Officials in two towns closed parks after dead geese tested positive
(caption: Black Death – Bosch (1450 – 1516)
The above headline is from a NJ Spotlight story today.
Gee, now where did I hear THAT headline before?
How about last July 1, 2024, right here, see:
- Farmers Not Participating In Voluntarily Sampling Program
- Extent Of Spread Of Virus To NJ Farms, Wildlife And People Unknown
I suspect that the Murphy Administration is replicating the federal government’s failed reliance on voluntary participation by NJ farmers.
I suspect that the NJ Department of Agriculture lacks reliable and adequate data on NJ farms.
I suspect that the Murphy Department of Environmental Protection has similarly stuck its head in the sand and has not developed a credible sampling program to determine the extent of the spread of the virus to wildlife.
And, although I did not file an OPRA for this data, I suspect that the Murphy Department of Health has even less data than the federal CDC and has no human sampling program in place.
Contrary to their recent press releases, the State DEP and Department of Agriculture knew of the presence of bird flu in NJ wildlife and chicken and dairy farms and markets long before they publicly disclosed that data. The State is downplaying risks. The State is not being open and transparent with the data, see:
A recent National Institute of Health (NIH) research study shows the risks of pandemic:
And the NJ problems go back long before then – in August 2022 we blasted the DEP’s mismanagement of dead vultures.
We blasted DEP for allowing dead vultures to rot in the woods along a portion of the Sussex Branch Trail in Lafayette, NJ, warning that such practices could lead to an epidemic of bird flu., see:
I tried several times to get NJ officials and media engaged, but failed. I sent them DEP and Dept. of Ag data. Still nothing.
And here we are.
I exposed very similar mismanagement at the outset of COVID pandemic, in March of 2020:
- State Officials Were Ill-Prepared And Delayed Appropriate Response
- NJ Hazard Mitigation Plan And Pandemic Influenza Plan Largely Ignored
- Plan Calls Pandemic A “Looming Threat” & “Inevitable”, Yet Little Real Preparation
We saw the same fatal abdication in the response to Superstorm Sandy, which was exacerbated by Gov. Christie’s “unfunded mandates” “State Mandate/State Pay” policy under Executive Order #4. Gov. Murphy has not repealed Ex. Order #4 and has retained the same State abdication.
[read full post, which provides the receipts]
How can one retired old man run circles around professional media and government officials with thousands of paid staff?
End Note: Retired DEP wildlife biologist Larry Niles is quoted in NJ Spotlight’s story. He has zero expertise on virus’ or in pandemic epidemiology or public health. His quote about NJ’s surveillance system is highly misleading. And he makes it obvious why he and other State DEP wildlife officials are both downplaying the risks and not disclosing the data: they have a manipulative and patronizing attitude towards the public and fear that public reaction (fear) will harm their pet projects (no pun):
Many bird species migrate through New Jersey along the Atlantic Flyway. Migrating birds make rest stops at places like the Delaware Bay, where they can easily share all kinds of viruses, including avian flu which is spread by body fluids, said wildlife biologist Larry Niles.
“I don’t want everybody to get all scared and then start taking it out on wildlife, because there’s no need,” said Niles. “We have a good surveillance system, and I think … people in New Jersey will be among the first to know if there’s a serious problem.”
Hey Larry and NJ Spotlight – A Retired Department of Health senior manager wrote an Op-Ed in NJ Spotlight and urged the State to do more.
And no one is talking about risks from pets, backyard bird feeders and other human – wildlife interactions that could spread the virus.