Osprey in New Jersey

Osprey, Sandy Hook - photo by Brian Richards

The osprey (Pandion haliaetus)) is a large raptor (bird of prey) usually seen near bodies of water that support adequate fish populations. In the 1800s, there was an abundant breeding population of osprey along the New Jersey coast and near most fresh water bodies.

Pesticide contamination and habitat loss gradually reduced the annual number of osprey nesting pairs throughout this past century. In fact, osprey populations plummeted from 500 pairs in the 1950s to 68 pairs in 1975. The species became one of the first to be included on the New Jersey Endangered Species List.

The osprey has a wingspan of 4.5 – 6 feet. It glides with its long, narrow wings pulled towards the body and, when viewed from the ground, resembles the shape of the letter "M".

They feed on fish and inhabit coastal rivers, marshes and bays, as well as rivers, lakes and reservoirs. They are known for their feet-first plunge into the water to catch their prey with their talons that have spines on them to pierce the fish's skin.

Ospreys nest on live or dead trees, manmade nesting platforms, light poles, channel markers and other elevated structures that offer an unobstructed view of the landscape near and around a water body.

Historically, the number of reproductive osprey pairs began to decline in the 1900s due to habitat loss, the eradication of nest trees, egg collecting and shooting. This was compounded by increased human settlement along the coast later in the century.

Between 1946 through 1964, the pesticide DDT was introduced into the environment to combat mosquitoes. It entered the food chain and eventually contaminated predators like the osprey. The chemical did not kill the birds as people often believe, but weakened the thickness of osprey eggshells, which would break under the weight of the bird during incubation. They can experience reproductive failure over a long period of time because DDT contamination can remain in an adult osprey's body for years.

Starting in 1979, the Endangered and Nongame Species Program transplanted eggs from healthy nests in the Chesapeake Bay area into New Jersey nests. Program staff also erected nesting platforms and began annual surveys to monitor osprey productivity.

The state's osprey population began to recover as nesting success improved and the number of nesting pairs increased each year.

Due to its improved reproductive success, its acceptance of manmade nesting structures and the decline of persistent pesticides, the status of the osprey in New Jersey was changed from endangered to threatened in 1985. They were the first species to be removed from the list.

Department biologists and volunteers counted 340 nests in 2001 and banded 201 young osprey in their nests in 2002.

The state currently conducts an aerial survey of the state's osprey population every two years. They observe nests yearly and band many of the young osprey chicks while they are still in the nest.

The Osprey Project in New Jersey reported that 38 new nest structures were erected or discovered in 2008: more than half (21) were occupied, and fourteen produced 25 young.

In typical fashion for NJ (and the East), most ospreys nested on man-made single-post structures (77%) and channel markers (5%), while only a few nested on antiquated 4-post nest platforms (3%). The occurrence of ospreys nesting on cell towers (1%) fluctuates from year to year, but that’s a structure favored by inland-nesting ospreys. Other nests can be found on transmission towers (3%), duck blinds (3%), and in dead trees (2%).

Ospreys get very creative in areas of the state where nest platforms are limited. They will try to build nests on many different structures including lighting poles on sports fields, weather stations, telephone poles,cranes, houses, and almost anything tall and stable.

The NJDEP works closely with the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ (CWF) to use private donations to fund nest platform and habitat restoration projects along the Atlantic Coast. In the last three years, over forty nest platforms have been built and installed with private donations to CWF.

The next statewide census is scheduled for this year and will attempt to count all active nests during aerial and ground surveys.

NJDEP species information for the osprey (PDF)

Bush Administration Endangered Species Rule Rolled Back

This week, the Obama administration rolled back a Bush-era rule excusing oil and gas companies in polar bear habitat from special reviews designed to ensure they are not harming the animals.

Polar bears were listed last year as threatened after federal biologists determined they were especially vulnerable because of their dependence on Arctic sea ice which is shrinking due to the rapidly warming climate.

The Alaska energy industry said the move could slow exploration and production activity in the state. Environmental groups applauded the decision as an important step protecting threatened species.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said they rescinded the Endangered Species Act regulation issued in December by the Bush administration, which eliminated the long-standing "Section 7 consultation" requirement for special scrutiny of any proposed activities that might harm a listed species.

Salazar said, "By rolling back this 11th hour regulation, we are ensuring that threatened and endangered species continue to receive the full protection of the law," Salazar said. Because science must serve as the foundation for decisions we make, federal agencies proposing to take actions that might affect threatened and endangered species will once again have to consult with biologists at the two departments."

The reversal means any oil and gas development in polar bear habitat must be cleared through consultation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In a related endangered species issue, a decision on another Bush administration rule limiting federal polar bear protections is due by May 10.

Preservation New Jersey

Founded in 1978, Preservation New Jersey advocates for and promotes historic preservation to protect and enhance the heritage of New Jersey’s communities. PNJ is the only statewide private membership-supported historic preservation organization in New Jersey.

They publish an annual 10 Most Endangered Historic Sites in NJ list, which draws attention to remarkable sites in the hope of being a catalyst for for solutions for their preservation.

They are advocates for sound public policy at the local, state and federal levels on behalf of the historic preservation community in New Jersey. they also conduct tours, workshops, lectures and conferences to educate the public about historic sites and preservation issues.

Pack It In, Pack It Out

"Pack it In, Pack it Out" is a waste management philosophy of environmentalism. The idea is simple: whatever you bring into a natural area - bags, bottles, trash - must be taken out of the area when you leave.

It is not just removing the trash and biodegradable waste from the natural area, but also the proper disposal of those materials when you get home so that they cause no harm to the ecosystem.

This philosophy is closely related to the broader minimal impact code that is practiced by many environmentalists, naturalists, and conservationists. It has become a part of the philosophy of many organizations that have members who enjoy camping, hiking, trekking, fishing, and other activities that involve entering wilderness areas.

More

• United States Bureau of Land Management
• The Backpacker
• Leave No Trace

Humpback Whale Rescue, Sandy Hook, New Jersey

Government rescuers released a humpback whale who was entangled eight miles off Sandy Hook N.J. on February 26, 2009.

The humpback whale had become entangled in a lobster pot and netting. The rescuers, from the Massachusetts-based Center for Coastal Studies, worked with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration staff to free the whale.





The whale was described as a juvenile humpback, about 25 to 30 feet long, according to NOAA.

The site is not far from where a family of 16 bottlenose dolphins stayed in two rivers near the Sandy Hook Bay for half of last year, sparking a heated debate over whether they should be removed or left to leave on their own.

Three of the dolphins died, and employees of a nearby restaurant said they saw about five leave the Shrewsbury River and go out to Sandy Hook Bay just before the river froze last month. The fate of the remaining eight dolphins is not known.

Project Bud Burst

I have been following signs in my local area for a lot of years of nature telling me that it was time to plant in my garden. It is something you have to do locally, so my dates probably apply to New Jersey and this area in some cases, and only specifically to my own square mile in other cases. In fact, sometimes they seem to apply only to my own backyard.

For example, the daffodils I have planted in the garden bloomed five days later than several houses around the block - probably due to the amount of sun they receive.

I have kept a kind of nature calendar for a bunch of years. March 25 - piping plovers return to NJ (prune evergreens; turn compost; sow peas and spinach) April 26 - bluefish run usually begins. April 29 - first piping plover nests on Jersey beaches. You get the idea.

For centuries farmers, naturalists, and scientists have kept records of the patterns of plants and animals and used the information to predict the best time for planting and harvesting crops and when to start expecting problems with insect pests.

There are other "citizen scientists" out there. You can join thousands of others in gathering environmental and climate change information from across the country in a program called Project BudBurst.



It asks you to make careful observations of the phenophases in your area such as first leafing, first flower, and first fruit ripening of a diversity of trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses. What is really important is to observe the first day of the appropriate phenophase (like the first flower).

Phenology (which I had never heard of, even though I was doing it) is the study of the timing of life cycle events like leafing, budding, and blooming in plants.

What makes it more important of late is that the timing of phenological events of many species has changed recently as a result of changing temperatures and rainfall patterns. The average global temperature increased by 0.6°C ( 1.0°F) during the 20th century. The temperature is predicted to rise with another 1.8 to 4.0°C ( 3.2 to 7.2°F) in the 21st century. That probably seems like pretty small variations, but at the global scale it can have dramatic effects on the environment.

It's the kind of data that leads most scientists to believe that this will cause the sea level to rise with 10 to 89 cm (4 to 35 inches) during this century.

Climate change has the largest effect on plants because, unlike many animals, they cannot move easily from one area to another.

The results might be that the growing season could start earlier or continue over a longer period of time. In my part of north NJ, the official last frost date is May 15, but I have been keeping track myself and a May frost has been the exception for my little microclimate in he past 20 years.

So, watching for the phases of the plant life cycle (phenophases) causes you to be very mindful of things like temperature, rainfall and day length. Monitoring changes in events such as first bud, budburst, and flowering, can help scientists detect climate change.


If you volunteer to take part in Project BudBurst, you track climate change by recording the timing of flowers and foliage. The project started as a pilot program in 2007 operated by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), the Chicago Botanic Garden, and the University of Montana. They are collecting thousands of observations from students, gardeners, and others to give researchers a more detailed picture of our warming climate. It's crowdsourcing data collection.

Looking at data from 2007 and 2008 gives a baseline for the timing of key plant events. 4,861 observations were reported online in 2008 from participants in every state except Hawaii.

There's lots of information on the project site and at the links below, but here are some basics:

• Each participant in Project BudBurst selects one or more plants to observe. (The project website suggests more than 75 widely distributed trees and flowers, with information on each and you can add your own choices.)
• You start by checking your plants at least a week prior to the average date of budburst--the point when the buds have opened and leaves are visible.
• After budburst, you continue to observe the tree or flower for later events, such as seed dispersal.
• When you submit records online, you can view maps of these phenophases across the United States.

One category is "Deciduous Trees and Shrubs" (as opposed to evergreens). The Project lists 28 deciduous trees and shrubs that are easy to identify and widespread across the continental United States. You can get a printable identification guide and phenophase field guide online with pictures, identifying characteristics, and plant specific phenophase descriptions. One that I did this spring is the Forsythia (Forsythia xintermedia).

When white clover (Trifolium repens) pops up in my lawn, maybe I won't spray it, but observe it.

Did you know that it is in the plant family of the pea or legume (Fabaceae)? White clover, like other members of the pea family, fix nitrogen. This makes clover an important agricultural and rangeland plant—by planting it with grasses it is possible to increase the grass yield. Clover leaves and flowers are also good forage for wildlife, such as moose, grizzly bear, white-tailed deer, and blue grouse. Clover is used widely by bees to produce honey.

I like both the scientific side of this - and I like being more mindful of the natural world around me.

I recommend you taking up this in your own little part of the world. You can certainly do it for yourself, but sharing the information with the Project really adds another level of awareness.

• Project Budburst


• USA National Phenology Network


• The National Center for Atmospheric Research


• UCAR Office of Programs

This post first appeared on Weekends in Paradelle

Endangered Right Whales May Be Rebounding On Atlantic Coast

Some good news about North Atlantic right whales. These whales do not receive as much attentions as humpbacks and killer whales in the press, and good news about the environment also doesn't get the attention that dying whales do.

Only about 400 of these marine mammals are thought to exist, making right whales one of the most endangered large whale species in the world.

Their name comes from the fact that they were considered the "right whale" to kill during the whaling era because of the thick layers of valuable blubber beneath its skin, and because the whales are so chunky that they float quickly to the surface after they're harpooned.

The calving season for these school-bus-sized whales formally ended March 31, and the whales are now headed north along the East Coast of the United States.

These right whales birthed a record number calves this year off the coast of the southeast United States, which gives scientists hope that this rare and overlooked species can recover. There were recorded 39 new calves, each weighing in at about 3,000 pounds, born off the Atlantic coast of Florida and Georgia.

Right whales have to make it to age 5 to 7 before they too can give birth and continue the species' gradual rebound. Young whales face threats from humans before they reach that age. These whales migrate through a channel of ocean that's heavily trafficked by cargo and fishing ships and ships are known to strike right whales, partly because the black creatures are difficult to spot on the water.

Five whales were also found entangled in fishing gear this year in the southeast Atlantic. These thick ropes can rub through a whale's skin and hit bone, and restrict the ability of the whales to feed. There have been some new restrictions on the use of these ropes (sinking ropes are safer for whales) in Maine.

Kate Longley, who works on a team with the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies to monitor right whales in Cape Cod Bay, was cautiously optimistic: "There hasn't been much indication that the species is rebounding significantly. It's definitely good news [the 39 births], and it's the most that we've seen, but it's only one year. So I think it would be premature to make any sort of prediction or any sort of statement about the state of the species based on one year of high calving."

Ice Stories

I was reading on the Stop Global Warming website and the news is not good. Just take a look at some recent news about ICE...

There is a huge ice shelf in the Antarctic (the size of Connecticut!) that is in the last stages of collapse and could break free any day.

According to a Guardian article, this Wilkins shelf is the largest slab of ice so far to disintegrate in the Antarctic.

See Climate Progress for more

FACT: Scientists predicted in 1993 that the Wilkins shelf would collapse within 30 years, but the increasing effects of global warming have caused it to melt at double the anticipated rate.

Go to the other end of the planet and researchers say that more than 90% of the sea ice in the Arctic is only one or two years old which makes it thinner and more vulnerable to melting (NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center)

What does that mean? Sea ice is important because it reflects sunlight away from Earth. The more it melts, the more heat is absorbed by the ocean, heating up the planet more and adversely changing weather patterns worldwide.

FACT: The amount of thick sea ice hit a record wintertime low of just 378,000 square miles this year, down 43 percent from last year. The amount of older sea ice lost is larger than the state of Texas.

Happy Birthday, John Muir

John Muir (1838-1914) was America's most famous and influential naturalist and conservationist. He has been called "The Father of our National Parks," "Wilderness Prophet," and "Citizen of the Universe." His writings and philosophy strongly influenced the formation of the modern environmental movement.

His writing tells about his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California. Those include his Nature Writings, The Story of My Boyhood and Youth, My First Summer in the Sierra, The Mountains of California which are all in print - some are also available free online.

His direct activism helped to save the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he founded, is now one of the most important conservation organizations in the United States.

President Theodore Roosevelt met John Muir in Yosemite 100 years ago and helped inspire Roosevelt's innovative conservation programs, including establishing the first National Monuments by Presidential Proclamation, and Yosemite National Park by congressional action.

John Muir's life reminds us of the important things that just one person can do:

Wikipedia provides many links to his writings online and to information about his legacy.

On the Sierra Club website, you can find more information about Muir's life and legacy, including the site on the Life and Contributions of John Muir and a John Muir - Father of Our National Parks brochure

Endangered Whales Off The NJ Coast

There are nine mammals protected as endangered in NJ, and six of those are whales.

All six are also Federally Endangered, and so they are protected by Federal laws while off the coast of New Jersey.

Those 6 whale species are:

1. North Atlantic northern right whale (or Black right whale), balaena glacialis
2. Blue Whale, balaenoptera musculus
3. Fin Whale, balaenoptera physalus
4. Humpback Whale, megaptera novaeangliae
5. Sei Whale, balaenoptera borealis
6. Sperm whale, physeter macrocephalus

Cetaceans is the order that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. It is then divided into two suborders: Odontoceti and Mysticeti.

Odonoceti have teeth and a single blowhole (nostril) at the top of the head. The sperm whale is well known, if only from pictures and movies, for being one that regularly produces a visible spout or blow.

(Photo of right whale skim feeding via The Whale Center of New England)

The Mysticetes are the baleen whales. The other 5 listed here are baleen whales. That means they have no teeth and filter their food through their baleen. They also have two blowholes.

Baleen is made of the same material as our fingernails and hair, and has been described to the touch as similar to thick plastic hair. The baleen plates overlap each other and hang from the upper jaw of the whale. (They are sometimes compared to vertical blinds.) Each plate is frayed on the bottom and edges so that they mat together and help trap food. Right whales have the longest baleen.

My childhood fascination with whales has never faded, so I will write more about each species here in the months to come. I also admit to listing Melville's Moby Dick in my five books list despite its portrayal of whale hunting.

Salazar Needs To Decide on Endangered Species Act

As a followup to my earlier post, it was announced late last week that U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says he will make a decision in the coming weeks on whether to overturn a controversial Bush administration regulation that limits the reach of the Endangered Species Act.

The outgoing Bush administration finalized a rule in December that allows federal agencies to issue permits for mining, logging and other activities without consulting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service about endangered wildlife and plants.

In March, President Barack Obama signed a memorandum that put the regulation on hold pending a review. Action would need to be taken before a May 9 deadline.

Environmental groups such as Greenpeace, the Center for Biological Diversity and WildEarth Guardians have sent more than 72,000 petitions to Salazar, urging him to overturn the Bush "midnight rules." A specific rule of concern is one that overturns the precedent of the past 35 years and makes consultation on endangered species optional rather than mandatory.

Speaking before a group at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, Salazar told them that energy and climate change will be the most difficult issues facing the nation's leaders in the years to come. The event was to celebrate the recent signing of a large public lands bill that sets aside millions of acres in several states as wilderness.

In support of the Bush changes are business and industry groups that argue that the consultation process results in delays and higher costs for projects, including those that will be funded by federal stimulus money.

As always, if you are concerned with this issue, write your Representative in Congress and write your Senators. A few letters from constituents go a long way because most of us are silent on issues - so be heard!

Paterson's Great Falls Named National Historical Park

Great Falls photo via Flickr by Ken Ronkowitz

President Obama recently signed into law the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park Act. The Paterson Act is part of an omnibus parks and historic preservation bill.

Hamilton statue at the Great Falls
photo via Flickr by Ken Ronkowitz

As the nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton founded the City of Paterson to begin implementing his plan to harness the force of the Great Falls—then the nation’s largest waterfall—to power new industries that would secure America’s economic independence.

Considering that one federal agency has ranked Paterson as the most economically distressed city in the United States, the local community leaders hope the creation of the national historical park, along with preservation and redevelopment of the historic center of the city, will have a positive impact on Paterson’s 175,000 residents.

Groups such as NJ Heritage Development Coalition are recommending that the state enact a state historic preservation tax credit that will jump start redevelopment in Paterson and across the state.

President Barack Obama’s Remarks

"As Americans, we possess few blessings greater than the vast and varied landscapes that stretch the breadth of our continent. Our lands have always provided great bounty – food and shelter for the first Americans, for settlers and pioneers; the raw materials that grew our industry; the energy that powers our economy.

What these gifts require in return is our wise and responsible stewardship. As our greatest conservationist President, Teddy Roosevelt, put it almost a century ago, “I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.”

That’s the spirit behind the bipartisan legislation I’m signing today – legislation among the most important in decades to protect, preserve and pass down our nation’s most treasured landscapes to future generations."

What about wolves?

People sometimes ask me when I give talks on endangered species in NJ about deer, bears, coyotes and even wolves. Well, NJ does have all of them (but wolves only in captivity, not in the wild as with the others) but the Endangered and Nongame Species Program is concerned with just that - endangered, threatened and nongame species. Species that have legal hunting and fishing seasons are not part of the program.

However, all of them are of interest on this site, because issues with other species are frequently connected to the species protected by the ENSP.

For example, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently took the final step prior to the official delisting of northern Rocky Mountain gray wolves from the federal Endangered Species Act. The agency's delisting rule for the region's wolves was published in the Federal Register and that puts in motion a 30-day countdown to delisting wolves in the northern Rockies.

"The wolf population in the northern Rocky Mountains (NRM) has exceeded its numerical, distributional, and temporal recovery goals every year since 2002. The States of Montana and Idaho have made strong commitments to maintain wolf populations well above minimum recovery levels. In combination with continued U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) management in Wyoming, the NRM population will contain over 1,200 wolves at its low point in mid-winter. Therefore, the Service is designating a northern Rocky Mountain wolf Distinct Population Segment (DPS) that will include all of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, the eastern third of Washington and Oregon, and a small corner of north-central Utah. This wolf population will be removed from the protection of the Endangered Species Act [Act], except in Wyoming."

http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/wolf/Q&AWolfDelisting03282009.pdf

Whenever there is a delisting, it has both good and bad aspects. On the good side, federal officials are saying that "...threats to the wolf population in the northern Rocky Mountain DPS, have been resolved, as evidenced by the wolf population’s healthy annual growth, high genetic diversity, and wide-spread distribution."

On the other side, conservation groups are likely to challenge the delisting of wolves in federal courts (as they did previously to stop a wolf delisting rule released during the Bush administration that covered all of the northern Rockies, including Wyoming). They believe that the protection is being done prematurely. As an example, officials with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game are already preparing for a statewide wolf hunt that will begin in September should the federal delisting stand.

Part-Time Assistants Needed to Protect Critical Shorebird Beaches of Delaware Bay in Cape May County

Here's a good opportunity to help with NJ's endangered species program and get paid.

Short-term shorebird stewards are needed by the Endangered and Nongame Species Program to protect critical shorebird beaches along the Delaware Bay in Cape May County.

The job includes educating beach visitors as to the importance of the beaches to horseshoe crabs and migrating shorebirds, by handing out literature, answering questions and showing people the shorebirds and horseshoe crabs.

Stewards are needed from May 10-11 and May 17- June 1.

Interested applicants must be available to work at least two full days, 7-8 hours a day.

Pay Rate is $8.50 an hour. A training will be held on May 3rd

No housing is available. Applicants must have own transportation.

Please submit a short one-page resume explaining your interest, and any training and experience, both with wildlife and people. Also tell us whether you would be available to work full-time or part-time.

CONTACT by e-mail: Larissa.Smith@hughes.net

or by mail:
Larissa Smith
NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife
2201 County Route 631
Woodbine, NJ 08270
(609) 628-0402

Horseshoe crabs provide important benefits. Each spring, the crab's eggs feed hungry shorebirds that stop along Delaware Bay to fuel up for the migration north to Arctic nesting grounds. In human medicine, one of the crab's most important contributions is a compound in its blood which is used by the pharmaceutical industry to test intravenous drugs for bacteria. Blood for this test is removed without harming the animal. (Photo by Bill Hall via NOAA)

Best of NJ

Thanks to to the Best of NJ site for mentioning Endangered New Jersey as a "Best of NJ" blog this month!

The site picks a number "Best of" categories including Best Places to Visit or to Live, NJ towns, Arts & Festivals and Food & Wine Tastings, Shopping and Dining Guides etc.

Your Garden As Wildlife Habitat

The last official frost date for northern NJ is about a month away. But, if you have been enjoying the warmer weather and working in your garden, you should consider making your garden and backyard as a wildlife habitat.

While some of us are trying to keep animals from eating our vegetables and flowers, there are still opportunities to invite garden-friendly wildlife.

The National Wildlife Federation will even let you register your yard as a certified wildlife habitat.

On the The NWF website, you can find gardening resources. The information will give you information on how to attract birds and butterflies as well as other wildlife to your yard.

There is also gardening information and a map that shows you how to use plants that are native to your region.

You might want to check out the tutorials to build a bat house and bee house. The idea is to create a small sustainable haven for wildlife in your neighborhood.

If you register your property with the NWF (or just want to see what others look like), check out the National Wildlife Federation’s Flickr photo group.

Restore the Endangered Species Act

Just before George W. Bush left office, the administration issued three environmentally-unfriendly rules that:

1. eviscerated the central consultation process of the Endangered Species Act;
2. exempting greenhouse gas-emitting projects from regulation under the act;
3. specifically banned federal agencies from protecting the polar bear from greenhouse gas emissions (which is the primary threat to its existence).

The Endangered Species Act may well be our nation's most important wildlife protection law, and it has been safeguarding species for more than 35 years.

On March 11, President Obama signed into law an omnibus appropriations bill giving Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar 60 days to rescind the Bush rules and restore the power of the Endangered Species Act.

This is the opportunity for Salazar to fulfill Obama's campaign promises to bring science back to federal agencies.

April 22 Is Earth Day

Unofficial Earth Day flag, by John McConnell - the Blue Marble on a blue background.

Earth Day is celebrated April 22 each year. It is the spring in the northern hemisphere, and autumn in the southern hemisphere. The event is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment.

The United Nations celebrates an Earth Day each year on the March equinox, a tradition which was founded by peace activist John McConnell in 1969.

A second Earth Day, which was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970, is celebrated in many countries each year on April 22.

It easy to accept Earth Day in 2009. Being "green" is much more popular than it was in 1970. In fact, it may be too popular. Being green is also a popular marketing term these days.

That's not all bad. When Amazon offers Earth Day Savings on organic groceries and home products, it is to make a profit. But if the products are good and buyers are becoming educated, I'm for it.

There are all kinds of slogans - Extreme Green, Ease Into Green, being Eco-Chic.

You have Energy Star educating people about efficient appliances, and they are hosting the Earth Day Sweepstakes. Go ahead and enter - 5 first-place winners will receive two ENERGY STAR-qualified powerhouses: a Toshiba laptop and a Brother multifunction printer, 15 second-place winners will receive the Brother printer. No purchase necessary. Enter here by April 22, 2009.

The first Earth Day in 1970 had participants and celebrants in two thousand colleges and universities, roughly ten thousand primary and secondary schools, and hundreds of communities across the United States.

Many important laws were passed by the Congress in the wake of the 1970 Earth Day, including the Clean Air Act, wild lands and the ocean, and the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Earth Day is now observed in 175 countries, and coordinated by the nonprofit Earth Day Network, according to whom Earth Day is now "the largest secular holiday in the world, celebrated by more than a half billion people every year."

It's not a bad thing to buy kids some recycled and repurposed wood and plastic eco-friendly toys from Spring Toys, Green Toys, Plan Toys. It's important to teach children early what it means to protect the Earth. Kids who grow up knowing these things are the best chance the planet has of surviving.

More

• Earth Team Volunteers The Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service needs people 14 and older to help reduce soil loss, protect water supplies, and more.
  
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency holds local events to celebrate Earth Day.
• http://www.earthday.net
• http://www.earthday.gov
  

Endangered Species Program April 14 in Alloway

The Salem County Nature Club and the Alloway Township Environmental Commission have combined forces to sponsor a program entitled "New Jersey's Endangered Species," Tuesday April 14 at 7 p.m. This program is free and open to the public and will be held at the Municipal Building, 49 Greenwich Street.

The program will be presented by Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, a division of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

New Jersey harbors a wide variety of habitats. From the barrier beaches and coastal marshes of the ocean edge to the highlands, ridges and valleys of the northwest, New Jersey is situated at a biological crossroads unique in our geographic area. With over 500 species, New Jersey ranks as one of the most diverse wildlife habitats in the country.

Peregrine falcons nest on our bridges and skyscrapers. Ospreys fish in our marshes and estuaries. Pine Barrens tree frogs call in our Atlantic White Cedar bogs.
New Jersey is also the most densely populated state in the nation, home to over 8 million people. Wildlife is struggling for survival amidst the parking lots, strip malls, and housing developments.

The future of New Jersey's rare wildlife depends upon concerned citizens who realize that by protecting the habitats of endangered and threatened species we are protecting our future - ensuring that we will always have wild open places to revive our spirits and enrich our lives.

Did you know that New Jersey is home to over 70 endangered and threatened species? That habitat loss is the greatest single problem effecting rare wildlife? Come and learn about New Jersey's rare wildlife so you can help to "keep wildlife in our future."

Special focus will be placed on wildlife in Salem County including bald eagles, bog turtles and other herptile species, red-shouldered hawks, kestrels, barred owls, red-headed woodpeckers and timber rattlesnakes.

If you have any questions contact Marilyn Patterson of the Salem County Nature Club by calling 935-2384 or via e-mail at salemnatureclub@aol.com

On Thin Ice on PBS April 17th

"On Thin Ice: Our Disappearing Glaciers" is scheduled for broadcast on PBS next Friday - April 17, 2009.

This investigative film features award-winning journalist David Brancaccio and Conrad Anker, one of the world's best high-altitude mountain climbers.

Anker and Brancaccio travel to India's Gangotri Glacier, located in the Himalayas, which is receding at an alarming rate; and Glacier National Park in Montana, where the ancient ice has nearly disappeared.

"On Thin Ice" is likely to change the way some Americans think about climate change. The film makes connections between global warming and issues such as competition for water, global food security, and national security.

http://www.pbs.org/now/on-thin-ice-preview.html

Listen to Some NJ Frogs and Toads

New Jersey is home to 71 species of reptiles and amphibians. In an effort help residents and visitors of the state accurately identify these species, the Division of Fish and Wildlife has created a "Field to Reptiles and Amphibians of New Jersey" with a companion audio CD.

The CD, "Calls of New Jersey Frogs and Toads", was created to help with the identification of the 16 species of calling amphibians found in the state.

The links below will take you to fact sheets about each species (pdf) and 16 of those audio files that are available online.

1. American Toad Bufo americanus call
2. Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana call
3. Carpenter Frog Rana virgatipes call
4. Eastern Spadefoot (toad) Scaphiopus h. holbrookii call
5. Fowler’s Toad Bufo woodhousii fowleri call
6. Green Frog Rana clamitans melanota call
7. New Jersey Chorus Frog Pseudacris triseriata kalmi call
8. Northern Cricket Frog Acris c. crepitans call
9. Northern Gray Treefrog Hyla versicolor call
10. Northern Spring Peeper Pseudacris c. crucifer call
11. Pickerel Frog Rana palustris call
12. Pine Barrens Treefrog (T) Hyla andersonii call
13. Southern Gray Treefrog (E) Hyla chrysoscelis call
14. Southern Leopard Frog Rana utricularia call
15. Upland Chorus Frog Pseudacris triseriata feriarum call
16. Wood Frog Rana sylvatica call

Pine Barrens Treefrog photo by Breck Kent

Watchable Wildlife

There are lots of places to see wildlife in New Jersey and the New Jersey Wildlife Viewing Guide is a good directory to some of those places.

The guide lists 99 viewing sites for wildlife in NJ and was a joint effort of the ENSP and Defenders of Wildlife.

It contains eight eco-region tours for ecology-minded tourists.

There are well-known places like the Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area. This long, slender peninsula goes 6.5 miles into NY Harbor and has 1665 acres. Popular as a swimming beach in summer and fishing area year round, it is also a major beach nesting area.

The visitors center (2 miles in from entrance) can guide you to trails & observation areas, and warn you of nesting areas for piping plovers (at right), black skimmers, least terns and many shorebird species.

On the bay side, the Horseshoe Cove Salt Marsh is a good place to look for great blue herons, green herons and egrets. Offshore viewing from the beaches in summer may allow you a view of passing whales (hence the naming of the Spermaciti Cove Visitor Center)

From the Garden State Parkway, take exit 117 from the North or 105 from the south and follow signs on Rt. 36 for 12 miles. Admission is charged during summer season.


There are also areas less well-known, such as the Walkill National Wildlife Refuge. This large waterfowl habitat (7500 acres) is located along a 9 mile section of the Walkill river.

The Wallkill River NWR is located in Sussex County, New Jersey and Orange County, New York. Congress established the refuge in 1990 to preserve and enhance lands and waters in a manner that conserves the natural diversity of fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for present and future generations. The management emphasis is on Federally-listed endangered and threatened species, migrating waterfowl and shorebirds, nesting and wintering grassland birds, and forest-dwelling birds.

There are three nature trails on the refuge. Each nature trail provides excellent wildlife viewing opportunity. In winter months, with proper snow conditions, cross country skiing and snowshoeing are allowed on these trails.

225 species of bird have been seen including 24 raptor species. The occasional black bear & bobcat are also seen. There is a wildlife observation deck, Wood Duck Trail & hundreds of acres of upland grassland.

The Refuge is near Sussex & Unionville. Follow Rt. 23 to Rt. 565 for 1.4 miles to the Refuge office.

This blog will feature other locations in the upcoming months.



You can also order the New Jersey Wildlife Viewing Guide by calling (609) 292-9400, or writing to the Division of Fish, Game, and Wildlife, Endangered and Nongame Species Program at P.O. Box 400, Trenton, NJ 08625-0400. The cost is $10.95 plus $3.95 for shipping and handling. Books may be purchased in person at the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center on Rt. 46 in Oxford and at various bookstores and nature centers throughout the state.

Watch the Eagle Cam at Duke Farms

Duke Farms (formerly Duke Gardens) has a daytime webcam on an eagle’s nest. Two of three eggs have hatched.

View the eagle camera

This Eagle Cam was installed to provide researchers with an opportunity to monitor a pair of nesting Bald Eagles without any disturbance to the birds. It is being shared with the public to provide viewers with a glimpse of wildlife in its natural environment.

This Eagle Cam was made possible thanks to a collaboration with the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, a non-profit organization dedicated to New Jersey's rare wildlife and providing place-based wildlife education, a requirement of the New Jersey Wildlife Action Plan. The Foundation carries out research projects, develops management plans, encourages conservation practices and educates residents of New Jersey about the wildlife living on their doorstep.

Celebrate A Wolf Birthday

Come have a howling good time as you help celebrate the birthdays of Methos and Atticus, Turtle Back Zoo's wolves. There are wolf activities and educational programs throughout the day.

The Wolf Birthday celebration is tomorrow, Saturday, April 11, 2009 from 11am to 4pm.

See http://www.turtlebackzoo.org for information and directions.

Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge

The Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge is a large waterfowl habitat (7500 acres) located along a 9 mile section of the Wallkill River.

The Refuge is located in Sussex County, New Jersey and Orange County, New York. Congress established the refuge in 1990 to preserve and enhance lands and waters in a manner that conserves the natural diversity of fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for present and future generations. The management emphasis is on Federally-listed endangered and threatened species, migrating waterfowl and shorebirds, nesting and wintering grassland birds, and forest-dwelling birds.

There are three nature trails on the refuge. Each nature trail provides excellent wildlife viewing opportunity. In winter months, with proper snow conditions, cross country skiing and snowshoeing are allowed on these trails.

225 species of bird have been seen including 24 raptor species. The occasional black bear & bobcat are also seen. There is a wildlife observation deck, Wood Duck Trail & hundreds of acres of upland grassland.

The Refuge is near Sussex & Unionville. Follow Rt. 23 to Rt. 565 for 1.4 miles to the Refuge office.

Check Off To Conserve Wildlife in NJ

The Endangered and Nongame Species Program's (ENSP) mission is to actively conserve New Jersey's biological diversity through the protection and management of nearly 500 wildlife species found in the Garden State. These include the 73 species currently listed as endangered or threatened.

The program is funded almost entirely by donations (NOT TAX DOLLARS!) from the sale of Conserve Wildlife License Plates, grants and the state income tax check-off, as well as support from the Conserve Wildlife Foundation.

Talk about a crazy way to fund a program - ask people to donate a few buck when they are paying their taxes! That's crazy!

But it works - you can help protect New Jersey's bald eagles and all other rare wildlife by supporting the New Jersey Endangered Wildlife Fund when you file your state income tax this year.

Look for Line 57 on your NJ 1040 income tax return, and check-off for wildlife. Or remind your tax preparer that you want to make a contribution.

Every dollar you donate goes directly to the DEP's Endangered and Nongame Species Program, enabling biologists to continue their work to restore, conserve and enhance New Jersey's populations of rare species. What's more, your contribution is matched with an equal amount of federal funding, further strengthening efforts to protect hundreds of imperiled species.

Whether you receive a tax refund this year or you owe tax this year, you can help keep the wonder of rare wildlife alive for our children - and for theirs - by checking off for wildlife on your NJ 1040 tax return.

Gas Drilling in the Delaware River Watershed

The Marcellus shale formation covers large areas of New York and Pennsylvania, and there is a very serious push for natural gas drilling in these areas.

Environmentalists see potentially disastrous consequences for the area’s water supply (including New York City’s drinking water) as well as other possible damage to the environment.

The shale runs beneath almost all of West Virginia and much of Pennsylvania, with several miles across New Jersey's northwestern border, south of Dingmans Ferry along the Delaware River. Drilling won't be an issue in NJ because there's no recoverable gas in those sections because it is on the surface.

Delaware River at Dingman's Ferry

Drilling generally only recovers about 10 percent of a deposit and last year the U.S. used 23 trillion cubic feet of gas. If you believe the most optimistic view of the Marcellus Shale predictions, it could provide enough gas to heat New Jersey homes for 250 years at current demand.

You can look at what the pro-drilling side says about the Marcellus shale and its potential at geology.com.

The U.S. Geological Survey is not as optimistic. Their estimate in 2002 was that less than 2 trillion cubic feet of gas would be recoverable from the Marcellus shale.

There will be a webinar conducted by the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and Riverkeeper, Inc. on April 29, 2009 at 10:30 am. The Dodge Foundation and the New York Community Trust are co-hosting this funders’ briefing.

The webinar will focus on the impacts of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. They will also discuss the gas drilling issue within the broader national debate on climate change and energy independence.

Trout Opening Day is April 11

Though this is the season for baseball opening days, in NJ trout stocking trucks started leaving the Pequest Trout Hatchery March 23rd and 180,000 trout will be placed out there for New Jersey anglers on trout opening day (April 11) next weekend.

Those trout are in addition to some of the 26,000 two to five pounders still in the water from stockings in the fall and winter, and the more than 6,000 two to five pounders stocked during the spring season. By spring's end, nearly 600,000 trout will be placed in 89 streams and 90 ponds and lakes throughout New Jersey.

CHANGES THIS SEASON

An exciting change for this season is the addition of 15 to 24 inch trout to the spring stocking allocations for designated Trophy Trout and Holdover Trout lakes. In the past, these lakes were only stocked with 10 to 11 inch trout, which often grow to a larger size before being caught in these lakes.

Also, there was concern that large trout would not be as readily caught in these large lakes as they would be in smaller waterbodies. That concern was dispelled by the results of a successful stocking program conducted by the Round Valley Trout Association in which 44 of the 57 large trout stocked in Round Valley Reservoir were caught by anglers.

Streams are currently unseasonably low throughout the state. This is not overly surprising as January rainfall was well below average, and February was the driest on record since 1856. However, it is spring and significant precipitation can change stream flow conditions overnight. Fisheries biologists are monitoring water levels and will know if any stocking changes are necessary. Check with the Trout Hotline at 609-633-6765

• 2009 Trout Regulations (pdf)
  
• Access to trout-stocked water (listed by county)

Lead Closes Three Areas on Raritan Bay

The federal Environmental Protection Agency says it found contaminated soil at a beach in Sayreville and at two spots in Old Bridge and will close the areas in order to begin removal action at the contaminated locations.

The 3 locations include one near the Laurence Harbor sea wall and another near popular fishing jetty near Cheesequake Creek inlet. The areas are being called the Raritan Bay Slag Site.

According to the EPA, the slag columns were dumped in those areas and are too heavy (several hundred pounds each) to have drifted in via the water. Reports say that lead slag from blast furnace bottoms had been deposited along the beachfront in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

What is most disturbing about this story is that it is not a newly-discovered problem. Contamination was first detected in Laurence Harbor in 2007. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection had already notified area residents of elevated levels of lead, antimony, arsenic and copper along the Laurence Harbor seawall.

According to a report in the Edison-Metuchen Sentinel, th mayors of Sayreville and Old Bridge have called for National Lead Industries to take responsibility for the cleanup of the areas. NLI is a defunct Sayreville-based manufacturer.

Lead exposure has been linked to neurological damage, kidney disease and other major health issues.

Bergen County Program Links

Bergen County, NJ has a good number of organizations that offer nature programs. We will feature some of these in future posts.

1. Bergen County Audubon Society
2. Bergen SWAN
3. Closter Nature Association
4. Demarest Nature Center
5. Flat Rock Brook Nature Center
6. The Fyke Nature Association
7. Greenbrook Sanctuary
8. Hackensack Riverkeeper
9. Lorrimer Sanctuary (NJ Audubon)
10. Meadowlands Environment Center (NJMC)
11. Palisades Interstate Park Commission
12. Teaneck Creek Conservancy
13. Tenafly Nature Center
14. Watershed Ambassadors (NJDEP)
15. Weis Ecology Center (NJ Audubon)

Cherry Blossom Festival in NJ

The Cherry Blossom Festival is this month in Newark, NJ and is sponsored by the Department of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs. You don’t need to travel to Washington D.C. to see beautiful cherry blossoms if you live near New Jersey. The Cherry Blossom Festival is at Branch Brook Park and (weather permitting) runs from April 10th to the 23rd attracting more than 10,000 visitors.

Technology comes to the festival this year - check out a webcam that's watching the park blossoms. The park is noted for its 2,700 cherry trees.

Branch Book Park was formally created in 1895, making it the nation's first county park, by the newly-created Essex County Parks Commission. The area had formally served as an Army training ground during the American Civil War and the northern portion of the area had been a marsh known as Old Blue Jay Swamp.

In 1898, a public appropriation financed the conversion of the swamp into a landscaped lake of 60 acres bit it grew in the 1920s through private donations from prominent Newark families, such as the Ballantines, eventually reaching the city limit with Belleville and becoming one of the largest urban parks in the United States.

The Morris Canal originally ran on the park's west side, until its old bed was turned into the Newark City Subway, providing access to the park from Downtown Newark.

The cherry trees were a 1927 gift from Caroline Bamberger Fuld, sister of department store magnate Louis Bamberger. Bamberger was Newark's leading citizen from the early 1900s until his death in 1944.

During WWII, the park's grounds served as a tent city for recruits, as well as a landing strip for airplanes of the United States Postal Service.

If you visit the park, you should also visit the grand houses of the neighborhood on the east side of the park called Forest Hill.

Also on the east side of the park is the Fench Gothic Cathedral of the Sacred Heart which is the fifth largest cathedral in the United States. It has been placed on both the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.

You can help Branch Brook Park regain the title of having the largest and most diverse collection of flowering cherry blossom trees by helping the Branch Brook Park Alliance fund the planting of new trees.

SOME ACTIVITIES THIS MONTH Get a printable program of events.

Sunday, April 5th: 10K Run, 7:30 a.m. Registration
9 a.m. Children's Fun Run
10 a.m. 10K Race
10:10 a.m. Race for the Disabled
This year's race has been sanctioned by the USATF as a NJ Open Women's Championship. Plus, a Children's Fun Run for ages 12 and younger will be held. Registration fees apply. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Special Olympics. Sponsored by Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Jersey. For information, please call 973-268-3500, Ext. 254.

Tuesday, April 14th: Cherry Blossom Gala
Support the Branch Brook Park Alliance by attending this enchanted evening of dinner at Nanina's in the Park restaurant in Belleville. For information and tickets, please call 973-268-2300 or visit www.branchbrookpark.org

Saturday, April 18th: Bike Race 7 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Race through the cherry tree groves in a cycling tradition or cheer on the racers while enjoying a day in the park. Registration fees apply. For information, please call 973-268-3500.

Saturday, April 18th: Nature Photography Workshop
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Join Brien Szabo as he leads an indoor/outdoor photography workshop focused on the County's historic cherry tree collection. Cost is $35. Pre-registration is required. For information and registration, please call 973-239-7072.

Sunday, April 19th: Bloomfest 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Enjoy a free, family-friendly festival in the park. A day-long schedule of events is planned, featuring Japanese cultural activities, including demonstrations on origami, bonsai, ikebana and dance. For information, please call 973-239-2485.

Sunday, April 26th: Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
7 a.m. Registration
8:45 a.m. 5K Run Begins
9 a.m. 5K Walk Begins
Returning to Essex County Branch Brook Park for the second year, this 5K Run/Walk is a fundraiser for the fight against breast cancer and a celebration of breast cancer survivorship. For information and registration, please call 908-277-2904, Ext. 30 or visit www.komennorthjersey.org/race

About the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center

Anyone with an interest in fish, wildlife or the outdoors will enjoy a visit to the state-of-the-art Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center.

Pequest began operations when trout production was transferred from the Charles O. Hayford Hatchery in Hackettstown in 1981.

Open Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., the center offers visitors a look at how more than 600,000 brook, brown and rainbow trout are raised each year for stocking the public waters of New Jersey. A sad sign of our economic times is that Pequest will remain closed on weekends this spring except for a limited schedule of events/programs.

The annual Pequest Open House will be this weekend, April 4 & 5.

A 15-minute video shows the trout rearing operation from egg-gathering to stocking, and a self-guided tour allows visitors to see where the trout are actually raised. The exhibit hall contains live fish as well as a display of mounted New Jersey wildlife specimens. The entire facility is barrier-free.

Children will find the interactive displays fun as well as educational. Visitors are encouraged to take advantage of the hiking trails, including the self-guided interpretive "Natural Resources Trail," picnic areas and free literature.

Many opportunities exist for hunting, hiking, fishing and birding on the 4000-acre Pequest Wildlife Management Area.

A year-round schedule of weekend programs cover a wide range of wildlife and natural resource topics. A list of upcoming programs can be viewed online.

Organized group programs may be scheduled and can include an actual fishing experience at the "Fishing Education Pond."

Pequest is located on Rt. 46 nine miles west of Hackettstown in scenic Warren County.

For further information about programs and visitation call 908-637-4125, or write:

N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife
Pequest Trout Hatchery & Natural Resource Ed. Ctr.
605 Pequest Rd.
Oxford, NJ 07863

Shortnose Sturgeon

The Shortnose Sturgeon (acipenser brevirostrum) is the only fish currently on the endangered list in New Jersey.

This fish's habitat is in deep river pools over soft, plant-filled bottoms. Usually it is found in river mouths, tidal waters, estuaries and bays in summer & winter.

In spring, it moves upstream to spawn (mate & lay eggs.) Sometimes this fish will enter the open sea.

It ranges from rivers in New Brunswick, Canada, all the way south to Georgia.

It gets its name from its short snout that is rounded and V-shaped but does not turn up at the tip like many other fish.

Mature fish are about 20 inches long, but this species grows up to 40 inches. It also has a long life, possibly living 50-60 years.

It is prohibited by Federal law to capture or mistreat a shortnose sturgeon. It is listed as federally endangered.