Category: Wildlife Protection

A “LIVING FOSSIL” IN DANGER OF BECOMING EXTINCT

By Michael Davenport, Marine Species & GIS Programs Manager

New Jersey’s list of endangered and threatened species increases to 84 this week with the addition of the Atlantic sturgeon.   It is the second fish, along with the shortnose sturgeon, on that list.

After a lengthy review process, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric  Administration (NOAA) listed the Atlantic sturgeon as Endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act.  Species which occur in New Jersey and are listed as Endangered on the federal level, automatically become listed as Endangered at the state level as well.

Sturgeon are often referred to as “living fossils” because they are among the oldest groups of bony fishes and have retained primitive characteristics.  Like the shortnose sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon are slow-growing, long-lived fish which mature late in life.  Both species have been overfished both for the eggs and their flesh and their populations have yet to recover.  Despite the current ban on their capture, they continue to face threats due to unintentional catch (bycatch), pollution, dredging of critical habitat, and boat strikes.

While both species of sturgeon inhabit the Delaware and Hudson rivers, the Atlantic sturgeon also occurs in marine waters with Delaware and Raritan bays and along New Jersey’s Atlantic coast.  To learn more about this species, please visit our on-line field guide page.

Respect Signage to Protect Bald Eagle Nests

by Margaret O’Gorman, Executive Director

The recovery of New Jersey’s bald eagle population is a great success story for the state and for the many biologists, conservationists and volunteers involved in the effort.  This recovery has been over 20 years in the making with over 100 pairs now breeding in New Jersey, a huge increase from the late eighties when one pair remained in our state.

While we celebrate the success of our eagle population, we must now begin to deal with the fact that eagle nests are increasingly located in places where more people can view them and get close to these magnificent birds and who wouldn’t want to observe these iconic species?

But close observation can be dangerous to these birds and damaging to the continued recovery of the population.  Bald eagles do not react well when people or pets get too close to their nests.  They can be easily disturbed by humans in close proximity and this disturbance can cause them to expend valuable energy when flushed or, at the extreme, to abandon their nests leaving eggs to fail or newly hatched chicks to die. Continue reading “Keep Your Distance”

2012 MIGRATION SEASON BEGINS

by MacKenzie Hall, Biologist

After the wimpy winter (which I quite enjoyed), we knew the amphibian migration could start a little earlier than normal this season.  The ground has been thawed since mid-February across most of NJ, leaving only a reasonably warm nighttime rain to propel frogs and salamanders into their annual breeding frenzy.

And in an oddly symbiotic way, their frenzy becomes ours as well.  This year, the Amphibian Crossing Project covers 6 road rescue sites in Warren, Sussex, and Passaic Counties – more than we’ve ever done before – and includes monitoring at a number of amphibian road-crossings in the Sourland Mountains region.  More than 130 trained volunteers are part of the migration survey, which aims to 1) help amphibians survive the dangerous cross-road journey to their breeding pools, and 2) collect data to find out which sites are most important and which populations are most threatened by traffic.  With all the new sites, new helpers, and big plans for the data we collect this year (stay tuned…), a lot is riding on the weather.  We and our scouts have been out in every little nighttime rainfall over the past month that’s been anywhere near 40 degrees.

My first salamander of the season came out of the woods at 2:00 am on February 24th at a crossing in southern Sussex County, as light rain turned to snow in 37 degree air.  Aside from the three bulky humans watching him labor across the road, this Jefferson salamander had a quiet and uneventful trip.  No cars passed through; the only thing coming down on his cool skin was the occasional snowflake.  If you’re a slow, small amphibian, a middle-of-the-night migration is the way to go.  Your chance of survival is slim in the earlier evening’s traffic.

The nights of February 24th, 29th, and March 2nd were also rainy and just warm enough to draw some eager amphibians to the surface.   Jefferson salamanders are famously cold-hardy and have made a big push to their pools.  Spotted salamanders, wood frogs, and even a few spring peepers have taken advantage of the early thaw as well.  Peak migration is still ahead of us in northern NJ, though, so we’ll continue watching the weather and waiting for our next night out in the rain.

Ospreys are headed north!

by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager

Now is the time to repair, maintain, replace existing platforms and install new nesting platforms for ospreys. Over the next four weeks we’ll be busy doing just this. We have plans to do work in many areas throughout the coastal zone of New Jersey from as far north as Bayonne then down on the Barnegat Bay, Mullica River and south to Avalon.

The cutoff date for nest repairs is April 1st, when the nesting season begins. Over the next few weeks more and more ospreys will be appearing with larger concentrations towards the end of the month. If you see a new nest this year, please let us know so we can include it in our annual surveys.

A CRITICAL CONSERVATION TOOL JUST GOT BETTER

By Michael Davenport, Marine Species & GIS Programs Manager

To coincide with the NJ Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP’s) adoption this week of revised lists of endangered, threatened, and special concern species in the state, the DEP’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program released an updated version of the Landscape Project earlier this week.

The Landscape Project is a mapping tool, created using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which displays wildlife habitat throughout the state ranked according to the rarity of the species which occur in specific patches of habitat.  The highest rank (5) is used to indicate habitat for those species which are federally endangered or threatened.  Rank 4 is used for state endangered species, rank 3 for state threatened species, rank 2 for species of special concern, and rank 1 is for suitable habitat patches for which no rare species documentation currently exists.

The updated version of the Landscape Project is known as Version 3.1 (V3.1) and it replaces both Version 3.0, which covered the Highlands region only, and Version 2.1, which was applied to the remainder of the state.  Both previous versions were released in 2008.

Several changes have been in the methodology and source data used to create this latest version of the Landscape Project.  First, V3.1 is based upon 2007 Landuse/Landcover data, as opposed to the 2002 data used in previous versions.  Second, over 3,500 new rare species records were used in V3.1 and the newly adopted endangered, threatened, and special concern status changes are reflected.  Also, species not included in previous versions, such as whales, sea turtles, and freshwater mussels, are included.  More detailed information is also available in V3.1 such as the type of occurrence documented (nest, foraging habitat, etc.) and the last year that the occurrence was documented.

Since creation of the first version of the Landscape Project in the mid-1990’s, it has been a valuable tool for conservationists, land managers, state and local governments, as well as others.  Municipalities often refer to it in creation of their Environmental Resource Inventories (ERIs) and land trusts often use it to target areas for open space acquisition.

Continue reading “Updated Version of the Landscape Project (NJ’s Rare Wildlife Mapping Tool) Released”

Program from 1970’s restores osprey population to historic numbers

by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager

The New Jersey Osprey Project began after the osprey was listed as an endangered species in 1973. In April 1974 an aerial survey was conducted to count the number of active osprey nests. The survey was conducted from Toms River to Atlantic City. The results were grim. Only five active nests were found. 10 years earlier there were over 50 in that same area. On all of Barnegat Bay in 1974 there was only one active osprey nest.

The heavy use of DDT in the 1950’s and 60’s was the main culprit in the decline of ospreys by affecting their ability to reproduce. When used in marine environments it was quickly absorbed by organisms and soils. It accumulated in the food web and because it was fat soluble it bioacummulated in predators, especially birds of prey. In short, it caused the thinning of eggshells which often broke under the weight of the incubating female. This threat, along with habitat loss and persecution caused the population to become almost extirpated from the state.

Continue reading “Early recovery efforts pay off”

Countdown to spring arrival of ospreys

by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager

It’s hard to believe that in another 6-7 weeks ospreys will be back in New Jersey and ready to begin another nesting season. Over the next few weeks we’ll be busy making repairs to existing nests, moving platforms to more suitable locations, and installing new nests to replace old derelict platforms. We maintain a huge portion of the available nest platforms along the coast and do so with no state funding! All of our funding comes from private donations from individuals, foundations, or grants. Since our osprey project began in 2006, we have installed more than 100 nesting platforms throughout New Jersey. What’s new? This winter we have plans to install three new structures in Bayonne with local high school students. This will be the furthest north that we have ever worked with ospreys. It’s a new and exciting endeavor for CWF. If you enjoy viewing ospreys during your visits to coastal areas of New Jersey during the summer, please consider making a donation today by sponsoring the placement of a platform or by adopting an existing platform.

• Learn More about our osprey project and how you can help

Ask Little Egg Harbor to help us protect terrapins!

by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager

Currently there are no posted speed limits on Great Bay Boulevard from Sea Isle Drive to the east end in Little Egg Harbor Township, Ocean County, New Jersey. The road bisects one of the largest state wildlife management areas along the entire coast of New Jersey which is also designated as the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve. Designation as a National Estuarine Research Reserve is “to promote the responsible use and management of the nation’s estuaries through a program combining scientific research, education, and stewardship.” The habitat alongside the road is home a diverse array of wildlife and one species, the northern diamondback terrapin, often crosses the roadway to get to prime nesting areas along the road shoulders.

Female terrapins range in length from 6-9″ and actively search for nesting areas during summers months from May through July. They are hard to see with their dark coloration and high speed limits make identification even harder. On some days as many as 50 terrapins can be seen crossing the road. Many people stop to help these terrapins cross safely and they themselves put their lives in jeopardy. Luckily no one has been seriously injured or killed yet. Unfortunately, terrapins aren’t so lucky, previous studies have indicated that up to 30% of terrapins are killed on Great Bay Blvd. while attempting to find suitable nesting areas (Szerlag and McRobert, 2006).

The Township of Little Egg Harbor knows about the problem there but has done little to help solve it. Public safety should be a serious concern for any type of government. In other parts of New Jersey and in other states people and property have been seriously injured or killed and damaged while either helping one cross safely or by avoiding a collision with them.

Little Egg Harbor can help reduce the chances that a pedestrian gets killed or injured, and they can reduce the amount of terrapins that are killed by motor vehicles. By reducing the speed limit along the road from 50 mph to 30mph both people and wildlife benefit and motorists get to their destination safely.

•  Please help by signing the petition

References: 
Szerlag, S., and S. P. McRobert. 2006. Road occurrence and mortality of the northern diamondback terrapin. Applied Herpetology 3:27-37.

PLEASE DO not DISTURB

by Larissa Smith; biologist/volunteer manager

Bald eagles are beautiful birds so it only makes sense that people want to get a closer look at them.  But often people don’t realize that by innocently stopping to look at an eagle nest they are putting the eggs or young in jeopardy.  As the New Jersey eagle population increases eagles are starting to nest in closer proximity to humans and human activity.  Any activity that causes the eagles to change their normal behavior is “disturbance.”  People walking too close to the nest to get a closer look or take photos will cause the birds to get off the eggs or leave the young unattended.  This leaves the eggs or young exposed to the elements and predators.  The safe distance for viewing is at least 1,000’ from the nest site.  If the birds are looking at you then you are too close.

The best way to see what goes on at an eagle’s nest without the chance of disturbing the birds is to watch them online.  The Duke Farms eagle nest site has had a camera streaming the picture since 2008.  This provides an up close and personal view that you cannot see from the ground.  The Duke Farms eagle cam should be streaming live in the next few weeks.  To view the eagle cam go to www.conservewildlifenj.org

If you have any questions about eagles or their nests or would like to report a nesting pair, please contact Larissa Smith.

by Maria Grace, Education & Outreach Manager and CWF Staff

It’s that time of year again when we reflect on the year that is ending and look forward to the future.  Many species of wildlife such as osprey and bald eagles, had a banner year while others like several species of bats continued to struggle.  What will 2012 hold for NJ’s rare wildlife?  While we can’t predict the future, we have thought about what we would like to happen to help these animals survive and hopefully thrive in our state.

• This year, I have great hopes of laying all the groundwork (design, funding, pre-construction monitoring) for at least one road-culvert project that will protect migrating amphibians.  Every spring we bring scores of volunteers onto the roads to reduce frog and salamander roadkills, but special “critter culverts” will take over that job permanently! – MacKenzie Hall, Wildlife Biologist
• To secure the support of New Jersey’s Congressional Delegation for full funding for the federal State Wildlife Grants program that will allow for the continued implementation of the State’s Wildlife Action Plan – the blueprint for rare wildlife protection in our state. And, to get out in the field more to see the exciting projects that Conserve Wildlife Foundation staff are working on. – Margaret O’Gorman, Executive Director
• To get Little Egg Harbor Twp to reduce the speed limit on Great Bay Blvd to help reduce the amount of female terrapins that are hit-by-car.  – Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
• Despite the tremendous effort by CWF and the various management cooperators around the state, New Jersey’s piping plover population has only increased slightly the past two years. We have, however, had two good years in a row of producing young, so here’s hoping we finally see a significant jump in the breeding population in 2012! – Todd Pover, Beach Nesting Bird Project Manager
• To complete a status review for NJ’s freshwater mussel species. – Mike Davenport, Marine Species and GIS Programs Manager.
• To create a robust speakers bureau that can present programs throughout the state about the important work that we do. – Maria Grace, Education & Outreach Manager