Ben Franklin Talks Turkey

In a letter to his daughter written from France on January 26, 1784, this is what Benjamin Franklin had to say about whether the bald eagle or the turkey should be the symbol of our nation.

"For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him.

With all this Injustice, he is never in good Case but like those among Men who live by Sharping and Robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. He is therefore by no means a proper Emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our Country . . .

I am on this account not displeased that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America . . . He is besides, though a little vain and silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on."

Wild Turkeys in New Jersey

Though you won't find them on the NJ endangered or threatened species list, this is a good time to write a bit about wild turkeys in NJ.

The Division of Fish and Wildlife started a Turkey Restoration Project in 1977 that is a great wildlife management success story for New Jersey.

By the mid-1800s, turkeys had disappeared in New Jersey due to habitat changes and killing for food.

Division biologists, in cooperation with the NJ Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, reintroduced wild turkeys in 1977 with the release of 22 birds.

In 1979 biologists and technicians began to live-trap and re-locate birds to establish populations throughout the state. By 1981 the population was able to support a spring hunting season, and in December, 1997, a limited fall season was initiated.

There is now an abundance of wild turkeys throughout the state with turkeys found wherever there is suitable habitat. People from outside NJ are always amazed when I tell them that wild turkeys are present even in suburban areas. I pass them every week on my daily commute through suburban Essex County and into Passaic County.

Even in South Jersey, where wild turkeys had been struggling just a few years ago, intensive restoration efforts have improved population numbers significantly.

The population is estimated at 20,000 - 23,000 with an annual harvest of more than 3,000.

The kind of food, cover and water present in an area determines the suitability of that habitat for turkeys. Different foods are preferred during the four seasons. Turkeys may use different areas in the winter than they do during the spring and summer.

Because food plants are distributed variably throughout turkey range, principal foods are given here as generalities.

      Principal Foods During the Four Seasons

Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall
Acorns	Acorns	Grass, leaves	Sedges
Grass, sedge	Grass, sedge	Blackberries	Acorns
Corn	Corn	Acorns	Insects
Wild grapes	Beechnuts	Wild cherries	Beechnuts
Dogwoods	Burdock	Huckleberries	Wild grapes
Sumacs	Ferns	Bristle grasses	Wheat
Beechnuts	Non-woody legumes	Blueberries	Corn
Honeysuckle	Wild grapes	Wild grapes	Insects
Wild cherries	Insects	Black gum	Hawthorn
Insects		Buckwheat	Buttercup
Hawthorns		Sedges	Wild rye
Persimmons			Hornbeam
			Violets

2009 Wild Turkey Hunting Season Information Booklet
2009 Turkey Hunting Area Map and Lottery Quota Information

Habitats and Partnerships

The NJFO’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife program recently wrote an article for the New Jersey League of Municipalities Magazine that highlights how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can interact with municipalities across the State that want to create wildlife habitat.

Many of the 6,500 acres of wetlands, 3,000 miles of grasslands and other uplands, and 50 miles of riparian and in-stream habitat the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program has restored since it’s New Jersey inception in 1991 have come from partnerships with municipalities.

A good example of a successful partnership is Partners for Fish and Wildlife's "Partnership Project with NJ Audubon and Verizon" which won the Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award in 2007. That was a partnership of the USFWS's NJ Field Office’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife program, Verizon and the New Jersey Audubon Society.

The Verizon Center, located a mile upstream of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, is restoring 18 acres of uplands and 7 acres of riparian habitat. Verizon has also publicized the merits of voluntary corporate land stewardship.

Specific enhancements at the site include the removal and control of invasive vegetation; native grass and wildflower plantings; and the installation of a vernal pool, nest boxes and turtle nesting areas. These enhancements are currently providing suitable habitats for a variety of wildlife, including numerous bird and herptile species.

Verizon restored 25 acres on its property that are home to various grassland, riparian and wetland habitats. They planted over 500 native trees and shrubs on the site and plan to plant another 500 in 2008. They installed more than 10 acres of native grasses and wildflowers and removed invasive non-native vegetation on the land. They have implemented a delayed mowing schedule to promote wildlife breeding and have instituted a policy of zero chemical application on the restoration areas.

In addition they installed sand pits for turtle nesting areas, a vernal pool for amphibian breeding, installed numerous bird nesting boxes and outlined a monitoring and Stewardship Plan to track future progress on the site. A Stewardship Plan considers all aspects of resource management and documents management decisions and practices designed to maintain the land in a productive and healthy condition for present and future owners. It specifies actions that will increase the environmental and economic values of the land and the region.

The benefits extend beyond habitat restoration. The site extends along more than 3,700 feet of the Passaic River. In addition to improving water quality in the river the restored area in less than a mile upstream from a New Jersey Natural Heritage Priority Site known as the "Great Swamp Macrosite", an important area for the breeding of several threatened and endangered wetland species.

Restoring this habitat is part of Verizon's national commitment to green energy practices that include pursuing aggressive network equipment and building energy-reduction initiatives; utilizing alternative energy sources in the network, buildings and vehicle fleet; and promoting the company's technology as an alternative to travel, among other efforts.

Tuna's Death Spiral

NY Times Editorial - Published: November 21, 2009

"Tuna’s Death Spiral"   

"The United States should stick to its guns and list the bluefin tuna as an endangered species to protect it from being fished into extinction..."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/opinion/21sat4.html

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region

Service special agent examines carcasses of an immature bald eagle and an osprey during an investigation of bird shootings on private hatchery property. USFWS photo


The Northeast Region of the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) includes field offices that cover ME, VT, NH, MA, CT, NY, NJ, PA, MD, RI, WV, DE, and VA.

I was surprised to discover this past weekend that the Northeast Region is now on Twitter! You can follow their latest updates.

A good example of the state-centric information that is available there is The Hackensack Meadowlands Initiative: Preliminary Conservation Planning.

Though it was released in 2007, this report prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service details human recreational, agricultural, industrial, and scientific activities in the Hackensack Meadowlands and their effect on the Meadowlands ecosystem in some 450 pages.

It is a great resource for understanding ecological issues in the Meadowlands.

450 pages is overwhelming to most of us, but an overview available online (pdf) summarizes ideas and issues discussed in the original document. It may also serve as a guide to direct you to specific areas in the Plan



New Jersey Field Office

Losing the Conservation Battle With Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

Issues that affect us in New Jersey, sometimes have much larger repercussions in our Northeast region, nationally or even internationally.

Many fisheries issues fall into that latter category.

Some environmental groups, such as Greenpeace, are saying that at the annual International Convention on the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) delegates are ignoring the advice of their own scientists and will continue fishing the endangered bluefin.

As reported in The Times (UK), the convention’s department of research announced last month that the stock was depleted enough to justify banning international trade. A moratorium on catching bluefin tuna is widely regarded as essential for the survival of the species, but the EU is discussing the highest possible quotas. This EU delegation is reportedly comprised mostly of representatives from the fishing industry.

Once again, politics and the environment mix.

Bluefin tuna from the eastern Atlantic spawn in the Mediterranean. It is an ancient industry, going back 9,000-years.

But 72% of the species numbers are gone after 40 years of, what some call, "mismanagement."

There are a number of tuna species and all are heavily fished globally. The type you are most likely to eat comes in a can. Canned tuna fish used for sandwiches and salads comes from either skipjack (“light meat tuna”) or albacore (“white meat tuna”). Both are small tuna species.

The larger yellowfin and the bigeye tuna are larger species that are usually served grilled.

The bluefin tuna is a giant and the first choice for sushi and sashimi, making it perhaps the most desirable food fish in the world. With that demand, comes a high monetary return and the threat of overfishing.

Scientists list the bluefin as probably the most endangered of all large fish species and it is approaching extinction.

Currently, fish farmers have not been able to to breed the tuna in captivity to any marketable degree.

Bluefin was not always so popular. Early in the last century, it was nicknamed the “horse mackerel.” Its red, strong-flavored flesh was not considered suitable for humans and was used as dog and cat food. Off the NJ coast, it was popular mostly as a big-game sport fish.

Bluefin tuna Fish Facts

• maximum known weight close to three quarters of a ton
• maximum length of four meters
• Unlike most fish species which are cold-blooded, the bluefin is one of the few warm-blooded fishes. They can maintain a body temperature of 27 degrees C (81 degrees F for American readers), which is pretty close to that of a mammal. 
• among the fastest of all fishes - capable of speeds up to 80 kilometers per hour
• able to migrate across entire oceans, taking advantage of its tapered, bullet-shaped body and rigid, quarter-moon tail
• bluefins often hunt in packs. They hunt by vision.
  
• their diet is varied - a stomach-contents study found mackerel, bottom-dwelling flounder, sedentary sponges, Atlantic herring, sand lance, bluefish, squid, butterfish, silver hake, windowpane flounder, winter flounder, menhaden, sea horses, cod, plaice, pollack, filefish, halfbeak, sculpin, spiny dogfish, skate, octopus, shrimp, lobster, and crab - almost anything that swims, floats, crawls or lays on the bottom.

Even with lower quotas on Bluefin fishing, the species will still be endangered.

This is especially true because the global tuna fishery is so badly regulated and enforced. There are many reports of fleets that ignore quotas, restrictions, boundaries, and any other regulations.

The market in Japan is the biggest problem. 60,000 tons of bluefin a year - more than 75% of the global catch - goes to Japan where fleets circumvent even their own country’s restrictions.

Ironically, as the tuna populations continue to fall, demand increases and prices increase, which means increased incentive to intensify fishing.

The Japanese giving up their consumption of maguro (tuna sushi) has been compared to Americans giving up hamburgers.

Though lower quotas need to be set and enforced, other types of rescue and fish-farm breeding may be necessary to save the species.

Bluefin tuna in Peril - Scientific American
"EU set to ignore advice to ban bluefin fishing says Greenpeace"   Times (UK)

Backpacking

Backpacking is a great autumn and early winter recreational activity in NJ and our region.

For newbies, ultralight backpacking may be a good approach. Although that "advanced" style of backpacking emphasizes carrying the lightest weight safely possible for a given hike for the purposes of long distance hikes, it also is a good approach for the more casual day hikers and weekend backpackers.

To hardcore backpackers who set out on those long trips, I might be misusing the term backpacker here, but I'll take that risk.

Light and ultralight packs generally refer to base pack weights below 20 pounds and below 10 pounds respectively. (Traditional backpacking often results in base pack weights of 30-60+ pounds.)

Ultralight backpacking was popularized in a book by Ray Jardine (see below). He claimed his first Pacific Coast Trail thru-hike was with a base pack weight of 25 pounds and on his third PCT thru-hike, he was down to less than 9 pounds.

By carrying lighter and less equipment, backpackers usually cover longer distances per day with less wear and tear on the body.

What do you leave home? Camping luxuries such as camp chairs, coffee makers, electronic gadgets, camera equipment, multiple items of clothing, etc. all vanish.

Backpacker will also use or make lighter versions of items - remove the handle from a toothbrush, transfer boxed & canned food items to plastic bags etc. They substitute light nylon & other fabrics for packs, tents and covers for older & heavier materials.

And they use things that serve multi-purposes - the rain poncho that also is a tarp shelter or dressing more warmly s that a lightweight sleeping bag is sufficient.

Having partners on your hike - a good idea for any type of outdoor adventuring - also means that some equipment can be carried by one person for the group. How many compasses, maps or GPS nits do you need?

Okay, so you have considered how to keep that pack light. Now, where to go...

Since 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club has been promoting the protection, enjoyment, and stewardship of the mountains, forests, waters, and trails of the Appalachian region. AMC is the nation’s oldest outdoor recreation and conservation organization.

The New York-North Jersey Chapter (originally the New York Chapter) has more than 13,000 members from New York City, southeastern New York, and northeastern New Jersey and would be a good place to begin your research.

Try their Trip Search. I checked our region and found three backpacking trips still open for this year:

11/21/09 - 11/22/09 NY Catskills Five Peaks Loop Backpack
11/28/09 - 11/29/09 Big Savage Mountain Backpack (MD)
12/05/09 - 12/06/09 Appalachian Trail in PA-Wind Gap to Delaware Water Gap

They offer local chapter activities and major excursions worldwide at all ability levels. It's not limited to hiking and climbing. There are also paddling, snowshoeing and skiing trips.

Want to go a distance and not carry that tent? They have AMC Lodges, Huts, Full-Service Camps, Cabins, Shelters and Campgrounds.

They also offer programs in the skills to be safe outdoors and care for the natural world around us, through for children, teens and adults.

Sunrise Mountain view via Flickr

More Information

http://www.thebackpacker.com offers trip information, like this Appalachian Trail hike from Culvers Gap to NJ Rt. 23. About 13 miles, along Kittatinny Ridge to the crest of Sunrise Mountain with great panoramas of the NJ Highlands and the Poconos before dropping down to High Point State Park.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backpacking_(wilderness)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultralight_backpacking

USFWS Releases Annual List of Candidates For Endangered Species Act

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its annual list of proposed candidate species, or "candidate notice of review."

These are plants and animals that the agency says may be designated as endangered unless conservation measures are taken to protect them.

There are several things that can be done to help these plants and animals, in hopes that they don't make it the official endangered list some day. That includes a grant-funded program that supports conservation projects by private landowners, states and territories.

There are already 249 species listed as candidates for protection, so any addition creates a need for federal and state governments to take action - and that action requires money. Already, our current economic problems may have encouraged existing lists in states to be left alone. While that creates no new expenditures, it also creates no savings. It also may offer continued protection to species that may have been at a point where their status would change to threatened or no longer require protection.

At this point decisions need to be made about adding new species. Five contenders face "immediate, identifiable threats," according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Three are plants, one mammal and one fish.

• Rabbitsfoot mussel - only found in 49 streams in 15 states, including Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Ohio
• Florida bonneted bat - found at 12 locations in central and south Florida
• Kentucky gladecress - a plant found in Bullitt and Jefferson Counties, Kentucky
• Florida bristle fern - found in small areas of Miami-Dade and Sumter Counties in Florida
• diamond darter - a small fish found only in portions of the Elk River in West Virginia.

There also were four species removed from the candidate list at this point: 2 plants from Puerto Rico; the troglobitic groundwater shrimp found in Puerto Rico, Barbuda and the Dominican Republic; and the fat whorled pondsnail from Utah.

Candidate species are plants and animals for which the Service has enough information on their status and threats to propose them as threatened or endangered, but developing a proposed listing rule is precluded by higher priority listing actions.

As part of this review, the Service is soliciting additional information on these candidate species, as well as information on other species that may be eligible for addition to future candidate updates. This information will be valuable in preparing listing documents and future revisions or supplements to the notice of review.

“We will continue to work closely with our partners representing federal and state agencies, tribes, conservation organizations as well as private citizens to conserve these at-risk species before they require the protection of the Endangered Species Act,” said Service Director Sam Hamilton. “Voluntary conservation efforts enable us to leverage our resources to protect these species and the habitats upon which they depend.”

Candidate species do not receive protection under the ESA, although the Service works to conserve them. The annual review and identification of candidate species provides resource managers advance notice of species in need of conservation, allowing them to address threats and work to preclude the need to list the species.

The Service has several tools for protecting candidate species and their habitat, including a grants program that funds conservation projects by private landowners, states and territories.

In addition, the Service can enter into Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCA), formal agreements between the Service and one or more parties to address the conservation needs of proposed or candidate species, or species likely to become candidates, before they become listed as endangered or threatened. CCA participants voluntarily commit to implementing specific actions that will remove or reduce the threats to these species, thereby contributing to stabilizing or restoring the species.

Another similar tool is the Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances (CCAAs). While these voluntary agreements are only between the Service and non-Federal landowners, they have the same goals as CCAs of addressing threats to candidate species.


The complete notice and list of proposed and candidate species that appears in the Federal Register and can be found online at fws.gov/endangered/candidates/

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service.

Encountering Bobcats in New Jersey

Bobcat by Chris Davidson via http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/

The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is one of NJ's endangered mammals. The are not usually seen by residents because of their habits, but I was not shocked to read an article recently in via The Daily Record that a photographer was able to get a shot of one last month in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

"I was doing nature photography and in early spring, I spotted it numerous times," George Draney recalled. So be began staking out a narrow, scrub-lined path twice a week, for about three or four months. A couple of times the bobcat crept by him but was gone before he could shoot a photo, he said.

The morning he finally got the shot, he was sitting in his car near the path and the bobcat was between 25 and 50 yards away, he said.

"I saw it going up the pathway in a hurry, so I thought to make a noise to make it look my way," Draney said. "So I whistle real loud, and it stopped. When I shot, it turned, and I got two more shots."

He described it as appearing healthy, about the size of a medium dog and weighing about 25 pounds.

The State estimates our population of bobcats to be at least 90, with most living north of Route 80.

They had disappeared from NJ by the early 1970s because of habitat loss. About 20 bobcats (from Maine) were reintroduced from 1978 to 1982 to repopulate them here.

One unfortunate indicator of their return are the dozen road kills found in the past year, including one on Route 46 in Parsippany near the Boonton Reservoir this past spring.

Taxonomically, bobcats belong to the order Carnivora, or carnivores, meaning that they are
primarily flesh-eaters. They are members of the Felidae family and are commonly known as felines. All members of this family look somewhat similar in appearance. (here is a comparative track guide)


Bobcats live in both the northern and southern portions of NJ. In the north, typical bobcat habitat consists of large areas of contiguous forest and fragmented forests interspersed with agricultural areas or early succession vegetation.

Bobcats often use areas with rock outcrops, caves, and ledges that provide shelter and cover for hunting, resting and rearing young. Where rocky areas are not available, swamps, bogs, conifer stands and rhododendron and mountain laurel thickets provide good cover and excellent hunting grounds.

In southern New Jersey, dense thickets of briars and conifers serve as resting and escape cover, so the bobcat have the ability to adapt to a wide variety of habitat types and prey species.


The Delaware Water Gap and other areas of Kitatinny Ridge are the best habitat areas the state has for bobcats, says Mick Valent, a wildlife biologist for the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, who said there's no reason to doubt Draney's account.

State biologists have found bobcat tracks and scat in the Water Gap area, and have photographed them there with motion-sensitive cameras baited with scent, Valent said.

Bobcats are so shy that they pose no danger for people, and are so reclusive that you would be lucky to actually see one.

Their individual territories ranging from one square mile to 25 square miles. Habitat continues to be the major problem in maintaining their numbers. They find a good supply of mice, chipmunks, squirrels and birds in the areas where they exist.

NJDEP document on bobcats

Bobcats in the Conserve Wildlife Newsletter, Winter 2007

Sedge Invades NJ Beaches

It looks innocent enough all alone...

It's a foreign attack, and it's hitting the Jersey dunes.

It's an invasive foreign plant that is getting into New Jersey's critical dune systems.

It is called Asiatic sand sedge and it could take over the habitat of endangered and threatened species, such as the piping plover, as well as lowering the dunes which protect communities from flooding. (Only 105 plover pairs nested on NJ beaches this year, down from 111 pairs in 2008 according to the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.)


The plant has no known predators or diseases here.

The yellow-green plant was actually first spotted in the United States in Island Beach State Park in 1929. It forms a dense mat and drives out native plants, such as American beach grass and beach panic grass.

According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, the plant occupies more than 90 acres in Island Beach State Park and on Sandy Hook and Asiatic sand sedge populations also have been found in Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach, Long Branch, Manasquan, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township, Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge and other locations.
A group of students from Georgian Court, Marine Academy of Science and Technology on Sandy Hook, and Brookdale Community College are studying the sedge, mapping its extent and studying ways to get rid of it. Digging and pulling out sedge plants by hand can be effective with small infestations, but the plant's roots are 3 to 4 feet deep.

but let it get hold in a sand dune...

More information at http://www.courierpostonline.com
Photos via National Park Service

The NJ Keep It Green Campaign

The New Jersey - Keep It Green Campaign is a coalition of 135 statewide, local and regional organizations ranging from sportsmen’s groups and environmental organizations to affordable housing and urban park advocates.

The campaign's mission is to secure a long-term stable source of funding for the acquisition of open space, farmland and historic sites as well as the capital improvement, operation, maintenance, and stewardship of state and local natural areas, parks and historic sites in New Jersey.

This work is guided by the belief that every New Jersey resident deserves well-maintained, accessible neighborhood parks, wildlife areas and historic sites.

The organizations are both large and small. There's the Grover Cleveland Birthplace  http://clevelandbirthplace.org near me in Caldwell. There's also Clean Ocean Action http://www.cleanoceanaction.org, a leading national and regional voice working to protect waterways using science, law, research, education, and citizen action.

COA's mission statement is to improve the degraded water quality of the marine waters off the New Jersey/New York coast. They work to identify the sources of pollution and mount an attack on each source by using research, public education, and citizen action to convince our public officials to enact and enforce measures which will clean up and protect our ocean.

http://www.njkeepitgreen.org    Become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NJKeepItGreen

Right Whales

Photo via National Geographic - http://nationalgeographic.com

The Right whale is one of the ocean's most endangered species with only a few hundred left in the North Atlantic, and a few thousand of its counterparts in the entire Southern Hemisphere.

The Right whale was historically a favorite of whalers (hence it was the "right" whale to hunt) because of its slow swimming speed. This species also floats after it is killed, making it easier to harvest.

Right whales are baleen whales that range from 35-55 feet long and weigh up to 117 tons.

The leading cause of death among the North Atlantic Right Whale, which migrates through some of the world's busiest shipping lanes whilst journeying off the east coast of the United States and Canada, is injury sustained from being struck by ships.

The United States government introduced measures to curb the decline of this species. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan was introduced in 1997. A key part of the plan was the introduction of mandatory reporting of large whale sightings by ships using U.S. ports. This requirement was implemented in July 1999.

Funding for White Nose Syndrome Research

Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) has announced that funding to protect bat populations in New Jersey and throughout the region has been increased from $500,000 to $1.9 million for FY 2010. The senator successfully fought to increase the funding for research into a mysterious and deadly illness called White Nose Syndrome (WNS) that is destroying bat populations in New Jersey and the Northeast Region. The legislation will now head to the White House where it is expected to be signed into law.

WNS is named for white fungal growth around the noses and on the bodies of affected animals. It first appeared in caves near Albany, New York in February 2006 and was confirmed in New Jersey in 2009. Over the last two winters, more than one million hibernating bats have died.

Map illustrating the ranges of endangered species of hibernating bats in the U.S.
and the spreading distribution of White-nose syndrome. www.fort.usgs.gov

On July 8 Lautenberg, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Water and Wildlife Subcommittee, highlighted the threat of WNS on bat populations during a Senate hearing that he called for to examine threats to native wildlife species.

Bats play a critical role in North American ecosystems. They prey almost exclusively on insects such as mosquitoes, which spread disease, and moths and beetles, which damage crops. A single bat can easily eat more than 3,000 insects a night and an entire colony will consume hundreds of millions. Bats reduce the need for pesticides, which cost farmers billions of dollars every year and can be harmful to human health.

• News release on Senator Lautenberg's website at http://lautenberg.senate.gov

Lawsuit Claims Wind Energy Project Would Kill Endangered Bats

Indiana bat roosting under shedding bark
Photo: Bat Conservation International via www.srs.fs.usda.gov

Organizations opposed to a wind energy project in West Virginia are using the Endangered Species Act to try to block the wind farms.

The claim is that endangered Indiana bats, and other bat species, are threatened by the wind-turbine towers. Bats can be killed by wind turbines when they are struck by spinning blades or get caught in the turbines' downdraft, which causes their lungs to rupture.

Plaintiff's witness Michael Gannon, a bat biologist and professor at Pennsylvania State University, said he is "very much in favor" of wind energy, but remains concerned that this project could have a devastating effect on the Indiana bat.

He also testified that when swaths of forest were clear cut to make way for turbines this past summer, important bat habitat may have been removed. (Indiana bats roost under the bark of dead trees.)

The companies involved in building the wind farm countered by saying there is no proof of the bat's presence in the area based on two mist net surveys in the area which found none of the endangered Indiana bats.

Testifying for the plaintiffs, Gannon argued these mist net surveys were poorly done, and that his own acoustic detection surveys in the area (recording bat sounds and identifying them through a computer program) did identify three Indiana bats.

Similar stories are published about the effects that these wind towers and even their warning lights might be having on the migration of birds.

It is another example of the line between what benefits people living in an area and what benefits the wildlife there, and the difficulty in finding the proper balance.

Bat Conservation International, for example, supports the development of alternative energy sources but also recognizes concerns on what the cumulative impacts of wind energy development might be on wildlife. This is especially if expansion occurs without careful planning to minimize harm to birds and bats.

Here's what they say on their site:

We believe that minimizing harmful impacts to wildlife is an essential element of “green energy” and that developers of wind energy must substantially increase efforts to improve siting and develop and test methods to reduce harm to wildlife. Additionally, state and federal agencies must increase support for responsible development of wind energy in a manner compatible with protecting wildlife resources. Cooperation, including access to study sites, funding, and transparency of information obtained, are fundamental elements needed to successfully resolve wind and wildlife conflicts. Response from industry has been mixed and while we applaud those companies and organizations working proactively with resource agency specialists and scientists to solve problems, more has to be done immediately to expand and improve the breadth of our cooperation in developing a sound, scientific basis for decision-making. This is especially true in Texas, which leads the nation in installed wind energy capacity, but woefully trails most states in regard to proactively addressing wildlife impacts.

• Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative
• Western Bat Working Group
• more about the case above at Southern Maryland Online
• Infrared videos of bats and turbines
• Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
• NWCC Wildlife Working Group
• Existing State Siting Guidelines
• USFWS Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee

Essex County Environmental Center

The Essex County Environmental Center is a facility of the Essex County Park System. It is located in West Essex Park which stretches along six miles of the Passaic River starting at Bloomfield Avenue in Fairfield and ending just beyond South Orange Avenue in Livingston.

The immediate grounds of the Essex County Environmental Center include approximately one mile of trails in a wooded wetland habitat with access to the Upper Passaic River.

Also on site are the newly renovated Garibaldi Hall, fishing and boating areas, a greenhouse and gardens, a raised boardwalk, and picnic areas.

The former Park Commission first began acquiring land for West Essex Park in 1955. Money to purchase the first piece of property came in part from the sale of Oraton Parkway to the New Jersey Highway Authority.

Over subsequent years, other land was purchased from more than 70 individual landowners.

The Center for Environmental Studies was established in 1972 and functioned for over 23 years as a place to educate students about the environment. It was officially closed in 1995 due to lack of funding but organizations such as Rutgers Cooperative Extension, the 4-H, and Master Gardeners continued providing services and programs at the site on a limited basis to meet the needs of the community.

Essex County Environmental Center was dedicated and opened in May 2005. This state-of-the-art facility was constructed as an environmentally sensitive building using natural and recycled materials, innovative energy saving technologies, and topped by a "green roof" for the purpose of storm-water management. It also houses a large public meeting room, interactive exhibits, a wet lab, and a library.

New Jersey Audubon and the County of Essex have entered into an educational programming partnership at the Essex County Environmental Center. NJAS provides Outreach Programs for all ages and groups, Birding Field Trips in Essex County,Saturday Family Programs and Summer Nature Day Camp.

Center hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. / Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. / Closed Sundays
Trails: Open dawn to dusk seven days a week.
Check website for holiday closings.

• Essex County Environmental Center Fall 2009 Special Events
• Essex County Nature Photographers http://ecnaturephotographers.org/
• Essex County Master Gardeners http://www.mgessex.orgNew Jersey Audubon Society Winter Programs
• Interpretive TrailBirthday Party Brochure
• Field Trip Brochure

Environmental Center
621 B Eagle Rock Avenue
Roseland, NJ 07068
Phone: 973.228.8776

Teaneck Creek Conservancy

In 2001 an eclectic group of environmentalists, artists, and educators joined forces with the Puffin Foundation to rescue a small parcel of land in the southernmost portion of Teaneck, NJ.

The area had once been a staging ground for the construction of the intersection of Routes 80 and 95. For nearly a half century, it had been a dump site for trash such as old refrigerators and tires and mountains of broken concrete and asphalt.

Working with community leaders and the Bergen County Parks Department, the founding team crafted a restoration plan, and in 2006, after hundreds of hours of community meetings and thousands of hours of sweat equity, the Teaneck Creek Park emerged with over 1.3 miles of groomed trails, an Outdoor Classroom, and ecological art exhibits.

The Hackensack River Valley, which includes tributaries to the river such as the Teaneck Creek, is located at a critical position in the northern portion of the Atlantic Flyway.

The Flyway is the pathway that has been followed for millennia by many species of birds and insects as they travel between the northern and southern hemispheres.

The movement of many threatened and endangered species (both Federally and State listed) along this Flyway has been well documented by groups such as NJ Audubon.

These species rely on the habitats they find in NJ for food, water, shelter, and rest. Their migratory journeys often cover thousands of miles.

While coastal areas such as Cape May and Delaware Bay are protected because of their importance to shore birds, less protection is offered for migrants that require forested habitat.

• TCC Blog
• TCC map and directions
  
• Slideshow of birds at Teaneck Creek (via Picasaweb.google.com/jonnemccarron)
  

Greenwood Forest and Pasadena Wildlife Management Area

In our continuing series on Wildlife Management Areas and Wildlife Viewing Areas in NJ, today we look at The Greenwood Forest/Pasadena Wildlife Management Area.

This WMA is in Burlington and Ocean Counties in Lacey, Barnegat, Manchester, Berkeley & Woodland Townships. At 95,923 acres it is the largest tract of land preserved by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife's Bureau of Land Management.

Together with Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, this area constitutes most of the Western Pinelands, the smallest of four conservation zones identified in the Pinelands by NJ Wildlife Action Plan.

This habitat is made up of mixed pine and riparian forests with patches of fields and shrub-scrub. Most of the area is upland pine-oak and scrub-shrub forests with the remaining area being upland habitats including fields.

The lowlands contain pitch-pine forest and Atlantic white cedar bogs.

The headwaters of Cedar Creek are also found here and it connects Greenwood Forest / Pasadena WMA to Lebanon State Forest.

This forest habitat supports breeding species including an estimated 100 Eastern Towhees, 100 Pine Warblers and 60 Prairie Warblers. Barred Owls, favoring swamps and deep forests, particularly those bordering lakes, streams or marshes, are permanent residents in this IBA. Sporadic populations of Red-headed Woodpeckers also inhabit the site’s low-density forest stands.

Some species found here include: the state-threatened Barred Owl, Blue-winged Warbler, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Towhee, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Field Sparrow, Northern Bobwhite, Pine Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Whip-poor-will, Baltimore Oriole, Black-and-white Warbler, Black-billed Cuckoo, Blue Jay, Common Grackle, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Gray Catbird, Tufted Titmouse, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo. See http://www.njaudubon.org for more information.

Northern Pine Snake - NJDEP photo

Currently, the Endangered and Nongame Species Program is working with the Division's Bureau of Land Management to enhance pine snake habitat in a portion of Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area.

The primary threats to this site include over-abundant deer and loss of natural ecological forces such as fire and disturbance.

Approximately 1000 acres of the Greenwood Forest/Pasadena WMA are managed as quail habitat and offers hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities.

There are also several hiking and wildlife-watching opportunities throughout the site.

More information: (PDF documents)

• Information on Greenwood Forest/Pasadena North, Central, South
• WMA map
  

The Amazing Journey of Red Knots to New Jersey

Red knots and Ruddy Turnstones at NJ's
Edwin Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (USFWS photo)

Back in the early 1800s, the naturalist Alexander Wilson visited Cape May, N.J. There, he saw a bird he called the red-breasted sandpiper. He also saw horseshoe crabs. (He called them "king crabs.")

It took until the 1980s for scientists to really understand the global significance of the Delaware Bay as the springtime staging area for those birds, who we now call red knots. Those birds, and other migratory shorebirds, rely on being able to feed on horseshoe crab eggs.

Pete Dunne and others from the New Jersey Audubon's Cape May Bird Observatory, flew over the shores of Delaware Bay in May and early June and saw this staging area in action. They recorded red knots, sanderlings, semi-palmated sandpipers and ruddy turnstones.

Some of those red knots headed for the Arctic started their journey of migration 5,000 miles away in South America. Their journey is of international concerns. Computer models show that the Delaware Bay subspecies of red knots (Calidris canutus rufa) could within a year or two because the population is so depleted.

Amazingly, scientists are able to distinguish three populations of red knots that migrate through the Delaware Bay region. One group spends the winter on Georgia's Altamaha Delta and Florida's Gulf Coast. A second group spends the winter in Maranhao in northern Brazil, and the third, and largest group of about 18,000 red knots, spends the winter in Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America.

Crowded areas include a large horseshoe crab eggs area at Mispillion Harbor on the Delaware side of the bay and a nighttime resting area in Stone Harbor, N.J. Red knots had rested on the marshes west of Cedar Creek, but in 2004 and 2005, those marshes flooded and the birds could not roost there.

Most scientists believe that overharvesting of the crabs in the 1990s has led to the severe drop in eggs and therefore the decline in red knot populations.

How large is the decline? Those 1981-82 flyover estimates were at 150,000 red knots. Recent counts totaled about 15,000.

In their time on the Delaware bay, the birds have about two to three weeks to put on enough weight to complete their journey. The numbers are staggering. Scientists estimate that each red knot needs 13,000 horseshoe crab eggs a day to maintain their weight and 24,000 eggs to fatten to the optimum.

In 1999, the red knot was listed as a threatened species in New Jersey under the "New Jersey Endangered Species Conservation Act." As a result of the Red Knot Status Assessment in Fall 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the red knot as a candidate for federal listing. In April 2007, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada recommended listing the red knot as endangered.

While the red knot is most imperiled and most studied shorebird on the Delaware Bay, there are five other species that rely on crab eggs and whose populations have declined on Delaware Bay by about 65 percent: Ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres), sanderling (Calidris alba), semipalmated sandpiper (Calidris pusilla), dunlin (Calidris alpina) and the short-billed dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus).

Tagging red knots - via fw.delaware.gov

• http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/redknot.htm
• http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/delbayshrbirds.pdf
  

Colony Collapse: Are Potent Pesticides Killing Honeybees?

Follow up to earlier post on CCD

Colony collapse disorder (CCD) has wreaked havoc on U.S. beekeeping businesses (and the agriculture industry) since its devastating arrival in 2006. The veiled killer entered hives across Japan for the first time earlier this year, affecting 25 percent of the national beekeeping association members. Now the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is being sued by the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) for withholding details about the impact of neonicotinoids — a class of widely used pesticides — on honeybees and other pollinators.

read full article at MotherEarthNews.com

Sustainable Seafood

I was researching the book One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss for a post on another blog recently and came across the Smithsonian Institution's Sustainable Seafood website.

The site complements their own book, One Fish, Two Fish, Crawfish, Bluefish: The Smithsonian Sustainable Seafood Cookbook. It's an interesting site about the seafood you might be enjoying at dinner tonight or catching this weekend in our Jersey waters.

We generally think of seafood as a healthy choice, but not all finfish and shellfish that are available in today's U.S. markets and restaurants are good choices from an environmental perspective.

Population sizes of seafood species vary over time - both naturally and depending on how heavily they are fished. Some are clearly in good shape due in part to good fisheries management, and those are excellent seafood choices. Others have experienced dramatic declines due to over harvesting or environmental fluctuations, and choosing those seafood species further contributes to the problems. Many seafood species fall somewhere in between - not bad choices, but there are concerns that you may want to be aware of.

The site separates seafood species into "suggested" and "problematic" choices based on current scientific data. Are our New Jersey flounder suggested or problematic? And what's going on with our Mid-Atlantic fisheries?

You can find landings charts on the Smithsonian site that show the number of pounds of a seafood species that have been caught over time. You will also find links to scientific reports that document how some fishing practices and even seafood farming can be detrimental.

They also summarize the current issues surrounding seafood choices under the "Issues" link.

Users of all ages may want to visit the virtual Seafood Market and try your hand at making sustainable seafood choices.



Other Related Reading
Ocean Friendly Cuisine: Sustainable Seafood Recipes From The World's Finest Chefs

Fish Forever: The Definitive Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Preparing Healthy, Delicious, and Environmentally Sustainable Seafood

The Fyke Nature Association

The Fyke Nature Association was founded in 1952 by a group of people strongly dedicated to saving undeveloped tracts of land in Bergen County, New Jersey as nature preserves.

Fyke has not only wishes to be a force for preservation, but a place where people can educate themselves and share their love of the natural world.

Currently the Association, along with the Borough of Allendale, co-manages the Celery Farm Natural Area in Allendale, NJ. The Celery Farm is a 107-acre freshwater wetland maintained in its natural state. As a result, fifty-three bird species breed here, and over 240 species have been recorded.

Volunteers from Fyke are responsible for creating and maintaining the footpaths around the preserve, the three observation platforms and the nesting boxes. The wetlands and deciduous woods provide habitat for many mammals, fish, reptiles and insects.

Chickadee - Celery Farm photos