The Great Swamp's Near Demise

By Dave Ragazzo

The Great Swamp campaign is something that I do not understand. It seems foolish that the states of New Jersey and New York wanted to destroy this natural swamp that is a symbol of environment life in the area to build yet ANOTHER airport in a small diameter that already has three major airports. Why would these states need another airport? It’s not like New Jersey is a great tourist attraction; in fact many people who don’t live here would like to stay away from the state. I understand that the Port Authority is very powerful and often gets its way when it comes to bulldozing environmental habitats, but building a new airport doesn’t even make sense, in my personal opinion.

Now of course there are always two sides to every story, and there would definitely be positives to building this airport. It could easily boost the economy of the area as, there would be frequent travelers to the area, and it could cause less congestion in the three airports that we have in the area (the area of the Great Swamp is only 20 miles from Newark International Airport, and 30 miles from New York City). For that reason, I actually do understand why this airport could be pushed for, because a lot of people live in this small area and there is congestion in the airports, particularly at Newark. However, destroying natural habitats for animals who cannot voice their opinion on the matter seems very wrong. If the Port Authority wants an airport that badly, they could have very easily found another location to build this on, not a piece of land that many forms of wildlife call home.

I really admire the people who stood up against the Port Authority plan to put this airport over the Great Swamp, because they truly are heroes in their own respect. When this was going on, Earth Day was not yet a day of celebration, and the environment was not looked at as a number one priority in the views of many. These people were the outcasts, especially in the New York City area, which has very little environmental beauty to admire. If I was alive during this time, I would be with these people standing up for the Great Swamp, because as I have mentioned a few times in this blog, I feel another airport for the Metropolitan area would be a total waste of time. Also, voicing my opinion and standing up for other living creatures that do not have a voice is something that is very important. Because the animals cannot stand up for themselves, someone has to do it for them.