Threats to Fireflies

 Adult Firefly - Photuris lucicrescens

I read this past week that fireflies - lightning bugs to many of us - are a threatened species these days. You might see some tonight in your backyard, but they are more likely found in greater numbers in wetland habitats.

I'm sure many New Jersey residents have childhood memories of fireflies. They might have been an insect that you capture in a jar. Perhaps you are still are lucky enough to see them at night. I'm seeing fewer in my suburban Jersey backyard.

There are at least 125 species of fireflies in the United States, but none are protected by the Endangered Species Act. The threats to them are the development of wetlands and insecticide spraying that is meant to target mosquitoes. But it is disruptions in their habitat while they are young - such as construction - that can extinguish an entire population.

Fireflies or lightning bugs aren't flies or bugs. They are soft-winged beetles. What everyone knows them for is that they can produce light and this ability in a living organism is called bioluminescence and it is relatively rare.

Birds and other predators quickly learn to avoid them because many species of fireflies protect themselves from predators with chemicals called lucibufagins which are toxic in the right doses, but also extremely distasteful.

The light comes from special organs in their abdomens that combine the luciferin with oxygen. Entomologists think they control their flashing by regulating how much oxygen goes to their light-producing organs.

Fireflies use that blinking to find mates but it may have evolved as a way to ward off predators. The males fly around and flash a signal unique to their kind, and the females watch for males. When a female sees one doing a good job of making her species’ signal, she flashes back with a species-appropriate flash of her own. And maybe they will mate.

Scientists think the males synchronize so everyone has a chance to look for females. These displays can be quite large and spectacular and in some places (like one forest in Tennessee) crowds assemble to watch.

To most of us, fireflies are kind of magical and harmless creatures. They don't bite. They don't do significant damage to plants. They just want a stable woodland, meadow or marsh habitat. Their lifecycle runs a year or more and they spend most of their lives as larvae preying on earthworms and other animals in the soil or leaf litter. Oddly, most adults don’t feed at all.


Further Reading

theconversation.com/how-fireflies-glow-and-what-signals-theyre-sending

countryliving.com/life/a39391/where-have-all-the-fireflies-gone/

The Hudson Canyon

Depiction of the Hudson Canyon on the continental margin
 off New York and New Jersey at the outlet of the Hudson River.
The color is added. Public Domain via Wikimedia

As a child, I would hear about fisherman going out to "the canyon" to fish for big fish. It was many years later that I actually knew that they were referring to the Hudson Canyon. This submarine canyon begins from the shallow outlet of the estuary at the mouth of the Hudson River. The Hudson Canyon proper is located about 100 miles (160 km) east of the mouth of the Hudson River off the New Jersey coast.

It extends out over 400 mi (640 km) seaward across the continental shelf. The continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water known as a shelf sea. Much of the shelves were exposed during glacial periods and interglacial periods. This shelf connects to the deep ocean basin at a depth of 3 to 4 km below sea level.

It all begins as a natural channel that is several kilometers wide. It is a 20–40 m depression southward from Ambrose Light, and silt, sand, and mud are carried down the Hudson River and flow into the canyon and out into the deep sea.

Though it is under a lot of water, this is really a "canyon." The walls rise three-quarters of a mile from the canyon floor. That makes it comparable to the Grand Canyon with cliffs that are over a mile deep and 270 miles (430 km) long. It is the largest known ocean canyon off the East Coast of the United States, and one of the largest submarine canyons in the world.

It was once not under water and exposed as land. The last time it was above water was during the last Ice Age, over 10,000 years ago. Sea level was about 400 feet (120 m) lower and the mouth of the Hudson River was near the edge of the continental shelf. That would put the river's mouth about 100 miles (160 km) east of its present site.

Sediment flowing helped carve the canyon along with underwater avalanches of mud and sand.

Tidal currents move up and down the channel and big storms move cold ocean water up the Hudson Canyon so it continues to be cut by traveling sediments.

Rumor has it that the Hudson Canyon also contains the remnants of pollution and trash from when New York City's sewage and garbage was dumped directly into the river. I have read online that there are plans to use new maps of the canyon to track contaminants from abandoned dumpsites off New York Harbor.

The channel from the Hudson River goes southeast into the ocean and deepens
directly east of most of New Jersey's popular beaches.

Bald Eagle Program at the Great Swamp NWR

In 1982, there was one active eagle nest in New Jersey. By 2018, there were 185. Bald eagles are one of the best examples of an endangered species comeback in our state.

NJ Fish and Wildlife Bald Eagle Project Volunteers Kevin and Karin Buynie are completing their 11th season monitoring nests and will be giving a public presentation on August 11.
You will learn about the history of bald eagle conservation in New Jersey and at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge where eagles have now fledged.

The program, Second Sunday... with Friends: MAGNIFICENT EAGLES will be on August 11 at 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm at the Refuge's Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center at 32 Pleasant Plains Rd., Harding Township (directions)

The Friends of Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1999 in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and has a refuge-centric focus to support the goals, projects, and mission of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Their operations and activities are managed by an all-volunteer board of directors and committees.

     Bald Eagle Fledgling in New Jersey USA from Michael Black on Vimeo.

Trump Administration Overhauls Endangered Species Act

The bald eagle is the most visible symbol of the success of the Endangered Species Act

The Trump administration announced on Monday a major overhaul to the Endangered Species Act. The main thrust is to reduce regulations.

Environmentalists immediately responded by saying that it will say will threaten more animals and plants to extinction. This is especially true in light of threats from climate change and human activities.

The Endangered Species Act has prevented more than 99% of listed species from going extinct, according to Earthjustice, a group of lawyers for the environment. They also say that in polling, 90% of Americans support the act.

The changes end blanket protections for animals newly deemed threatened.

It allows federal authorities for the first time to take into account the economic cost of protecting a particular species.

Two statements from the administration explain the move in these ways:

“The best way to uphold the Endangered Species Act is to do everything we can to ensure it remains effective in achieving its ultimate goal – recovery of our rarest species. The act’s effectiveness rests on clear, consistent and efficient implementation.” -  U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt 

"...the revisions finalized with this rulemaking fit squarely within the president’s mandate of easing the regulatory burden on the American public, without sacrificing our species’ protection and recovery goals." - U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross

Monarch Butterfly on Butterfly Milkweed plant  - USFWSmidwest photo

President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law in 1973. The act was critical to bring back the bald eagle, California condor, grizzly bear and many other animals and plants nearing extinction.

On the side of environmentalists, the reaction is similar to the comments of Noah Greenwald, the Center for Biological Diversity’s endangered species director:

“These changes crash a bulldozer through the Endangered Species Act’s lifesaving protections for America’s most vulnerable wildlife. For animals like wolverines and monarch butterflies, this could be the beginning of the end. We’ll fight the Trump administration in court to block this rewrite, which only serves the oil industry and other polluters who see endangered species as pesky inconveniences. We’ll do everything in our power to get these dangerous regulations rescinded, including going to court.”

The arguments and court cases will certainly start immediately and probably continue for years to come.

COVERAGE IN THE NEWS
www.nytimes.com
www.usatoday.com
www.chicagotribune.com

National Lighthouse Day and more at Sandy Hook

Today is National Lighthouse Day and at the Sandy Hook Lighthouse from 12 PM - 5 PM they will be joining in honoring the beacons of light that for hundreds of years symbolized safety and security for ships and boats at sea. Visit the Sandy Hook Lighthouse and learn about the oldest operating lighthouse in the nation with the long-serving Lighthouse Keeper Samuel P. Jewell (1869-1909). Learn what it was like to be a lighthouse keeper during the 18th Century. Must be 48" or taller to climb the lighthouse. Wear appropriate footwear.

OTHER UPCOMING PROGRAMS - also check the SANDY HOOK PROGRAM GUIDE

Stars of Sandy Hook
Beach Plaza @ Lot E
Thursday, August 8, 8:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Join STAR and a park ranger to view the night skies. It is the best time of month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is little light in the sky. Bring binoculars and/or telescopes. Free.

Annual Fluke Tagging Trip
American Littoral Society
MIJo II Charters, Atlantic Highlands Municipal Marina, NJ
Saturday, August 10, 7 AM
Join Jeff Dement, the Society's fish tagging director, for a day of fishing and tagging in New Jersey waters. If you've never tagged fish before, this is a great opportunity to learn from experienced taggers. Cost: $75 for Members/$100 for Non-Members. Cost includes boat ticket, all tackle, bait, and tags. If you have your own tackle, feel free to use it. Space is limited. Contact or call 732-291-0055 X106 for info. Places on the boat are secured when payment is received.

Going Bunkers: Nine Gun Battery
Lot M
Sunday, August 11, 6 PM - 7:30 PM
Explore and tour the north end of Fort Hancock's Nine Gun Battery, the longest gun battery the U.S. Army ever built for harbor defense. When construction began in 1897, the battery was originally intended to mount three 10-inch caliber disappearing guns, but when construction was completed in 1904 an additional six 12-inch caliber disappearing guns were emplaced, creating a nine gun battery that operated until 1944. Free. Call 732-872-5970 to make a reservation.

Ocean Beach Walk
Beach Plaza @ Lot D
June 17 through August 26, 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM, Monday, Tuesday.
Come and take a guided walk with a park ranger along the beach, collecting and identifying some of the ocean's natural treasures. Wear comfortable shoes & sunscreen, and bring binoculars and water.

Canoe Cruise
U.S. Life-Saving Station Parking Lot (between Lot D and Lot E)
June 27 through August 29, 9:15 AM - 12 PM, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
Take a two-mile morning paddle to explore Sandy Hook bay from an ideal vantage point-the water itself. Rangers guide you on a two and a half hour tour of the bayside waters and Skeleton Hill Island. Go to www.recreation.govor call 877-444-6777 to make your reservation. Fee-based program. Days vary; check listings in Sandy Hook Program Guide.

Junior Ranger
June 27 through August 29, Children ages 7 to 12 years old. Tuesday, Thursday.
See Junior Ranger section located after the calendar listings, for rotating schedule of programs and each location. . Offerings vary; check listings in Sandy Hook Program Guide.

Junior Jr. Ranger
June 19 through August 28, 10 AM - 11 AM, Wednesday.
Children ages 3 to 6 years old
See Junior Jr. Ranger section below located after the calendar entries, for rotating schedule of programs and each location. Offerings vary; check listings in Sandy Hook Program Guide.

Shad Found in Paulins Kill Upstream of Former Dam Site

NJ Division of Environmental Protection biologists have officially documented American Shad in the Paulins Kill upstream of the former Columbia Lake dam site.

The dam was removed this past winter to restore this historic spawning pathway, as it had been blocking migration in New Jersey's third-largest tributary to the Delaware River for more than 110 years.

While photos from anglers have confirmed the presence of American Shad in the Paulins Kill earlier this spring, Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries biologists have now officially documented this species in the Paulins Kill upstream of the dam site. Shad, as with others, such as salmon, are anadromous, meaning that they migrate up rivers from the sea to spawn.

The dam, owned by the Division of Fish and Wildlife since the 1950s, was 18-feet high making it the largest removal to date in New Jersey. The removal was accomplished through a diverse partnership of state and federal governments, and non-governmental organizations with a majority of funding for the removal provided by DEP's Office of Natural Resource Restoration with monies from natural resource damages. The Nature Conservancy of New Jersey (TNCNJ) provided project management and oversight over the multi-year project in coordination with American Rivers.

Fisheries Biologist Ross Shramko holds one of the American Shad captured and released while electrofishing the Paulins Kill River in Blairstown. in June 2019.

The Nature Conservancy of NJ also provided significant funding through private donations, and grants from:
US Fish and Wildlife Service
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership
Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund
Leavens Foundation and
Tom's of Maine.

The USFWS has provided support throughout various phases of the project including the design of critical fish passage structures through the I-80 bridge which traverses the Columbia Wildlife Management Area.

The project is ongoing, with stabilization of key areas along the newly formed stream channel underway, and removal of the powerhouse to begin in upcoming months. The Division's fisheries staff will continue to monitor the recovery of American Shad in the river and will conduct additional sampling this fall to confirm if they have successfully spawned in the river.

Anglers are reminded while American Shad may be targeted in the Delaware River mainstem, they cannot be targeted in other freshwaters of the state. Anglers who see or accidentally catch an American Shad while fishing for other species are encouraged to report their sightings to the Division at NJFWfish@dep.nj.gov or 908-236-2118. Please include the date of sighting, location, any photos, and your contact info.

SOURCES
www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/news/
www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/columbiadam_project.htm