Renaming Endangered Species

The Queen's Executioner  via http://static.guim.co.uk

Can giving endangered species more common English names help save them? That was the idea behind the Oxford University Museum of Natural History’s "Name a Species" competition.

Would you be more interested in and more likely to remember a beetle if it was named megapenthes lugens or if it was called the Queen’s executioner?

The competition invited the public to give popular names to ten species of endangered British beetle, bees, jellyfish, shrimps and lichens. The competition itself was one way to get people thinking about the species, and perhaps they will be more familiar.

Among the winning names picked from the three thousand entries received were:

• skeetle, a beetle that escapes predators using natural ‘jet skis’  stenus longitarsis
• sea piglet, a deep-sea ‘pseudo shrimp’  arrhis phylonyx
• kaleidoscope jellyfish, which is a beautiful stalked jellyfish
• St John’s jellyfish, which takes the shape of a Maltese cross
• Mab’s lantern, a rare spotted beetle
• cuckoo bee, which lays its eggs in the nest of other bees
• blue pepper-pot beetle, whose larvae live in willow trees
• witches’ whiskers lichen, which have medicinal properties
• pixie gowns lichen, which turn green when wet
• And, the overall winner is the Queen’s executioner, a beetle found only in Windsor Great Park megapenthes lugens. The common name's creator, in a statement accompanying his entry, gave the following rationale for his choice of name: "I've gone with this for the link to Windsor and the royals. The executioner is to represent that it kills (and eats) the larvae of others and also links to its black colour (the hood of an executioner is traditionally black)."^[10]

Source: http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2010/100720_1.html

Allaire State Park and Allaire Village

One of NJ's living history museums is Allaire Village. Lving history was a concept that became popular in the late 1960s. The idea is to let visitors see a historic site populated with people who dress and interact like the people of the historical period. Typically, the workers dress in period costumes and demonstrate the crafts and activities of the past.

Colonial Williamsburg is the major living history site on the East Coast, but we have sites in NJ that make good day trips.

 The Historic Village at Allaire is a non-profit,living history museum set in the year 1836. It is located within Allaire State Park in Wall Township, New Jersey. The village was originally established as a bog iron furnace known as the Howell Works, which the company's owner, philanthropist James P. Allaire, endeavoured to turn into a self-contained community.

Allaire Village and its existing buildings are now operated by a non-profit organization Historic interpreters work using period tools and equipment in the blacksmith, tinsmith, and carpentry shops, while the old bakery sells cookies, and general store serves as a museum store.

The company town that developed in the early 1800s around the Howell Works, made brass fittings for ships. A New York City businessman bought a large piece of land in Monmouth County and turned it into a bog iron works.

    

Check their calendar of special events.
Directions via Mapquest

Museums in Monmouth County, New Jersey: including Allaire Village
The Deserted Village at Allaire

The New Jersey Osprey Project

I recommend that you check out the New Jersey Osprey Project blog done by Ben Wurst. Ben is listed as a Habitat Program Manager in New Gretna, NJ.

The blog has lots of information and some great photos from the field (see examples above and below).

A recent post covered the June start of the first of many osprey surveys which are conducted every year to help determine the overall health of the population.

This is another activity that is mostly done by volunteers who commit many hours of their personal time to helping monitor the bird population.

USGS leg bands are placed on the young which enables scientists to gather valuable data about where ospreys migrate and winter, their survival rates and behavior.

Awesome Ospreys: Fishing Birds of the World

Return of the Osprey: A Season of Flight and Wonder

350 Challenge from Brighter Planet

Endangered New Jersey joined the 350 Challenge. After they hit their goal of 350 participating bloggers in under a month, they decided to keep the 350 Challenge open indefinitely. Now over 3,900 bloggers are participating.

To join in, post the badge to your own site, let them know, and they will offset 350 pounds of carbon in your name. That's like flicking off 100 lightbulbs for a day. Or going two full weeks without your car!

By displaying their badge on our blog, we help offset 122,500 lbs of CO2 - that's like turning off 38,000 light bulbs for a day.

Brighter Planet develops innovative tools to help manage and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future.

Check out their

"Personal footprint tools"

• a free web application lets users track their climate impact with the world's most rigorous personal carbon footprint calculator, and manage and share their actions to reduce that impact. 
• green credit and debit cards, that help build renewable energy projects with every purchase
• community wind turbines, cow power installations, and other clean energy projects funded through carbon offsets.

"Crowd-powered philanthropy"

• social giving via wowcrowd (in private beta), lets businesses, campaigns, foundations, and other organizations engage their members by allowing them to propose, discuss, and vote on ideas to receive project funding. This service grew out of the viral success of the Project Fund, Brighter Planet's own community-powered monthly grant program for grassroots climate projects.

Brighter Planet recently was named Small Business of the Year by Treehugger and received the Social Innovation Award for "most strategic philanthropy" from Justmeans and Financial Times.

Nature Centers in Bergen County

Nature centers located in densely populated areas may be even more important than those located in rural and wilderness areas. Not only for the protection of habitat and species, these centers are important educational centers and a way for urban and suburban families to stay in touch with the natural world.

Here are three Bergen County, New Jersey nature centers.

Pfister Pond at Tenafly NC

The Tenafly Nature Center is a non-profit member-supported nature preserve that protects almost 400 wooded acres. Since 1961, TNC has nurtured an appreciation for nature, been a leader in open-space preservation and in environmental education for our community in Tenafly, Bergen County, and beyond.

When trails are open, you can hike, bird-watch, observe wildlife, cross-country ski, snow-shoe and ice skate on Pfister's Pond.

http://www.tenaflynaturecenter.org

Autumn at Closter

Closter Nature Center is a beautiful oasis in the middle of suburban Closter, New Jersey, with 136 acres of ponds, brooks, meadows and forests to explore. The center is open to all local residents, providing informative monthly lectures and nature walks for the general public, as well as school or scout groups.

http://www.closternaturecenter.org

The Demarest Nature Center is located in Demarest, and is open to all persons, residents and non-residents alike, every day of the year. In addition to preserving and protecting important open space here in the midst of a large metropolitan area, the center seeks to educate young and old alike as to the beauty of nature and the importance of protecting our environment.


http://www.demarestnaturecenter.org

• The Nature Center Book: How to Create and Nurture a Nature Center in Your Community 

Butterfly Garden Tours in Cape May

NJ Audubon's Nature Center of Cape May Join Naturalist and Butterfly Expert Patricia Sutton for her 19th season of spectacular private butterfly garden tours beginning next weekend.

The tours will take place Friday through Sunday, July 16, 17 and 18 and include the best butterfly gardens throughout Cape May County.

Friday’s tour on July 16 will feature gardens in and near Cape May Point and Cape May City.

Saturday’s tour on July 17 focuses on gardens from North Cape May to Rio Grande, and the final tour on Sunday, July 18 will visit gardens from Goshen to Dennisville and Eldora, including guide Pat Sutton’s own garden in Goshen.

Call the nature center now at 609-898-8848 to reserve your spot and get further details.

Butterfly and Hummingbird Gardens

Want to bring some gentle and beautiful wildlife into your own backyard?

Read "Recommended Plantings to Attract Hummingbirds, Butterflies, & Moths" on the NJ Audubon site and also check out their information on backyard habitats and creating gardens to attract wildlife.

 

• Stokes Hummingbird Book : The Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Hummingbirds 
• The Secret Lives of Hummingbirds 

• Grow a Butterfly Garden
• Garden Butterflies of North America: A Gallery of Garden Butterflies & How to Attract Them 
• Creating a Butterfly Garden 
• Butterflies in the Garden 

130 Acres of Open Space For Hopewell Township

More than 130 acres of fields, woods and stream nestled between Washington Crossing State Park and Baldpate Mountain have been permanently preserved as open space.


The historic Hollystone Property, as it's called, was acquired with the help of D&R Greenway Land Trust May 25, a $2.8 million purchase open space advocates and state and local officials are planning to celebrate next week.


Located off Route 29 in the area of Fiddlers Creek Road, the property links Washington Crossing State Park with Baldpate Mountain, effectively creating an 8-square mile swath of preserved land stretching from Mercer to Hunterdon County.

The property was called a "conservation bonanza," with woodlands that make up a 9,500-acre forest that is home to rare and endangered plants and animals.

read more at http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2010/07/hopewell_hails_greenways_unite.html

At least 100 species go extinct every day

"At least 100 species go extinct every day."

That's the opening to this video by National Geographic photographer, Joel Sartore. It's a companion to his book, Rare: Portraits of America's Endangered Species and it gives you an appreciation for what we stand to lose if changes aren't made concerning these species.



RARE from Joel Sartore on Vimeo

Passaic River Restoration

Cleaning the riverside of the Passaic River at Lyndhurst. Photo via http://www.pvsc.com

In order to protect and preserve local streams and rivers from water pollution, the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners (PVSC) operate one of the country's largest treatment plants for the wastewaters of northern New Jersey.

In 1998, they created the Passaic River/Newark Bay Restoration Program to promote the recreational and economic uses of Newark Bay, the Passaic River and its tributaries. The Program is comprised of three elements: shoreline clean-ups, floatables removal, and "in-house" clean-ups.

The shoreline clean-up element has been among the most successful programs of its kind in the nation. Beginning in 1998, PVSC began assisting volunteer groups in conducting shoreline clean-ups to remove litter and other debris from along waterways within its service area.

In 2000, PVSC created a department of 15 full-time personnel to conduct larger shoreline clean-ups in addition to those organized by volunteer groups and community agencies. To date, PVSC's Restoration Program has conducted or assisted volunteers in more than 250 shoreline clean-ups that have removed over 1,000 tons of litter and debris from area shorelines.

In 1999, PVSC added floatables removal to the Program, after using state grant monies to purchase an innovative 50-foot surface skimmer vessel. Christened the S.V. Newark Bay, this vessel embarks on daily patrols on the Newark Bay and Passaic River, removing floating debris and litter. In 2001, PVSC added a second, smaller skimmer vessel to its clean-up arsenal, this one to conduct daily patrols in shallow water that had been inaccessible to the larger vessels.

Finally, PVSC conducts "in-house" riverbank clean-ups using the services of its employees. These projects are in response to requests for assistance from local municipal leaders. The crew is deployed to clean and restore specific problem areas within the PVSC service area. The success of the program can be demonstrated in its numbers. Since 1998, PVSC has removed 650 tons of floating matter and over 2,000 tons of shoreline debris.


Want to organize a shoreline clean-up? Contact Bob DeVita, River Restoration Program Manager, at (973) 466-2714.

for more information   http://www.pvsc.com/rr/

Water Conservation Workshops

After this very hot and dry week, we are all paying a bit more attention to rain and water levels.

Sustainable Jersey™ will be offering a WATER CONSERVATION WORKSHOP to help your municipality conserve water through the implementation of the Water Conservation Ordinance, which is one of the program’s priority actions, and the Water Conservation Education Program. The workshop will be presented in 3 locations throughout the state (northern, central and southern), and a webinar will also be held on the topic.

Water is a critical natural resource that supports essential human activities as well as ecological functions. Shortages can have dangerous and significant implications for public health as well as for the local economy and for ecological integrity. In addition to reduced groundwater recharge from increasing impervious surfaces, demands on New Jersey’s limited water supply due to population growth and development have greatly increased.

WHAT WILL BE COVERED?

Water Conservation Ordinance
A Water Conservation Ordinance can help municipalities curtail unnecessary water waste. The elements of the updated model Water Conservation Ordinance will be discussed in detail and we will be soliciting feedback on the proposed changes.

Water Conservation Education Program
To be successful, water conservation efforts must also include an education program that informs individuals of the need to use water resources in a sustainable manner. Municipal education programs that promote water conservation can serve as a good starting point for a more comprehensive water conservation program.

The Water Conservation Workshop will highlight municipal examples that have achieved water conservation through a variety of education strategies.

Speakers from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection will present an overview of the Water Conservation Ordinance, and Water Conservation Education Action in Sustainable Jersey. Representatives from area municipalities will share municipal examples and talk about their own efforts on this topic. There will be time for Questions and Answers.

To sign up for any of the three workshops visit:
http://tcnj.qualtrics.com//SE?SID=SV_9AyQ39m9VNsxMry

To sign up for the webinar, visit: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/838782192

WORKSHOP DATES AND LOCATIONS

SOUTHERN LOCATION: July 21, 2010 from 1:30-3:00 p.m. – Council Chambers, Vineland Municipal Building, 640 E. Wood Street, Vineland, NJ 08360.
Directions: http://www.vinelandcity.org/Directory/directionstovld.PDF

NORTHERN LOCATION: July 27, 2010, 7-8:30 p.m. -- Memorial Meeting Room at the Maplewood Memorial Library, 51 Baker Street, Maplewood, NJ 07040.
Directions: http://www.maplewoodlibrary.org/direct.html

CENTRAL LOCATION: July 29, 2010 – 9-11:30 a.m. - Belmar (Courtroom), 601 Main Street, Belmar, NJ 07719. Directions: http://belmar.com/municipal/municipal-court/directions-to-the-court/
WEBINAR: August 3, 2010, from 7-8:00 p.m. Sign up: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/838782192

July Programs at the Essex County Environmental Center

A variety of programs are being offered at the Essex County Environmental Center in Roseland during the month of July that will teach children and adults about nature and help them gain a greater appreciation and understanding of our environment. Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. invites children and adults to visit the Environmental Center where they can enjoy an enriching recreational experience through nature and conservation activities.

"Our Environmental Center has become the premiere location for environmental education and nature appreciation. With the help of our partner groups, our dynamic schedule of events and activities will captivate all ages," DiVincenzo said. "Walk in our woods, discover habitats, get pointers on gardening, learn about nature photography and much more. It's all about nature and it's all at our Environmental Center," he added.


Events scheduled for July include:

"Little Explorers Summer Nature Program" is a child-caregiver class that uses stories, walks and crafts to develop an awareness and appreciation for science and nature for the child as well as the caregiver. Each session, a different nature or science topic is covered. Space is limited. Advance registration and payment is required. For information, call 973-228-8776. Cost is $6 per child per session (additional material fees may apply). Little Explorers Nature Program is scheduled as follows:

Ages: 2½ to 3½ years
Dates: Mondays, July 5 & 19, August 2 & 16
Times: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Ages: 3 ½ to 5 years
Dates: Mondays, July 12 & 26, August 9 & 23
Times: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Place: Essex County Environmental Center
621B Eagle Rock Avenue
Roseland, NJ


"4-H Young Gardeners Club" is for children in grades 1-8. Have you ever wondered how vegetables and flowers grow? Where spaghetti sauce comes from? How you can find a rainbow in a garden? Come join the 4-H Young Gardener's Club to find the answers to these questions and many more. Advance registration is required. For information, call 973-228-3785. 4-H Young Gardeners Club will be held as follows:

Date: Tuesdays, July 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2010
Time: 10 a.m.
Place: Essex County Environmental Center
621A Eagle Rock Avenue
Garibaldi Hall
Roseland, NJ


"Birding Hike in Essex County Becker Park" is presented by the New Jersey Audubon Society. Enjoy beautiful vistas of the Passaic River Valley at the right time to discover breeding birds and maybe orioles. Meet at the Essex County Environmental Center in Roseland. Space is limited. Cost is $6 for NJAS members and $8 for non-members. Contact Kelly Wenzel at 973-226-6082 for more information and to register. Birding Hike is scheduled as follows:

Date: Thursday, July 8, 2010
Time: 8:30 a.m.
Meeting site: Essex County Environmental Center
621B Eagle Rock Avenue
Roseland, NJ

"Field Sketching" is for children ages 8 and up. An Environmental Center staff naturalist will lead participants on a journey through the Center's varied habitats. Frogs in the pond, butterflies in the garden, dragonflies at the river, birds building nests in the forest – there will be plenty of natural subjects to study and sketch. Advanced registration is required. For information, call 973-228-8776. Cost is $6 per child, $8 per adult. Field Sketching will be held as follows:

Date: Thursday, July 8, 2010
Time: 4 p.m.
Place: Essex County Environmental Center
621B Eagle Rock Avenue
Roseland, NJ



"Bringing Back the Legend: Cougar Recovery in Eastern North America" will feature Eastern Cougar Foundation President Christopher Spatz, who has conducted remote camera surveys at High Point State Park, N.J., and in the Shawangunks at Minnewaska State Park Preserve in search of the cougar. Reviewing his survey findings with cougar biology, behavior and their current range dispersal, Spatz will explain why sightings don't produce evidence, and how restorations of this magnificent predator are imperative for the recovery of critically declining eastern forests. Advance registration is required. For information, call 973-228-8776. Cost is $6 per child and $8 per adult. Cougar Recovery will be held as follows:

Date: Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Essex County Environmental Center
621B Eagle Rock Avenue
Roseland, NJ

"Hands-On Composting" is geared for adults. Take "going green" to a whole new level and learn how to compost. In this hands-on workshop with Rutgers Cooperative Research and Extension, learn the basics of home composting. Advance registration is required. For information, call 973-228-8776. Cost is $8 per adult. Hands-On Composting will be held as follows:

Date: Saturday, July 17, 2010
Time: 10 a.m.
Place: Essex County Environmental Center
621B Eagle Rock Avenue
Roseland, NJ



"Birding Hike in Essex County Grover Cleveland Park" is presented by the New Jersey Audubon Society. Hikers will circle the park and tour a nearby bird sanctuary in Essex Fells. Meet at the tennis courts in Essex County Grover Cleveland Park. Space is limited. This hike if free. Contact Kelly Wenzel at 973-226-6082 for more information and to register. Birding Hike is scheduled as follows:

Date: Thursday, July 22, 2010
Time: 8:30 a.m.
Place: Essex County Grover Cleveland Park
Brookside Drive
Caldwell, NJ


"Birding Hike in the Hatfield Swamp" is presented by the New Jersey Audubon Society. This gem has many of the best breeding birds in Essex County. Bring bug repellant. Meet in the Kings parking lot in West Caldwell. Space is limited. Cost is $6 for NJAS members and $8 for non-members. Contact Kelly Wenzel at 973-226-6082 for more information and to register. Birding Hike is scheduled as follows:

Date: Saturday, July 31, 2010
Time: 8 a.m.
Meeting Site: Kings supermarket
Intersection of Bloomfield Avenue and Passaic Avenue
West Caldwell, NJ

Registration is required for all programs at the Essex County Environmental Center, unless otherwise noted. For more information or to register, please call 973-228-8776.