(10/P10) TRENTON -New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Acting Commissioner Bob Martin released the following statement on filing an appeal of a New Jersey Superior Court judge's decision on the Petty's Island eagles case:

"We firmly believed legal action was warranted in connection with the alleged harassment of the eagles that were nesting on Petty's Island in 2004 and the circumstances surrounding it. That contention remains unchanged. We are appealing the trial court judge's decision because it is, quite simply, the right thing to do."

Read the Notice of Appeal (pdf).