Community Corner

Anti-Nuke Walk to Begin at Oyster Creek

Walk set for Friday, March 2 to fight for nuclear power safety in the U.S. will begin in Forked River and end in Vermont

Advocates from near and far will be joining together at Oyster Creek Generating Station for a “No More Fukushimas Peace Walk” on Friday, March 2.

“Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant, the oldest nuclear plant in the country, has the same design as the Fukushima Nuclear Plant whose disaster caused the permanent displacement of 160,000 Japanese people,” Edith Gbur of Jersey Shore Nuclear Watch said.

The walk, which will call attention to the implications of the Fukushima accident for nuclear power safety in the U.S., will begin at the Forked River based plant and continue to the Indian Point power plant in Buchanan, N.Y. and finish at Vermont Yankee in Vernon, Vt.

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“The walkers are Buddhist nuns, monks, and others from all faith traditions—about 10 to 15 in number,” she said.

The Buddhist walkers are from Grafton Peace Pagoda east of Buffalo, NY. Last year, the group was led by nun Jun San Yasuda walking 206 miles from the Indian Point nuclear plant to Vermont Yankee.

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The group will arrive on March 2 for a public gathering and begin the walk from Oyster Creek on Saturday.

“It's a wonderful opportunity for us to connect with local activists and concerned individuals along the way and hopefully bring renewed energy and determination to their work for a sustainable and peaceful nuclear free future,” said Christian Collins, a walk organizer.

One year after the nuclear disaster in Japan, the situation is far from over, a press release for the event read. Dangerous levels of radioactivity are still being found hundreds of miles from Fukushima. About 160,000 people have been displaced and decontamination will cost as much as $250 billion.

“Our walk is a prayer for the suffering of the Japanese people as a result of their government’s reckless nuclear policies,” the release says. “It is also a plea for the people of New Jersey, New York, and New England to recognize the grave dangers that nuclear energy poses to our lives, our property, and all life on our Mother Earth. Nuclear energy is neither safe nor clean.”

The threat of a nuclear accident in the U.S. is “all too real” and would be “unimaginably catastrophic,” it said. “We walk together in love and solidarity for a nuclear free future."

People are encouraged to join the walk for an hour or a day, Gbur said. Volunteers are also welcomed to help. For more information and to volunteer, contact Gbur at 732-240-5107.

The schedule, which is subject to change, is as follows:

March 2— (Friday): Evening Gathering-- Ocean County
March 3—(Saturday): Forked River (Oyster Creek Power Plant) to Toms River, N.J.
March 4—(Sunday): Toms River to Point Pleasant Beach, N.J.
March 5—(Monday): Point Pleasant Beach to West Long Branch, N.J.
March 6—(Tuesday): West Long Branch to Perth Amboy, N.J.
March 7— (Wednesday): Staten Island, NY to Hoboken, N.J.
March 8— (Thursday): Wall St. (Manhattan) to George Washington Bridge
March 9— (Friday): Leonia to Paterson, N.J. (Stay in Wayne)
March 10— (Saturday): Tallman, N.Y. to Nyack, N.Y. (Fellowship of Reconciliation)
March 11— (Sunday): Croton-on-Hudson to Indian Point (Vigil at Indian Point, 1 p.m.; afternoon program in Peekskill)
March 12— (Monday): Rest Day (Vigil at Entergy Headquarters, White Plains, N.Y. at 12 p.m.; Evening program in Manhattan)
March 13— (Tuesday): Shuttle to Hudson N.Y. Walk from Hudson to Kinderhook, N.Y.
March 14— (Wednesday): Kinderhook to Greenbush, N.Y.
March 15— (Thursday): Albany to Niskayuna, N.Y. (Vigil at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory)
March 16— (Friday): Shuttle from Niskayuna to Worcester, Mass. Meet the Leverett Peace Pagoda walkers. Walk from Worcester to Springfield, Mass.
March 17— (Saturday): Springfield –Holyoke, Mass.
March 18—(Sunday): Holyoke- Northampton, Mass.
March 19— (Monday): Northampton- Montague, Mass.
March 20— (Tuesday): Montague- Northfield, Mass.
March 21— (Wednesday): Northfield – Vernon, Vt. (Vermont Yankee)


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