Category: Events

…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.

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.

Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission & National Moth Week are excited to host a Moth Night on Thursday, May 10th, beginning at 8pm.

Seabrooke Leckie is a freelance biologist and writer living in rural eastern Ontario.  She holds a B.Sc.H. in Zoology and has worked on field research contracts in many parts of the continent, from California to Quebec, British Columbia to Ohio.  She discovered moths quite by accident one summer while away on contract, and they’ve become her number one passion.  Ms. Leckie is the co-author of the new Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America.

Why moths? With more than 10,000 species in North America alone, moths offer endless options for study, education, photography, and fun. Moths can be found everywhere from inner cities and suburban backyards, to the most wild and remote places. The diversity of moths is simply astounding. Their colors and patterns range from bright and dazzling, to so cryptic that they define camouflage.

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ is excited to discover NJ’s moths and hope that you can attend this event on Thursday.

For more information, please visit,  http://www.friendsebec.com/.

The 2012 Women & Wildlife Education Award Winner is Dale Rosselet.  Dale has been sharing her passion about the environment and advancing environmental education for 29 years at NJ Audubon.   Join us to honor Dale and other 2012 Women & Wildlife Award Winners on Sunday, April 15th beginning at 2pm.  Click here for tickets and more information.

What is the best thing you get to do?   I LOVE working with teachers and get to do that on a regular basis…I will almost never turn down a professional development workshop.  I LOVE working with other staff at NJ Audubon – we have such an amazing group of creative people and the discourse is great, but I guess the coolest thing I get to do is lead occasional eco-tours to places that I would not otherwise be able to visit.  Getting out of the US and visiting these places, learning a little bit about other cultures and how people live, really broadens one’s world view and helps put things in perspective.

What has been your biggest success in your current job?  I became VP for Education at NJ Audubon after my predecessor Pat Kane retired.  She was (and is) a mentor and friend.  Under her guidance and vision we created a strong foundation for NJ Audubon’s environmental education platform.  I’ve had the pleasure of working with talented people to strengthen the work we do in urban environmental education and reaching people who don’t have access to our vast open spaces.  This part of the NJ Audubon education platform continues to grow and mature, but it is very exciting to be a part of it as that happens.

 What delights you in your daily work?  I really like the diversity of tasks that the VP for Education is responsible for.  I could be planning teacher professional development or working with staff to write a grant to help them realize a programmatic goal or cutting out photos to go on an exhibit board. I could be developing assessment tools or leading a bird field trip or talking to people in our bookstore about bird sightings.  While sometimes this diversity makes me seem schizophrenic, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 What is the one tool or resource that makes your job easier? The resources that make my job easier are the other professionals that I work with – both at NJ Audubon and in the environmental education community.  I am constantly amazed and humbled by the commitment to this field and the broad experience and vision that people bring to the table.

 What wildlife “lives” in your office? I don’t have anything the lives in my office…except for the occasional mouse passing through, but I have a world of wildlife right outside the window.  One of my favorite things is that when I am on a conference call (and those are numerous!), I can stare out over the marsh and watch Osprey or Bald Eagle fly by or pick my binoculars up and see Indigo Buntings or Orchard Orioles in the back trees.
If you could be one animal (that lives in NJ of course!) what would you be and why?  Box turtle!  I have always had a soft spot for box turtles and when I found out that they live so long and their home range is about the size of a football field that just amazed me.  I keep a photo library of “my” box turtles in the yard and am up to about 7 individuals.

 Why did you decide to protect or educate people about NJ’s wildlife? I grew up on the edge of the Great Swamp in Morris County.  The more time we spent outside the better life was…climbing apple trees, catching frogs, picking blackberries, roaming the sandpit nearby, catching toads, getting muddy, building forts.  With this kind of background, I had no choice but to go into the education field. I wanted to make sure that people – especially children – have access to having a similar set of experiences.

The 2012 Women & Wildlife Leadership Award Winner is Laurie Pettigrew.  Laurie has been a biologist with the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife for the last 25 years.  She established the Becoming an Outdoors Women Program and is the author of the New Jersey Wildlife Viewing Guide.  She is an eloquent ambassador for wildlife recreation in our state and has helped to restore hundreds of acres of grassland habitat in southern New Jersey for many endangered bird species such as the American kestrel and Eastern meadowlark.   Join us to honor Laurie and other 2012 Women & Wildlife Award Winners on Sunday, April 15th beginning at 2pm.  Click here for tickets and more information.

What is the worst thing you have to do for your job?  Paperwork.

What is the best thing you get to do?  Play with power tools!

What is the one tool or resource that makes your job easier?  My big girl truck! Just kidding. It is one of my favorite tools even though I hate to admit it. My most useful resource is ArcGIS.

If you couldn’t do what you are doing now, what profession would you attempt?  Cookie baking.

What is the best thing anyone ever taught you?  Always carry a pocket knife.

What wildlife “lives” in your office?  Mice, black snakes, and a few spiders!

 What were you doing before you answered these questions?  Training my dogs to find shed antlers.

By; Larissa Smith,  Biologist/Volunteer Manager

The Conserve Wildlife Foundation is one of the beneficiaries of the Ocean Drive Marathon which took place in Cape May County on March 25th. This year CWF received a generous donation of $7,000!  We would like to thank the organizers of the marathon for their continual support of CWF.

 Now through February 19th at the New Jersey State Museum.

“Essential Life,” a new art exhibition at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton is one artist’s response to the decay of our environment and its impact on the indigenous wild creatures that once lived there.  Tricia Zimic champions these animals, both in her exquisite sculptures and paintings and through her work on an ambitious conservation project on a 2,110-acre site in New Jersey. Zimic creates pieces that are startling and provocative. Through painting, clay, fiberglass, and found objects, she depicts creatures that have been displaced by urban and suburban sprawl: a black bear and its cubs foraging for pizza in the meadowlands, a red wolf traversing a highway or owls inhabiting a metal beam. Zimic offers viewers examples both of animal resourcefulness and population collapse.

Tricia Zimic trained at the Parson’s School of Design where she studied with artists including Maurice Sendak and Frank Giorgini. Her ceramic work is installed in public and private collections worldwide. Prior to starting her career in fine arts, the artist worked for many years as an illustrator of young adult books including the iconic Nancy Drew series. Through her current work in narrative art, Zimic seeks to communicate a message of renewal and conservation. We hope you will have the opportunity to view Ms. Zimic’s 35  inspirational sculptures and paintings. The exhibition will run until February 19, 2012, at the New Jersey State Museum, located at 205 West State Street, Trenton, NJ.  Open Tue- Sat. 9 am – 4:45.

• Visit her website to view more of her work

SPECIES ON THE EDGE ART & ESSAY CONTEST AWARDS CEREMONY

by Karena DiLeo, Assistant Biologist

The Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest Awards Ceremony was May 6th at the New Jersey Education Association in Trenton.   We had a great turn out and would like to thank everyone who attended and submitted entries into the contest.  We received over 2,000 entries this year!  Winning artwork is currently on display at NJ Audubon’s Plainsboro Preserve and will travel to Liberty State Park on June 6th.