CWF Biologist Larissa Smith Looking for Data from EagleCam Viewers
by Lindsay McNamara, Communications Manager
Conserve Wildlife Foundation eagle biologist Larissa Smith has launched a new citizen science project in an effort to learn more about New Jersey’s eagles. We know that many teachers, students and bird lovers watch the wildly popular Duke Farms EagleCam, and now those viewers can help Larissa gather data by participating in the Eagle Food Observation Project.
Larissa holding an eagle at a banding last week.
Jim Wright — author of the popular posts about the eagles for Duke Farms’ “Behind the Stone Walls” blog, as well as, “The Bird Watcher” column for The Record — interviewed Larissa Smith in the most recent post on Duke Farms’ blog. In this interview, Larissa explains her latest citizen science project to learn more about the Duke Farms eaglets’ diet.
Second Annual “Shell-a-Bration” brings volunteers to strengthen coast’s resiliency and habitat
by Lindsay McNamara, Communications Manager
Today, conservation organizations leading the efforts to restore New Jersey’s Delaware Bay beaches today organized the Second Annual “Shell-a-Bration” oyster reef building volunteer event.
Dedicated volunteers braved the elements and worked alongside American Littoral Societyand Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey to establish a near-shore whelk shell bar at Moores Beach in Maurice River Township along New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore. The shell bar was built to prevent sand loss from wind-driven waves. An approximately 200-foot oyster reef was constructed offshore to test whether the reef bars help reduce beach erosion and create calmer water for spawning horseshoe crabs.
“The Second Annual Shell-a-Bration truly celebrates the ecology, community, and culture of the Delaware Bayshore,” stated Captain Al Modjeski, Habitat Restoration Program Director, American Littoral Society. “It reinforces the connectivity between the natural and human-built bayshore communities through reef building and celebrates the significance of the Bay’s resources through restoration.”
“There are many strategies to defend our Delaware Bayshore, but one of the best and most productive are these oyster reefs,” stated Dr. Larry Niles, a biologist with American Littoral Society and Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey. “They not only replicate a lost but important habitat on Delaware Bay — reefs once covered much of the bayshore — but they provide just enough protection to make a difference in how long our beaches persist against the unrelenting forces of nature. In a way, we are fighting nature with nature.”
Shorebirds, like the federally listed Red Knot, depend on an uninterrupted supply of horseshoe crab eggs when they stopover in Delaware Bay during their migration. In recent years, countless horseshoe crab eggs have been lost because of the devastating storms that swept away the beaches they depend on.
The new oyster reef will attenuate waves but still allow for horseshoe crab breeding. In existing areas where crabs can breed without interruption, like creek mouths protected by sand shoals or rock jetties, egg densities can exceed ten times the egg densities on unprotected beaches.
“New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore hosts an annual wildlife spectacle of global significance – the time-honored migration of Red Knots to reach the eggs of these ancient horseshoe crabs,” said David Wheeler, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey Executive Director. “Red Knots fly to New Jersey’s Delaware Bay from as far away as Tierra del Fuego in South America to feed on horseshoe crab eggs. Volunteer projects like the Shell-a-bration help connect the people of New Jersey with these endangered shorebirds and the largest population of horseshoe crabs in the world.”
Last year, over 130 volunteers and veterans built the South Reeds Beach oyster at the First Annual Shell-a-Bration. Veterans Day on the Bay 2015 dedicated the South Reeds Beach oyster reef to all veterans and highlighted veteran involvement in the effort to restore New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore. Event attendees honored their own military veterans by inscribing that special person’s name on a shell and placing that shell on “Veterans Reef.” Guests also helped study the wildlife living in this new reef with hands-on, interactive marine science activities like seining, trapping, trawling, and species identification.
Our “assembly line” of volunteers all working together to build the reef.
Veterans Reef and the Moores Beach Oyster Reef are two of the many projects that American Littoral Society and Conserve Wildlife Foundation are working on to restore the ecology and economy of the Delaware Bayshore.
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, American Littoral Society and Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife and the New Jersey Recovery Fund to remove 8,000 tons of debris and added 45,000 tons of sand to the beaches just before the annual spring arrival of the red knot in 2013.
Additional work after 2012 restored another mile of shoreline, including two new beaches of poor quality even before Sandy. To date, the groups have placed 85,000 cubic yards of sand and restored seven beaches along New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore. In early 2016, groups began another phase of restoration work at Cook’s Beach and Kimble’s Beach in anticipation of the return of the horseshoe crabs and red knots in May.
Did you enjoy a warm cup of coffee this morning? I know I did. Over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day.
Coffee is also one of the world’s top agricultural exports in many developing countries. While I was in Honduras, with the Pennsylvania Golden-winged Warbler working group, I was given the opportunity to visit a shade grown coffee farm!
As I traveled across the country, I was able to enjoy many fresh cups of local Honduran coffee and learn about the importance of coffee as part of the Honduran history and local economy.
In 2011, Honduras became the number one coffee producer in Central America. Today, there are over 100,000 registered coffee producers in the country and over 90% of them are small producers. Coffee has become a vital part of the Honduran economy and family system, helping to generate small businesses and bring revenue to the local community.
In Honduras, coffee is harvested from November to March every year. Coffee is hand-picked and resembles a green or red cherry fruit when ripe. After ripening and picking, coffee must be dried and the outer coating, called the parchment, or pergamino must be removed. There are various methods of parchment removal and drying. Different drying and roasting techniques give way to differing quality, taste and aroma.
In its wild form, coffee is a small tree or shrub that grows in the understory of a forest. Traditionally, coffee production occurs on large farm fields, where the land is tilled and little native vegetation grows. Coffee producers often use this traditional method as a way to increase yield and fight off diseases susceptible to the plant. Recently, however, coffee producers have begun to grow shade-tolerant coffee which is grown under a forest canopy.
Shade-tolerant coffee production is a method which intends to incorporate the natural principles of ecology into agricultural production. Shade tolerant or shade-grown coffee is grown under a natural forest canopy. Shade grown coffee can have multiple benefits — reducing pests, increasing pollination and creating important wildlife habitat. Shade grown coffee plantations often have increased leaf litter which reduces erosion and allows for improved water quality.
Through the incorporation of native trees on farms, birds and natural predators will help reduce pest insects, which in turn, helps reduce the need for pesticides. Bird diversity is often higher on shade grown coffee farms since they eat the fruit, insects and nectar in the native tree canopy. These types of farming practices have also be termed “bird friendly” coffee, because they help support local bird populations, including migratory birds that stay in Honduras during their wintering months.
Upon our visit to a shade-grown coffee farm, called Lenca farms in the little town of Marcala, we were greeted with a Golden-winged Warbler! Most of the farm grew coffee right under the native forest canopy. Many of the native trees, leaf litter and herbaceous plants were left intact. It was great to meet with local Honduran farmers, who are eager to create and maintain wildlife habitat on their farms. Many Hondurans recognize the value in wildlife and are willing participants in wildlife conservation.
Shade-grown coffee may be important as coffee continues to be a growing commodity crop worldwide. When farmers learn to grow food in conjunction with nature, not against it, the best yields and benefits for the environment can result.
We were very appreciate of our time a Lenca Farms, and we didn’t leave without a fresh cup right on site!
Check out Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center online to learn about the certification process for coffee farms called “Bird Friendly Coffee” and to learn how to buy bird friendly coffee!
After more than a century, fishers are returning to New Jersey
by Kendall Miller, Communications Intern
Fisher photo by Josh More via Flickr Creative Commons.
New Jersey’s forests lost a charismatic top predator when the fisher was extirpated nearly a century ago. Exploitation of the fisher for its pelt — coupled with excessive logging practices during the 19th and 20th centuries — caused decimated populations of this North American native across its entire range. However, through the implementation of conservation practices, this small, yet spunky forest carnivore is experiencing a comeback.
Despite its past disappearance from the state, the combined effects of trapping bans and nearby relocation projects (New York and Pennsylvania) are resulting in the fisher’s resurgence in New Jersey. Within the last decade, the return of fishers to New Jersey has been an exciting new possibility, with multiple reported sightings, photos caught via trail camera and anecdotal stories by the public.
Recently, two trappings by state officials in North Jersey, both within a mere month of one another, mark the return of fishers to the state of New Jersey, and speaks for the potential future of this species, as well as others.
What exactly is a fisher?
Source: Canadian Geographic
Found only in North America, fishers historically inhabited forested and semi-forested land from coast to coast, ranging from Virginia to Quebec in the east. Found in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests, they prefer areas with dense canopy cover, and tend to avoid areas with human disturbances.
Also referred to as the fisher cat and Appalachian black cat, this animal looks like fluffy cat meets fox, with a wolverine-like disposition. However, it is neither a feline nor does it catch fish. The fisher (Martes pennanti) is a member of the Mustelidae family, which includes otters, badgers, martens, ferrets, minks, wolverines and more.
The fisher is a long bodied and short legged animal, with a bushy tail that makes up a third of its total body length. There is a substantial size sexual dimorphism between males and females. Males weigh 8-13 pounds and reach lengths between 35-47 inches. Females weigh between 3 and 7 pounds and are between 30-37 inches long. Males have grizzled fur due to blonde guard hairs on their neck and shoulders, while females are a uniform chocolate brown.
A generalist carnivore species, a fisher will eat anything it can catch — typically small- to medium-sized mammals and birds. Carrion and some nuts and fruits also make up a portion of its diet. They are known to eliminate weak or injured deer, especially in times of heavy snow pack.
While its diet may be general, one part is very special: this is the only predator of porcupines in the country. The prickly defenses of the porcupine protect it against almost all predators except the fisher, who has developed a special way of hunting its prey. It will chase a porcupine up a tree until it can go no further and falls. Then, it will make a head-first descent down the tree with the help of semi-retractable claws and feet that can turn nearly 180 degrees. The fall stuns the porcupine, allowing the fisher to access the unprotected underside.
These predators share prey with coyotes, bobcats, foxes and even raptors, creating competition with these species. Fishers have been known to travel hundreds of miles to meet their dietary needs, able to cross water if need be.
They live a solitary life-style, with home ranges between 1-3 square miles, seldom overlapping, which suggests territoriality. They are found to be active at any point during the day or night. Fishers make homes in dens year round, using a variety of forest resources such as tree hollows, stumps, debris piles, natural crevices and underground tunnels. Females with litters will use tree hollows that are far off the ground.
Fishers themselves have no natural enemies and few disease occurrences. Trapping by humans and vehicle collisions likely account for the majority of deaths throughout their range.
Reflections Three Years into the Shorebird Sister School Network Program
by Stephanie Egger, Wildlife Biologist
Deep Creek Primary students with the migratory and wintering Piping Plover decal.
As we begin to wrap up our third year of the Shorebird Sister School Network, we are able to reflect on how far we have come in just a short time. In our first year, we started with just one class at Amy Roberts Primary School (Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, The Bahamas), led by teacher Jan Russell, which was paired up with a class at Ocean City Intermediate School (Ocean City, New Jersey), led by teacher Deb Rosander. We presented the students with information on the full life cycle of the Piping Plover, commonly referred to as “our birds” in New Jersey. Really they are residents of The Bahamas, spending over half their life on the warm sandy beaches surrounded by turquoise water. Piping Plovers in The Bahamas, in most cases, see less disturbance than what is experienced by plovers on their breeding grounds in the United States and Canada.
We not only focus on breeding, migration, and wintering of the plovers, but the importance of their habitat to a suite of species. In The Bahamas, the tidal flats used by the Piping Plovers are of huge importance to the ecological value and economy of The Bahamas, as the flats are also used by bonefish, conch, and shark species. We had both classes conduct similar projects — interpretive signs placed on the breeding and wintering grounds — using their writing skills and original artwork. The students also participated in field trips where they learned how to use spotting scopes and binoculars to find and identify shorebirds.
Shorebird Sister School Network leaders and CWF biologists, Stephanie Egger and Todd Pover at Amy Roberts Primary School, one of the first sister schools in the program.
Three years later, we still are teaching our core lessons, but have vastly expanded on the curriculum and projects, as well as extending the program onto another island, Eleuthera, which is just south of Abaco. We now are working with Cherokee Primary in the settlement of Cherokee Sound (Abaco) and Deep Creek Primary (Deep Creek, Eleuthera). We have continued working for the last three years with Amy Roberts Primary School and Ocean City Intermediate School. Back in the United States, we have added a second class from Ocean City, as well as the Leeds Avenue Elementary School Environmental Club (Pleasantville, New Jersey) led by Mary Lenahan. We’ve added new components to the curriculum such as bird anatomy, foraging differences between species of shorebirds, invasive species, habitat assessments (including macroinvertebrates) and marine debris.
We continue to implement interpretive signs as a project with classes that are in their first year of the program, but have come up with new and exciting projects to keep the students (and teachers) motivated and engaged to continue participating as a sister school. For example, during the second year we worked with Amy Roberts, we removed 1,500 Australian pine (Casuarina spp.) from Green Turtle Cay as it degrades the habitat for piping plovers and other species. We created a Piping Plover activity book complete with crossword puzzles, word searches, and mapping activities designed mainly by the students at Ocean City Intermediate School, Leeds Avenue Elementary School, and Amy Roberts Primary School. Because Cherokee Primary and Deep Creek Primary are new to the program this year we hope to have their students create interpretive signs, while the second and third year students in the Program may develop PSA-type videos this year and pen pal letters to their respective sister schools in the United States.
Throughout the year, each class receives one or two classroom lessons and a field trip. We keep busy during the few short weeks we have in The Bahamas; coordinating the field trips, conducting surveys, presentations, and working to continue to build and strengthen our existing relationships with partners, such as Friends of the Environment and local citizen scientists. This year, we’ve reached over 120 students in the program, both from the Bahamas and in the United States.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the Shorebird Sister School Network is that we are able to provide lessons to the some of the same children throughout multiple years in the program, which strengthens the conservation messages we are trying to instill in the upcoming generations. We hope to foster a greater appreciation for wildlife, especially for the Piping Plover and its habitat, and inspire students to help now — and later on in their lives as adults — ensure the recovery and survival of the bird for years to come.
Conserve Wildlife Foundation introduces new educational contest for 5-8th grade students in New Jersey
by Lindsay McNamara, Communications Manager
Image by: Jessie Peter (2009) “The Educator’s Guide to Marine Debris”
The scientists at Conserve Wildlife Foundation, NOAA, students from the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES), and other partners are working with local fishermen to locate and recycle over 1,000 abandoned crab pots that litter the Barnegat Bay watershed.
Abandoned crab pots are a form of marine debris, or litter that ends up in oceans, seas, or other large bodies of water. Every year, tons of marine debris is left behind in Barnegat Bay and surrounding waters. When a fisherman’s gear is lost or abandoned it can trap, hurt or even kill marine wildlife like fish, crabs and the diamondback terrapin, a small turtle that lives in the salt marsh.
Nearly 50 diamondback terrapins drowned in one abandoned crab pot. Photo by Shannon Alexander of Bay Country Kayaking
To help fix the problem, our team of scientists will locate (with sonar technology) and take the crab pots that have been lost or left behind in the water. The old and rusty crab pots that are recovered will be recycled and converted into energy!
Calling all students! Do you want to help too? Enter our Species on the Edge: Marine Debris Edition contest and draw a design that shows how our project will help Barnegat Bay and marine wildlife like the diamondback terrapin.
Open to all New Jersey fifth-eighth graders in public, private, or home schools.
The contest opens on Friday, March 4 and closes on Friday, May 20, 2016.
Decal designs will be judged by marine scientists. Judging takes place in June.
The winner will be notified by the end of June.
The winning design will be printed on 2,500 stickers to use as the official “logo” of the project. The winning student will receive two free passes to Jenkinson’s Aquarium and spend a day in the field with one of CWF’s wildlife biologists.
Our abandoned crab pot project brings together the NOAA Marine Debris program, Fishing for Energy partnership, CWF, MATES, Monmouth University, Stockton University, ReClam the Bay, and local fishermen and baymen. Funders of this project include: NOAA Marine Debris Program, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Covanta, and the New Jersey Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership.
Subscribe to “Behind the Stone Walls” Blog For Multiple EagleCam Updates a Week
by Lindsay McNamara, Communications Manager
Screen Shot by Jim Wright
EagleCam enthusiasts! Want to learn as much as you can about the Duke Farms eagles? Be sure to subscribe to the “Behind the Stone Walls” blog. The eagle posts are written by Jim Wright, author of the new Duke Farms’ Bald Eagles e-bookand “The Bird Watcher” column for The Record.
Posts include beautiful screen shots from the new HD and infrared night vision camera, nest updates, eagle biology, FAQs and more:
CWF leading the charge to provide free recycling and disposal of derelict fishing gear throughout the Barnegat Bay watershed
by Lindsay McNamara, Communications Manager
Abandoned crab pots unnecessarily trap fish and harm other marine life. Photo credit: NOAA
Conserve Wildlife Foundation is proud to collaborate with the Fishing for Energy partnership — an innovative public-private effort that provides commercial fishermen a no-cost solution to recycle old and unusable fishing gear — to recycle an estimated 26,000 pounds of derelict crab pots and other marine debris collected throughout the Barnegat Bay watershed as part of a removal project over the next two years. On Friday, we celebrated our new project with our Fishing for Energy partners at a press event in Waretown, New Jersey.
Abandoned or lost fishing equipment can threaten marine wildlife, like diamondback terrapins, in a number of ways, including by damaging ecosystems as nets and heavy equipment settle upon the ocean floor and through “ghost fishing,” wherein gear continues to catch fish and other wildlife even if abandoned or lost. Gear also can impact navigational safety, damage fishing equipment and boats that are in use, and have economic repercussions on fishing and shipping enterprises and coastal communities.
In just six days, RJ Cericola and other local fishermen have collected over 160 abandoned crab pots!
Look at all the abandoned crab pots removed so far!
“By recycling thousands of dangerous abandoned crab pots, our team is protecting vulnerable wildlife such as the diamondback terrapin, which inhabit the same shallow coastal waters in Barnegat Bay where pots are often lost or abandoned,” said Stephanie Egger, CWF wildlife biologist and principal investigator. “Terrapin population declines, reduced growth, and changes in sex ratios have been directly attributed to by-catch mortality in crab pots. We are so thrilled to work with local fishermen and all of our project partners, particularly the Fishing for Energy program, NOAA, and the New Jersey Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership.”
This two-year marine debris removal project, led by CWF and supported by a NOAA Marine Debris Program Community-based Marine Debris Removal grant, is working with local crabbers to locate and remove more than 1,000 derelict crab pots from Barnegat Bay. As part of this project, CWF is partnering with the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science, Monmouth University, Stockton University, ReClam the Bay, New Jersey Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership (NJCWRP), and the recreational and commercial fishing community to identify, retrieve, and inventory derelict crab pots. The project is also conducting education and outreach activities on the impacts of derelict crab pots including the development of a lesson plan for schools, presentations for the community, developing informational print materials, and collaborating with the WeCrab education and outreach project led by the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve/Rutgers University and Stockton University.
MATES students collecting data on the derelict crab pots.
“NJCWRP is proud to support this coalition of partners working on innovative projects to benefit the ecological quality of Barnegat Bay,” said Russell Furnari, chair, NJCWRP. “Removing thousands of these derelict crab pots not only enhances habitat, but also reduces navigational hazards, human health issues, and fishery impacts. We are thrilled to help provide outreach and educational campaigns to the local community, which will prevent additional lost pots and promote a deeper understanding of the bay’s habitat and wildlife.”
The Fishing for Energy partnership provided funds for the transportation and disposal of the gear found in Barnegat Bay through Covanta’s Energy-from-Waste facility in Union County, New Jersey. At the Covanta site, any metal found on the debris will be recycled and the remainder of the traps converted into clean, renewable energy that will power area homes and businesses. The recycled materials will be processed and converted into enough energy to power 2,200 homes for a month!
From left to right: CWF’s Stephanie Egger, Covanta’s Meg Morris, NFWF’s Courtney McGeachy, and Covanta’s Kristin Blake.
Fishing for Energy is a nationwide partnership between the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; the NOAA Marine Debris Program; Covanta, a New Jersey-headquartered sustainable waste and energy solutions company; and Schnitzer Steel Industries, one of the largest metal recycling companies in the United States. The partnership offers conveniently located collection bins for disposal of old fishing gear, making it easy for fishing communities – even small coastal communities like Waretown and Mantoloking – to deal with the issue of derelict gear. As a result, the partnership reduces the amount of gear that ends up in U.S. coastal waters and recycles and converts the remaining gear and debris into clean, renewable energy at Covanta’s Energy-from-Waste facilities.
Making Headlines: News Coverage from the Press Event:
New E-book Provides Everything You Need To Know About The Eagles And Their Celebrated Nest
by Lindsay McNamara, Communications Manager
We are excited to announce that the new e-book, “Duke Farms’ Bald Eagles,” is now viewable online from any computer or tablet! A collaboration between Conserve Wildlife Foundation and Duke Farms, the free, photo-rich e-book provides everything you need to know about the eagles, their beloved nest, and the new high-definition EagleCam that enables viewers around the world to watch the eagle family at any time of day or night.
The e-book was written by Jim Wright, author of the popular posts about the eagles for Duke Farms’ “Behind the Stone Walls” blog, as well as, “The Bird Watcher” column for The Record. CWF Executive Director David Wheeler wrote the e-book foreward. Experts interviewed for the project include CWF’s eagle biologist Larissa Smith and Kathy Clark of New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program.
Other chapters feature EagleCam lesson plan winner Diane Cook and the use of EagleCam in the classroom (complete with a link to lesson plans). The e-book also showcases the bald eagle’s All-American comeback in New Jersey and the other at-risk species that nest on Duke Farms’ 2,750-acre property.
The e-book — designed by Mimi Sabatino — also features cutting-edge page-turning software (try it with the sound on), links to the EagleCam itself, six videos and more than 30 pertinent webpages. Nature photographer Kevin Watson took all the incredible photographs of the at-risk species that have found a home at Duke Farms.
Comments on the Sparta Mountain WMA Forest Stewardship Plan are due Tuesday, March 1, 2016
by Emily Hofmann, Environmental Education Intern
Photo by New York-New Jersey Trail Conference
Wildlife in the Sparta Mountain Wildlife Management Area (WMA) need your help! Submit your comments on the new Forest Stewardship Plan by Tuesday, March 1, 2016.
Conserve Wildlife Foundation supports the new Forest Stewardship Plan for the Sparta Mountain WMA located in Sparta Township, New Jersey. The original Forest Stewardship Plan was introduced in 2009. The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, in partnership with New Jersey Audubon, recently updated and expanded upon the plan. The new revisions show a commitment to creating healthier forest habitat for wildlife, while abiding by the strict guidelines provided by third-party certification, along with agency regulations.
The new ten-year Plan, drafted by New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife and New Jersey Audubon Society, and conducted under an existing Forest Stewardship Plan for the wildlife area, will allow conservation actions to continue. The plan addresses the following key goals:
Improve the health, structure and diversity of the forests;
Create young forest habitat for birds and other wildlife that are of conservation concern;
Enhance foraging, nesting and roosting habitat for cavity dwelling birds and bats;
Suppress the spread of invasive species;
May provide basking habitat for turtles;
Protect and maintain views and vistas;
Improve passive recreational opportunities;
Protect water resources;
Monitor and evaluate stewardship activities
Kelly Triece, our Private Lands Biologist, has pointed out that 80% of New Jersey forests are currently between 60-99 years old, while only 5% of the forests are between 0-19 years old. CWF supports forest stewardship projects, like those presented in the new plan, that seek to even out this clear disparity and promote more diversity in age class of New Jersey forests. Increased diversity in forest age brings increased diversity in plant and animal species. This type of forest habitat has the potential to support over 125 bird species, including the Golden-winged Warbler.
Golden-winged Warbler. Photo by D. Kenny Golden.
The public comment period is an opportunity for you to support forest stewardship that will improve the health of the forest and create young forest habitat; essential for protecting the state endangered Golden-winged Warbler, as well as numerous other flora and fauna.
The Department of Environmental Protection needs to hear from you! To submit comments, visit DEP’s website. Provided below is a draft set of comments which you are welcome to use, as well as revise and submit. Remember, the deadline is Tuesday, March 1, 2016.
Emily Hofmann is the Environmental Education Intern for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.
Suggested text:
To the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection,
Please accept the following comments in support of adoption and implementation of the Sparta Mountain Wildlife Management Area Forest Stewardship plan. This new plan builds on an existing plan that has been under implementation for several years. The new plan seeks to addresses the long-term health of the forest and the critically important lack of young forest habitat by working to create new young forest habitat patches over the next ten years. In addition, the plan includes explicit goals to protect and enhance hydrologic resources, monitoring of priority wildlife populations, provide compatible wildlife recreational opportunities and adherence to strict third party certification principles and criteria. This plan is important because the resident and migratory birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians that rely on young forest habitat are struggling to maintain themselves in places they were once commonly found. Throughout the Northeast, young forest habitat has diminished as forestland has been converted to development and abandoned farms and homesteads have matured to woodlands. As a consequence, a wide variety of wildlife have experienced the loss of the scrubby, patchy, disturbed portions of the forest that they rely on for food and cover.
The plan was developed based upon an understanding of the needs of wildlife in the Highlands Region and with a specific focus on ensuring that forest health is improved. The plan authors thoroughly reviewed the history of the region, considered the important water resources of Sparta Mountain, evaluated wildlife needs, recreational desires and community connections, and brought all of this together with a keen eye toward improving the health and vigor of the forest. The plan has gone through an extensive review by experts at the Department of Environmental Protection, has taken input from a wide-range of stakeholders and meets the requirements of a third party certification system. The plan is appropriate and needed given the mission of the NJ DEP and the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, the agency charged with management of the wildlife area and conserving wildlife. I encourage the Department of Environmental Protection to adopt and implement the Sparta Mountain Wildlife Management Area Forest Stewardship Plan.
