Animal rights activist Virginia Morales from Perth Amboy NJ gave a live account on Facebook of the impact of the destruction of the wildlife habitat on Riverview Dr and Market St to make way for another giant warehouse and other development. She photographed dead animals in the area and described confused wildlife appearing all over the city. She also spoke about the removal of the trees along Herbert St, and how Perth Amboy’s environment has been destroyed.
Her account of the impact on animals from the deforestation was supported by testimony of Perth Amboy residents who wrote on Facebook that they had also witnessed dead animals in the area and an increase of wildlife presence in their surrounding neighborhoods. Raccoons, deer, families of skunks all have increased presence in neighborhoods around the development.
Virginia, who studied Environmental Science at Rutgers, has concerns that resonate with the public. Residents and environmental science educators from Perth Amboy agree that the impact on animals should be part of an environmental assessment and impact study. An environmental commission may give residents more say, as they can map and show environmentally sensitive areas and help redevelopment figure out what can be done to deal with situations like impact to the animal population.
Virginia Morales founded the Perth Amboy based animal rescue nonprofit Jeannie Meows Animal Rescue and is a member of the pinup animal rights group Rescue Vixens.
Virginia Morales is also an award winning pageant queen, having been crowned Mrs Middlesex County by United States of America Pageants and Mrs. Ambassador 2023 Puerto Rican Day Parade Pageant. She has used her status to speak out for the voiceless for years. She has been honored by Perth Amboy at the Women’s History Celebration “honoring extraordinary women whose leadership and compassion make Perth Amboy stronger.” She was awarded the Boy Scouts of America Scouting Vale La Pena Service Award, and the Premio’s Illustres Award for Community Service from Comite Patriotic Cultural Puertorriqueno.
Market St Before
Market St After
City officials and the developer are celebrating the new development, but they might be the only ones. Residents are not happy that a warehouse is at the entrance to town, citing more traffic, truck fumes and road damage and uglification. Did the Market St property need to be deforested? Did all the trees on Herbert St need to be removed? Should they have been?
The entrance is how someone first experiences the City. Now it will be a warehouse distribution center with 243 auto stalls and 120 trailers. At one time a performing arts center was discussed for the entrance to the city, even published by the Mayor in his State of the City publications. But to date, no one from the arts community has been contacted to be part of any planning for that proposal.
