are nasty or nice, and there are certainly social-desirability biases baked into the responses to such questions." Will all that melting snow cause flooding in NJ? New Jersey 101.5, 1/26/2016 The massive winter storm that blanketed the area this past weekend is long gone, but many parts of Jersey are still digging out after the storm produced 20 to 30 inches of snow. And while the risk of flooding down the shore has decreased, it's increasing in parts of Central and Northern New Jersey, as the snowpack begins to melt. According to Dave Robinson, the New Jersey state Climatologist at Rutgers University, the snow we've been left with is equivalent to 2 to 3 inches of water, and if it melts too quickly there could be trouble. We invite you to send an email to InTheNews@aesop.rutgers.edu alerting us when you are quoted in a story or if your program is mentioned in the news. Please send links of news, as it happens, as some media outlets do not retain online links beyond a week. Visit the SEBS and NJAES Newsroom at sebsnjaesnews.rutgers.edu.