Looking for Volunteers at Rockport Game Farm

This request was sent to NJDEP WCC volunteers by Paul Ritter, Supervising Biologist at the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife. If you're unfamiliar with the WCC, it is open to anyone 18 years of age and older. It is the largest natural resource management volunteer group in the state. If you are interested, you can obtain an application form along with more information online at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/wcchome.htm

The Rockport Pheasant Farm is a 492-acre facility (within the 1,202-acre Rockport Wildlife Management Area) operated by the N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife. The facility produces approximately 55,000 ring-necked pheasants each year for the sporting public (no pheasants are sold to the public). Acquisition of the property began in 1912 and was completed in 1925. The first release of Rockport pheasants was made in 1923. Since 1923 over 2 million pheasants have been raised at Rockport.

The volunteer request:

As you may recall the Rockport Game Farm sustained catastrophic damage during the October 2011 snowstorm. Since March, the Rockport crew has been working on production of this year's pheasant crop for stocking in the fall starting with egg collection, hatching, brooding and range pen operations. They have completed demolition of the damaged pens and along with assistance from the Bureau of Land Management, have partially completed reconstruction of new pens and runways. Much work still needs to be completed before the upcoming pheasant season and we need your assistance to complete this monumental task on time!

We are looking for volunteers who have specific skills in carpentry, plumbing and grounds maintenance. The ideal candidates for this request should be self-motivated and willing to work on their own with limited supervision.

Carpentry skills required include load bearing wall construction and door installation on load bearing walls.
Plumbing skills needed include sink and toilet repair / installation.
Grounds Maintenance skills include the operation of riding mower equipment and gas powered weed trimmers.

This work will need to be performed between the hours of 8:00 am and 2:00 pm.

If you have the required skills for any of the above listed types of work and are interested in volunteering your services at the Game Farm, please leave your name and a telephone number on the answering machine at 908-852-3461 by September 14th with your interests. Because the staff is generally on the Farm and not in the office, leave your contact information and Rockport staff will call you back.