Discover DEP is the official podcast of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. It will focus on the initiatives and efforts by NJDEP to protect the environment in the Garden State.
Episodes
Friday May 19, 2017
Friday May 19, 2017
DEP’s overall mission is to protect New Jersey’s air, land, water, and natural and historic resources. In order to do that, we also need to be regulators, enforcing laws and rules. That’s where Compliance & Enforcement comes in. C&E helps businesses, schools, communities, and homeowners keep the environment clean, safe, enjoyable, and maintained for future generations. Assistant Commissioner Ray Bukowski sits down with Bob Bostock to discuss how DEP works with the regulated community to encourage compliance and resolve cases in order to improve the environment.
To find out more about Compliance & Enforcement at DEP, please visit http://www.nj.gov/dep/enforcement/.
Friday May 12, 2017
Friday May 12, 2017
Since 1984, the Bureau of Marine Fisheries has been involved in an intensive program of artificial reef construction and biological monitoring. Artificial reefs in ocean waters along the New Jersey coast provide a habitat for fish, shellfish and crustaceans, fishing grounds for anglers, and underwater structures for scuba divers. This past Wednesday, the famed ‘Perfect Storm’ rescue ship, the Tamaroa, was sunk off the coast of New Jersey to become part of an artificial reef that is enhancing fishing opportunities off the coast of New Jersey and Delaware. Peter Clarke sat down with Bob Bostock to discuss the sinking of the Tamaroa as well as New Jersey’s Artificial Reef Program.
- Click here to get more information on New Jersey’s Artificial Reef Program.
- Click here to read DEP’s press release on the sinking of the Tamaroa.
- Click here to watch the sinking of the Tamaroa.
- Click here for a detailed U.S. Coast Guard history of the Tamaroa.
- Click here for more on Delaware’s Artificial Reef Program.
Monday May 01, 2017
Monday May 01, 2017
DEP is kicking off Air Quality Awareness week, May 1-5, 2017. The purpose of this week is to raise awareness about air pollution, what DEP is doing to reduce the public’s exposure to air pollution, and to encourage everyone to take action to protect themselves and their families from air pollutants. To celebrate Air Quality Awareness Week, Paul Baldauf, Assistant Commissioner of DEP’s Division of Air Quality, Energy & Sustainability, sits down with Bob Bostock to discuss a large piece of the air quality puzzle – energy.
For more information on DEP’s efforts for Air Quality Awareness week, and to find out more about DEP’s role in air quality and energy, please visit http://www.nj.gov/dep/cleanairnj/.
Like DEP’s Air Quality, Energy and Sustainability page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NJDEPAQES/.
Check the air quality in your area by visiting http://www.njaqinow.net/.
To learn more about national efforts for Air Quality Awareness Week, please visit https://www3.epa.gov/airnow/airaware/.
Friday Apr 21, 2017
Friday Apr 21, 2017
New Jersey is home to nearly 1,700 regulated dams. DEP’s Division of Engineering and Construction administers the New Jersey Dam Safety program, which ensures the safety and integrity of dams in New Jersey and protects people and property from the consequences of dam failures.
Bob Bostock co-hosted this episode on dam safety with Audrey Miller of NJOHSP’s Preparedness Bureau, host of Intelligence. Unclassified., making this the first episode to feature a partnering state agency as a co-host. Bob and Audrey sat down with John Moyle, Division Director for NJ DEP's Division of Dam Safety and Flood Control, to talk about dam safety in New Jersey in light of the recent failure at the Oroville Dam. Topics of discussion include an explanation of the California Oroville Dam emergency that took place in February, a comparison of dam design, topography, and magnitude of the Oroville Dam and New Jersey dams, and why this type of failure is unlikely to occur in New Jersey.
Additional Resources:
Friday Apr 07, 2017
Friday Apr 07, 2017
Ringwood Manor is a National Historic Landmark District and a part of Ringwood State Park. It has historical importance spanning from Native American times through the early 20th century. Original historical structures, gardens and landscapes on 582 acres give visitors an inside look at family life, community, industry and culture throughout history. Sue Shutte, Resource Interpretive Specialist at Ringwood State Park, sits down with Bob Bostock to discuss this unique piece of American history.
For more information on Ringwood Manor, please visit http://www.ringwoodmanor.org/.
For more information on Ringwood State Park, please visit http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/ringwood.html.
Wednesday Mar 29, 2017
Wednesday Mar 29, 2017
The bobcat is New Jersey’s only species of wild cat, and is listed as endangered in New Jersey. The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife works with many partners across the state to make sure bobcats are getting the support they need in terms of protection from habitat fragmentation and vehicle strikes. Gretchen Fowles, Geographic Information Specialist within DEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, sits down with Bob Bostock to discuss the slow but sure comeback of the bobcat in the Garden State and the work that is being done to ensure its survival.
- To report a dead or injured bobcat, call 1-877-WARNDEP.
- To report a live bobcat observation (please include photos if you have them!): http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/rprtform.htm.
- Information on the tax check-off to support the New Jersey Endangered Wildlife Fund: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/checkoff.htm.
- Information on the Conserve Wildlife license plate: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/plates.htm.
- Information on bobcats in New Jersey: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/end-thrtened/bobcat.pdf.
- Information on the Connecting Habitat Across New Jersey (CHANJ) project: www.chanj.nj.gov.
Friday Mar 24, 2017
Friday Mar 24, 2017
Since the first National Women’s History Month in March 1987, every year we recognize, honor and celebrate the achievements of American women. There has also been a continuous effort to bring and engage women in the STEM and environmental fields. In honor of Women’s History Month, Chief of Staff Magdalena Padilla sits down with three women who are making significant contributions to DEP. Leslie McGeorge, manager in the bureau of Freshwater and Biological Monitoring, Blanca Chevrestt, Swartswood State Park Superintendent, and Gladys Giron, Communications Assistant, discuss how the times have changed and the roles of women at DEP.
For more information on Swartswood State Park, please visit: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/swartswood.html.
For more information on the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Women Environmental Professionals, please visit http://www.njswep.org/.
Photo: (from left to right) Blanca Chevrestt, Leslie McGeorge, Magdalena Padilla, Gladys Giron
Friday Mar 17, 2017
Friday Mar 17, 2017
New Jersey’s drinking water is regularly tested, and our water systems are clean and up to standard - less than 1% of public water systems incurred maximum contaminant levels or national exceedances in 2016. When anomalies do happen, particularly with private wells, our team here at DEP is ready to respond to these cases of Immediate Environmental Concern. Drew Sites, manager of the Immediate Concern Unit that is part of DEP’s Site Remediation Program, sits down with Bob Bostock to discuss how DEP responds when a New Jerseyan’s water source is not up to standard.
For more information on Immediate Environmental Concern cases, please visit http://www.nj.gov/dep/srp/guidance/IEC/.
To report an environmental incident impacting NJ, call 1-877-WARNDEP.
Friday Mar 10, 2017
Friday Mar 10, 2017
Although winter is soon coming to a close, it is not yet over. New Jersey’s cold blooded animals have a unique set of challenges to deal with in the cold winter months, but they’ve developed ways to survive and thrive in conditions year-round. Brian Zarate, Senior Zoologist in the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program, sat down with Bob Bostock to talk about how reptiles and amphibians adapt to the change of seasons in New Jersey.
For more information on reptiles and amphibians in New Jersey, please visit http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/herps_info.htm.
Monday Mar 06, 2017
Monday Mar 06, 2017
The AmeriCorps New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors Program is now in its 17th year and promotes watershed stewardship through education, direct community involvement and monitoring of stream health through visual and biological assessments. This week is AmeriCorps week and it is a time when individuals, programs and organizations honor and celebrate the contributions that the AmeriCorps volunteers make to their communities. In honor of AmeriCorps week, Ismail Sukkar and Alexis Bowman join Bob Bostock to talk to about their experience so far as Watershed Ambassadors and the projects that they are currently working on.
For more information on the AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassador Program, please visit:
- https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps
- http://www.nj.gov/dep/wms/bears/americorps.htm
- https://www.facebook.com/NJWAP/
