Reflections on Interviews

Interview Analysis

It took me a while to get started on the interview process. Having picked the NJ Pine Barrens and the state parks, it was hard to go to any park during the cold season. The one person I tried to contact from the Pine Barrens website did not respond. Although I had some idea of the things that interested me from the research I had done on the Pine Barrens, I felt that unless I visited a state park, it might be hard to finalize the questions. When I finally got to the Wharton State Park in the second week of March, I was amazed at this tranquil ecological haven in the middle of New Jersey, and it brought home the importance of preserving this area of amazing biodiversity.  Questions about the park and the whole preserve started forming in my head. Then I met the superintendent of the park, Rob, who agreed to be interviewed but at a later date. When I went home I was able to come up with a more definite set of questions. I was ready to interview people but didn’t find any interviewees. Then I went to the course on the Pine Barrens that was held at Burlington County College. I met several people involved with doing either research or preservation efforts in the Pine Barrens. Some of them agreed to be interviewed. Although I offered them several different options of being interviewed, both Melanie and Scott picked the email option. I emailed them a set of questions and they responded with answers. This interview process was convenient and allowed the interviewees to respond at their convenience. Both of them gave fairly comprehensive answers and assured me that I could contact them with follow up questions if needed. But it definitely lacked the immediacy and intimacy of a face to face conversation or the possibility of exploring any areas that come up during the course of a chat either on the telephone or in person. The other two interviews were conducted by phone and I definitely preferred this method because I was able to use any opening in the conversation to change or modify the direction of my questioning. None of these interviewees were open to the idea of either tweeting or online chats. I was unable to do any face to face conversations due to lack of availability of the interviewees at a suitable time.

I think that if I were to change something about the interview process, it would be to have started the whole process ahead of time. I did not realize how hard it would be to get the interviews done in a timely manner. I also would have ensured that I included an in-person interview because I’m sure reading the body language of the interviewees would add another dimension to the responses.

Interview with Russell Juelg

Land Capability Map

Interview with Russell Juelg, Outreach Coordinator for Pinelands Preservation Alliance (PPA)

This interview was conducted on the phone. All parenthetical information is mine.

1. What is your job description? I’m the project manager for outreach. My primary job involves taking people on field trips. We have 3 kinds of outings: natural history and study of the ecosystem, wilderness skills & pinelands navigation, fun activities like the Jersey devil hunt.

I also lead the advocacy efforts: preservation of wildlife, better practice of restoration, revegetation, roadside maintenance. Getting the Pinelands council to do the things we think they should do.

I also teach a class for 10 sessions on field botany.

1. How long have you been working in the PPA?  I’ve been working for 10 years in the same position, and before that for 3 years as part of a team in a wildlife refuge in Medford (Woodford-Cedar Run)
2. What are some changes you have seen over the years?

• In terms of use of park: for recreational, educational
• Most important things are an ecosystem with an acidic, low nutrient soil, anything that modifies the soil, destroys the characteristics of the pinelands. With use of fertilizers, it has changed water and soil chemistry. This change is related to development and agriculture. Turf farms, vegetable farms are having an impact.
• If you look at the NJ Pinelands land capability map, you will see the different zones. Orange means Regional Growth area where they can build as they please, they can plant non-native plants, use fertilizers.
• In the light green Preservation area, vegetation in landscaping has to be compatible with the native plants.
• But often, Pinelands Commission does not regulate, they have weakened the rules. Municipalities look the other way, violations are ignored
• Attempts to strictly enforce rules are getting resistance from townships. Developers claiming regulations are too stringent. But development, especially those that amend the soil, affect the ecology of the Pinelands.
• Scientists have documented that the soil amendment has degraded the soil and water of the Pinelands. If 10% is compromised, the aquatic life is altered forever.
• Pinelands Commission is an independent body and cannot be easily influenced. Only pressure from governor’s office can help.
• There is a Representative from the US Dept of Interior on the Board of the Pinelands Commission, but he is a token representative, there very little federal influence.
• Have to make a case for gross negligence that the cumulative impact of the leniency in implementing the regulations has resulted in the long-term degradation of the Pinelands
• As far as preservation efforts go, the Pinelands Commission works hard to preserve the preservation area, by buying land to be preserved as open space, enlarging state forest. Or moving areas into wildlife areas and forest areas
• As far as greater environmental efforts in terms of recycling, reuse, environmentally friendly products, no major efforts have been put in place.
• Littering continues to be a big problem.
• On campsites and little roads there is trash and dumping.
• Community of people riding ATV’s and dirt bikes drive into pond and streams and destroy the areas. This irresponsible behavior has destroyed rare plants.
• Wildlife has been negatively impacted by roads. There is a fragmenting effect on population, because species can’t or won’t cross the roads. This breaks up the wildlife community.

1. As far as ecological changes go, they have already been mentioned. There is going to be a Science and Policy forum to discuss the cumulative impact of roads on Pinelands, which are causing a continuous degradation.

The Pinelands Commission is not acknowledging that the roads have already significantly impacted the ecology. New roads are being put it in without requiring any investigation of the impact of putting in paved roads. With the paved roads, people tend to drive faster (than on unpaved ones), animals are killed on roads.

1. Can recreational use and ecological preservation work in tandem? How?

• It depends. Motorized recreation must be restricted because it negatively impacts the ecosystem. Building more roads and pavement will worsen the situation. Roads must be maintained safely but widening roads and building new roads to make things safer is not the right option. They should focus on road improvement. For example, by reducing the speed instead of widening the road to accommodate a 50mph speed limit
• In Chatsworth, there was a small dirt sandy road. The township wanted to pave it for safety issues. Permission was given without fully examining the consequences of this action
• More people mean more problems. Backpacking, hiking are passive forms of recreation. Having walking trails is fine or even (cross-country) skiing. Fishing and hunting, if it is done legally is not detrimental to the ecosystem.

1. What about practices like controlled burns?

There is also a significant impact of the controlled burns. To do controlled burns, the Forest Fire Service needs plow lines, which they make with big tractors. Then these plow lines are used by dirt bikers. And they are made wider, when used by jeeps. De facto roads are not intended for such purposes.

Prescribed Fires do not replicate natural wildfires and are just trying to prevent wildfire. But making it safer for people and houses counter to what the ecosystem does and these fires are destructive to the ecosystem.

1. How could these be better handled?

Some areas, you need to have control of wildfires. There you can have fuel break areas, plow lines. But these could be set up differently. Now when a plow line intersects the main road, there are no barriers and no vegetation there to prevent people from accessing it. This makes it easier for the Forest Fire Service to use the area again, so they want that plow line. But this makes it easy for people to ride their dirt bikes and their ATVs causing greater damage.

1. What about the future? The plan (CMP) needs to be reevaluated. Which portion are we trying to protect? Is it only the core area? Then they should not say that they allow compatible development. Because it is only the core area they protect but even that is affected because of fragmentation (due to roads).

Public awareness, natural and historic preservation are goals of the PPA and the Pinelands Commission. More public involvement is needed. Involvement in policies. If the meetings were in the evening, maybe more people could be involved.

Regulatory agencies (like the Pinelands Commission) become more bureaucratic but some evaluation and accountability is needed.

The Pinelands Commission’s implementation of the plan (CMP) is very successful. Even when critical of what they do, (it is important to note that) they are the main entity in protecting what has been protected. (The CMP) is a success story but there is room for improvement.

An Ecology of Composition

In Ecology of Composition, Syverson uses a rather unusual theoretical framework to examine the process of writing and composition: complex systems theory. This theory which was developed in the field of science and economics, is based on the belief that in a complex system, there exists a network of inter-related but distinct units or agents that interact with one another, creating their own environment. This theory offers Syverson, a way to view composition studies that encompasses the many different elements that come into play in writing, which she terms as an ecology of composition.

The class discussion was lively and focused on understanding the roles played by the different elements in the composing process. It also raised questions on the importance of the writer as creator if myriad elements come into play in the writing process. But I believe that there is no clear hierarchy that favors the writer over the other elements in the writing process, in fact Syverson seems to view writing in a much more collaborative light. I think if we bring this awareness of the multi-layered, multi-factored approach to writing conceptualized by Syverson as an ecology of composing, we will greatly benefit as writers and students in the writing arts program.