Category: Education

Public invited to hear expert panels on invasive species, wildlife disease, and other threats facing sportsmen and wildlife conservationists

Hunters and birdwatchers alike will come together for the first annual New Jersey Wildlife and Conservation Conference on April 26, 2013 in Eatontown, New Jersey. Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ (CWF) is partnering with the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs and the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife to host these expert panels at the Sheraton Eatontown Hotel at 6 Industrial Way East in Eatontown, N.J.

“Working together for wildlife was the catalyst that blurred the lines between the Federation camouflage and Conserve Wildlife green, enabling us to partner together and tackle the complex fish and wildlife issues facing New Jersey today,” said Frank Virgilio, President of the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs.

The inaugural conference will feature panels of wildlife experts from New Jersey Audubon, the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance, and many other organizations, exploring timely and controversial issues ranging from invasive species and wildlife disease to our declining forest health and conservation advocacy.

“The many conservation enthusiasts in New Jersey owe a great deal to sportsmen, who practiced wildlife conservation long before it entered national consciousness,” said CWF Executive Director David Wheeler. “Today our shared interests have led to countless success stories, protecting New Jersey’s valuable habitat and wildlife species during a time when we face more challenges than ever. This conference will tackle those issues with the most timely and meaningful information available.”

Individuals or companies seeking to register should visit www.ConserveWildlifeNJ.org.  Discounted rates for attending are as low as $20 for the all-day panels.

Meet the osprey pair at Nest #2835

by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager

I must admit, I’ve been anxious for the return of this pair of ospreys (and all others for that matter). The return of ospreys is a sign of spring, regrowth, and of recovery (from the effects of Superstorm Sandy) as we watch them rebuild their nests as we have helped to repair and replace many of their nesting platforms throughout our coast.

Over the past 6 weeks I had the task of installing a new remote/solar powered/high definition camera system on the coastal salt marsh of New Jersey. The camera system was installed inside Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville next to an existing osprey nesting platform. The camera system streams live video 24/7 from the nest to the Visitor’s Center at Forsythe and on our website. Since the system has been installed we’ve had crows, peregrine falcons (one that was a juvenile who was ID’d by her leg band and originated in Delaware), and a great horned owl (not good since owls are predators of osprey young) perch on the platform.

The nesting pair of ospreys arrived back from their wintering grounds on Friday, March 29th. We don’t know anything about the breeding pair other than neither is banded with USGS bird bands. The female has a very heavily streaked and prominent “necklace” of brown feathers on her breast. The male is  smaller and has a bright white breast. Since arrived they have already been copulating (breeding) on the nest and will continue to do so over the next few weeks until the female will lay eggs in late April. For now they will continue to spruce up their nest and the male will perform courtship displays, after a successful hunt or while carrying nesting material, near the nest to help strengthen their pair bond.

There is a microphone out at the nest and it works. Some issues have come up with pairing the sound and video feeds and we are working on getting that sound online. I will be writing a weekly “Nest Cam News” journal on the Osprey Cam page with information about osprey reproduction, life history and other cool facts about ospreys! Some other great news is that the Wildlife Drive at Forsythe NWR will be open this weekend!!

• Check out the Osprey Cam!

…during the 2013 Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey

By Larissa Smith, Biologist/Volunteer Manager

Every January NJ participates in the National Midwinter Eagle Count.   Volunteers surveyed for eagles statewide during the weekend of January 12th & 13th.    Due to dense fog the visibility was poor in many of the survey areas but despite this the total count was  297 bald eagles.  This is 38 less than 2012’s high count of 335 bald eagles.  Four golden eagles were also counted during the survey.

2013 Midwinter Eagle Survey Results

• Southern NJ: 264 bald eagles
• Northern NJ: 33 bald eagles
• Total bald eagles: 297

Thank you to all volunteers who participated!

February is a great time to get out and view eagles in New Jersey.  So far twenty-one pairs of eagles are incubating (on eggs) while others pairs are busy getting ready for the season.  Not only can you spot resident birds this time of year but wintering eagles as well.  The Cumberland County Winter Eagle Festival takes place this Saturday the 9th. This is a good opportunity to see eagles and other raptors and learn more about them.  I’ll be there at the CWF table so stop by and say “Hi”.

For more information on the festival: http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/events/v/011/2/2013/09/

Celebrate the coming of the full moon!

Join CWF for an evening night hike at either Allaire State Park or Island Beach State Park. 

At Allaire, we will go for a short hike alongside the canal exploring the senses and how they adapt to the night.  Program begins at 6pm at the Nature Center.  To register for the night hike at Allaire, please call Charlene at 732-567-3675.  Cost is $5/person.

At Island Beach, bundle up and join us for a hike to the beach. Roast marshmallows over a campfire and listen to ghost stories of the Atlantic!  Program begins at 6pm the Nature Center.  To register for the night hike at Island Beach, visit here. Cost is $5/person.

There is a new informational resource for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ.  A Wikipedia page!  The page is a good educational source for the public who may not know much about NJ rare wildlife or conservation work in NJ.   The endangered species that are mentioned on the Wikipedia page have links to the Wikipedia pages about them.

The page has an overview of the foundation’s conservation projects and it also covers the foundation’s habitat protection projects and educational programs. 

Check it out! and do a search for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ.

by Charlene Smith, Allaire Nature Center Manager

Hi! My name is Charlene Smith and I am the manager at Allaire Nature Center. I am a recent graduate of Rutgers University where I majored in Ecology & Natural Resource Management. I have spent half my life in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and the other half in New Jersey and have been pleasantly surprised at the history, beauty, and diversity of this state. I have a passion for the outdoors and love discovering all the wildlife and various landscapes that New Jersey has to offer.

I am excited to kick off a new season of adventuring into the wilds of Allaire State Park.  Tucked away in the woods at the edge of a pond, I have always considered Allaire Nature Centerto be a hidden gem that only a few people have had the chance to experience.  

CWF is offering many nature based programs that help to get people out in the field and experience wildlife hands-on.  This weekend, come and explore the pond and stream or take a quiet bird walk.  Check out our programs page.

Many people come to Allaire and can’t believe what a beautiful park it is and that it took them so long to come visit. They always vow that they will return again soon and spread the word to friends and family.

So, what are you waiting for? Come spend the whole day at Allaire! Make sure you bring your walking shoes and curiousity – and stop by the nature center and say Hi!

…and learn about threatened and endangered species.

by Larissa Smith; Biologist/Volunteer Manager

For the second year in a row  5th graders at the Ocean City Intermediate school adopted a species from the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ.   The 40 students are in two of  science teacher Mrs. Rosander’s  classes. They earned the money through chores and donations to adopt the Bald Eagle.  This year they chose to adopt a bald eagle which is one of the species that I work with so I was glad for the opportunity to talk about NJ eagles.

Students learned about threatened and endangered species as well as the NJ bald eagle project. The students asked a lot of great questions and I’m pretty sure they’ll now be on the look out for eagles!

Thank you to the students for their donation to CWF!

Birding by Kayak on Barnegat Bay, surf fishing off Island Beach, night hikes, and more…

CWF is excited to partner with NJ State Parks and offer incredible programs about New Jersey’s natural world.  Programs are taking place at both Island Beach State Park and Allaire State Park.

Become a WILDCHILD, take a sunset kayak tour, try your hand at surf-fishing, go bird watching, or discover the night. Whatever you decide, you will be guided by professional educators and naturalists who have plenty of natural and wildlife stories to share with you.

At nearly 10 miles long, Island Beach is New Jersey’s most expansive stretch of undeveloped barrier island.  Our programs help you to connect with the beauty of this ecosystem and its ample natural resources.  Have your kids participate in a WILDCHILD program including surfing, surf-fishing, and island exploration. Try and catch the big one during a surf-fishing class or discover the beauty of Barnegat Bay through kayaking.

Allaire State Park covers almost 3,000 acres within the coastal plain of New Jersey.  An extension of the Pine Barrens, Allaire has sandy soils and forests of oak, cedar, and pine.  The Manasquan River flows through the park, creating floodplain that serves as habitat for many species of wildlife, including the barred owl, wood turtle, and bald eagle.  Discover moths, take a quiet bird walk, or splash around in the pond and stream during one of our summer programs.

For more information, visit CWF’s Parks Programs section on our website.

What Kind of Turtle Am I?  is written by Donna M. Zappala.  She is a native of New Jersey.  Donna spent many years  teaching preschool and kindergarten.   While teaching students in the early grades, Donna would begin planning her lessons with a trip to the library to find children’s books that would enhance the topic she planned to teach. Often times, she became frustrated, not finding the best book to suit her lesson. So, now she is creating those stories she knows teachers will find useful, informative and enjoyable for themselves as well as their students.

What Kind of Turtle Am I? is Donna’s second children’s book and discusses the differences between turtles, tortoises and terrapins.  It is the story of a turtle named Izzy who goes on a search to figure out what kind of turtle she is.  She stops and asks many animals along the way and discovers, little by little, some amazing facts about herself.  In the end, Izzy realizes that she is a diamondback terrapin and her search is over as she finds other diamondback terrapins to spend time with basking in the sun.

Donna enjoys visiting schools and reading to children.   Please visit her website for more information, to purchase her books, upcoming events, and news.

The New Jersey Young Birders Club seeks youngsters who share their love of all things feathered. 

By Nathaniel Hernandez, Great Meadows, NJ

CWF is happy to turn over the blog to Nathaniel to promote this new groups efforts to learn more about NJ’s incredible biodiversity.

New Jersey may be known as a state with the most people per square mile in the US, but it also ranks an incredible 12^th  place for bird diversity. It holds some of the most important migration points in the Eastern US. Places such as Cape May, Barnegat Bay, Old Mine Road in Warren and Sussex Counties, and other hotspots make this one of the best states for birding. It also hosts the famous World Series of Birding, where hundreds of birders come from around the world for the Garden State’s diverse birds.

Unfortunately, the young birders scattered throughout this birdy state have not united into an organized group that will help in raising New Jersey’s next generation of birders and ornithologists.  The newly formed New Jersey Young Birders Club wishes to change that.  Our club has trips all over the state and has interactive meetings to help its members learn more about birds and conservation.

To learn more about our club, including our events, please visit njyoungbirders.weebly.com