Vol. 15 - No. 16
In This Week’s Edition
THE TOMS RIVER
TIMES
FOR BREAKING NEWS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Your FREE Weekly Hometown Newspaper For Toms River, Island Heights, Ortley Beach & Lavallette
Death By Beauty: Why Our Manicured Lawns And Landscaping Is Killing Us
| August 17, 2019
VA Clinic Busiest In NJ
By Judy Smestad-Nunn BRICK - With an estimated 40,000 veterans living in Ocean County, the Veterans Administration’s Out patient Clinic on Route 70 in Brick is “by far” the busiest of 10 community-based VA clinics in New Jersey, said director of the VA New Jersey Health Care System Vincent F. Immiti. There are 10,000 veterans enrolled to receive their primary care at the Brick clinic, and with an estimated 85,000 to 90,000 visits a year, the facility is one of the 27 U.S. clinics that will be expanded after Congress approved a $1.5 billion spending
Community News! Don’t miss what’s happening in your town.
Pages 6-15.
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 18.
(Clinic - See Page 5)
Dear Pharmacist Page 19.
Inside The Law Page 21.
Classifieds Page 23.
Business Directory Page 24-25.
Fun Page
—Photo by Jennifer Peacock Pamela Almeida’s dining area is turned into a monarch butterfly nursery for a good part of each year. By Jennifer Peacock TOMS RIVER – The neighborhood looks like a typical, middle class one, with mostly manicured lawns that, in mid-July, are blooming with tiger lilies and hostas in yards, hanging baskets filled with a riot of petunias or impatiens probably purchased from a local big-box chain or grocery store - lining front porches. Shrubbery creates fences and privacy walls, while many properties are otherwise treeless. The yards typify the
post-World War II ideal of success. And they are killing us. But then there’s Pamela Almeida’s yard, which like a moth to a flame drew the attention of code enforcement for a while. To the untrained eye, it would appear that Almeida doesn’t own a lawnmower or weed whacker and doesn’t care. Her front yard (and backyard), however, is a haven for insects and birds whose habitats are choked out by non-native plants, invasive species and yard-beautifying
poisons. She eventually won over code enforcement and is spreading her conservation message to the public about the importance of pollinators in general and their impact on the environment. How does she do this? Through monarch butterflies. Almeida, a Toms River resident for 15 years, has been involved with The Native Plant Society of New Jersey for the last 8 years. She just joined Save Barnegat Bay, where Eagle Scouts are building a butterfly
waystation. She’s also worked in animal control, including in Toms River. “When you bring up bees, or certain pollinators, people are completely turned off. So, learning how to approach people about native plants or pesticides in their yard, the gateway, I found, was butterflies, because everyone loves butterf lies,” Almeida said. “They are a threatened species, because of lack of food source, lack of habitat, pesticides, insecticides. (Butterfly - See Page 4)
Page 26.
Horoscope Page 31.
Wolfgang Puck Page 31.
County Officials Looking To Expand Open Space Fund
By Kimberly Bosco OCEAN COUNTY – In the last 20 years, the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund has successfully preserved
close to 30,000 acres of open space. In an effort to continue this progress, the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freehold-
ers will ask voters to amend the program in order to expand its purpose allowing the trust fund to be used for costs of acquisi-
County Remembers Tim Ryan
tion, development and maintenance for recreational and historic preservation purposes. Residents will be
—Photo courtesy Ryan family By Chris Lundy LAVALLETTE – When writing an obituary, staff at the Timothy E. Ryan Home For Funerals would talk to family members about their loved one. It can be hard to sum up a life like that. It’s even harder when it hits so close to home. (Memoriam - See Page 16)
(Space - See Page 16)
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