Halloween Bats Are Probably Only on Video in NJ

Bats are part of Halloween lore, imagery and decorations. But while kids are knocking at your door looking for no trick and a few treats, most of New Jersey's bats have moved underground to hibernate or have migrated south for the winter.

You probably won't see any bats overhead tonight, but you can learn about these interesting - and beneficial! - creatures in a video featuring NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife biologist MacKenzie Hall.

Fort Hancock Days at Sandy Hook

The recent Fort Hancock Days at Sandy Hook mark the anniversary of the 1895 establishment of Fort Hancock and allow visitors to discover the fort's role in the defense of our nation.

It includes a Lantern Tour about the World War II Harbor Defense by volunteer living historians from the Army Ground Forces Association (AGFA) in uniform as World War II coast artillery soldiers. There are several seacoast gun batteries at Fort Hancock, including the restored Battery Gunnison/New Peck.

Gunnison Drill during Fort Hancock Days

This event commemorates the renaming of the "Fortifications at Sandy Hook" to "Fort Hancock" in October 1895.  The event also brings the 6-inch guns to life as they were back in October 1943.

The fort also has a fully restored 1920s to 1940s vintage interior electric system, and medical support. The Army planned to counter chemical weapons with the fully restored Chemical Decontamination and Overpressure system.

nps.gov/gate/planyourvisit/thingstodosandyhook.htm

Connecting Habitat Across New Jersey

Connecting Habitat Across New Jersey (CHANJ) is a statewide effort to make our landscape and roadways more permeable to wildlife movement.

Whether they’re small like a salamander or big and wide-roaming like a bear, animals need to be able to move through the landscape to find food, shelter, mates, and other resources. Without that ability to move, healthy populations simply will not persist over the long term. Here in New Jersey, wildlife are up against steady urbanization, a dense network of roads, and now a changing climate, all of which put the connectedness of our habitats and wildlife populations in jeopardy.

For example, one project is the Waterloo Road Amphibian Passage System in Byram Twp., Sussex County.

At Waterloo Road in Byram, more than 300 salamanders and frogs per hour have been tallied crossing a quarter-mile stretch on peak migration nights. Their goal is to reach the vernal pool on the other side, lay eggs, and journey back to the forest again. The tiny migrants are up against about 50 vehicles per hour or more - grim odds given that just 15 cars per hour can kill more than 50% of all amphibians trying to cross a road. Even with rescue teams patrolling Waterloo on foot, roadkill rates are always over 10% (Hall and Triece 2012-2017). For Spotted Salamanders, annual road mortality of more than 10% can lead to local extirpation (Gibbs and Shriver 2005).

Another project is creating Bobcat Alley in Sussex and Warren Counties, which we have written about here before. For more information: state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/chanj_bobcatalley.pdf

Hiking Belleplain State Forest

We certainly have some challenging hikes in NJ, but you can easily modify trails to your time and physical restrictions.

One place to try that is not often crowded in the fall is Belleplain State Forest. This is a 21,320-acre New Jersey State Forest in northern Cape May County and eastern Cumberland County. It has many young pine, oak and Atlantic white cedar trees, having better soil than the northern Pine Barrens.

In 1933, three camps were set up by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Reforestation Relief Act, supplying labor to the forest for over an eight-year period. The CCC converted Meisle Cranberry Bog into Lake Nummy, a popular swimming, boating, and fishing area. They also constructed the original forest headquarters, maintenance building, a road system, bridges, and dams.

Belleplain State Forest offers several hikes of diverse difficulty. The Lake Nummy hike iis 7.2 miles (East Creek Trail). That may sound long but because it is mostly on flat, packed sand trails with little elevation changes, so it's like 5 miles in Northern NJ. You will traverse several long boardwalks over wet areas, and maybe even a few wet areas if we have had recent rain. The most dangerous section is probably a stretch along the shoulder of Rt. 347 for about .4 mile or so around the midpoint.

If you want to walk the Pinelands but need something shorter, you can stay around Lake Nummy and do less than a mile walk on the Nature Trail (.89m), Meisle (.61m), North Shore Trail (.72m) or Goosekill Trail (.28m).

You can also combine and edit trails. Use Sunset Rd and Tom Field to make a loop and you'll cut out the East Creek pond section and knock the longer hike down to about 4.5m



You can find maps online to print out or pick up a park map at the Forest Office or Interpretive Center at Lake Nummy if it is open. There are no park fees after Labor Day.

Take precautions for ticks on any hike. You don't have to be very far into the wild to encounter ticks.

MORE INFO

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/belle.html

https://www.nynjtc.org/park/belleplain-state-forest

https://www.njhiking.com/nj-hikes-belleplain-state-forest/

Information and a trail map can be found in 50 Hikes in New Jersey and Hiking New Jersey.

         

Pine Barrens Protection

Pine Barrens cranberry bog

The Pine Barrens, or more correctly The Pinelands National Reserve, is an amazing part of New Jersey.

Some Pinelands facts:

• It covers over a million acres.
• It includes 800,000 acres of forest and 60,000 acres of farmland. 
• It is home to many rare animals and dozens of rare plants, including some found nowhere else on Earth.
• The highest point in the Pine Barrens is the fire tower on Apple Pie Hill in Wharton State Forest.
• The Pine Barrens comprise the largest surviving open space along the Eastern Seaboard south of Maine's great forests.

What is hidden from view but very important is the Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer, a shallow underground reservoir beneath the Pinelands that holds 17 trillion gallons of clean, fresh water. The aquifer provides more than 35 billion gallons of water per year to residents, farmers, businesses, and industry in southern New Jersey.

The National Parks and Recreation Act and New Jersey's Pinelands Protection Act were enacted in 1978 and 1979, respectively and these laws created a system of regional planning, with all development governed by a Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) and a mandate to protect the region's natural resources. A central goal is to safeguard the Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer by protecting the forests that collect and cleanse rainfall.

A 15-member Pinelands Commission oversees and implements the Comprehensive Management Plan, which designates conservation and growth zones and applies stringent environmental standards.

Threats to the Pinelands include underground gas pipeline proposals, contamination of the aquifer by nitrogen runoff in developed areas, saltwater intrusion into the aquifer from pumping too much freshwater, and the destruction of forests and habitats by illegal or improper off-road vehicle use.

The Pine Barrens are a New Jersey treasure and a global treasure that was designated a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Biosphere Reserve.

Pinelands Preservation Alliance website www.pinelandsalliance.org
NJ Pinelands Commission www.state.nj.us/pinelands

Pine Barren tree frog

NJ Fall Trout Season Begins With Stockings

The fall trout season will get under way as the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife begins stocking rivers, streams, and lakes across the state with thousands of large, two-year-old fish on Tuesday, October 10.

New Jersey boasts some of the finest trout fishing opportunities found anywhere,” said Commissioner Martin. “The fall stocking program is another example of the Christie Administration’s commitment to the outdoor community by providing wonderful opportunities to catch large trout at this special time of year.”

Later in the month, anyone can try their hand at freshwater fishing without having to purchase a fishing license during the Free Fishing Day on Oct. 21.

Beginning Tuesday, more than 20,000 two-year-old rainbow trout, ranging from 14 inches up to 22 inches in length and weighing 1 1/2 pounds to nearly 8 pounds, will be stocked in rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds throughout the state. The trout are raised at the Pequest State Trout Hatchery in Warren County.

The Division of Fish and Wildlife strives to make trout fishing available in all regions of the state. Waters stocked during the first week of fall stocking are the 16 large streams and rivers in northern and coastal New Jersey, such as the Big Flatbrook, Pequest River, South Branch Raritan River, Musconetcong River, and the Manasquan and Toms rivers. During the second week, 20 ponds and lakes across the state will be stocked.

There are no stocking closures during fall, so waters can be fished at any time. Although all newly stocked fish are at least 12 inches in length, anglers are reminded that there is a 9-inch minimum size limit on RainbowLargetrout in New Jersey. Anglers must immediately release fish smaller than the minimum size.

“Many of the rivers to be stocked also have fish that were released previously, providing even more opportunities to catch bigger fish,” said Division of Fish and Wildlife Director Larry Herrighty. “Fall is a great time to seek solitude, join a buddy or bring out your family to cast for trout while enjoying the beauty of New Jersey’s great outdoors. There are few better ways to enjoy the change of seasons.”

In addition to the already great fishing opportunities being offered this fall, anglers can enjoy a Free Fishing Day on Saturday, October 21. On this day, residents and non-residents can fish the fresh waters of the state for free without paying for a license or trout stamp. Other regulations, including size and daily catch limits, remain in effect.

Free Fishing Days provide a fantastic opportunity to sample fishing for a wide variety of fish, including trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, pickerel and numerous pan fish species. Hatchery-supported muskellunge, walleye, northern pike, channel catfish, and hybrid striped bass fisheries are also thriving.

The complete list of fall trout stocked waters and the stocking schedule is available at www.njfishandwildlife.com/flstk17.htm or through the Trout Stocking Hotline at (609) 633-6765. A wealth of information about trout fishing in New Jersey, including regulations, fishing access points and trout fishing facts can be found at: www.njfishandwildlife.com/trtinfo_fall.htm

Anglers may also download the stocking schedule right to their cell phones by simply scanning the QR Code that appears in the Freshwater Digest or on the Division's trout stocking signs posted along trout stocked waters. Updates to the fall stocking program will be posted as needed.

Except for Free Fishing Days, anyone age 16 or older must obtain a fishing license to fish the fresh waters of the state. A trout stamp is also required to fish for trout. Children under 16 and New Jersey residents 70 years and older may fish without a license. Licenses and stamps may be obtained through license agents statewide, found at: www.njfishandwildlife.com/agentlst.htm They can also be purchased online at: www.nj.wildlifelicense.com

Anglers who have yet to purchase a 2017 fishing licenses also have the opportunity to introduce a friend or family member to fishing at a reduced price this fall by purchasing a “Fishing Buddy” license. These discounted licenses are available to resident anglers ages 16 to 65, or any nonresident angler over age 16 who purchases an annual New Jersey freshwater fishing license at the same time as their “buddy.” For more information on the Fishing Buddy license, visit: www.njfishandwildlife.com/fishbuddy.htm

Photo by Tom Pagliaroli

Annual Fall Forestry Festival October 7 in Ocean County

Outdoor enthusiasts, crafting devotees, and fans of all things arboreal will gather again on Saturday October 7 at the Department of Environmental Protection’s Forest Resource Education Center in Jackson Township, Ocean County for the 23rd Annual Fall Forestry Festival. The festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine. Admission and parking are free.

“We invite all New Jerseyans to visit our Fall Forestry Festival to learn about trees and enjoy the outdoors,” said DEP Assistant Commissioner for Natural and Historic Resources Richard Boornazian. “The festival’s nature-themed activities and programs are sure to entertain and delight children and parents alike.”

“This festival is also a great time for birders, scouts, hikers, and anyone who appreciates forests and woods,” added State Forester John Sacco. “This event is here for people to gain a better understanding of New Jersey’s vast forest resource.”

Visitors will get the chance to meet beloved outdoor mascots Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl, take a hayride, visit the New Jersey Tree Nursery, or join one of the many guided hikes scheduled throughout the day. Professionals in the natural resource field will also be on hand to give tips on water and soil conservation, composting, invasive insects and diseases, maple sugaring, managing your backyard forest, and more.

Children, teens, and parents alike can plant acorns, build a wooden craft, make music in “Sounds of the Forest,” and even put on a harness and climb the old white oak tree. Plans are in place for demonstrations of the center’s sawmill and the utilization of logs from storm and/or insect damaged trees from around the state to be milled into useable lumber.

On the forest safety side, fire wardens will be on hand showcasing firefighting tools and equipment, as well as demonstrating how homeowners in our wooded areas and forests can help make their property “firewise.”

“Living in our forested areas means living with the potential for wildfires impacting their homes and property,” said State Fire Warden Steve Holmes. “We will be providing information on firewise gardens, which is the practice of making smarter landscaping choices to best protect our homes from wildfires.”

In 1994, the Department of Environmental Protection’s Forest Resource Education Center in Jackson hosted the first Fall Forestry Festival, drawing attention to the work the center does in educating the public about forest stewardship — managing New Jersey's forest resources so that we have healthy trees and forests, clean air and water, and places to learn about and enjoy the outdoors. Food and beverage will be available for purchase at the Festival. Sturdy hiking shoes and insect repellant are encouraged.

Parking is available for the festival at 370 E. Veterans Highway, Jackson. For driving directions to the Forestry Festival, call the Forest Resource Education Center (FREC) at 732-928-2360 or visit www.forestrycenter.nj.gov .

The Forest Resource Education Center (FREC), operated by the DEP's NJ Forest Service, is committed to providing exceptional conservation education programs that promote benefits of trees and forest stewardship to all age groups at no cost. It is the sole public facility in NJ focused on forestry education. Located on 875 acres, the FREC also offers miles of trails for hiking, biking, and nature watching.

The Toms River, which runs through the FREC, is regularly stocked with trout to provide an exciting fishing experience for anglers. For more information, please visit the FREC’s website at: www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/forest/njfs_frep.html. Many programs may fulfill requirements for scouting badges. To be added to the scout mailing list, email FREC@dep.nj.gov

The New Jersey Forest Tree Nursery, co-located on the same property, grows 300,000 seedlings yearly for reforestation efforts across the state. The Nursery has grown and distributed more than 220,000 tree seedlings for the Tree Recovery Program, providing them to New Jersey residents to replace trees lost in Superstorm Sandy. It also provides trees and seedlings for Arbor Day events and also boasts seedlings that flew in space on the Shuttle Columbia in 1997.

To learn more about the New Jersey Forest Tree Nursery, please visit their website at: www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/forest/nj_forest_nursery.htm

Appalachian National Scenic Trail and New Jersey

Most people who are not hikers probably don't think of New Jersey when they hear talk about the Appalachian Trail.

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the A.T., is a marked hiking trail in the Eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. The trail is about 2,200 miles (3,500 km) long. A beautiful 162-mile segment of the Appalachian Trail passes through the New York-New Jersey region.

final section of the AT through NJ

Probably equally surprising to even people living in New Jersey is that there are 10 National Parks in New Jersey.

1. Appalachian National Scenic Trail
2. Delaware Water Gap National Rec Area
3. Edison NHS
4. Gateway National Rec Area
5. Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Rec River
6. Middle Delaware National Scenic River
7. Morristown NHP
8. New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
9. New Jersey Pinelands
10. Paterson-Great Falls

Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks, which they do with the help of volunteers and partners.

New Jersey is home to 72.2 miles (116.2 km) of the trail. The trail enters New Jersey from the south on a pedestrian walkway along the Interstate 80 bridge over the Delaware River.

It ascends from the Delaware Water Gap to the top of Kittatinny Mountain in Worthington State Forest, passes Sunfish Pond, continues north through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and Stokes State Forest and eventually reaches High Point State Park,where it turns in a southeastern direction along the New York border for about 30 miles (48 km), passing over long sections of boardwalk bridges over marshy land, then entering Wawayanda State Park and then the Abram S. Hewitt State Forest just before entering New York near Greenwood Lake.

In New Jersey the New York - New Jersey Trail Conference maintains and updates the Appalachian Trail.

If you want to explore our Jersey section of the A.T., here are some resources to get you started.

• https://www.nps.gov/hfc/carto/PDF/APPAmap1.pdf   map of AT  
• https://www.nps.gov/appa/ 
• https://www.nynjtc.org/park/appalachian-national-scenic-trail 
• planning your visit  https://www.nps.gov/appa/planyourvisit/
• doing section hikes is one way to cover the trail in NJ-NY or even the entire 2000 miles. For example, Crater Lake Trail to Buttermilk Falls Trail and the NJ Park Boundary at Blue Mountain is 4.5 miles of mostly moderate hiking difficulty.  https://www.nps.gov/dewa/planyourvisit/appalachian-nst.htm 
• https://www.nynjtc.org/view/hike
• Jersey-centric view of the A.T. http://www.princetonmagazine.com/hiking-the-appalachian-trail-national-scenic-trail-in-new-jersey/