This past week, CWF biologist Meaghan Lyon attended the Northeast Bat Working Group (NEBWG) annual meeting with her fellow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) New Jersey Field Office colleagues in snowy Burlington, Vermont. The NEBWG meeting brings together scientists, conservationists, educators, and enthusiasts to teach and learn about the most current bat research and tools to help improve our work in the field.
The annual meeting provided opportunities to learn about current research findings through presentations and poster sessions, as well as interact with fellow professionals from across the Northeast. Topics of interest included Myotis species updates for the range, impacts of renewable energies like wind farms, survey techniques, and diseases like white nose syndrome. A special training session was also offered to conference attendees focusing on the use of night vision aids for monitoring bats.
These meetings foster a sense of community among biologists and inspire new approaches for studying and conserving bats.
The results are in! It wasn’t a great year for upland sandpipers at the McGuire Airfield. Numbers of breeding pairs at this location have decreased to an estimated two pairs. Numbers can be variable from year to year so there is still hope for better news in 2023.
Upland sandpipers typically require a minimum of 100 acres for breeding habitat and so large expanses of open, grassy land is a high priority. Over the past five years, long term efforts have been ongoing to complete a large-scale grassland restoration at the McGuire Airfield. So far, roughly 500 acres have been converted to native warm season grasses with another 100 acres to be completed by next spring. Our goal is to help create and maintain grassland bird nesting habitat for Upland sandpipers and other species.
The cold and dreary winter weather makes for the perfect excuse to curl up with a book. Reading a good book can transport you into new worlds, or, in the case of the following books I’m about to recommend, help you get excited about getting outside to explore your own winter wildland.
My first recommendation is a Field Guide, Tracking and the Art of Seeing: How to Read Animal Tracks and Sign written by Paul Rezendes. Although this is a field guide to tracking wildlife, this book includes personal accounts that make it much more readable cover to cover. The author includes several North American species including rodents, hoofed animals, bears, raccoons, opossums, and members of the weasel, rabbit, dog, and cat families. He describes not only the signs these animals leave but also their ways of life throughout the seasons to help the reader get a fuller picture.
With 2022 coming to a close, Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s staff took a moment to reflect on what they were thankful for this year at work and with regards to New Jersey’s wildlife.
The CWF team (Board and staff) enjoyed a holiday celebration at Flying Fish Brewery.
I’m thankful for New Jersey’s incredible wildlife and my role in protecting so many at-risk species. I owe my greatest appreciation, however, to the dedicated people who carry out and support CWF’s work to strengthen wildlife populations and educate the next generation of environmental stewards. Our Board and staff are truly extraordinary at what they do, and our contributors, volunteers, and partners make all our success stories possible.
Educators and biologists at Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey are leading educational programs at Ridge Street Elementary School in Newark, New Jersey, for the eighth consecutive year. Comprehensive STEAM curricula that follow New Jersey State Learning Standards for Science were developed by CWF staff for grades K, 3, 5 and 6. These curricula provide a series of classroom lessons, projects, and field trips focused on New Jersey’s wildlife.
While delivery of this program, entitled “Soaring With STEAM,” was adapted to a virtual learning environment during the pandemic, this 2022-23 school year has been presented entirely in-person, allowing staff to meaningfully interact with students and teachers in the classroom.
Earlier this summer, it was announced that the annual range-wide American oystercatcher meeting would be held in December on the Gulf Coast of Florida near Naples. Thrilled to finally be attending in-person after several pandemic years of virtual meetings, my mind immediately pivoted to what other nearby nature sites I could also visit. Or more specifically and not too surprising for those that know me…where could I go to view wintering piping plovers.
In late September, Hurricane Ian made a direct landing in this region of Florida. The meeting had to be scuttled, relocated to the Georgia coast. And just like that, my “add-on” plans – I had arranged a short trip to Outback Key about two hours north of the meeting – fell off the itinerary.
Or maybe not. Georgia borders Florida, right? Six hours of driving for a chance to see 50-60 piping plovers in one spot is reasonable, right? Did I mention at least one New Jersey breeder winters at the site?
So as soon as the oystercatcher meeting wrapped at mid-day, I found myself in a car, along with fellow CWF Biologist Emmy Casper, hurtling toward St. Petersburg, Florida. We arrived at nightfall, woke in what felt like a flash, so we could wait in a line of cars, still in the dark, for Fort DeSoto County Park to open at 7 am. We had a very narrow window for our visit with the morning low tide being optimal shorebird viewing at Outback Key and because we had mid-day flights home.
Over the past five years, long term efforts have been ongoing to complete a large-scale grassland restoration at the McGuire Airfield. So far, roughly 500 acres have been treated and seeded to encourage the growth of native warm season grasses with another 100 acres to be completed by next spring. The planting of species like little bluestem, sideoats grama, and blue grama has helped to create grassland bird nesting habitat and conserve existing habitat, while accommodating necessary airfield procedures and safety.
Keeping the vegetation on the airfield short is important to ensure airport safety and to achieve that goal, the fields must be mowed. When the vegetation reaches 12-14 inches, the area is mowed back down to 7 inches. The vegetation before the start of the restoration project was a mix of native and non-native woody, forb, and grass species, with some plants growing at a faster rate than others. The quicker these plants grow, the more frequent mowing must occur. It’s for this reason why native warm season grasses were planted, which have a slower growth rate and tend not to grow more than 12-14 inches. By planting these species and reducing mowing frequency, the grassland birds have less disturbance and human impacts on their nesting season.
This work is done in cooperation with the USFWS New Jersey Field Office, and grassland bird surveys are completed throughout the summer to monitor success. Stay tuned to learn more about our grassland bird results for the 2022 breeding season.
Vegetation must be mowed when grasses exceed 12 inches.
It’s official. The Northern long-eared bat is listed as an endangered species under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Endangered Species Act. Earlier this year, the USFWS announced the proposed uplisting due to severe population declines. This uplisting would help to protect and recover this imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend on.
A Northern long-eared bat is held in a gloved hand- these bats are less that 4 inches long with a wingspan of 9-10 inches.
Through the Endangered Species Act, species may be listed as either endangered or threatened. The term “Threatened” means a species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. The term “Endangered” means a species is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
When CWF biologists encounter an injured bird while doing field work, we usually turn to Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research for help. A recent visit to the Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research facility located in Newark, Delaware provided great insight into the efforts that go into ensuring that injured and oiled birds have a second chance in the wild. Their mission is to provide professional, compassionate rehabilitation to native injured and orphaned wild birds and contaminated wildlife, and to promote their stewardship through education and humane research.
The facility has two programs, the Wild Bird Clinic and Oiled Wildlife Response. With more than 40 years of experience, the Wild Bird Clinic provides expert medical care, housing, and diets to injured, orphaned, and oiled native wild birds.
Inside the Oil Response Center you see large buckets to wash birds and other wildlife. Hoses hang from the ceiling to provide easy access and to avoid hazards.
It’s that time of year again, the days are getting shorter, temperatures are dropping, and creatures of the night are lurking behind shadowy corners. As Halloween approaches one animal comes to the forefront of everyone’s mind – bats.
Bats have been misunderstood by humans for many years and are still among the most persecuted animals on earth. In many parts of the world, bats are killed due to fear or harmful myths that make them seem scary or even dangerous. However, the fact is that bats are one of the most beneficial animals to humans.
