Jersey WildTurkeys

Wild turkeys are not endangered in New Jersey. In fact, nationwide there were only 100,000 turkeys in the wild in the 1950s, but today there are an estimated 3 million of them in the wild.

They have been on the planet in one form or another for 10 million years.

Hunters know that wild turkeys are quite elusive and clever in evading hunters. The wild turkey can see five times better than a person and hear up to eight times more accurately than humans.

Wild turkeys (maybe not the suburban NJ variety though!) avoid humans. They can and will take flight to avoid you and can fly at speeds up to 55 miles an hour. They can run at speeds up to 25 miles an hour.

Turkeys evolved only on the North and South American Continents. They were game birds for the Native Americans and colonists. Indians and settlers. Spanish Explorers enjoyed them so much they took Mexican Turkeys back to Europe in the 1500’s.

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

The Division of Fish and Wildlife started a successful Turkey Restoration Project in 1977 in cooperation with the NJ Chapter of the NJ Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation and reintroduced wild turkeys starting with 22 birds.

The following year, 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.

New Jersey is now home to thousands of wild turkeys, flourishing in woodsy rural, suburban and even some urban areas where they can feed on grains, berries, beechnut, acorns, oats, grasses, ferns and insects. When winter is tough, they can last as long as two weeks without eating. The average wild turkey weighs in at 20 pounds.

Nationwide preservation efforts has resulted in the wild turkey now residing in all the lower 48 states and Hawaii.

Domestic turkeys can be identified by their black legs, while wild turkeys have pink legs. Male turkeys, referred to as Toms and Gobblers, are much larger than the female hens, have more colorful plumage and have different calls.

There is now an abundance of wild turkeys throughout the state including South Jersey, where wild turkeys had been struggling just a few years ago.

The population is estimated at 20 - 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.

MORE INFORMATION
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/turkey_info.htm

The Batona Trail

The Batona Trail is a 49.5-mile (79.7 km) hiking trail through New Jersey's Pine Barrens.

The trail is the fourth longest in the state and begins in Brendan T. Byrne State Forest (formerly Lebanon State Forest) at the ghost town of Ong's Hat and traverses Wharton State Forest and Bass River State Forest.

The Pine Barrens are not barren at all. 39 species of mammals, 229 bird species, 59 reptile and amphibian species and 91fish species have been reported in the Pine Barrens. Possums, chipmunks, squirrels, beavers, muskrats, mice, foxes, raccoons, weasels, mink, river otter and white-tailed deer are some of the more common mammals seen in the Pinelands. Some common amphibians and reptiles are snakes, skinks, newts, salamanders, frogs, toads and turtles.

The Pine Barrens Tree Frog has a population here that is disconnected from other populations in the Carolinas and the Florida Panhandle. And the Pinelands is the fringe of both northern and southern plant species, such as the Yellow Fringed Orchid.

The pines that are found there include loblolly pine white pine pitch pine, shortleaf pines, Virginia pines. Although the pines dominate the area there are also maple trees, birches, cedars, oaks, magnolia and sassafras trees along the trail.

Edible plants include bearberries, spotted wintergreen, teaberries, huckleberries, bayberries, blackberries, cranberries blueberries and strawberries. There is a diverse range of other plants from the prickly pear cactus, wildflowers, twenty-eight species of orchids, the pitcher plant, ferns, Atlantic white cedar and sphagnum moss.

The trail was built in 1961 by the Batona Hiking Club, which began informally in 1928 when Philadelphians began meeting regularly to hike. Most hikers will take about three days to hike the whole trail.

The portion of the Batona Trail through Wharton State Forest is maintained by the State Park Service and the Batona Hiking Club. One stop on this section of the Batona trail passes the Carranza Memorial within Wharton State Forest.

The trail passes also through Bass River State Forest is maintained by the State Park Service, the Outdoor Club of South Jersey and the Batona Hiking Club.

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.

Wildlife in the Leaves

I waited to post this until the leaves were finished changing colors here and mostly on the ground. In the interim, I have seen others posting about some of the same ideas. (see bottom)

Most of us rake up our leaves. Some of us bag them, some can dump them on the roadside and let the town pick them up. Fewer people mulch them. But you might want to consider letting them stay where they fall.

The leaves that fall and stay there in woods (known as leaf litter) are habitat for salamanders, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, worms, and lots of insects that most of can't identify.

Leaves are important for wildlife and there is a cycle of life contained there. If you raked up under that fallen forest log, you would be destroying some wildlife.


One species you might find there are the butterflies that find shelter (in the egg, pupal, or adult form) as a protected place to over winter and wait for spring.

Besides shelter, leaves offer food to some invertebrates who in turn help break down the leaves, which feeds the soil.

Deeper piles support spiders but ladybugs, salamanders, toads, and other predators of pest insects (like aphids) are fine with naturally occurring piles.

Of course, I understand if you don't want piles on your front lawn, but consider leaving a pile or two in the backyard corner. When spring comes, you can watch the birds picking through the leaves in search of a natural meal.

And more people are trying out leaving the leaves, using them as mulch or running a mulching mower over them and letting the leaves help the lawn's soil. (Not as easy with all the oak leaves that I have in my backyard. Their size and chemicals make them slower to break down than most other deciduous tree leaves. They might form a mat that could actually rot your plants underneath.)

Even if you rake your leaves or don't have leaves to clean up, there is a good lesson here for kids. I found one lesson on the National Wildlife Foundation blog. Some leaf litter exploration is a great little nature lesson (even for adults).

Some books for young readers include Look What I Did with a Leaf!






and Why Do Leaves Change Color?




And don't forget The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. I wrote a post about that book recently elsewhere but it's a good environmental stewardship tale for all of us.



Others writing about leaves, raking (or not raking), and leafy wildlife includes these:
beautifulwildlifegarden.com
healinglandscapes.org
insects.about.com

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