Senior biologist for the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey Todd Pover releases a piping plover, a species he has helped monitor for 25 years. (Jim Verhagen)
On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy plowed ashore near Atlantic City, N.J., with sustained winds of 75 miles per hour. In its wake, state officials declared it the most destructive natural disaster in the history of New Jersey. It changed communities dramatically.
Natural features of the coastline underwent significant changes too, but in some cases, those changes presented new conservation opportunities that could protect people and wildlife in the face of future storms.
“We were able to identify places where piping plover habitat had been enhanced by the storm,” explained Todd Pover, a senior biologist for the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey who has been involved in monitoring the federally threatened shorebird for 25 years. Places like Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, where the storm erased the dunes in a three-quarter mile stretch of beach, creating an open expanse from ocean to bay.
As one of the founding members of The Raptor Trust in Millington, New Jersey, Women & Wildlife Legacy Honoree Diane Soucy has been there to provide input for every important decision. Close to 130,000 songbirds, wading birds, waterfowl, hummingbirds, raptors, and other birds have been admitted to The Raptor Trust. From much of the bird rehabilitation, to the administrative matters like bylaws and thank you letters, to the countless personal sacrifices she has made over decades, nearly everything about the Raptor Trust has gone through Diane.
For over 50 years now, Diane has devoted her life to the rehabilitation of wild birds. She has inspired thousands of people who have called or passed through the doors of The Raptor Trust, looking for help with an injured or orphaned wild bird. For years, she and her husband, Len Soucy, were the sole providers of the Raptor Trust, financing all of the aviaries and supplies completely on their own.
Diane has handled more patients and been responsible for more successful bird releases in New Jersey than anyone else at the Raptor Trust. Before there were any standards for wildlife rehabilitation, Diane developed successful songbird diets and recipes, through trial and error, which have been shared, replicated, improved upon, and used for decades throughout the larger wildlife rehabilitation community. Diane has been there every step of the way at The Raptor Trust, working as the default secretary, behind-the-scenes adviser and manager. At a time when the phrase “wildlife rehabilitation” didn’t even exist, Diane and her husband were working to develop techniques which would later become the best practices in the field. Continue reading “Founding Member of The Raptor Trust Diane Soucy Honored for Legacy in Conservation”
Beth Styler Barry, River Restoration Manager for The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey, is the 2018 Women & Wildlife Leadership Honoree. Beth has selflessly devoted her professional career to keeping our waterways clean and habitable for wildlife. Beth has worked as a volunteer, member and Executive Director for the Musconetcong Watershed Association for over 15 years. Through all of this work, Beth guided a small organization to become a beacon for watershed associations and the poster child for small environmental nonprofits.
One of her key accomplishments has been the successful removal of five dams on the Musconetcong River. The removal of these dams opened the waterway to anadromous fish and improved the water quality for all forms of aquatic life. She currently oversees the Columbia Dam project on the Paulins Kill, which will be the largest dam removal in New Jersey to date. Continue reading “The Nature Conservancy’s Beth Styler Barry Honored for Leadership in Conservation”
As a senior zoologist with the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program, 2018 Women & Wildlife Inspiration Honoree, Sharon Petzinger has served as a dedicated champion for stabilizing the Golden-winged warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera), an endangered species which has declined as steeply as nearly any songbird species in America. Sharon works tirelessly, visiting key sites, spending countless early spring mornings completing bird surveys, and promoting the program to the public. Sharon has helped to create contracts with 30 landowners to help stop the decline of this bird and has helped to establish over 350 acres of actual habitat specifically created to promote this species.
As the Senior Educator at the Watershed Institute, 2018 Women & Wildlife Education Award Honoree Pat Heaney has spent over 30 years serving as both a steward of the environment and an educator about New Jersey’s wildlife. She has spent her career teaching about nature to diverse audiences in an engaging way, while also effectively leading organizations in promoting environmental education. She has worked with thousands of students over the years – thrilling kids by helping them catch and hold a frog so they could really feel the magic of nature.
Pat received a B.A. in Environmental Studies at Ramapo College of New Jersey and then went on to earn a Master’s in Geography from Rutgers University. Pat worked as an Environmental Specialist conducting wetlands investigations and presented expert testimony before municipal planning and zoning boards. She then spent two years as a Recreational Leader in the Monmouth County Park System, where she worked to provide nature opportunities to low-income residents. Pat spent over 25 years at Kateri Environmental Center and Day Camp in Wickatunk, New Jersey. She engaged over 4,000 students per year, many of whom were at-risk youth or students with special needs. Among her many impactful programs was Project ECO. Pat was in charge of all aspects of this summer-extended school-year program for special education students. She was able to make the students feel comfortable outside, something these students had rarely enjoyed. Pat ran a variety of special events from vegetarian cooking classes to Women’s Outdoor Survival Weekends. Continue reading “Watershed Institute Educator Pat Heaney Honored for Education Efforts”
Volunteer Nicole Dion ready to conduct mobile acoustic survey
Across the country bat populations continue to decline due to the threat of White Nose Syndrome. Last year, to collect important population data to monitor population trends of New Jersey’s bat species, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey (CWF), in partnership with Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP), re-launched their Statewide Mobile Acoustic Surveys with new equipment and protocol. With all the kinks of a revamped project worked out, CWF entered their second year of this project. Continue reading “Acoustic Monitoring Drives Efforts to Save Bats”
Wakefern Food Corp. interns Niki Tripathi and Nadia Saponara
This summer, we happily traded in our summer intern cubicles, laptops and professional attire for kayaks, clam rakes and bathing suits for a trip to Barnegat Bay. We headed to Sedge Island, off of Island Beach State Park, and kicked off the day with a boat ride to the island. There, we joined fifth grade “Species on the Edge” art and essay contest winners, their parents, and state wildlife biologists with their seasoned interns.
Conserve Wildlife Foundation, in partnership with our sponsor PSEG Foundation, is proud to recognize the winners of our 2018 Species on the Edge 2.0 Social Media Contest. High school students from across the state submitted original social media campaigns showing why wildlife protection is so important in New Jersey. Our winners exceeded 10,000 likes on Instagram and Facebook.
Casey Finnegan of Toms River High School North was awarded first place and a $1,000 scholarship . Sedona Ryan, our second place winner from Haddonfield Memorial High School, received $500. Third place and $250 went to Kelly George from Toms River High School North.
The annual Species on the Edge 2.0 contest capitalizes on high school students’ expertise with social media platforms, and provides them with the opportunity to showcase their talent, creativity, and love of nature. The contest helps to develop students’ experience in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) and their project management skills. Thank you to everyone who entered.
The contest is made possible through a grant from PSEG Foundation.
Conserve Wildlife Foundation today released a video featuring the range of nature programs available at Sedge Island Marine Conservation Zone and Island Beach State Park, from kayaking and fishing to birdwatching and diamondback terrapin releases. Edited by CWF videography intern Melinda Tibbitts and written by Executive Director David Wheeler, “Get Wild This Summer at the Jersey Shore” explores these unique ecosystems along the Barnegat Bay – with a special focus on the Sedge Islands Celebration Day earlier this summer!
“Northside Jim” Verhagen regularly monitors the peregrine falcon family that resides in and around a new nesting platform in the marsh to the south of the eastbound stretch of the Dorland J. Henderson Bridge. Early last week, after the sole fledgling, named Blue Bonnet, was found dead on the roadway there, he believes her parents, Bridgeboy and Jo Durt, demonstrated mourning. “They do a certain call,” said Verhagen. “Jo Durt landed on the pier with her mate, which is very unusual.”
Despite the young peregrine’s death, as Ben Wurst, habitat program manager for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, pointed out, “This is still kind of a success story.”
For over 50 years now, Diane has devoted her life to the rehabilitation of wild birds. She has inspired thousands of people who have called or passed through the doors of The Raptor Trust, looking for help with an injured or orphaned wild bird. For years, she and her husband, Len Soucy, were the sole providers of the Raptor Trust, financing all of the aviaries and supplies completely on their own.
Pat received a B.A. in Environmental Studies at Ramapo College of New Jersey and then went on to earn a Master’s in Geography from Rutgers University. Pat worked as an Environmental Specialist conducting wetlands investigations and presented expert testimony before municipal planning and zoning boards. She then spent two years as a Recreational Leader in the Monmouth County Park System, where she worked to provide nature opportunities to low-income residents. Pat spent over 25 years at Kateri Environmental Center and Day Camp in Wickatunk, New Jersey. She engaged over 4,000 students per year, many of whom were at-risk youth or students with special needs. Among her many impactful programs was Project ECO. Pat was in charge of all aspects of this summer-extended school-year program for special education students. She was able to make the students feel comfortable outside, something these students had rarely enjoyed. Pat ran a variety of special events from vegetarian cooking classes to Women’s Outdoor Survival Weekends. 
The contest is made possible through a grant from 
