Edward Abbey

Edward Abbey writing in a fire tower

 
It's the birthday of writer and environmentalist Edward Abbey, born in Indiana, Pennsylvania in 1927. He is one of the most colorful (and somewhat controversial) of the modern day environmentalists.

Meet Edward Paul Abbey, twentieth-century polemicist and desert anarchist, a character of elaborate contradictions and eccentricities whose words either infuriated or delighted his readers.

In a career spanning four decades, he wrote passionately in defense of the Southwest and its inhabitants, often mocking the mindless bureaucratic forces hell-bent on destroying it. "Resist much, obey little," from Walt Withman, was this warrior's motto.

While he was alive, attempts to label him in conventional terms nearly always fell short because he was neither left-wing nor right-wing, nor was he an outlaw. Abbey was a genuine rebel who simply did not believe in the moderns industrial way of life. He wrote against the grain, always choosing the path of the greatest resistance. Beginning in the 1950s, he depicted the Southwest not as a virgin utopia peopled by rugged individualists, but as a region under siege because of government and corporate greed, its people at risk of being cut off from the primary wellspring of their spiritual strength - the wild places. He's been dead for a while now, but the legend keeps in growing.

-- from Epitaph for a Desert Anarchist

He decided to hitch-hike cross-country, knowing that he might be drafted when he turned 18, and he fell in love with the West. He did get drafted, and spent a couple of years in Italy, then went to the University of New Mexico on the GI Bill. He worked as a seasonal ranger in national parks, and he published his first few novels.

Abbey was working as a school bus driver in Death Valley when he decided to write down an account of his time as a park ranger at Arches National Monument near Moab, Utah. It was published as Desert Solitaire in 1968.

In 1975, he published The Monkey Wrench Gang , the story of four irreverent, beer-drinking, gun-wielding, fun-loving characters who will do anything it takes to stop developers from coming in and destroying the West. The book was a best-seller, and its popularity made Desert Solitaire a best-seller, as well.

He became known for his advocacy of environmental issues, criticism of public land policies, and anarchist political views. Writer Larry McMurtry referred to Abbey as the "Thoreau of the American West".

In July 1987, Abbey went to the Earth First! Rendezvous at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon where he was involved in a heated debate with an anarchist communist group known as Alien Nation over immigration. The incident is a chapter in his book Hayduke Lives.

Controversy continued when in 1987 the Utne Reader published a letter claiming that Abbey, Garrett Hardin, and the members of Earth First! were racists and eco-terrorists. Abbey was extremely offended, and demanded a public apology, stating that he was neither racist nor a supporter of terrorism. Abbey said that  as far as "eco-terrorism," he supported tactics that were trying to defend against the terrorism he felt was committed by government and industry against living beings and the environment.

In 1984, Abbey went back to the University of Arizona to teach. 

Edward Abbey died on March 14, 1989, at the age of 62, in his home in Tucson, Arizona from complications from surgery.

He left a message for anyone who asked about his final words: "No comment." He also left instructions on what to do with his remains: Abbey wanted his body transported in the bed of a pickup truck, and wished to be buried as soon as possible. He did not want to be embalmed or placed in a coffin. Instead, he preferred to be placed inside of an old sleeping bag, and requested that his friends disregard all state laws concerning burial.

"I want my body to help fertilize the growth of a cactus or cliff rose or sagebrush or tree. No formal speeches desired, though the deceased will not interfere if someone feels the urge. But keep it all simple and brief." 

He requested gunfire and bagpipe music, and "a flood of beer and booze! Lots of singing, dancing, talking, hollering, laughing, and lovemaking."  (You can read online what happened to his body after his death.)

More at http://www.abbeyweb.net 

NJ Native Fish Art and Writing Contest

One of the 2011 Winning entries

The Native Fish Art and Writing Contest is an annual contest, sponsored by Trout Unlimited. It is open to all New Jersey students in grades 4 through 7.

Teachers should know that participation can meet NJ Core Content Curriculum Standards Science 5.5: Grade 4 - A.1, C.1; Grade 6 - C.1; Science 5.10: Grade 6 - A.1 (as based on Trout Life Cycle (pdf, 96kb) (from Trout in the Classroom Activity Guide).

To enter the contest, participants need to research one of New Jersey's native fish. With the information gained from their research, students write a short story depicting one year in the life of that fish and submit an artistic depiction of the species featured in their story.

The story must be original and include correct biological and ecological information about the fish. Things to include in the story are habitat, food, habits, and any other ecological information that pertains to that fish. The fish species must be named in the story and the fish must be native to New Jersey. Stories must be 500 words or more and typed.

The drawing of the native New Jersey fish can be done in acrylics, pencils, watercolors, oil, oil pastels, crayons or ink. Art must be original and depict a scene from the story. The finished size of the artwork must be 8.5 x 11 inches.

Entries will be judged on both the artwork and the short story.

There are first and second place winners in each of the following categories: 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, and 7th grade. All winners will receive a certificate and fishing equipment. First place winners will also receive a youth membership in Trout Unlimited. In addition, each winner and their immediate family will be invited to the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center in Warren County for a luncheon and awards ceremony on the morning of opening day of trout season (Saturday, April 7 in 2012). Winners will also be able to fish at the Pequest Fishing Education Pond.

Entries must be received by Friday, March 2, 2012. Entries must include the entrant's name, home address, home telephone number, grade and school name. Failure to include this information will lead to disqualification. All entries become the property of the Division of Fish and Wildlife and will not be returned.

Submit entries to:
Native Fish Art and Writing Contest
NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife
605 Pequest Rd.
Oxford, NJ 07863

Winners are notified within 2 weeks following the contest deadline. No other notifications are sent.

Note that this contest is not affiliated with Wildlife Forever's State Fish Art Contest. For information on their contest, see www.statefishart.com.

Follow these links for information on New Jersey Fish

• Freshwater Fish
• Saltwater Fish
• True New Jersey Natives (PDF)
• N.J. Fish Fact Sheets

Visiting Revolutionary War New Jersey

Hopefully, anyone who grew up in New Jersey knows that our state was pivotal in the American Revolution and played an important part in the American colonists's victory. NJ is often referred to as both the "Crossroads of the Revolution" and the "Military Capital of the Revolution".

Throughout the Revolutionary War, there were 296 clashes between the Americans and British within the colony of New Jersey. That is more than any other colony in the Revolutionary War.

I have written here earlier about a key battle that occurred January 3, 1777 in the town of Princeton, when the patriots were pushed back by a British charge General Washington with his staff took to the field to rally the retreating troops back into battle.

But there are many other historical locations that are less well known.

The Abraham Staats House is one of the finest surviving buildings from the Dutch Settlement of the Raritan Valley in the 18th century.The house was entered onto the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

It is located on the Delaware-Raritan Canal. There are a variety of birds which have been spotted on the property and on the canal.

Of course, not all Jersey colonists were in favor of breaking from the crown. Governor William Franklin was the illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin and was a loyalist who supported the Stamp Act. Governor Franklin signed the charter for Queen's College, which would evolve into Rutgers University. He was like other colonists who had emigrated from England and still felt loyalty to England. On January 8, 1776, Governor Franklin was arrested for opposing the Revolution.

Morven

Another National Historic Landmark in Princeton is known as Morven. Now, it is a museum and public garden. The museum occupies the house called Morven, which was formerly the New Jersey Governor’s Mansion and 18th century home of Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Its restoration and conversion to a museum were completed in 2004. Morven Museum & Garden is administered by Historic Morven, Inc., a non-profit organization founded in 1987, in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of State. The state acquired Morven in 1954.

The Jacobus Vanderveer House is located in Bedminster Township, Somerset County, on part of the 218 acres that make up River Road Park. The oldest part of the Jacobus Vanderveer House was built in the early 1770s. It is typical of the Dutch frame houses that dotted the countryside before the American Revolution. Much of the original fabric of the house remains intact. It includes a wall in the west parlor that features raised wood paneling above the fireplace with a barrel-back cabinet to the side and the home has original flooring of wide pine boards. The house gained a Federal style addition in the early 1800s.

 Some Revolutionary War Links for New Jersey

1. Abraham Staats House
2. Bergen County Historical Society
3. Bravo - Battlefield Restoration and Archaeological Volunteer Organization
4. Burlington County Historian
5. The David Library of the American Revolution
6. Fort Lee Historic Park
7. Friends of the Hancock House
8. Jacobus Vanderveer House & Museum
9. Lawrence Historical Society
10. The Meadows Foundation
11. Monmouth Battlefield State Park
12. Morven
13. New Bridge Landing
14. Old Barracks Museum – Trenton
15. Princeton Battlefield Society
16. Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route

New Jersey's Newest National Park

Not far from downtown Paterson is is the Great Falls on the Passaic River which recently become America's 397th national park. The National Park designation makes the 35-acre site eligible for federal funds.

The 77-foot waterfall in downtown Paterson is second only to Niagara Falls in terms of water volume east of the Mississippi River.




Alexander Hamilton (lieutenant colonel in the American Revolution, confidant to George Washington, delegate to the Constitutional Convention, and first Secretary of the Treasury) formed in 1792 an investment group called the Society of Useful Manufactures (the “SUM”) whose funds would be used to develop a planned industrial city that was later to be known as Paterson.

Hamilton believed that the United States needed to reduce its dependence on foreign goods and should instead develop its own industries. The industries developed in Paterson were powered by the 77-foot high Great Falls of the Passaic, and a system of water raceways that harnessed the power of the falls. The district originally included dozens of mill buildings and other manufacturing structures associated with the textile industry and later, the firearms, silk, and railroad locomotive manufacturing industries. In the latter half of the 1800’s, silk production became the dominant industry and formed the basis of Paterson’s most prosperous period, earning it the nickname “Silk City.”

 Take a look at the Great Falls from a webcam view via EarthCam and the City of Paterson.

Conservationist Aldo Leopold

Lately, I have written a number of posts about the various hunting and trapping seasons here in NJ. So, today, when I saw on an almanac that it was the birthday of Aldo Leopold, I thought I should post a bit on him to balance the scales.

Aldo Leopold is the author of a key book in the conservation movement, A Sand County Almanac.

He was one of those kids that was drawn to the outdoors. After college, he entered Yale's forestry graduate program (one of the first in the country - not something you'd expect from an Ivy school) and became one of the nation's first professional foresters.



One of his assignments was to hunt livestock predators in a New Mexico national forest. But as he observed the bears, wolves, and mountain lions, he concluded that removing them had a broader impact on the entire ecosystem.

He developed a philosophy that humans should not dominate the land.  He popularized a definition of "wilderness" that meant nature in its own, untended state, rather than the conventional idea that wilderness is land for outdoor activity.

Eventually, he developed the first management plan for the Grand Canyon. He wrote the Forest Service's first game and fish handbook. He formed The Wilderness Society with other conservationists in 1935.

His "sand county" farm (worn out land purchased for $8 an acre) near the Wisconsin River, became his real world experiment. He planted 40,000 pine trees and tried to tend the land with his own conservation ethic of peaceful coexistence with nature. He documented this in essays collected in A Sand County Almanac.

The book was published in 1948, one week before he died of a heart attack while battling a grass fire.

(via Amazon) ...A Sand County Almanac has enthralled generations of nature lovers and conservationists and is indeed revered by everyone seriously interested in protecting the natural world. Hailed for prose that is "full of beauty and vigor and bite" (The New York Times), it is perhaps the finest example of nature writing since Thoreau's Walden.

... the heart of the book remains Leopold's carefully rendered observations of nature. Here we follow Leopold throughout the year, from January to December, as he walks about the rural Wisconsin landscape, watching a woodcock dance skyward in golden afternoon light, or spying a rough-legged hawk dropping like a feathered bomb on its prey. And perhaps most important are Leopold's trenchant comments throughout the book on our abuse of the land and on what we must do to preserve this invaluable treasure... a new generation of readers can walk beside one of America's most respected naturalists as he conveys the beauty of a marsh before sunrise or the wealth of history to be found in an ancient oak.

Much more... www.AldoLeopold.org

Busy New Jersey Beavers

USFWS.gov

The beaver is the second largest rodent in the world. Even children are familiar for its wide, flat tail, trre-gnawing and for building dams.

Those tails are useful for slapping the surface of the water to warn other beavers of approaching danger. Although these critters are rather awkward on land, they can navigate quickly under water and can stay submerged if necessary for up to 20 minutes.

Trees (bark and leaves) are their favorite winter food, but in summer other vegetation, especially aquatic plants like water lilies, make up their diet.

Beavers are known for their engineering of dams on rivers and streams. Their intent is to build their lodges (homes) in their preferred pond setting. They ingeniously place vertical poles, and then fill in the spaces between the poles with horizontally placed branches. Then, they further fill in the gaps with a combination of weeds and mud to hold back the water around their lodge. They have even been known to create "canals" in order to float larger tree materials they need rather than dragging them over land.

Their powerful front teeth are cartoonish but they are effective for cutting trees and plants for building and for food.

Though beavers are found throughout New Jersey, it is likely that many residents have never actually encountered one in the wild. Children and adults might mistake a groundhog for a beaver.

NJ's beaver population is strong because they generally coexist well with humans and they have few natural predators. 

Not all cases of beaver building have been met with amazement by humans. There have been reports over the years of busy beavers encroaching on human activities.  In Camden County, beavers on Kirkwood Lake created dams that made the water rise so that homes that normally had about 100 feet of land between them and the lake wound up with only a few feet of land.

In Middlesex County, a beaver blocked a culvert on a road in the Jamesburg Park Conservation Area and built a dam between two cranberry bogs. The town wanted to avoid flooding that had occurred in previous years. In that case, the town got a permit to trap the beaver out of season. They snared a 31.5-pound, 40-inch-long female beaver in an underwater trap.

This past year, in Princeton Township, human intervention with beavers also made the news.
A pair of busy beavers killed by a local animal control officer activated animal lovers who wondered why the beavers were not relocated rather than killed.

The beaver pair were contributing to flooding at the Pettoranello Gardens section of Community Park North, which has a pond and several streams. Workers tried to dismantle the dams, but the beavers got busy and rebuilt.

It didn't help that the state Division of Fish and Wildlife said the Princeton animal control department had not gotten the proper permit prior to killing the beavers. It seems odd but, according to a spokesman for the department, beavers trapped either in conibear traps, which kill them, or in live traps, still must be euthanized and may not be relocated.

As said earlier, our state beaver population is healthy. The state regularly surveys the 30 hunting and trapping zones in the state. Permits obtained from the Division of Fish and Wildlife are required to trap beaver and/or otter.

During the 2009-2010 season, more than 600 beavers were trapped and killed. The beaver season runs from the end of December to early February. (The duration of the trapping season for beaver on 23 Wildlife Management Areas is January 1 through February 9, 2012, but if the anticipated harvest of beaver and/or otter has not been accomplished during this season, up to 14 additional days may be authorized by the Director.)


More on "Beavers as Master Builders of Wildlife Habitats"

Coyote Hunting in NJ

Beginning today, a special night hunting season on coyotes will begin in New Jersey. Hunters have been allowed to use rifles to shoot coyotes during daylight hours since November, but by obtaining a special permit, hunters are able to shoot coyotes at night during the season that continues until mid-March. The state established its coyote hunting program in 1997.

Estimates from the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife say that there are more than 5000 coyotes in the state.

There were several reports of coyotes attacking pet dogs last year including one small dog that was walking unleashed with its owner that was killed in Sparta Glen Park in Sussex County.

Coyote attacks on humans are rare and they are wary of people and will avoid them. The rare cases include two separate attacks in NJ when in Monmouth County in 2007 coyotes attempted to drag off a child.

Coyotes' preferred prey is rabbits, mice, birds and other small animals. Coyotes play an important role in the ecosystem, helping to keep rodent populations under control. But, as with our Garden State bears, they have adapted to eating available sources like garbage, pet food and unattended domestic animals (especially cats and small dogs) and carrion.

Eastern coyotes in NJ can be up to 60 pounds, but average about 40 pounds. They are found in all NJ counties.

Eastern coyotes are larger than Western coyotes. Past interbreeding between gray wolves and coyotes may be responsible for the larger size and color variations in NJ coyotes. To the untrained eye, coyotes resemble German shepherd dogs. They can be seen in coats of blond, red and black, according to the state Division of Fish and Game.

Over 2,000 night hunting permits were issued, but because coyotes are extremely smart and difficult to find, the numbers are expected to be low.


http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/coyote_info.htm

2011 Bear Hunt in NJ

The 2011 bear hunt in NJ is over but the controversy over the hunt will certainly continue into 2012.

The hunt once again had a court challenge from anti-hunting groups this year. The challenge was ultimately rejected by the State Superior Court earlier this month. The New Jersey Animal Protection League and the Bear Education and Resource Group brought the challenge to the courts.

Their argument was that NJ's Comprehensive Black Bear Management Plan (CBBMP)which has the hunt as part of its plan to control our black bear population is seriously flawed.

So, the hunt went on. During the six-day firearms season, hunters in northern NJ (mostly Morris, Sussex, Warren, & northern Passaic counties, and plus smaller areas of Hunterdon, Somerset and Bergen counties) harvested more than 460 black bears. That number was actually less than the state's goal of 500.

The bears taken included a surprisingly large 776-pound bear taken in Montague, and a new record holding bruin that weighed in at 829 pounds. Those are weights that rival the sizes of a small grizzly in other parts of the country. Those are not bears you would want to surprise on a hike in northwestern New Jersey or in your backyard.

Despite the annual protests by animal rights groups, the NJDEP Commissioner Bob Martin contends that the state's plan is a "science and fact-based policy that we have adopted as part of the comprehensive approach to managing black bears" and that it is "a legitimate response to deal with the large back bear population and a resultant increase in public complaints about bear/human encounters."

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/bearseason_info.htm

NJ Bald Eagle Nesting Pairs Passes 100

The dramatic recovery of the American bald eagle has reached a milestone in New Jersey, with more than 100 pairs now nesting in the Garden State, according to a newly released analysis of the species' population.

The survey by the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife's Endangered and Nongame Species Program counted 102 pairs of actively nesting eagles, plus 11 more pairs in the process of establishing nesting territories. The survey documented a record 22 new nests, of which 16 are in southern New Jersey, four in northern New Jersey and two in central New Jersey.

"The recovery of the bald eagle from one nesting pair in an isolated swamp in southern New Jersey in the early 1980s to more than 100 pairs today is a truly remarkable success story that is a testament to the excellent work that has been done to manage the species, and to how far we've come as a state in restoring and protecting our environment," DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said.

The species' recovery from the edge of extirpation is directly related to a ban on the use of DDT, a once widely-used pesticide that caused egg failure, as well as decades of restoration and management efforts by the DEP, which released 60 eaglets from Canada into New Jersey in the 1980s and early 1990s to rebuild the population.

The bald eagle remains listed as an endangered species in New Jersey. The federal government removed the bald eagle from its endangered species list in 2007. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is overseeing a 20-year recovery monitoring period.

Each January, the Endangered and Nongame Species Program conducts a mid-winter survey as part of a nationwide effort to track population trends. The survey coincides with the time of year when eagles are preparing nests for the breeding season.

Statewide, 75 percent of the nests successfully produced offspring. A total of 119 eagle chicks were hatched, for a success rate of 1.25 per active nest.

The overall number of eagles counted during the mid-winter survey, including nesting eagles and those not nesting, stood at 238. This was 28 percent lower than the record 333 observed in 2010, likely due to snow and high winds impairing the visibility of observers.

Eagles primarily depend on fish for survival. With its broad expanses of undisturbed coastal wetlands, the Delaware Bay region of Cumberland and Salem counties remains the state's stronghold, with 60 percent of bald eagle nests.

But eagles are being found in many more places. Eighteen of New Jersey's 21 counties now have at least one active nest.

"In addition to the continued increase in the overall numbers of eagles, what's really exciting is that they are being found all across the state in all types of habitats, including along small lakes and reservoirs in northern New Jersey," said Kathy Clark, an Endangered and Nongame Species Program biologist who has worked on the recovery of the eagle since the program's early days.

This year, the Endangered and Nongame Species Program fitted a pair of eagle chicks that hatched at the Merrill Creek Reservoir in central Warren County with solar-powered transmitters that allow tracking of the birds' movement patterns by satellites.

The public can follow the movements of the two eaglets on the reservoir's website at www.merrillcreek.org. The Conserve Wildlife Foundation maintains a blog about these and the rest of New Jersey's eagles at www.ConserveWildlifeNJ.org.

"The tremendous results of 2011 show that species declines can, with hard work and dedication, be reversed," said Margaret O'Gorman, Executive Director of the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey. "Continued investment in stewardship of wildlife is essential to continuing the recovery of eagles and other wildlife in New Jersey."

The Bald Eagle Research and Management Project is made possible by those who donate a portion of their New Jersey state income tax refund to wildlife conservation and those who purchase Conserve Wildlife license plates for their cars. The project is also supported by the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey and federal grants.

"The bald eagle, along with scores of other endangered and rare wildlife species, have a much brighter future in our state due to the work made possible by funds from the tax check-off and the Conserve Wildlife license plate program," said DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife Director David Chanda. "It's not too soon to begin thinking about donating a portion of your refund to this worthy and successful effort."

The 2011 bald eagle project report, which includes a map and listing of the distribution of nesting eagles in New Jersey, can be found at http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/raptor_info.htm.

Source: NJDEP news release at http://www.nj.gov/dep/newsrel/2011/11_0141.htm

Water, Water Everywhere But Not That Much To Drink

Water.org is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization committed to providing safe drinking water and sanitation to people in developing countries. I found the organization through a news story on TV featuring one of its founders, actor Matt Damon. It's good to have a famous face and name attached so that a cause gets some exposure, but Damon is seriously involved in this effort.



The water crisis today is not an issue of scarcity, but of access. It is a frightening and sobering fact that the water in an American's toilet is cleaner than the water many people in the world have to struggle to get for drinking and cooking.

Some water facts from water.org/learn-about-the-water-crisis/facts/

• More people in the world own cell phones than have access to a toilet.  884 million people lack access to safe water supplies; approximately one in eight people.
• 3.575 million people die each year from water-related disease. 
•  The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns. 
•  People living in the slums often pay 5-10 times more per liter of water than wealthy people living in the same city.
• An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than a typical person in a developing country slum uses in a whole day.
• Only 62% of the world’s population has access to improved sanitation – defined as a sanitation facility that ensures hygienic separation of human excreta from human contact.
• Lack of sanitation is the world’s biggest cause of infection and 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation, including 1.2 billion people who have no facilities at all.
• Diarrhea remains in the second leading cause of death among children under five globally. Nearly one in five child deaths – about 1.5 million each year – is due to diarrhea. It kills more young children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined.
• Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease, and 1.4 million children die as a result of diarrhea each year.

It is also shocking to see the impact water has on women. In just one day, more than 200 million hours of women’s time is consumed for the most basic of human needs — collecting water for domestic use.  A study by the International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) of community water and sanitation projects in 88 communities found that projects designed and run with the full participation of women are more sustainable and effective than those that do not. This supports an earlier World Bank study that found that women’s participation was strongly associated with water and sanitation project effectiveness.

Over 50 percent of all water projects fail and less than five percent of projects are visited, and far less than one percent have any longer-term monitoring.  Investment in safe drinking water and sanitation contributes to economic growth. For each $1 invested, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates returns of $3 – $34, depending on the region and technology

And, of course, there is the impact on the environment.  70% of the Earth is covered by water BUT less than 1% of the world’s fresh water (or about 0.007% of all water on earth) is readily accessible for direct human use.

More than 80% of sewage in developing countries is discharged untreated, polluting rivers, lakes and coastal areas

The UN estimates that by 2025, forty-eight nations, with combined population of 2.8 billion, will face freshwater “stress” or “scarcity”.

Agriculture is the largest consumer of freshwater by far: about 70% of all freshwater withdrawals go to irrigated agriculture.


At home the average American uses between 100 and 175 gallons of water a day. That is less than 25 years ago, but it does not include the amount of water used to feed and clothe us. Conserving water helps not only to preserve irreplaceable natural resources, but also to reduce the strain on urban wastewater management systems. Wastewater is costly to treat, and requires continuous investment to ensure that the water we return to our waterways is as clean as possible.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/waterdotorg/

I like the Water.org philosophy that people in developing countries know best how to solve their own problems. They forge partnerships with carefully-screened partner organizations in the target countries that understand, and are part of, the local culture.The result is a solution tailored to the need of each community, instead of a technological fix the community has no way of maintaining.

Locally-based partners are better positioned to understand and navigate social, political, and economic issues impacting projects. They are more savvy at leveraging local financial resources for cost-sharing in projects. Using local expertise to implement projects is more cost effective than maintaining expatriate staff.

Help the efforts of water.org at DONATE.water.org

With each purchase of a limited edition Water.org CamelBak Groove bottle, you give a life-changing gift. While it keeps great-tasting filtered water always in your reach, it also brings safe drinking water and sanitation to people in developing countries. $10 from every bottle purchased supports Water.org   The bottle is 100% BPA-free, holds 20 oz, is dishwasher safe, and features the patented CamelBak Big Bite Valve.

Undiscovered and Yet Endangered

According to EndangeredSpeciesInternational.org, more than ten million species remain to be discovered in the world.

Most of them are already highly threatened since they are located within regions of great habitat destruction. Among the 46,000 species assessed, more than 17,000 are likely to become extinct in the very near future if no aggressive actions are taken. Plus, their natural ecosystems are vanishing at an alarming rate.

Plants and animals are part of our unique heritage, they keep us alive, purifying water, fixing nitrogen, recycling nutrients and waste, and pollinating crops. They are vital for the physical and spiritual well-being offering us a colorful and rich world.

A hundred bird species have vanished since 1600, nearly all due to human activities, chiefly habitat loss, overhunting, and introduced predators. Island birds are especially vulnerable. A list of some of these birds, the year each was last seen in the wild, and the cause(s) of extinction.is at endangeredspeciesinternational.org/birds5.html

The huia (Heteralocha acutirostris) from New Zealand
has already vanished. © Paddy Ryan 

NJ DOT Reports More than 4700 deer killed by cars this year

The New Jersey Department of Transportation says more than 4,700 deer have been killed by vehicles through the first week of November. That's on pace to nearly match last year's total of about 6,000. Mating season makes November the deadliest month for deer-vehicle collisions. A State Farm Insurance study found 18 percent of accidents occur in November. October and December are nearly as deadly. Those accidents cost an average of about $3,200. The state DOT says most deer killed in northern New Jersey end up in landfills. But those killed in Passaic County are used to feed animals at Space Farms Zoo in Sussex County.

via news12.com

Are You in North Jersey Bear Country'?

The NJ DEP is advising residents and outdoor enthusiasts in North Jersey, especially in areas regularly frequented by black bears, to strictly adhere to guidelines for eliminating or securing potential black bear food sources during the fall period when bears feed extensively to build fat layers for hibernation.

Black bears may be especially on the hunt this season for high calorie foods, such as food scraps in household trash and bird seed from outdoor bird feeders, due to localized scarcities of acorns and other tree nuts, which are an important black bear food source known as ''mast.'' Mast production, especially the acorn crop, is typically cyclical, and this year's scarcity follows two very plentiful mast years. Factors such as gypsy moth infestation, spring frost, excessive spring rain and humidity influence the natural mast production cycle.

In low mast years, such as this year, bears are more likely to exploit alternative foods, such as human trash and bird seed, to provide the calories they need to prepare for winter. Homes and campgrounds become prime potential food sources for black bears when natural foods are in short supply.

The black bear population has stabilized this year in Northwest Jersey as a result of the State Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy, which includes a mix of education, research, hunting, and non-lethal techniques. The result has been a decrease in bear-human incidents compared to 2010. But the mast shortage will increase the potential for bear-human conflicts this fall as bears may become bolder and more persistent in searching for food near homes and campgrounds.

"Residents, hikers and campers can reduce the likelihood of attracting bears if they are aware of all potential food sources for bears and diligently bear-proof residences and camps by removing or properly securing any potential bear food," said David Chanda, Director of the Division of Fish and Wildlife.

The bear hunt is just one facet of the State's Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy, which also includes public education, research, bear habitat analysis and protection, non-lethal bear management techniques, enforcement of laws, and efforts to keep human food sources, especially household trash, away from bears to limit bear-human encounters.

New Jersey residents and visitors should be aware that feeding or intentionally providing food for black bears is against the law. Violators could face a penalty of up to a $1,000 for each offense. Conservation Officers and State Park Police, along with local police departments, will be on the lookout for incidents where food is intentionally provided for black bears.

These simple rules for living in black bear country--particularly Morris, Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, northern Passaic, northern Somerset and western Bergen counties --will help minimize conflicts with black bears:

Reducing conflicts with bears is a community effort. It only takes several households with unsecured food for bears to create a nuisance bear that could affect an entire neighborhood.

• Invest in bear-proof garbage containers. If not using bear-proof garbage containers, store all garbage in containers with tight fitting lids in a secure area such as a basement, the inside wall of a garage, or a shed.
• Put garbage out on collection day, not the evening before.
• Wash garbage containers with a disinfectant at least once a week to eliminate odors. Draping ammonia or bleach soaked cloth over containers will help to eliminate odors.
• Do not place meat or sweet food scraps in compost piles.
• Feed birds only from December 1 to April 1, when bears are least active.
• When feeding birds when bears are active, suspend birdfeeders at least 10 feet off the ground. Clean up spilled seeds and shells daily.
• Feed outdoor pets during daylight hours only. Immediately remove all food scraps and bowls after feeding.
• Clean outdoor grills thoroughly after each use. Grease and food residue can attract bears.
• Do not leave food unattended while camping or picnicking.
• Store all food items in coolers inside vehicles where they can not be seen or in bear-proof food storage lockers at State Park facilities
• Never feed a black bear. It is dangerous and against the law.
• Report bear damage or nuisance behavior to your local police department or to the Division of Fish and Wildlife at (877) 927-6337.

To learn more about New Jersey's black bears, visit http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/bearfacts.htm

To read the State's Comprehensive Black Bear management Policy, visit http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/bearpolicy10.htm

SOURCE:  NJDEP - News Release 11/P117 - Residents in North Jersey 'Bear Country' Urged to Secure Trash and Other Residential Food Sources:

Wildlife Rehabilitators Advisory Committee

The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife will be forming a Wildlife Rehabilitators Advisory Committee to improve the state's wildlife rehabilitation program and the care that is provided to injured and orphaned wildlife.


Wildlife rehabilitators answer questions and if necessary, properly care for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife. Wildlife rehabilitators donate their time and do not charge for their services.

Resumes are now being accepted from all interested applicants. Applications will be reviewed for a person's expertise, experience and geographic distribution throughout the state.

For more information on the committee, its makeup and duties, and how to apply to serve on it, visit njfishandwildlife.com/news/2011/rehabcommittee.htm on the division's website.

An injured baby raccoon is treated at the Woodlands Wildlife Refuge.

21st Great Tomato Tasting at Rutgers

The 21st Great Tomato Tasting gives you the chance to taste over 60 tomato varieties (heirlooms and hybrids) along with apples, peaches, herbs, and honey. There is also a teaching garden and even a wagon tour highlighting Rutgers/NJAES agricultural and horticultural research.

The Melda C. Snyder Teaching Garden will showcase garden displays of deer tolerant ornamentals, the Rutgers holly and blueberry breeding programs, columnar varieties of fruit trees for the home landscape and award-winning Jersey Grown™ daylilies to name a few.


RSVP website: http://snyderfarm.rutgers.edu/tomatoes.html or call 908-713-8980

Wednesday, August 31, 2011 3:00 PM to dusk at Snyder Farm, 140 Locust Grove Road City, Pittstown, NJ.

• Rediscovering the Jersey Tomato
• Tomato Varieties
• Heirloom Tomato Reference Info & Seed Suppliers
• FCHS Canning Resources