Manahawkin Wildlife Refuge, Ocean County, NJ

Many people, especially those not familiar with the Jersey Shore, associate it only with beaches, boardwalks, cable cars, sand and the crashing surf. The inner areas of the Jersey Shore, while not possessing the same tourist draw, have significant importance as well as beauty yet most people visiting the shore never even know these areas exist. The estuaries and marsh, whose navigability are largely only possible at the right time of tidal swing, provide a home and spawning ground for many of the water borne creatures that call the Atlantic Ocean their home. Many people do not realize the significance of these areas, that around two thirds of the major commercial fish in the US all spawn in estuaries or marshes like those right here at the Jersey Shore, to include Bluefish, Fluke, Striped Bass and Blue Crabs.

Everyone had a favorite teacher or professor. You know, the one who left an impact on you long after the class was over. During my time at Rutgers University, I had an Oceanography class, taught by Dr. Peter Rona. (You can read more about him here; my short dialogue cannot do the man or his contributions to science justice)The class was not easy; the exams were technical and challenging. I probably spent a greater proportion studying for his exams than any other class that semester, but it never seemed like work. The class fascinated me, and I am thankful for his determination to make the class challenging. To this day, I recall more from that class than from any other class during my time at Rutgers.

Dr. Rona was very involved in our own ocean, the Atlantic, and was one of the scientists to find ocean vents, a black smoker to be specific, which are similar to underwater volcanoes. During this class, he opened my eyes to just how important the oceans were to our life on land, everything from providing food to minerals and of course cooling the planet. It was his class that opened my eyes to what we are doing to our planet,. Since then, I have come in contact with several other people who have had a great love for the planet, however, none have had the impact Dr. Rona had on me. I earned an A in the class, however, I think the test, the final exam, continues on day to day. I think of him frequently when I am out photographing, enjoying the natural world, and am constantly reminded of how everything seems to have its role, its place in the ecosystem. Sadly, I tried to reach out to him a while back to learn he had passed away.

I hope that my work, my photographs, and the beauty I work to capture have an impact on others, much like the Dr. had on me. He taught me, although it was never in a book or tested on an exam, to be a better inhabitant on the planet we all share. I don’t think this means we should all go out and sell our cars, walk or ride a bike to work and use candles instead of electricity. Rather, I feel we can all do little things to make a big difference. Becoming aware of the issues that surround us and directly impact us is a good start, and being an advocate for a responsible approach to living on this planet is another.

I think if we all adopt a mindset most of us have when staying in a friend’s house, to leave the place nicer than we found it, would serve us all well. It would ensure we are leaving something behind for our children and generations to come. This mindset doesn’t require drastic changes. Rather, it requires people care enough to act against what they see as wrong. This can be picking up a piece of garbage blowing on the street, making a conscious effort to place recyclable items in a recycling receptacle, turning off a light when leaving a room, or planting a tree. (deforestation is as bad or worse than emissions from fossil fuel combustion. Here is a good article on this. )

I hope everyone has a great week, and just a reminder, I hope you can all attend my solo show at McKay Imaging. The opening will be on December 12th from 7-10PM and will have a large presentation of my landscape photographs, to include several that I have yet to post on my website, articles or shows. Also, calendars are in and I am almost sold out; if you are thinking of getting one, order soon at www.colinseitzphotography.com.