Rockport Pheasant Farm

Pheasant in Hopatcong by HVargas, on Flickr

The state-owned Rockport Pheasant Farm in Mansfield has raised pheasants since 1923. Now the facility has been improved and expanded.

The $1.3 million project was financed by sportsmen's fees and stamps. The complex replaces an outdated facility that was long overdue for an overhaul. It is expected that they will release 55,000 of the birds annually.

The pheasant farm includes a new brooder house, egg incubators and hatching room. The upgrades create a modern operation that includes automatic egg turning in forced-air circulating incubators, and automated feeding.

State Division of Fish and Wildlife Director David Chanda said the upgrades will ensure reliable annual production of superior pheasants for the same or lower cost than if birds were purchased from suppliers.

The farm is a 492-acre facility located within the 1,200 acre Rockport Wildlife Management Area. The pheasants are stocked in 25 Wildlife Management Areas statewide.

Based on the 2007-08 state Firearm Hunter Harvest Survey, nearly 12,000 hunters spent more than $4,300,000 (excluding license and permit fees but including income to local businesses, such as gas stations, diners and restaurants, convenience stores, sporting goods stores and taxidermists. The pheasants are called "Rockport Rockets" because these state-raised pheasants have a reputation for being extremely fast in flight.

The Rockport Pheasant Farm is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to dusk. It is located on Rockport Rd. (Rt. 629) roughly 3.5 miles south of Main St. (Rt. 46), Hackettstown, in scenic Warren County. At Rockport there are pens holding exotic pheasants, turkeys and other birds.

The historic Morris Canal, its towpath intact, passes through the farm. The canal basin (explaining the "port" in Rockport’s name), where boats would dock for the night, was recently drained as a precaution against the introduction of avian flu but remains visible. Picnicking is allowed but there are no food or toilet facilities available. For more information call 908-852-3461.

To Rake or Not To Rake

Here's a quick followup to yesterday's post about wildlife in the leaves for those of you who want to consider NOT raking up those falling leaves.

Add to the previously mentioned  “Leave those leaves!” post that advocates for not raking,  this post that was sent to me today (which also makes Lorax connections as I did elsewhere).

A recent article in Fine Gardening called “Improve Your Soil by Raking Less“) has good ideas and promotes chopping the leaves with a mulching mower and letting the organic matter and nutrients in the leaves improve turf quality.

Can you handle your neighbor's comments about getting out there to rake those leaves?

Of course, you can just put leaves into gardens as mulch for winter protection and for the nutrients. Also consider building new planting beds with the leaves.

Invasive Species Comment

I received a private email comment (I wish all commenters used the comment box below each blog post...) on my recent story about invasive species in NJ.

I can't believe you praised that article - it was one of the most idiotic, ill-informed pieces I have ever read! PS: feral cats aren't the problem...plus they didn't mention mice & rats. So if we kill all the ferals, we'll be overrun by rodents. If you were genuinely worried about Endangered NJ, you'd concentrate on humans as the #1 invasive species here (specifically developers).

My response: I thought the Star-Ledger article was well done. The information was accurate and succinct - not a science paper, but for mainstream readers. It covered a wide variety of species. I recommend it.

I think the commenter is definitely a cat person. She locked onto one item - feral cats - in an article that covered much more. Those cats who have "gone wild" do threaten many birds and especially endangered and threatened ones that are beachnesters.

She's right that habitat loss by human intervention is a bigger problem. But humans in NJ are a very naturally occurring species.

This has been well documented. You can read a report online at http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/NFWF.pdf that includes a five-state review of New York, New Jersey, Florida, California, and Hawaii.

Domestic cats are considered primarily responsible for the extinction of 33 bird species since the 1600s. Many managed cat colonies occur in public parks and beaches, where they pose a significant threat to wildlife and human health.

Since 1995, the City of Cape May, NJ has sponsored a program for people who register their cat colonies with the City’s Animal Control Department. There are currently 12 registered feral cat caretakers in Cape May. This program has been widely cited as a model for other New Jersey coastal communities to use to control their stray and feral cat populations.

The commenter had an emotional response to the article. I understand that. I understand it when people in NJ react emotionally to controlled hunts to reduce deer population. My own town had a good number of "Stop the deer slaughter" signs on lawns earlier this year, and I'm sure they will be back again soon.

People change and destroy habitats. We have a responsibility to correct that when we can and manage species when we can't.

We created the feral cat population. It's not a naturally occurring "species." As with other species that become invasive, we need to deal with it. Letting invasive species take their "natural" course is actually quite unnatural. They were not meant to be here and we need to protect those species that are natural to the area.

Photo via http://www.petside.com/petsideblog/

Garden State Invasions

There was a good feature article this past Sunday in The Star Ledger on invasive species of foreign bugs, plants, animals and aquatic creatures that are invading New Jersey.

Invasive species are introduced species that can thrive in areas beyond their natural range. They are characteristically adaptable, aggressive, and have a high reproductive capacity. Their vigor combined with a lack of natural enemies often leads to outbreak populations that threaten and endanger native species.

Did you know that NJ has a problem with feral cats and feral pigs?

Stink Bug  via http://media.nj.com/hunterdonnews_impact/

The East Asian stink bug is hitting the Garden State hard. And, yes, it does stink. (Quick! Make your own trap!)

Both the European green crab and the Asian Shore Crab are some of the aquatic creatures threatening our native populations.

Flathead Catfish caught in the Delaware River near Lambertville blogs.courierpostonline.com

The Flathead Catfish is normally found in the Mississippi basin, but has been found in NJ in places like the Delaware and Raritan Canal.

It might be exciting to think about catching one of these - they grow up to 100 pounds - but they can really do damage to the native populations of striped bass, eels, sturgeon and shad that they feed upon.

Giant Hogweed flower head

Giant Hogweed, which sounds like something from a sci-fi story, is a real species that can grow up to 20 feet.

It produces sap that cause blisters and severe burns that leave scars on humans.

And there is the carpet-like algae that has been seen on the Delaware River in 2008. It's probably a form of didymo, but has been given the disgustingly common name of "rock snot."


The Ledger article was written by Brian T. Murray who often writes about environmental issues in our state - from the fall season deer and car collisions, to invasive freshwater mussels discovered in Hunterdon County, and the way environmental issue mix with politics and business, as with windmill farms in NJ.


Further Reading

• Unnatural Landscapes: Tracking Invasive Species
• What Can We Do About Invasive Species?
• Invasive Species in a Changing World
• Invasive Plant Species of the World